Author: Dose

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Quinn Hughes in New Jersey: her brother Jack won’t talk about it “on camera”

Last Wednesday, Luke Hughes finally signed a seven-year contract worth $63 million (annual value $9 million) with the Devils. The defenseman, who had been a compensated free agent since July 1, still took three months to reach an agreement with New Jersey. This contract, which makes him the richest of the three Hughes brothers, also ensures that the Devils will retain the brothers’ services for at least five years, while Jack’s contract will expire in 2030.

Since Luke’s signing, rumors have been swirling that the third Hughes brother, Quinn, is headed for New Jersey, and the three brothers have made no secret of their desire to play together on the same team.

And today, a video of Jack was published by BarDown in which he is asked, somewhat jokingly, by someone whose grandson wants to know when Quinn will arrive with the Devils and he replied that about Quinn, there are cameras around, so he can’t say anything.

[content-ads] Without answering the question, his silence says a lot, and he seems to be aware that something is afoot. Let’s just say it’s likely to fuel the rumors.

However, Quinn is under contract for two years with the Vancouver Canucks and even though they had a tougher season last year, they aspire to return to the playoffs as soon as this season, so I don’t see why they would trade their former Norris Trophy winner. The Devils would really have to let one or more pieces go.

The only way I can see the Canucks trading their defenseman this season is if they have a disastrous start to the season and quickly try to go for the Gavin McKenna lottery. On the other hand, I think it would be much more realistic for Quinn to sign with the Devils after his current contract at the end of the 2026-27 season and thus go on to play at least three years with his brothers.

But then again, you never know in the sports world and things can change very quickly. spacer title=’Overtime’] – Who will stay?

– Sean Ferrala opens the scoring.

– Alex Belzile doubles the lead.

– Backup for the Alouettes.

– His first major contract.

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“Everyone in Montreal, including Lane Hutson, wants to leave money on the table.”

For the past few years, there has been a well-established salary scale in Montreal. Nick Suzuki, the club’s captain, earns $7.875 million a year… and the players who signed their second contracts after him all signed for less money.Right now, Noah Dobson ($9.5 million) and Patrik Laine ($8.7 million) make more money annually than the captain, but their respective situations are different.That said, Lane Hutson is expected to change that. With the salary cap skyrocketing and his excellence at a young age, he’s in a good position to ask for (much) more than $7.875 million a year. David Pagnotta discussed Hutson’s case with Daily Faceoff… and he mentioned this:

Everyone in Montreal, including Lane Hutson, wants to leave money on the table.

–

David Pagnotta

https://youtu.be/lonDsDP_Bx8?si=NRLfeKrhcHzLNb75&t=149 [content-ads]In fact, according to Pagnotta, this culture has been clearly established since Suzuki signed his contract. The tipster notes that the captain left money on the table (even though, in reality, it was a pretty fair contract at the time)… and since then, Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovský and Noah Dobson have all agreed to leave money on the table. And in fact, you can also add guys like Kaiden Guhle and Jake Evans to that list.Guys are willing to make sacrifices to make it work in Montreal,” says Pagnotta. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that Hutson will sign for less than Suzuki, far from it. What it does mean is that the defender doesn’t want to break the bank: he wants a fair contract, without necessarily squeezing every dollar out of the club. And that’s why, more and more, the idea of him signing a contract in the neighbourhood of eight years at $9 million a year is circulating.But above all, it suggests that right now, the guys in the locker room are buying into management’s plan, and are prepared to think of the good of the team first and foremost.Obviously, it’s easy to make connections with Hutson, but you also have to wonder what this means for the players who will reach full autonomy next summer. Mike Matheson and Patrik Laine, for example, are interesting cases in point: will they be willing to leave money on the table (on what could be their last big contract) to stay in a market they love?That’s something to keep an eye on… and obviously, starting next summer, Ivan Demidov will be the next one whose contract situation will be the talk of the town.[spacer title=’Overtime’]- Michael Hage at center on the second line tonight for his first game of the season.

LJ Mooney will be on his team’s first line.

– Oh yeah?

– Jack Roslovic turned down a multi-year contract in Edmonton this summer.

