Author: Dans les Coulisses

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Arber Xhekaj better respond to Martin St-Louis’ review

MONTREAL, CANADA- OCTOBER 14: Arber Xhekaj #72 of the Montreal Canadiens takes a shot on goal during the third period of the NHL regular season game between the Montreal Canadiens and the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Bell Centre on October 14, 2024 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Vitor Munhoz/NHLI via Getty Images)

Yesterday, Martin St-Louis answered several questions from the media in a very blunt and direct manner at the post-practice press conference.

He obviously offered a response to the criticism levelled at him, which was supported by two of his players, but he also took the time to send a very clear criticism/message himself to his defender, Arber Xhekaj.

Indeed, Martin St-Louis was not shy in his criticism of number 72, and this was noticed by everyone.

It’s clear that St-Louis has reached the point where he gives Xhekaj a lot less rope and leash than the others, as this is the first time we’ve seen him talk so harshly about a player.

And when you think about it, even though, like virtually all Habs fans, I love Arber Xhekaj, St-Louis is right, the defenseman has to be better.

The sheriff isn’t off to a good start this season, and it’s showing in every one of his games, and even in every one of his appearances.

It’s not for nothing that he lost his chair to Logan Mailloux, freshly recalled from the Laval Rocket.

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Xhekaj is no longer a shadow of the threat he was when he arrived in the NHL two years ago, and that’s really working against him right now with the huge internal competition.

Like Martin St-Louis, we all know that Xhekaj can give a lot more, so it’s up to him to stand up if he wants to become a regular in the Habs’ defensive top-6 again.

After such criticism of him from his coach yesterday, Xhekaj needs to step up and play some great hockey tonight against the St. Louis Blues at the Bell Centre.

The important thing is for Xhekaj to get back to what worked for him when he first arrived in the NHL, and what made him a crowd favorite.

And don’t get me wrong, I’m not asking Xhekaj to fight, but rather to play simple, effective hockey.

Upon his arrival with the Habs, Xhekaj became a crowd favorite for his fighting, yes, but also for his overall physical play, defensive toughness and piercing, threatening shots.

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By the way, Xhekaj even ranked first among Habs defensemen in terms of shooting percentage, on a team that’s a real handful at this level.

In short, we know that Xhekaj is mixed up in his head and not very confident, but he’s capable of recovering from all that and getting back into his coach’s good graces.

Xhekaj isn’t MSL’s favorite, and he never has been, but all the same, the sheriff needs to get back to his good habits and solid, efficient play.

His mere presence in the line-up must be felt and help the team win.

Overtime

– One last game before the playoffs!

– Good point.

– Coming up.

– Ranger roster move.

– Indeed.

– Bravo !

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Top-4: Golden Knights sink Senators with two goals in one minute late in the third

Yesterday was the usual quiet Friday in the National Hockey League.

Four games were scheduled across the NHL.

Here’s what caught the eye.

1. Senators sink late in third period

The Vegas Golden Knights hosted the Ottawa Senators last night.

Even though they were at home, the Golden Knights wore their white jerseys, and the Senators wore their black jerseys.

In short, it was an action-packed game, with the Senators taking the lead on three occasions, but each time Vegas managed to claw their way back.

Worst of all for the Senators, the only time the Golden Knights took the lead in the game was at the very end of the third period, with two goals in one minute.

Vegas never looked back.

Ivan Barbashev completed the scoring in an empty net with already his 7ᵉ goal of the season, giving the Golden Knights a 6-4 win in the game.

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2. Filip Forsberg scores a magnificent goal

As everyone knows, things haven’t been clicking in Nashville for the Predators at the start of the season.

After five consecutive regulation-time defeats to open their season, the Preds finally won their first game this week.

And yesterday, they had the chance to win a second, when they took on the Chicago Blackhawks.

But it didn’t start well for the Preds, who fell behind 2-0 in the game, thanks in part to Connor Bedard’s second goal of the season.

Bedard now has eight points in eight games.

Fortunately for the Preds, their best player, Filip Forsberg, decided to take matters into his own hands midway through the second period.

