Nevertheless, Bouchard is still confident in his group's capabilities and he's hoping that his players will simply feel good on the ice.
"It's important for our players to feel comfortable. The challenge I'm presenting them with is to play up to their potential," mentioned Bouchard. "They were drafted and invited for a reason, because there are things they do well. They have an identity and the important thing is to feel comfortable tonight."
For their part, Nick Suzuki and Ryan Poehling will be doing their very best ahead of main camp to impress the Habs' brass in hopes of earning a roster spot with the big club down the road.
But, Bouchard continues to emphasize that gaining some experience at the AHL level is always a good option. It's very rare, of course, for a player to simply skip the AHL ranks altogether and head directly to the NHL.
"In life, there are two kinds of players. There are exceptional players and then there's everyone else. In the latter, the first one to get his head above water will end up surviving. We don't talk about the exceptional ones. For them, the bar is very high. We can talk about Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby and Auston Matthews. These are guys with high aptitudes and an incredible understanding of the game," mentioned Bouchard. "The rest, if they want to play hockey, there's a way to improve themselves and it's definitely in the AHL."
With respect to his lineup, Bouchard wasn't about to confirm anything following the morning skate, including which players would be watching from the press box.
But, Quebecer Rafael Harvey-Pinard could begin the game alongside Poehling and Suzuki.
"We'll end up playing everybody with everybody. My goal is put players in positions where they can perform. Harvey-Pinard can play on the left side or the right side, on the power play or on the penalty kill. In English, we call that a "Swiss Army knife," said Bouchard. "He has many assets. But, lines and defense pairings in a tournament like this aren't really science-based. You try to find good combinations, but they can definitely change during a game."