Author: Dose

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Adam Engstrom: the Rocket intends to be tough on him

Adam Engstrom left a great impression on Montreal during training camp.

So much so, that some fans were calling for Mike Matheson to leave the team and make room for him. That didn’t happen, and when the Habs needed a call-up for their trip out West, he wasn’t chosen.

It was a logical choice for both Engstrom and his coaches, Pascal Vincent and Daniel Jacob. Both spoke to Mikael Filion of RDS.

Vincent and Jacob have a clear task: prepare Engstrom for the NHL. He wants him to arrive ready to dominate in the big league, and won’t go easy on the prospect.

“The NHL is faster and the execution is better. What we want from him is NHL performance in the AHL. So I’m going to be tough on him. He knows it, he’s ready for it, and that’s what he wants.” – Daniel Jacob

The Swedish defenseman sees things the same way. He said he agrees 100% with his bosses’ decision and is happy to play more in the AHL.

I like what Jacob said about Engstrom. That’s what he wants, for us to be tough on him. The Rocket assistant coach wouldn’t do that with just any player.

I think Jacob takes it personally to prepare his young defenseman for the big league.

I think the Habs have found Mike Matheson’s eventual replacement. He has similar tools to the Québécois defenseman and is progressing well. In fact, he added a goal to his season-to-date tally tonight.

I like the Canadiens’ plan with him and wouldn’t rule out the possibility of seeing him play a few games in Montreal between now and the end of the year.

Jacob Fowler, another excellent Habs prospect, picked up his second shutout of the season tonight in a 3-0 Rocket win. He stopped all 17 shots thrown by the Leigh Valley Phantoms. After a few more difficult performances, he’s starting to find his rhythm. Let’s not forget that this is his first season in the pros.

Overtime

– Many opposing opinions.

– Interesting perspective.

– Low for his standards.

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Cayden Primeau gave away six goals yesterday: his start to the season criticized in Toronto

So far this season, Cayden Primeau has played three games for the Maple Leafs. And he’s given up 13 goals.

On October 14, he won against the Predators, but gave up four goals. On October 25, he gave up three goals in an overtime win over the Sabres.

And yesterday, he gave up six goals in a 6-3 loss to Columbus.

It seems that the fact that he’s picked up two wins has had the effect of not setting off alarm bells in Toronto. But yesterday’s loss makes the folks in the Queen City realize that he hasn’t been playing against big powerhouses, and that his stats are ugly.

The sample is small, but his 4.30 average and .838 efficiency rate are not reassuring. He’s in the top-6 worst goaltenders this season in both categories.

Of course, the fact that the Maple Leafs were forced to turn to a 10-under following Joseph Woll’s absence explains Primeau’s presence in town.

But in an NHL where it takes two goalies to win, Cayden Primeau doesn’t give his team many chances. Let’s put it this way.

Let’s not forget that the Maple Leafs gave a chance to a goalie who is clearly too good for the AHL, but who can’t establish himself in the NHL.

What happened in 2024-2025 in the Habs organization is the ultimate proof.

I don’t know how patient the Maple Leafs will be with Primeau. After all, he was obtained from the waivers and Brad Treliving must be looking at his options as we speak.

Unfortunately for the former Habs man, the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Ironically, there’s also a goaltending controversy in Montreal. It involves #2 doing better than #1, not the other way around, that said.

But Kent Hughes must be glad his duo isn’t Samuel Montembeault and Cayden Primeau this morning.

extension

Yesterday, there was only one game in the NHL. The Maple Leafs lost 6-3 to the Blue Jackets, which wasn’t exactly glorious.

Mathieu Olivier had four points. So did Charlie Coyle.

(Credit: NHL.com)

We’ll note that Samuel Blais, who signed with the Canadiens in July and was lost in the waivers, played his first game of the season yesterday. He picked up a goal and an assist.

Tonight, there will be 11 games on the schedule. 16 on Tuesday… one yesterday… 11 tonight… there’s no middle ground in the NHL.

(Credit: Sportsnet)
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Olympic projections: Cole Caufield and Lane Hutson absent from US line-up

Of necessity, many players are currently auditioning for the Olympic Games across the NHL.

For the Canadiens, four players in particular come to mind (in addition to Juraj Slafkovsky, who has secured his spot for Slovakia): Jakub Dobes, Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield and Lane Hutson.

We’ve been talking about the last three for a while now.

If we focus on the two American players, we know exactly what’s holding back the American management: the size of the players in question. Caufield and Hutson aren’t big guys, and that has to be taken into consideration.