The Swedish forward scored a magnificent goal, slicing through the Blackhawks’ defense.

The goal seemed to give the Preds wings again, as they won 3-2.

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3. Oilers dominate, whitewash Penguins

Another Stanley Cup contender in the Western Conference got off to a terrible start.

After a horrendous opening sequence, the Edmonton Oilers are gradually picking themselves up, and seem to be finding their bearings again.

Last night, they were simply dominant, as they are capable of being, as they manhandled the poor Pittsburgh Penguins throughout the game.

They directed 50 shots on net, and blanked the Penguins.

Stuart Skinner made 27 saves for his fifth career shutout.

By the end of the game, the Penguins were obviously frustrated, which led to this fight in revenge to a heavy check served by Marcus Pettersson on Viktor Arvidsson.

In defeat, 22-year-old goaltender Joel Blomqvist did very well, turning aside 46 of the Oilers’ 50 shots in just his fifth career game.

And as for Connor McDavid, well, he’s only ten points away from the 1,000-point career plateau.

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4. Bo Horvat gives Islanders overtime win

The Islanders have fallen on hard times offensively, not scoring many goals in their games.

Last night, however, the Islanders scored a few goals to force overtime.

Bo Horvat did the rest, as the Islanders won 4-3.

Note that Alexander Romanov received a solid check in the game.

Overtime

– Here are all the results from the previous day.

– Here are yesterday’s top scorers.

(Credit: NHL.com)

– Today’s NHL schedule: 14 games.

(Credit: Google/NHL)
(Credit: Google/NHL)
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Florian Xhekaj scores his first professional goal

On Friday evening, the Laval Rocket hosted the Utica Comets.

For the occasion, it was Jakub Dobes in net for Laval.

Here’s what tonight’s line-up looked like:

In the first period, the Rocket dominated their opponents, but only scored one goal.

It was defenseman Zack Hayes who opened the scoring when he went on the attack.

Josh Jacobs and Jared Davidson assisted on the goal.

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In the second period, the domination was less present, but the results were even more present.

Laval scored no less than two goals, including this one from Joshua Roy, on a beautiful “tic-tac-toe” on the powerplay.

Owen Beck and Alex Barré-Boulet got the ball rolling.

Aside from his three-point game last Friday, Roy had been blanked on every occasion until this game.

With this goal, he raised his point total to four in five games.

Moments later, another Québécois got on the scoresheet.

Laurent Dauphin gave his team a comfortable three-goal lead, accepting Xavier Simoneau’s pass.

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Comets fans had to wait until the third period to see their first goal, when Brian Halonen reduced the gap to two goals.

However, just over five minutes later, Florian Xhekaj scored his first professional goal.

A magnificent shot on landing deceived the vigilance of goalkeeper Nico Daws.

Riley Kidney and Luke Tuch picked up an assist on the goal.

The score was 4-1 in favor of the Rocket.

Shortly after the goal, however, we learned that Filip Mesar was injured and would not return to the game.

Once again, another member of the Habs organization goes down fighting.

Excluding this injury, everything seemed to be going well for the Rocket in the third period, but the Comets tried to come back from behind.

Filip Engaras midway through the third period (assisted by young Seamus Casey and Colton White) brought the teams back to a two-goal game.

And with just over a minute and a half to go in the final twenty minutes, Justin Dowling cut the gap to just one short goal.

Seamus Casey picked up his second assist of the game, while Nolan Foote picked up the other assist on his team’s third goal.

Dobes held the fort late in the game with 27 saves on 30 shots, and the Rocket won 4-3.

The two teams will cross swords again tomorrow night, this time at the Comets’ home.

We can expect to see Connor Hughes in front of the cage for this duel.

Overtime

– Michael Hage gave his team victory in overtime in an exhibition match.

– Well done.

– Listen now.

– A very nice slap in the face.

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MSL could be the best NHL coach of the year, says Philippe Boucher

Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images

Unsurprisingly, the Montreal Canadiens aren’t doing too well so far this season.

Obviously, with so many major injuries, being “in the mix” is made difficult.

But the goalies aren’t doing enough, the defensive system is deficient and there’s a lack of offensive support.

