GIVING THANKS
On this weekend dedicated to giving thanks, Mikhail Sergachev does indeed have much to be thankful for as he continues to stick with the big club while the number of days remaining in training camp can now be counted on one hockey mitt.
The fact that he could become the first 18-year-old defenseman to crack the Canadiens' permanent roster since Petr Svoboda did the same in 1984-85 only adds to his gratitude.
"It's not only Montreal, but in the whole League. Not many guys make the team at 18," acknowledged the Canadiens' ninth-overall pick from the 2016 NHL Draft of the odds he's overcome to date. "Any day I can get cut and go back to Junior, so I'm still [taking things] day-by-day. I didn't make the team yet."
But even if history isn't on his side, Sergachev still has a lot leaning in his favor to level the playing field, beginning with a helpful countryman on the blue line.
"I feel confident playing with [Alexei Emelin] because we're both Russian, and we can speak Russian to each other," added the Nizhnekamsk-native of his Togliatti-born defensive partner. "It makes things much easier [in that respect], but he's also a great defenseman."
And luckily for the rest of his new teammates, you don't need to be fluent in Russian to catch onto that confidence.
"His poise is his biggest asset. When he gets the puck he never panics," dished Nathan Beaulieu on the 18-year-old rearguard. "That's the biggest thing when you're a young defenseman -- when you get nervous you make mistakes. I see a lot of Marky [Andrei Markov] in him because of the way he slows the game down. He's good with his stick and is able to make simple fast plays that help our offense -- the forwards love it. He's a special kid."