In English it is known as the ‘farm team’; a place where young players are staged, awaiting their opportunity for the a call-up to the main team. In French the term is le club école, ‘the school team’, and this is probably a much better description of how Head Coach Sylvain Lefebvre runs the club of hopeful future Montreal Canadiens.
As important as wins are in any sport, the mandate Lefebvre has from General Manager Marc Bergevin is to prepare prospects for the NHL, and if that means sacrificing an advantage so be it.