–

– This will be the most-watched series in the country, of course.

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Zack MacEwen: Senators trade the man Arber Xhekaj took down on Tuesday

Tuesday night, the Canadiens and Senators got into it. The two clubs took advantage of a warm-up game (in Quebec City) to pass messages back and forth. And clearly, there was one sequence that particularly caught the eye: the one where it’s a mess on the ice as Arber Xhekaj and Jayden Struble clean up.Xhekaj, in particular, made short work of Zack MacEwen.

Why am I telling you all this tonight? Actually, it’s because in the last few minutes, MacEwen was… traded.He headed to New Jersey… and in return, the club gets an even more formidable badass: Kurtis MacDermid

[content-ads]And obviously, when you look at this, it’s hard not to make connections with Xhekaj and the Habs. Travis Green noted it last night: he thinks his club isn’t physical enough.And let’s just say that in MacDermid, the club isn’t exactly getting a softy: it’s getting a guy whose main quality is his ability to fight.

You might think MacDermid won’t be ready to play tomorrow (though…), but we’re likely to see him in uniform this season. And it could very well be against the Habs, let’s say,so it’s logical to think that the club wants its tough guy to answer to Xhekaj (among others). And in MacDermid, they get a guy who fits the bill.And MacEwen, for his part, must be happy to know he won’t be seeing Xhekaj as often.

[spacer title=’Overtime’]- Speaking of Xhekaj.

– Indeed.

–

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Zachary Bolduc: Renaud Lavoie is (very) reassuring about his state of health

This morning, we learned that Zachary Bolduc is injured. The forward didn’t hop on the ice with his teammates this morning, and there was talk of a lower-body injury.The club said Bolduc would be assessed on a daily basis, which was reassuring. But in reality, with the season just around the corner, there was reason to wonder… because, after all, the season starts in just a few days’ time.

However, this afternoon, Renaud Lavoie took advantage of his appearance on BPM Sports to be (very) reassuring about Bolduc: it’s really nothing serious for the Québécois forward, who is said to have only a minor groin injury.The informer would be surprised if he wasn’t back next week. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaNtuN_QnIY [content-ads]In fact, what you have to understand is that the club is really playing it safe here. They’re handling the situation in much the same way they handled Noah Dobson’s last week: they prefer to give him a few days before the start of the season to prevent his little boo-boo from getting any worse.If the Habs’ season started tomorrow, he’d probably be in the line-up, basically.We don’t expect to see Bolduc in uniform tomorrow, that said. In any case, his place in the line-up is already assured, so the club wouldn’t gain much by playing him tomorrow. The priority right now is to focus on the start of the season,but despite that, the news is very good overall. Expect Bolduc to be ready for the first game of the year… and in the worst-case scenario, if he has to miss that game (which seems highly unlikely, at this stage), he should be back very quickly afterwards.All of which is reassuring, clearly.[spacer title=’Overtime’]- Reminder: it starts on Monday.

😯😲

– Too bad.

– It was to be expected.

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8 years at $9M per season for Hutson: A good estimate according to Elliotte Friedman

Two important issues were settled this week in the NHL. Firstly, Luke Hughes (finally) signed his new contract: the defenseman initialled a seven-year deal ($9M per season) with the Devils… and a few days later, the Ducks agreed with Jackson LaCombe on the terms of an eight-year contract at $9M per campaign.

Indirectly, everyone began to make connections with Lane Hutson’s contractual situation in Montreal (even if LaCombe’s contract isn’t a good comparison for Hutson’s). So what might #48’s next contract look like? Elliotte Friedman has an opinion on the subject. On his podcast, the tipster mentions that we could see a deal similar to LaCombe’s… since Friedman thinks we’re not far from an eight-year contract at $9 million per season.That would be a good deal for the Canadiens.

[content-ads] Hutson may not be worth as much money right now because this will be his second season in the National League. But if he keeps progressing, he’ll earn that kind of salary…. and with the salary cap set to rise over the next few years, Hutson could even become a bargain for the Canadiens. Right now, we’re also wondering what the contract will look like in terms of number of years. We know that the defenseman wants to play in Montreal – he’s been saying it out loud ever since he arrived here – and we know that he would have liked to sign his contract during the summer. He wants it to happen, to put it another way. And even if there isn’t any press, I’m convinced that the Canadiens are anxious to settle this one too. Ah, and the fans are anxious too… because securing Lane Hutson’s long-term future with the Habs would really be great news and a great gift for the fans. [spacer title=’Overtime’] – It’s up to him.

