Author: Dose

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Mike Matheson gained points by not playing last night

Last night, Kaiden Guhle and Lane Hutson formed the Canadiens’ first pairing against the Flyers. In reality, these guys should form the club’s second pairing in the regular season, which is when Mike Matheson and Noah Dobson play in the same game as them. That makes a nice top-4, rounded out by Alexandre Carrier and a sturdy left-hander on the third pairing. #ArberXhekaj #JaydenStrubleBut in my eyes, even if Matheson didn’t play yesterday’s game, he must have earned points in the eyes of many fans and in the eyes of the club. Why am I saying this this morning? Because we’ve seen that developing a top-4 defenseman isn’t easy. Far be it from me to pick on David Reinbacher, but yesterday was no easy task. I talked about it in a text this morning and I won’t go into detail, but the defenseman tore it up on the ice.He proved he needs time in Laval – and that’s just fine.

[content-ads]I definitely haven’t given up on Reinbacher, who I still see playing with Hutson one day. And on paper, Guhle and Dobson seem like a pair that could work one day. But the fact remains that it’s not for tomorrow morning, that. And in the meantime, I don’t understand people who want to see Matheson, who scored over 60 points in 2023-2024 and eats up quality minutes like nobody else on this club, go. Right now, the Québécois is on a defensive top-2 and he belongs. To deprive the Habs of him (i.e., to trade him) in the short term would be a disaster, and that’s not putting it too mildly. One day, time may have its effect: maybe Reinbacher will be on the top-4 while Matheson will be better served in a left-handed third defenseman role. But if this week’s two games have reminded us of anything, it’s that this scenario is still a long way off. In the short term, Martin St-Louis can’t do without Matheson and hope to make the playoffs. Remember that Matheson is at the end of his contract and wants to stay. Losing him would hurt the club, since all the guys would move up a chair in the hierarchy. spacer title=’Overtime’]- Interesting.

– Oh yeah?

– The Blue Jays are not guaranteed to finish at the top of their division.

– He even wore an ‘A’ on his jersey.

– Captain Chucky.

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“Jacob Fowler has Carey Price in the way he plays and the way he is.”

Let’s talk about the Canadiens’ net situation. Barring injury or major change, the plan seems clear: Samuel Montembeault and Jakub Dobes will play in the NHL, while Jacob Fowler and Kaapo Kahkonen will be in Laval. Kahkonen knew what to expect when he signed in town, and Renaud Lavoie talked about it on BPM Sports this morning. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CiQvFzdeiE We’re aware that his role will be to support Fowler in Laval. He’ll have to be the one to help the organization’s jewel reach his full potential, and for the club, that’s a good thing: it takes a veteran to help a youngster blossom. So even if Fowler looks good in Montreal, the situation isn’t the same as Carey Price’s in 2007: Fowler doesn’t really have a chance of making the NHL at 20. As Stéphane Waite said on the Sortie de zone podcast, the kid might have a perfect practice camp, but he belongs in Laval this season. He’s got to go eat minutes down there.[content-ads]

[image or embed]– La Presse (@lapresse.ca) September 24, 2025 at 17:45

Stéphane Waite, who has his own ideas about how to develop a goaltender, even dares to compare Carey Price to Jacob Fowler. He says he did it last year… and clearly, he hasn’t changed his mind. He compares Fowler to Price in the way they play and the way they are.

Jacob Fowler tonight on his calm demeanour in net:

“It’s something that I’ve had my whole life. I grew up just loving the game so much, just trying to be a hockey dork. It’s just part of who I am. I love to come to the rink every day. It’s not a job for me.”[image or embed]– /r/Habs (@habsonreddit.bsky.social) September 23, 2025 at 00:01

He’s fluid, he’s natural, he’s instictive, he plays the puck well, he’s calm, he’s well positioned, he’s in control.

–

Stéphane Waite on Jacob Fowler

The challenge for him will be to do this in Laval, where the rigors of the schedule present different challenges from what he’s experienced with his American colleagues over the past two years or at the recent rookie camp. But let’s just say that his development will interest many people because the potential is there. And according to Waite, who’s not worried, he’s the one who’s going to take the Habs far in the playoffs. spacer title=’Overtime’]- Wow.

