Montreal | Josh Anderson never really tested the reality of a deal. In the Ontario Junior League, Anderson played all three seasons with the London Knights. During his first six years in the NHL, he only knew the environment of the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Also read: Al-Kindi wants to rule in his homeland

Also read: Joel Jeremiah returns on the skis

In addition to Columbus, the great right winger also visited the cities of Springfield and Cleveland for periods in the Major League Soccer in his early days organizing the vests.

On October 6, Anderson was hit by trade shock for the first time. He moved to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for a friend and former fellow London Knights Max Dome.

Almost four months later, the 26-year-old Antaryan said he’s fully integrated into his new team. To accelerate his sense of belonging, Mark Bergevin also awarded him a seven-year contract and 38.5 million (5.5 million on average) just two days after its acquisition. Rooting does not hurt.

On the ice, Anderson quickly found his directions alongside Nick Suzuki and Jonathan Drwin. In his debut match for the Habs, he scored twice in a 5-4 overtime loss to Maple Leafs in Toronto. As an entrance to the scene, it was difficult to imagine a better. After six matches, the winger has achieved 6’3 ”, 226 pounds, four points (3 goals, 1 assists) and has a +2 rating.

“I was expecting it to be more difficult,” Anderson said on the eve of a match against Flames at the Bell Center. But it is an easy transition. I’ve been saying this since day one. Guys are cool, it’s a really knit group. They made me feel welcome. Road trip helped, too. We spent the first two weeks away from Montreal, but I feel like a player who has been here for a year already. It is really good. I look forward to many more years with this team. ”

• Listen to Jean Charles Lajoy’s column with Benoit Doutrizac on QUB Radio:

Good kernel

Anderson is not a rare insect in the Habs locker room. Jake Allen, Joel Edmundson, Tyler Toffoli and Corey Perry were able to quickly integrate into their new surroundings.

“There is a good group of veterans in the team,” Claude Julian explained. When new people come along, men do a good job of making them feel out of place. The same goes for coaches. We make sure to chat with them, and show them what we’re doing as a team. But there are several things that need to be put in place in order for them to feel comfortable. It comes from everyone. It starts with the organization that welcomes them and assists them in their move to Montreal. The credit goes to the entire organization for incorporating new people. “

Private toilet

On Thursday evening, Anderson will make his first game on ice at the Bell Center, wearing a Canadiens costume on his back.

Number 17 said. “It’d be nice to be on the other side this time.” Under these conditions, without the fans, it would be different. But I’ll take this as another game. We skated on Wednesday at the Bell Training Center. There, I found it exciting to see the dressing room and all the history associated with the team. I can’t wait for my first game. “

Prior to Wednesday’s training at the Bell Center, Anderson set foot on Saint Antoine Street as a member of the Canadians. He just saw the team’s locker room in Brossard.

“I found it a bit difficult to find a car park, but other than that, I really liked the experience,” he replied. As I walked into the locker room, my thoughts went astray. She was distinguished. There is such a rich history. I looked at pictures of Canadian alumni, I looked at many Stanley Cup replicas. I was amazed. I didn’t speak for the first 10 minutes after entering the locker room. “

Nice words for Torturella

The day after his replacement for Montreal, Anderson gave a very free speech to John Tortorella. If he remains completely silent about the deal between the planes and the blue jackets that particularly includes Pierre-Luc Dubois and Patrick Lynn, the right-winger once again sent the flowers to Tortorella.

“As I’ve said many times, Torts is a good coach. I like him. He’s an honest coach, and you know what to expect. He cares about the best of the players. Sometimes he seems to be the bad guy, but he’s here to help. I learned a lot from him.”