The powerplay isn’t atrocious, but there’s certainly room for improvement there.

It’s better than last year, and this may have something to do with the change in forward coach.

Martin St-Louis has replaced Alex Burrows in this role, and frankly, I like the idea of MSL handling the NA.

But being head coach AND running the powerplay is just too much work.

That’s what Philippe Boucher thinks, and he was one of the guests (along with Anthony Marcotte) on the first French-language episode of The Sick Podcast with Tony Marinaro.

He also thinks that St-Louis could be the best coach in the NHL.

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If you click on the YouTube video above, you’ll see exactly where Philippe Boucher says these words.

It’s hard not to agree with Boucher on this one, as MSL has everything it takes to roll up a very good massive forward.

As Boucher said, he just needs more talent up front, and being head coach on top of it all makes the task very arduous.

As for talent, that’s going to come with the likes of Ivan Demidov and Michael Hage, who should be joining the club at the end of their respective seasons.

However, all this brings me to another point.

Personally, although St-Louis has done a great job so far with the youngsters, I don’t think he’s the ideal coach to win one or more Stanley Cups.

For this year, there’s no press, but if next year we don’t win enough, I’ll be asking myself questions.

That’s why I’d consider the option of finding a better coach to take the young core to the next level, while keeping MSL on the AN.

The next question is which coach would be ideal for the Habs.

Overtime

– Chris Pronger supports Jacob Trouba.

– Good news for the Blue Jackets.

– A nice text about the Joseph brothers.

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To hear Luc Poirier tell it, PKP is a nuisance when it comes to bringing a team back to Quebec City

Two weeks ago, my colleague Maxime Truman shared a text on our site linked to an interview conducted with Luc Poirier.

We learned that he tried to buy the Coyotes in 2017 (the price was US$380 million) and that he tried to get his hands on a big NHL team by making an offer of US$800 million.

Today, Luc Poirier returned to the subject on Radio X, on the return show hosted by Jordan Boivin and Dany Houle.

But Luc Poirier went even further.

He said that the person best suited to bring a club back to Quebec City is Pierre Karl Péladeau… But that he wouldn’t want to partner with him on a project like this.

PKP being PKP, it’s not easy to do business with him. – Luc Poirier

To hear him talk, it’s as if the owner of Quebecor were hurting the chances of seeing an NHL club return to Quebec City.

Luc Poirier explains that PKP would need content to make the project work.

He’d have to find a way to make his content profitable through his various channels (TVA Sports is one example), and that’s complicated by the TV contracts negotiated with the National League.

I therefore invite you to listen to his radio appearance, which can be found right here.

…
(Credit: Annie Paquin photographe)

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Luc Poirier adds that the agreement signed between Centre Vidéotron and the government complicates matters.

He explains that it’s problematic for an investor because it’s almost impossible to bring a team back to Quebec City without being able to manage the amphitheatre.

All of which is to say that, if you read between the lines, the chances of seeing a club return to the province are slim to none in Luc Poirier’s eyes.

PKP is the one who has what it takes to bring a team back to Quebec City… But if no one wants to partner with him, the project will never work.

Especially in today’s context, where National League teams are worth much more than they were five or ten years ago.

The proof? Three teams are worth at least three billion dollars today…

Overtime

– Coach was involved in practice this morning.

– If it keeps up like this, he’ll earn the trophy.

– Love this.

– Allez!

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Another point for Ivan Demidov today

Things have been going well for Ivan Demidov lately.

The Canadiens’ prospect – prior to today’s game – had collected at least one point in his last four outings, and in his club’s last game, he collected four assists.

Demidov continued his fine form today.

Demidov is gaining in confidence and it really shows on the ice.

He had two great scoring chances in the first period, but couldn’t put the puck in the net.

The first sequence would have been crazy if he’d been able to beat the goalie:

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It finally looks like Roman Rotenberg is starting to understand that he can use his player if he needs to see his club create scoring chances.

I say that because today, Demidov’s playing time was interesting.