If you read an Olympic projection on the NHL website for the U.S. team at the Games, you’ll see that the site’s experts didn’t include the two Habs players in their projections.

Obviously, this is not the official Olympic roster, which will be released at the end of December. It’s a projection by people who have no control over the situation.

But still: they know what they’re talking about.

In the case of Lane Hutson, I’m not exactly surprised by all this. Quinn Hughes and Charlie McAvoy will be back healthy, which works against the Habs defenseman.

And Hughes is built in the same mold as Hutson… #Small #Offensive

As for Caufield, there could potentially be a bigger debate. How much will the U.S. want to do without the NHL’s leading scorer, as of this morning?

Even though he’s small, he still has his uses over 200 feet and in overtime too.

Note that both players are listed as honorable mentions on the NHL website. In both cases, these are players that everyone will be keeping a close eye on.

And with good reason.

Will this motivate them to excel in the meantime? Martin St-Louis and his bosses must hope so… even if the two Americans could hardly do more right now.

The real question here is what the American leaders think.

overtime

– Speaking of the Olympiques.

– Speaking of Cole Caufield. #MonsieurProlongation

– Artemi Panarin: the case is the talk of the town.

– A summit meeting for the NHL and North America’s junior leagues.

– Well done.

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The Habs sell Joshua Roy and Marc Del Gaizo to the Rocket

On the heels of the trip out West, the Canadiens recalled two players: Joshua Roy and Marc Del Gaizo. The reason was simple: the club needed extra players.

With injuries to Patrik Laine, Kirby Dach and Kaiden Guhle, depth was tested.

That said, the club is now back from its travels… so it was expected that both guys would be traded to the Rocket.

And that’s just what happened: both guys were sent back to Laval.

The Habs have just made the announcement.

More details to come…

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The Canadiens have the NHL’s leading scorer and passer

In 2024-2025, Nick Suzuki convinced Kent Hughes not to sell at the trade deadline.

He did it by going into his office, but he also did it by playing well on the ice. The Habs GM kept the group intact… and #14 thanked his GM by putting the club on his shoulders.

The result? The club made the playoffs in 2025.

It looks like the captain has decided to keep the momentum going this season. After all, he’s off to an excellent start to the 2025-2026 campaign.

In fact, in 11 games in 2025-2026, he has 16 points, including 14 assists. He ranks fourth in the league in points and first in assists.

He’s also on a streak of 10 straight games with at least one point, having gone pointless in the season opener against the Maple Leafs.

It’s not surprising to see Suzuki lead the league in assists, given that nobody has more goals than Cole Caufield. His tally stands at nine, following the Canadiens’ 4-3 win in Seattle.

In fact, the Canadiens saw their firepower duo contribute three goals in yesterday’s game. Caufield scored in overtime on assists from the captain and Lane Hutson, but he also scored earlier in the game. Nick Suzuki and Noah Dobson assisted.

And Juraj Slafkovsky found the back of the net with the help of his two line mates. It was with an extra man.

So basically, this line (because Slaf, even if he didn’t get three points yesterday, played a big one) put the Habs on their backs to get the W against Seattle.

The Canadiens thus concluded their Western trip with three wins in four games. That’s no mean feat… especially considering that, in the Edmonton game, the Habs were leading 5-3 at one point.

But the good work of the first line isn’t the only reason behind yesterday’s win in Seattle. There are many reasons why things went so well for the Habs.

For example?

1. The Canadiens may have pulled away late in the game (Brandon Montour and Shane Wright continue to kill the Canadiens, who must learn to play with a lead), but the first 45 minutes were incredible.

And so was overtime.

2. Jakub Dobes won his first six games of the season, which is no mean feat. Who here had six Dobes wins in October on their bingo card, when Samuel Montembeault isn’t injured? Not me.

He let in a few late goals, but he won.

3. Juraj Slafkovsky (on a 37-goal pace this season) scored his fifth of the year. Before, you had to wait until January to see him score his fifth of the year.

It’s all coming together nicely.

It’s good to see that both waves of the powerplay scored. When the opposition doesn’t have five skaters on the ice (shorthanded, overtime), the Habs’ talented players have space… and they take advantage of it.

Alex Newhook scored the other goal on the powerplay and the Habs were 2-for-2.

4. Noah Dobson was the only player not named Nick Suzuki or Cole Caufield with more than one point yesterday. Two assists, three shots and a neutral differential in over 22 minutes of play: that’s excellent.

Mike Matheson played 27 minutes yesterday. In fact, the club’s four best defenders did their jobs yesterday.

