End of season blog - April 14

BROSSARD -- With the 2022-23 season officially over, a group of players addressed the media at the Bell Sports Complex on Friday.

Here are the highlights from their respective availabilities:
Paul Byron
The primary topic of conversation with Byron was whether or not he can resume his playing career after missing the entire season due to injury.
The veteran forward wants to keep playing, but it isn't clear if he can. Doctors haven't given him the green light to return, and he doesn't know what the future has in store. He'll take some time to think about next steps.

Byron also confirmed that no further surgical procedures are currently being planned.
He also spoke with Canadiens management about potentially transitioning to a player development role within the organization as well.
Sean Monahan
Monahan confirmed that he's on the road to recovery after recently undergoing groin surgery.
He expects to resume skating in approximately two-and-a-half weeks to continue rehabbing.
He indicated that "everything is fixed" and he's "looking forward to getting healthy."

The veteran forward said returning to the Canadiens next season is a possibility for him, too. He "made lifelong friends in a short time" with Montreal and coming back "would be pretty special."
Jake Allen
Allen gave high marks to the Canadiens' young defensemen for their efforts this year.
He said they should all be proud of the work they accomplished and the progress they made.

The veteran goaltender was particularly impressed with Johnathan Kovacevic, indicating that he "solidified himself as an NHL player" this season.
Allen has two years remaining on his contract with Montreal, and he fully expects to return to the Canadiens in the fall.
Brendan Gallagher
Gallagher confirmed that he suffered a broken ankle after blocking a shot early in the season in a game against the Vancouver Canucks.
He played with the injury for a month, and later suffered a second break in the ankle that forced him to miss an extended period of time.

The Habs' assistant captain indicated that it was "incredibly frustrating to miss that much of the season" with the injury.
The ankle, however, is fully healed now.
Josh Anderson
Dealing with a high-ankle sprain in the latter stages of the season was difficult for Anderson.
He doesn't know when he'll resume skating, but he hopes to resume training in approximately three to four weeks.

Anderson said it was "not ideal, not fun" watching his teammates from afar in recent weeks.
He also wasn't pleased with the way things played out results-wise for the group as a whole, indicating that "anytime you're at the bottom of the standings, it's not a good look."
The veteran forward expects some changes to come over the summer, and stressed that "we've got to be better."
Kirby Dach
Dach confirmed that he suffered a concussion in the game against the Sabres on March 27.
He was dealing with headaches as a result of the injury, but has since resumed his workouts with the help of the Canadiens' medical staff.

Dach was very complimentary of captain Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield, and he hopes to be reunited with them on a line next year.
"It's fun playing with those guys. Suzy is a phenomenal player. Obviously, I knew he was really good before coming here, but seeing him every day and the work he puts in, it's no surprise that he's as good as he is, especially taking on a captaincy role. Being such a good leader this year really speaks to the person that he is and how he carries himself," said Dach. "And then obviously with Cole, he's one of the best goal scorers in the league. There's not many guys that can shoot the puck or find ways to score like that, so it's pretty impressive. It's definitely fun playing with those guys."
Cole Caufield
Caufield has no concerns over his contract situation right now. He's focusing primarily on his rehab from shoulder surgery.
He confirmed that "everything's on track" with his recovery and "everything's looking good so far."
The American forward expects to have a full summer of training and plans to be ready for training camp in the fall.

Despite the Canadiens' record, Caufield believes the group is "trending in the right direction."
He admires the team's "fight" and resiliency against some of the League's top teams, and he insists that the squad will "only get better with experience."
Mike Matheson
Matheson enjoyed a strong finish to the year, and he spoke about the significance of the campaign.
"I didn't play the most games I've played in past seasons, but I think I grew the most out of any other season," insisted the 29-year-old defenseman. "I think I was able to take big strides, and the focus is just to keep building as an individual and as a team as well."

The Pointe-Claire native is also particularly optimistic about the future.
"I think we have a really good solid group of young players that are only going to get better," he said. "Sprinkle in some of the older guys like me, and I think it's a good group that's headed in a good direction."
Joel Edmundson
Edmundson summarized the season to the best of his ability.
"It was a tough year in the win category, but when you look at the list of our injuries and the key players that we missed the majority of the year, it felt like at all times we were missing 10 of our starters, and it's tough to win hockey games when you've got new guys coming into the lineup every night and you're not really familiar with them. It's tough to build that dynamic," he said. "But at the same time, the guys that did come up, they played good hockey. When we have a healthy team, we feel like we can compete with anyone."

With respect to Edmundson's back issues, he's happy to have a full summer to continue his rehab work.
The Canadiens' medical staff has provided him with exercises to build up more strength in his back and core muscles, and he plans to spend the summer in Kelowna training.
Nick Suzuki
Suzuki talked about his development in his first year wearing the "C."
"I think it was a good growing year for me, just getting to play with a lot of different guys, just trying to stick to my game. Marty really talked to me about that, just controlling what I can, playing well defensively, and when you do that, it just leads to more offense and more opportunities, so just growing as a player," he said. "I felt the most comfortable I ever have this year, and that will just keep getting better every year."

Suzuki also addressed Caufield's overall development as well.
He couldn't be more excited to see his good buddy in uniform again next season.
"I think he's proven that he can score with the best of them and be a good player. I think he's grown a lot in his two-way game. I think there's still room for him to grow. It's exciting what a player he could become," he explained. "He's done a good job of proving how he can play, and hopefully we get him back long-term."
Meanwhile, Suzuki confirmed that he won't be going to the upcoming IIHF World Hockey Championship because he "banged up a little bit" and it "just wasn't good timing for me."
Jonathan Drouin
Drouin, who was playing in the final year of his contract, said the door was open to returning to Montreal if management was interested.
"I'm 100 percent open to coming back," mentioned Drouin. "This is my first time as an free agent, so we'll see what my options are. There's still plenty of time before July 1."

While his tenure with the CH could end in the near future, he says he's happy with how far he's come since arriving in the summer of 2017.
"I had a good time and I made good friends. I had good teammates and we had good teams," added Drouin. "We had a great group this year. We found a way to compete during a tough season. It was fun, even if we had more losses than wins. We were in it most of the time."
Sam Montembeault
Montembeault was rewarded for his strong season with the Canadiens.
He confirmed that he will represent Canada at the upcoming IIHF World Hockey Championship.