– I like it.

– Bravo!

–

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Sense: All eight recalled players have been sent back to the American League

On Wednesday, the day after the Canadiens’ game against the Senators in Quebec City, the Sens recalled eight players from Belleville. And we all said the same thing: these guys were recalled to face the Canadiens on Saturday night at the Bell Centre… but more importantly, to mess things up on the ice after what happened in Tuesday’s game. But that’s not going to happen. Why not? Because the eight recalled players have been sent back to the AHL.

Five of these guys were in uniform yesterday in St. Louis. And the Sens lost by a score of… 7-1 to the Blues. Ouch. Still, that means the Senators didn’t want to dress all their regulars last night, and we can expect to see a full lineup in Montreal on Saturday. I wonder if Nick Cousins will play… [content-ads] If today’s Senators’ practice is anything to go by, it’s safe to assume that all – or almost all – of the regulars will be in uniform tomorrow night. Cousins and MacEwen together on the fourth line is likely to cause a few sparks… and I also expect Dylan Cozens to be targeted by some Canadiens players during the game. It’s likely to be intense, at least.

There’ll be plenty of emotion on the ice at the Bell Centre tomorrow night, and the important thing is not to let it get out of hand.

We’re talking about a pre-season game, after all. We’re talking about a pre-season game, after all. Teams need it to get ready for the official opening of the campaign (which takes place next week), and it’s okay if things get out of hand… as long as it’s done legally. Because in the end, there’s no point in playing the game if both clubs just want to hurt each other. I don’t have a problem with intensity, but you have to play hockey too…

[spacer title=’En rafale’] – Three players claimed today in the waivers:

– Lots of wingers on the list.

– He’s popular, our Ivan.

– News from the Jays.

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Richard Labbé: The Habs may have too weak a center line to make the playoffs

Nick Suzuki, Kirby Dach, Alex Newhook, Oliver Kapanen and Jake Evans – what do these players have in common? It’s pretty simple: all five guys are likely to play center in the first stretch of the Habs’ season.If the lineup remains intact, Suzuki will play on the first line, Dach on the second, Newhook and Kapanen should share the role of third center and Evans will be in his chair on the team’s fourth unit. But when you look at it, it’s easy to see that the Canadiens don’t have a big line of centers. Suzuki is one of the best players in the league at his position, Evans is capable of filling an important role… but on the second and third lines, it’s thinner. And that explains why Richard Labbé(BPM Sports) doesn’t see the Habs qualifying for the playoffs with a line of centers like that. We know, after all: good NHL clubs have quality players at center… and that’s not necessarily the case right now for the Canadiens, especially in the middle of the lineup.

[content-ads] The Canadiens’ plan this summer was to go after a player who could play center on the second line, but the market turned out to be quieter than we thought and it was harder for Kent Hughes to move.is it too late to see the GM improve his center line, though? The answer is no. Kent Hughes has time to make a trade between now and the trade deadline, and I have a feeling that the team’s start to the season will dictate what happens next. A bit like we saw last year with the defense. There was a problem on the right, Hughes solved it by bringing Alexandre Carrier to Nashville… and the Québécois quickly became an important player for the Habs, stabilizing the club’s defense. But in reality, Richard Labbé is right: it’s easy to believe that the Habs will make the playoffs with the recent additions… but if the center line doesn’t hold up, it’s going to be harder too. [spacer title=’Overtime’] – Of note.

– Everyone’s happy!

– Happy reading.

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“Jon Cooper has silently extended his contract with the Lightning”

The Oilers announced early this morning that they had found themselves a true #1 goaltender and had extended the contract of head coach Kris Knoblauch. Fans have been waiting for Connor McDavid’s new contract, but at least they have Knoblauch’s to look forward to this morning. Except that Knoblauch isn’t the only head coach to sign a new deal recently: Pierre LeBrun broke the news this morning.