He got plenty of ice time:

  • 4:23 in the first period (six appearances)
  • 4:49 second period (five assists)
  • 6:59 in third period (nine appearances)

In the end, Demidov spent a total of 16 minutes and 8 seconds in 20 appearances on the ice, which is no mean feat.

Oh, and the Habs prospect also picked up an assist on his team’s 4th goal. He contributed to his team’s 5-2 victory over HK Spartak Moscow:

At just 18 years of age, Ivan Demidov now has 16 points (five goals) in 20 games this season with SKA St. Petersburg in the KHL.

And in all this, there was a more difficult sequence for him offensively, because his coach wasn’t using him in the right way.

But he’s back on track, and that’s good news.

Extension

Tony DeAngelo picked up another assist in his club’s victory.

He now has 17 points in just 12 games with his new team.

The defenseman has been having fun since he joined SKA!

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First storm: tomorrow, the players will have to show “that they haven’t given up”.

MONTREAL, QC - OCTOBER 22: Mike Matheson (8) of the Montreal Canadiens and Alex Newhook (15) trip during the first period of the NHL game between the New York Rangers and the Montreal Canadiens on Oct 22, 2024, at the Bell Centre in Montreal, QC(Photo by Vincent Ethier/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Let’s face it: what happened this week around the Canadiens was the first major storm to hit Martin St-Louis, Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton since they started working together in Montreal.

The loss to New York triggered something unlike any other setback since 2021-2022. It sent a wave of criticism against coach Martin St-Louis, who doesn’t “coach as hard” as some would like.

He’s had people calling for his head, and some already seem to be planning his exit.

Raising expectations of the club has that effect. Since the change of management, Habs fans have bought into the organization’s plan to rebuild the club.

Last year, Jeff Gorton’s “P-word” was bought.

But this year, management raised expectations (reluctantly or not, in your opinion?) publicly and the phrase #InTheMix arrived. And right now, the club is #InTheMix of… nothing at all.

It’s early days, but that’s what triggered the comments – including those about the pilot’s famous man-to-man system – following Tuesday’s game.

When you don’t expect anything from anyone or anything, expectations are low. Here, if there’s any passion, it’s because people had bought into the Canadiens’ 2024-2025 plan.

Logical, isn’t it?

Patrik Laine’s arrival alone wasn’t going to change everything, given his long absence in 2023-2024 (and not counting his new injury, of course), but his arrival had changed the vibe.

And it sent a message.

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That’s why the wall the Habs are hitting seems so huge: it’s because we haven’t really cared about walls in a long time. They didn’t mean anything.

But this one is significant. And the club knows it, if today’s long, intense practice is anything to go by. Colleague Marc-Olivier Cook was on hand to witness the intensity. More than usual, anyway.

But now the players have to put on their work boots. Now that they’ve had a few days without a game (and even celebrated Halloween on Wednesday night), they need to show that the start of the season was just a rough patch.

Am I saying we need to win 14 in a row? Of course not.

But we need to get back to where we were last year, when the effort was there and the games were close. Because right now, that’s not what we’re seeing.

Martin Leclerc, on BPM Sports this morning, even wondered if the guys aren’t resigned in the dressing room. It’s still a big statement… especially when you look at the date on the calendar.

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Between tomorrow and Saturday, November 2, the Habs will play five games. The Blues (Saturday at home), Flyers (Sunday on the road), Kraken (Tuesday at home), Capitals (Thursday on the road) and Penguins (Saturday on the road) are on the menu.

And starting tomorrow, it’s going to take some effort to change the narrative.

Not playing for days on end prevented the Canadiens from quickly recovering from Tuesday’s game against New York (a club built by Jeff Gorton, by the way).

But if, on the contrary, the guys put in performances worthy of the Canadiens’ blue, white and red jerseys, it’ll calm the rumblings. The ball’s in the players’ court… and it starts tomorrow night.

Overtime

– It’s all over for Kailer Yamamoto.

– They need to get back on track.

– Good point.

– Wow…

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Phillip Danault changes agent

EDMONTON, CANADA - APRIL 22: Phillip Danault #24 of the Los Angeles Kings warms up before Game One of the First Round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Place on April 22, 2024, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Andy Devlin/NHLI via Getty Images)

Phillip Danault changes agent.