– Enjoy.

– Interesting.

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The idea of Vinzenz Rohrer starting the year in Montreal is gaining in popularity

After two preparatory games and a week of training camp, some battles seem to have been settled. Defensively, David Reinbacher still needs a bit of mileage before he’ll be able to crack a defenseman on the Habs’ roster. Adam Engstrom is making progress, but doesn’t seem ready yet either. In front of the net, it should be Jakub Dobes and Samuel Montembault, but where it’s most interesting is up front. There’s a spot to the right of Alex Newhook and Zachary Bolduc, and more of a 13th forward role. There are several contenders: Oliver Kapanen, Joshua Roy, Owen Beck, Joe Veleno, Samuel Blais and…Vincenz Rohrer. The 21-year-old Austrian forward is getting more and more attention for his hustle on the ice and his hockey sense, and Radio-Canada’s Marc Antoine Godin reports on him as a player who has entered the fray for a regular spot with the team. He spoke to Martin St-Louis, who was full of praise for him, and

“He plays with a lot of determination. For a young guy, he’s really got an eye for detail in his game (…) I feel like he’s a guy who can do a lot of things offensively and defensively, and on top of that, he can take face-offs.”

–

Martin St-Louis

The same goes for JiC, who is impressed by the young man, whom he even compares to Paul Byron or Brendan Gallagher in his rookie year in 2013.

The only snag in Rohrer’s case is his contractual situation. He can’t be sent to Laval, so it’s either the NHL or Europe, as he belongs in Zurich. The Habs will have to decide at the end of training camp [content-ads] In any case, after a week, mission accomplished for Rohrer, who has been turning heads and will get another audition. Last night, he didn’t get on the scoresheet, but he was visible every time he came on, showed that he can absorb shots, but also give them. He brings a little spark and, without taking anything away from Roy, Kapanen and Beck, he’s more committed when he jumps on the ice. I don’t think it’ll be enough, though. He’s only 21 and a year in Europe won’t do him any harm. There’s no hurry in his case, but he’s certainly showing that he can aspire to a career in the NHL. spacer title=’Overtime’] – Things aren’t going well in Toronto.

– This explains his absence.

– Introducing

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2026 Olympics: according to Pierre LeBrun, Nick Suzuki has a good chance, but…

The 2026 Olympics are only a few months away. And in the world of hockey, it’s all particularly interesting this year… because NHL players will be back for the first time since 2014. Obviously, then, the guys want to prove they deserve their place. And in Montreal, one of the players we’re keeping a close eye on in this regard is Nick Suzuki. With an 89-point season under his belt, it’s logical to think the captain has a good chance. And this afternoon, on TSN 690, Pierre LeBrun confirmed that this is indeed the case. Except that,listening to LeBrun speak, it’s clear that there are a number of things working against Suzuki’s candidacy.

[content-ads]LeBrun notes that Suzuki had his reasons and that we can’t judge him for all that… which is true. That said, Suzuki isn’t in a situation where he has a job to lose: he has to go out and earn it, and there’s competition.Robert Thomas (whose GM in St. Louis is the GM of Team Canada) and Macklin Celebrini (who showed some great things at Worlds) are two guys with the same goal as Suzuki… and they’re not alone.In reality, if Suzuki starts the year strong and builds on last year’s late-season momentum, it’ll be hard for Team Canada not to select him. But in a world where guys like Thomas and Celebrini are doing as well as he is, it’s logical to think that these guys will be easier to pick.Performance on the international scene is a factor that weighs heavily in Team Canada’s decisions. And Suzuki, at this level, doesn’t have the longest track record.Suzuki, in the end, has his fate in his own hands. If he gets off to a rock-bottom start this season, officials will have no choice but to ignore his absences from the Worlds to make room for him on the team… and in that respect, LeBrun is right to say that the Habs captain has a good chance of making it.But he’ll still have to outperform the guys who have a more complete application.[spacer title=’Overtime’]- Very cool!

– Indeed.

– Interesting.

– Good question.

– Sad news.

