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In yesterday’s match-ups at the World Junior Championships, Mysak’s Czech Republic made short work of Austria winning 7-0 (Mysak got himself a goal and an assist), Caufield’s USA dominated Sweden from start to finish with a 4-0 win (Caufield was held off the scoresheet even though he saw plenty of ice-time) and Guhle’s Canada overcame Finland 4-1 as the Finnish goaltender kept his team in the game (nothing much to report on the Guhle front). The quarter finals are now set up and expect an action-packed Saturday tomorrow: Russia will face Germany at 12:00 PM ET, Finland will take on Sweden at 3:30 PM, Canada and Czech Republic will battle it out at 7:00 PM and the USA will attempt to dispatch Slovakia at 10:30 PM. After the group stage, both Caufield and Mysak have got 3 points while Guhle has got 2 goals to his name. For those who are starting to panic about Caufield’s performance, there is no need to do so yet. Sure, most would have liked to see him dominate this tournament, but failure to do so doesn’t mean he’s a bust. Just look at Alex DeBrincat, in his only appearance at the World Juniors Championships, he registered a single goal in 5 games, and I dare say he’s done pretty good for himself since.
As for the rumours that Pierre-Luc Dubois might be looking for a change of scenery, those were quite intriguing and fun while they lasted but they’ve now been put to rest thanks to a 2-year bridge deal that will earn him $10 M over the duration. To be honest, I’m quite happy the file is now closed, I really like what Marc Bergevin has done with this team this offseason and I want to see what this group can do. If that Quebecer first line centre had indeed been available, Bergevin might have felt a certain pressure to go out and get him, but it would have been so expensive that it probably would have set the team back rather than taking another step forward. There’s not point on speculating right now though, now it’s time to look forward at what will be rather than what could have been. Buckle up Habs fans, I truly believe that we’ll be in for quite the season!