He was represented by Don Meehan in recent years, but today we learn that the association is over between the agent and the Québécois.

Danault’s new agent is none other than Allan Walsh, one of the most popular in the NHL.

This may seem odd, because Danault is in the fourth year of a six-year contract he signed in 2021.

He’s not about to negotiate a new deal, to put it another way.

That said, one wonders if there was a glitch between Don Meehan and management in Los Angeles.

Meehan is P.K. Subban’s former agent, and let’s not forget that Marc Bergevin has been working for the Kings for several years.

Is there a connection?

Something must have happened because, generally speaking, a player who changes agent still has to pay his former agent’s quote, and that’s expensive.

Or maybe Danault thinks he can get even more money for his next contract, and Allan Walsh is an excellent negotiator…

Phillip Danault hasn’t had the start to the season he’d hoped for.

The Québécois has just three assists in eight games and isn’t playing the best hockey of his career.

But since his arrival in Los Angeles, Danault has played an important role in the Kings’ success and seems to be enjoying himself under the hot California sun.

His last three seasons have lived up to expectations:

  • 51 points (27 goals) in 21-22
  • 54 points (18 goals) in 22-23
  • 47 points (17 goals) in 23-24

Danault earns a salary of $5.5 million a year and will be 34 at the end of his contract.

That said, perhaps he could seek a similar annual amount for his next deal… But at his age, it would be surprising to see him sign a multi-year contract.

That’s why the change in his agent is hard to understand. And that’s why it’s logical to believe that there was a misunderstanding somewhere with Don Meehan, who also represents Alex Pietrangelo, Steven Stamkos, Jeff Skinner, Ilya Samsonov and Mitchell Chaffee.

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Alexis Lafrenière signs a contract slightly smaller than Juraj Slafkovsky’s

In the last few weeks, we learned that the Rangers and Alexis Lafrenière were negotiating a new, longer-term contract.

And clearly, based on what we’ve seen in the last few minutes, the Québécois is putting down roots in New York. I say this because Elliotte Friedman reported that negotiations are intensifying…

But also because Larry Brooks has come up with some figures. He’s talking about seven years (not eight) at just under $7.6 million a year.

It’s worth mentioning that Juraj Slafkovsky, who some wanted to trade for Lafreniere at some point, has an eight-year contract in his pocket (also starting in 2025), but at $7.6M per year.

Slaf’s is (slightly) bigger, but the two deals are similar.

In both cases, we’re talking about a first overall pick drafted by Jeff Gorton. But the difference is that Slaf signed his big contract on the first day he could.

Lafrenière? Two and a half years (and a bridge contract) after he was able to sign his second NHL contract.

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The Québécois turned 23 two weeks ago, which means he’ll be 30 the day his next big contract expires. That’s probably why we’re talking about seven years and not eight.

This season, the Québécois has seven points in seven games.

(Credit: Hockey DB)

We thought the Rangers wanted to settle on Igor Shesterkin before doing the same for Lafrenière, but it’s looking pretty complicated for the goalie right now.

Lafrenière will thus become one of the highest-paid Québécois players in the NHL.

Overtime

– That makes sense.

– Here’s to your predictions.

– Who is John Tortorella?

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Arber Xhekaj to play tomorrow evening

MONTREAL, CANADA- OCTOBER 14: Arber Xhekaj #72 of the Montreal Canadiens takes a shot on goal during the third period of the NHL regular season game between the Montreal Canadiens and the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Bell Centre on October 14, 2024 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Vitor Munhoz/NHLI via Getty Images)

Arber Xhekaj has missed the last two games.

We wondered when he’d be able to return to the lineup, but Martin St-Louis confirmed that the big defenseman would be back tomorrow night.

We also learned, not surprisingly, that Samuel Montembeault will play tomorrow and Cayden Primeau on Sunday.

The coach expects the player to play the way he’s capable of in order to help his team. Presumably, Xhekaj needs to play simpler hockey on the ice, then.

Details to follow…

Overtime

– Well done.

– Hum…

– He’s proud to play for CF Montreal.

– Interesting.

– Wow.