  • Mike Matheson: 27:05
  • Lane Hutson: 22:20
  • Noah Dobson: 22:07
  • Alexandre Carrier: 19:34
  • Jayden Struble: 15:28
  • Arber Xhekaj: 11:29

5. Even though the overtime format has changed over time, seeing Cole Caufield lead the Canadiens (11 goals) for overtime goals is intense.

But he’s got a knack for scoring in the big moments.

overtime

The Canadiens have finished their four-game road trip… but it’s time to come back to Montreal. So today is travel day for the Canadiens.

Tomorrow, practice resumes in Brossard.

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Adam Engstrom: the Rocket intends to be tough on him

Adam Engstrom left a great impression on Montreal during training camp. So much so, that some fans were calling for Mike Matheson to leave the team and make room for him. That didn’t happen, and when the Habs needed a call-up for their trip out West, he wasn’t chosen.

It was a logical choice for both Engstrom and his coach, Pascal Vincent. Both spoke to Mikael Filion of RDS.

Vincent has a clear task: prepare Engstrom for the NHL. He wants him to arrive ready to dominate in the big league, and won’t go easy on the prospect.

“The NHL is faster and the execution is better. What we want from him is NHL performance in the AHL. So I’m going to be tough on him. He knows it, he’s ready for it, and that’s what he wants.” -Pascal Vincent

The Swedish defenseman sees things the same way. He said he agrees 100% with his bosses’ decision and is happy to play more in the AHL.

I like what Vincent said about Engstrom. That’s what he wants, for us to be tough on him. The Rocket head coach wouldn’t do that with just any player. I think Vincent takes it personally that he’s preparing his young defenseman for the big league.

I think the Habs have found Mike Matheson’s eventual replacement. He has similar tools to those of the Québécois defenseman and is progressing well. In fact, he added a goal to his season-to-date tally tonight.

I like the Canadiens’ plan with him and wouldn’t rule out the possibility of seeing him play a few games in Montreal between now and the end of the year.

Overtime

– Lots of opposing opinions.

– Interesting perspective.

– Low for his standards.

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Alexander Zharovsky: better than the 17th prospect in the 2025 draft, according to the Snake

Alexander Zharovsky’s name is becoming increasingly popular in Montreal, and for good reason. The forward, drafted by the Habs in the second round and 34th overall last spring, has been the talk of the KHL this season.

He added a goal and two assists to his tally today. Although it’s too early to say what his future holds with the Habs and in the NHL, Simon “Snake” Boisvert has seen enough.

During his appearance on Tony Marinaro’s show, he gave his opinion on the Russian player, whom he had ranked 17th on his list for the last draft.

He believes that not only is he already worth the ranking he gave him, but that he would be ranked higher in a re-draft.

Boisvert mentions that he thought he had the best hands in the draft, but that his lack of physical play made him hesitate.

I really like what I see of Zharovsky. He definitely has the profile of a player who could help the Habs in the future. However, I think it’s far too early to say exactly what kind of player he’ll become, and that we need to give him time to develop in Russia.

He’s had a good start to the season, that’s true, but before comparing him too much with Demidov, you have to understand that he’s in a more favorable condition.

He doesn’t have the same pressure Demidov had last year, and he has a coach who has a good relationship with the Habs and who sees to a healthier development.

This time last year, we wanted to get Demidov out of Russia, but that’s not the case with Zharovsky. He’s still under contract until 2027, and I don’t think the Habs are going to want to speed things up.

Overtime

– Rocket ahead tonight.

– Blais wins.

– He’s up for the Jays.

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Zachary Bolduc doesn’t have Martin St-Louis’ confidence (and the trip proves it)

Zachary Bolduc broke all records in his first few games in Montreal. One of the summer’s big acquisitions, the Québécois scored three goals and four points in his first three games… and he stood out on the ice.

For all the right reasons, of course.

That said, since then, it’s been a little less obvious for Bolduc. He’s registered just one goal and one assist in his last eight games… and for a while now, he’s been playing less and less.

In fact, if you look at the four games played during the trip out West, you’ll notice that Bolduc is the regular forward who has averaged the least playing time per game.

Only Arber Xhekaj, a defenseman whose playing time is also the subject of debate, spent less time on the ice on average per game than Bolduc among the club’s regulars.

(Credit: Screenshot/StatMuse)

All this is rather peculiar in that, during this sequence, Joe Veleno (who started the year in the press gallery) played more than Bolduc. And this despite the fact that Bolduc gets ice time on the powerplay (even though he lost his spot on the first wave).