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“David Reinbacher is exactly where he’s supposed to be right now”

Last night, the Canadiens prevailed over the Flyers in a warm-up game. Much has been made of the Xhekaj brothers’ fine outing, but David Reinbacher also caught the eye… for not so good reasons.He didn’t look dominant on the ice… and he made some mistakes.Given that the player hasn’t been unanimously praised since the second he joined the organization, this worried many. On Tony Marinaro’s Sick Podcast, Lapierre reassured us that

David Reinbacher is exactly where he’s supposed to be right now.

–

Maxim Lapierre

[content-ads]Basically, what Lapierre is explaining is that Reinbacher, having missed so many games over the past two years, obviously needs a little more time to find his feet. The kid isn’t ready to play in the NHL, and that’s not the end of the world (especially with Noah Dobson now in town). But in reality, we can understand some who would have liked to see more from a player drafted fifth overall two years ago. Except that…If we take the example of defensemen drafted a year before Reinbacher, we notice in particular that Simon Nemec and David Jiricek, two guys drafted in the top-6 of their draft, are still not established in the NHL. We’re talking about guys who have played games in the show (87 for Nemec and 59 for Jiricek), but also guys who are still fighting to prove they can be NHL regulars right now.And these two guys, unlike Reinbacher, haven’t suffered a major injury that completely derailed a crucial development season. So they’re older and healthier than Reinbacher, without being far ahead of the Austrian. It’s also worth noting that if you look at Reinbacher’s vintage, only two defensemen have played NHL games… and they’ve played seven between them (six games for Luca Cagnoni and one game for Hunter Brzustewicz).Reinbacher didn’t look great yesterday, and that’s okay (and normal) to note. But Lapierre is right about one thing: just because Reinbacher isn’t ready to be an NHL regular doesn’t mean he’s behind the curve.Far from it, in fact.[spacer title=’Overtime’]- What do you think?

– Very cool!

– No. Next question.

– I think so.

– Woah.

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FC Supra du Québec: everything you need to know about the new CPL team

September 24, 2025 will forever be the date when something big happens in the world of Québécois soccer. I had the chance to speak with Rocco Placentino, president and founder of the brand-new franchise, last Monday, and here are the highlights I took away from the interview.

Note that some of the information below is still exclusive at the time of writing, while others have already been published elsewhere, notably in La Presse (JF Téotonio) and on the Radio-Canada website.

Rocco

Placentino has big plans for his professional team in Laval (Credit: Move Photography Inc. – Adrien Douaire)

1. The team will be called FC Supra du Québec. Why “from Quebec”? Because the organization’s mission will be to field a 100% Québécois squad, rather like Athletic Bilbao and its Basque players. If this model has worked in sporting terms, while creating a sense of belonging and collective pride elsewhere, I don’t see why it couldn’t work in Quebec.As long as we don’t get too mixed up with the City of Laval, the Montreal region and the Province of Quebec…How will Rocco Placentino and his gang define a Québécois player?

Basically, it’s a player who was born and/or raised in Quebec. We’ll also be open to foreign players who have played for a few years in Quebec and consider themselves Québécois.”

–

Rocco Placentino

What I understand from this is that a guy like Hassoun Camara would have been admitted to the FC Supra dressing room if he’d wanted to finish his career there after his stint in Montreal. In short, FC Supra will be a team from here for people from here. With a touch more inclusion than the “For Us By Us” of the ’90s and 2000s…[content-ads]2. The team has signed a multi-season contract with the Roses and Stade Boréale. From what I understand, FC Supra will play in Laval for at least three seasons, although there may be special games in Quebec City, Trois-Rivières or Sherbrooke over time. FC Supra will be the Quebec team,” Rocco Placentino told me on Monday afternoon.3. FC Supra will compete in the next season, starting in April or May 2026. No time to fool around, as the other guy would say.4. Why didn’t you choose a Montreal stadium for FC Supra?

“There wasn’t a stadium available that met our needs.The Centre Claude-Robillardis being renovated

–

Rocco Placentino

What about Stade Saputo, Rocco?

“There’s already a team playing there.”