OK, maybe I exaggerated with the adverb “quietly ” since Cooper’s contract extension with the Lightning was made in the past few months, but in the end, the news remains the same: Jon Cooper won’t be playing the final year of his contract in 2025-26 as he’s signed a new one.

Those with a good memory will recall that a few months ago, rumors sent Cooper to Utah because of the closeness that exists between Ryan Smith (owner of the Mammoth) and Cooper. Is that when Julien BriseBois and his owners added a few years to Jon Cooper’s contract? It’ s hard not to see a correlation... However, one question remains: why didn’t the Lightning announce Jon Cooper’s contract extension? content-ads]It’s also worth noting that there were rumours that Pascal Vincent would be Jon Cooper’s assistant in Florida (or Utah)… or that he’d replace Cooper in Tampa, should the latter decide to move to Salt Lake City. So there were plenty of rumours, but no movement regarding Cooper and Vincent. Good, because the Mammoth, Lightning and Rocket are all counting on an excellent head coach this morning. And two Québécois kept their jobs!Although if Pascal Vincent had been named Cooper’s assistant in Tampa, another Québécois would probably have been promoted to head coach at the Laval Rocket. [spacer title=’en rafale’]- Interesting.

– When will he sign?

– To watch in Toronto.

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Montreal CF fans deserve better: one last game to say thank you

This Saturday afternoon, the Montreal CF play their final game of the season at Stade Saputo against Nashville. And let’s face it: after such a complicated season, the least we can do is give our fans one last smile. Assistant coach David Sauvry has the same objective:

“We want to prove to our fans that the team has progressed, that no one has given up.”

–

David Sauvry

When you know how hard it’s been this year, it would indeed be a little balm on a season that will go down in the archives for all the wrong reasons. Here’s a summary of the CF Montreal press conference by my colleague Maxime Truman.

Assistant coach David Sauvry, who will lead the club on Saturday, wants to see a combative squad. He acknowledges that the team was not up to scratch at home, but refuses to talk of giving up:

“The team is progressing, the players are progressing individually, there’s no one who’s given up.”

–

David Sauvry

The latter expects an open match against a Nashville side buoyed by its recent U.S. Open Cup title [content-ads] On the players’ side, the talk is similar. Olger Escobar, who arrived during the season, talks of a learning year, but wants to finish strong:

“Obviously, it hasn’t been the best season, but I feel we’re a team that doesn’t give up.”

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Olger Escobar

Bode Hidalgo, also a late addition, sees this final game as an opportunity to send a message and confirms that every guy in this locker room wants to win this game. While a win wouldn’t change anything in the standings, it would at least allow the club to regain a modicum of credibility. Because beyond the statistics and repeated defeats, CF Montreal absolutely must avoid giving the impression that it has completely abandoned its season. In short, there’s nothing left to salvage in the standings, but the most important thing remains: pride and the bond with the fans. This game against Nashville may not be decisive, but it can serve as a reminder that, despite the club’s worst season ever, Montreal CF is still standing. And frankly, given what the fans have endured this year, that would be the least they could do. [spacer title=’Overtime’]- Samuel Montembeault will play tomorrow. No surprise.

– To read.

– Ivan Demidov took the time to chat to a fellow countryman.

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Here are the trios without Zachary Bolduc in practice

Zachary Bolduc was absent from practice this morning due to a lower-body injury (he’s day-to-day). We don’t know how serious it is,but here’s how the Habs practiced without Bolduc.

Obviously, the line-up of Nick Suzuki, Juraj Slafkovsky and Cole Caufield was untouched. Kirby Dach was with Brendan Gallagher and Québécois Joe Veleno.Is Veleno a placeholder?Oliver Kapanen’s line (Ivan Demidov and Alex Newhook alongside him) survived again. And Patrik Laine was with Jake Evans and Josh Anderson on what appears to be a fourth line.This too is a change from yesterday.Samuel Blais, Florian Xhekaj and Owen Beck skated together. The former should be the 13th forward and the other two are destined to start the year in Laval. Which guys will play tomorrow? We’ll see… tomorrow, I guess.Details to come…