It’s debatable whether Bolduc is more bothered by his groin injury than we think… but what’s clear right now is that Bolduc doesn’t have the confidence of his coach, who challenged him in front of the media ten days ago. And we can logically assume that all this is linked.

Yesterday, Bolduc’s playing time increased slightly, as he spent 13:28 on the ice. That’s quite an improvement considering he played 10:45, 10:11 and 11:57 in the first three games of the trip.

But for a guy who spent 15 minutes or so on the ice per game at the start of the season, that’s still very little. And you have to wonder what’s going on at this level, especially since Bolduc doesn’t play particularly badly when he’s on the ice.

Overtime

– Well done.

– Logical.

– That’s right.

– Fair enough.

– He’ll be back on Saturday.

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Juraj Slafkovsky on track for 37-goal season

Are we witnessing the blossoming of Juraj Slafkovsky?

The big Slovak has been one of the team’s best forwards of late. He’s fulfilling his role to perfection, giving the Canadiens one of the best first trios in the National League.

You can see why, at least, he was selected with the very first pick of the 2022 auction.

What I like right now is Slaf’s ability to find the back of the net. He’s involved on the ice and that’s helping him succeed offensively. He’s already got five goals, after all.

And over a full 82-game season… that gives him a 37-goal pace. Which is pretty good, thank you very much.

We were all difficult at one point with Slaf. It took a long time to see him become the player he is today – but the wait was worth it… because today, he’s indispensable in Martin St-Louis’ line-up.

He hasn’t always lived up to expectations, and there’s been plenty of criticism of him in recent years. But now… he deserves to be given a pat on the back.

He deserves credit for his performances on the ice. And if he can keep up this pace, he’ll not only become even more important to the Canadiens: he’ll also establish himself as one of the best players in the National League.

That’s what you want from a first overall pick, after all. And so much the better, if he can find his rhythm and continue to help the club as he has done so well in recent games.

He’s starting to make his mark in Montreal, anyway…

Overtime

– Put some on.

– He was good yesterday.

– Zach Hyman will return to action soon.

– The Jays need him.

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Logan Cooley at $10M or Juraj Slafkovsky at $7.6M?

The Utah Mammoth have announced that they have reached an agreement with Logan Cooley.

The forward has signed an eight-year contract (2026 to 2034) worth $80 million. He will earn $10 million per season under the terms of a contract that includes no signing bonus.

It’s the third-biggest contract in history for a player coming off his entry-level contract.

The question is whether we’d rather have Logan Cooley at $10 million or Juraj Slafkovsky at $7.6 million. These are two players the Canadiens could have drafted first overall in June 2022.

Cooley was selected third overall by the now-defunct Arizona Coyotes… moments before the Canadiens announced the Kirby Dach trade. #Center

It’s agreed that when it comes to the actual player right now, the answer is Logan Cooley ahead of Slaf. The Mammoth player is, in October 2025, the better player of the two. He plays center, he scores more, he collects more points, and so on.

Cooley, in Montreal, would form an incredible one-two punch at center with Nick Suzuki.

But I’d be curious to ask Kent Hughes. After all, he’s looking for a center… but he’s also the one who drafted Slaf over center players like Shane Wright and Logan Cooley.

Without wishing to impugn his intentions, I’m sure the Habs GM would raise two points.

  • Salary scale
  • Slaf’s progress on the first line

Cooley, who plays mostly center, may one day be better than Nick Suzuki. It’s hard to say, because both continue to progress.

But at $10 million, Cooley would be paid more than anyone else in Montreal. Clearly, the Mammoth player didn’t take a discount like we often see here. Or at least, he didn’t take the same discount we see in Montreal.

More importantly, if Slaf wasn’t in town, who would be playing with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield?

I agree that it’s harder to develop a top-notch center than a winger. But the chemistry the guys on the first line have been developing together for years is paying off in Montreal right now.

I imagine Kent Hughes, if asked about it, would say that it takes specific ingredients to build a hockey club that aspires to the Stanley Cup.

And that’s not wrong: if Slaf has an important role to play in a possible Stanley Cup conquest, Cooley will be the least of Habs fans’ worries.

But on the other hand, in terms of talent, it’s true that the Canadiens could have drafted Logan Cooley, Matvei Michkov and Ivan Demidov from 2022 to 2024.

I find the debate interesting. But since Slaf hasn’t finished developing either, and seems keen to move on to the next level, we’ll give him time to see what he can become before judging the 2022 draft.

overtime

– That helps the Blue Jays.

– Read more.

– Also seen.