There’s also a team already playing at Stade Boréale, but well…[content-ads]5. The owners are Matt Rizzetta (North Sixth Group, Campobasso FC, women’s club Res Roma, Napoli Basketball, Brooklyn FC and ESPN TV), Angelo Pasto (Campobasso FC, women’s club Donna Roma, Brooklyn FC and Napoli Basketball), Stéphane Tétrault (EB Games Canada) and Jean-François Chenail (Chenail Import Export).6. Rocco Placentino intends to develop partnerships with ALL Québécois amateur clubs. That’s how he intends to keep Quebecois talent from slipping through the cracks. Many of the best players in Quebec’s Ligue1 will therefore have their chance to break into the FC Supra line-up.7. The name FC Supra was chosen for its strong positive connotations with Québécois soccer culture and sporting history. Like its colors, which will be unveiled tonight in Laval… [content-ads]8. The organization plans to offer tickets “at the average price of the league”. Prices will be competitive, I’m told, and spectators will get their money’s worth.9. Rocco Placentino reiterated to me his desire to build a solid relationship with his former club, CF Montreal / Impact

: “There has to be one, for the good of the sport in Quebec.”

10. Rocco Placentino told me he had stepped down as sporting director of CS St-Laurent. He wishes to concentrate 100% on his new Laval project, which he sees as an extension of what he has built up over the last few years at St-Laurent. Officially, the club has still not set its sights on a head coach to take the reins of its first team. I’m told that Nicholas Razzaghi – current coach of CS St-Laurent in Quebec’s Ligue1 – has a head start, but Rocco Placentino refused to confirm anything:

“We have ideas, but we’ll open a formal process to give all candidates the chance to contact us and be part of the process. That should happen as early as October.”

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Sidney Crosby: Some people around him would like to convince him to ask for a trade

With just a few days to go before the official start of the 25-26 NHL season, a few issues are still attracting a lot of attention: Mason McTavish and Luke Hughes, who are still out of contract for the upcoming campaign; Kirill Kaprizov and Connor McDavid, two guys entering their final year in the NHL who could break the bank by next summer… Oh, and it’s no secret that Sidney Crosby will continue to be the talk of the town. At least, as long as he’s part of the Pittsburgh Penguins organization… The Kid wants to win, and that’s no secret either. At least, if it’s supposed to be… it’s not a secret that’s very well hidden. Hehe. All kidding aside, this is really one of the reasons why Crosby might want to change his address. He might want to give himself a chance to make the playoffs and win a Stanley Cup because he doesn’t like losing – and because the Penguins won’t be winning much in the next few years. And now, Elliotte Friedman(The FAN Hockey Show) even thinks that some of Crosby’s entourage have talked to him about the situation.It must be playing on his mind…

[content-ads] Making the decision to leave the Penguins (if it comes to that) won’t be easy.

Sidney Crosby has spent his entire career in Pittsburgh, he loves the organization, the city, the fans, he’s loyal to his club… but on the other hand, he also knows that the team can’t offer him what he wants right now.And there he is, the biggest factor in the equation. Crosby wants to stay in Pittsburgh because he wants to continue to help the Penguins. He wants to be there for the fans who have supported him so much since his arrival in the National League. But maybe, just maybe, that can be done by asking for a trade – and allowing Kyle Dubas to pick up pieces that can help in the future. It’s Sidney Crosby who will make the decision to stay or not… and if we keep hearing about it, maybe it’ll convince him to make his choice. [spacer title=’Overtime’] – All means are good!

– MLB news.

– Of note.

– Wow.

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Elliotte Friedman speaks of raiding in the Kirill Kaprizov case

Wild fans have a right to be a little worried. They can see that the Kirill Kaprizov situation is not moving forward… and even though the player says he wants to stay in Minnesota, discussions between him and the team about a contract extension are in neutral. There’s no club, that said, that has the luxury of losing a player of Kaprizov’s caliber. And even if there is a deal, it’s (really) hard to believe that the Wild will come out on top… Elliotte Friedman spoke about the Russian’s case yesterday(The FAN Hockey Show) and said something rather… interesting. In the informer’s eyes, there may be some raiding techniques that have been used in the story. And Friedman has mentioned it before: if Kaprizovturned down $16 million, it’s probably because he knows another team is ready to offer even more money…

[content-ads] It reminds me of the Mitch Marner/Golden Knights situation this summer… In all this, one thing must be remembered: people talk to each other in the NHL.An agent can talk to a GM… and he can easily put in a good word for someone without it being difficult. Is that what’s happening right now with Kaprizov?But… technically, clubs and agents aren’t allowed to do that. A player under contract to one club can’t negotiate or talk with other NHL teams, and there are consequences for when that happens. That may explain, though, why Kaprizov hasn’t signed his contract yet. Because turning down a $16-million-a-year deal is really hard to explain… especially for a 28-year-old player who has the opportunity to secure his financial future. There are two options, as I see it: either Kaprizov is sick of playing in Minnesota… or he knows there’s a bigger offer waiting for him elsewhere in the NHL. And if it’s the latter, Friedman is right to call this a raid [spacer title=’Overtime’] – I love it.

– What do we think?

– I’m scared.

– Great news.

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Nick Suzuki, the 25th best NHL player according to TSN

Last season, 12 players managed to score 90 points or more in the NHL.

We’re talking about Nikita Kucherov (121), Nathan MacKinnon (116), Leon Draisaitl (106), David Pastrnak (106), Mitch Marner (102), Connor McDavid (100), Kyle Connor (97), Jack Eichel (94), Cale Makar (92), Sidney Crosby (91), Clayton Keller (90) and Brandan Hagel (90). We agree: these players are truly among the NHL’s elite. And with that in mind, it’s nice to realize that Nick Suzuki – with 89 points in 82 games – is beginning to cement his place among the league’s excellent players. It’s not for nothing, after all, that Suzuki is ranked 28th among the league’s top players by NHL Network.And TSN, which did the same exercise by ranking the NHL’s top 50 players, ranks Suzuki 25th on its list.What’s special about all this?

[content-ads] The Canadiens’ captain is starting to get the recognition he deserves, and all the better for it. He’s getting better every year, and he really seems to be in his prime too. Suzuki is good offensively… but he’s just as good defensively, and that’s what makes him one of the best players in the NHL today.He can be useful on all 200 feet of ice, and we’re really starting to understand how important he is to the Canadiens too. Without him, the Habs don’t make the playoffs in 24-25… and without him, the Canadiens would probably have no (or very, very little, at least) chance of making the playoffs next season. That said, the top 25 players in the NHL also happen to be the top 25 players in the world. With that in mind, it’s logical to believe that the captain has a chance of representing Canada at the next Olympic Games, to be held next February in Italy.It remains to be seen whether he’ll convince the Canadiens’ management to take him on board… [ spacer title=’Overtime’] – Indeed.

– Hello, LJ.

– Of note.

– Are you part of it?

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Getting Jordan Kyrou “would have cost Kaiden Guhle” to the Canadiens

This week, our colleague Maxime Truman joined Pascal Cameron and Marco Normandin of Habsolument Fan in the Poolcast studios. I recommend you listen to the podcast, in which hockey is discussed, as well as the media and the place of sites like DLC and HF in the media landscape. It’s a very good episode. https://youtu.be/–MlDr9qIbg?si=QBq59sxpc08_Ey5V&t=1831 What I also remember about all this is the fact that Marco Normandin went back over the Jordan Kyrou file, which was the subject of a bit of chatter this summer around Montreal.Just a bit.Basically, according to what he heard, the Logan Mailloux for Zachary Bolduc deal could have been bigger and included Kyrou. But it’s interesting to note which name would have gone the other way to complete the deal if Kyrou had been included.

It would have cost Kaiden Guhle.

–

Marco Normandin

[content-ads]Obviously, Guhle is an important defenseman in Montreal. He’s really reliable in his zone and is becoming a very important top-4 defenseman for Martin St-Louis and Stéphane Robidas.He even has an offensive touch about him…

Even if he’s injured more often than not, trading him for a player who may be your #2 center wasn’t a sure enough bet for the Habs. Is that why the trade didn’t happen? Maybe, but if Guhle were to be traded (I have my doubts, let’s say) by the Habs, the club should have the assurance of receiving a real #2 center in return. Mason McTavish, like?But I don’t see Guhle leaving, between you and me. [spacer title=’Overtime’]- Wow.

– With good reason,

– Of note, there’s

– David Savard and the Habs: the door is open.[JdeM] –