Author: Dose

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Lane Hutson “didn’t take the news well” about being ignored at the U.S. camp

Yesterday, we learned that Lane Hutson was officially not among the players invited by Team USA to its orientation camp for the upcoming Olympics. And given that he’s just collected 66 points in 82 games and won the Calder Trophy, it’s a decision that has caused quite a stir.Not taking him with the team to the Olympics is one thing. But ignoring him and preferring 16 other defensemen for a simple orientation camp is… peculiar. unsurprisingly, it was the Habs fans who reacted most strongly. But according to Marco D’Amico, there’s someone else who didn’t take the news well: Lane Hutson. The defenseman was clearly insulted by being ignored, and according to what D’Amico told BPM Sports, it (really) didn’t make him happy.And that means we can expect to see him more motivated than ever.

[content-ads]The tipster even goes so far as to say that he expects to see Hutson so motivated that he would arrange to settle the defenseman’s contractual situation as quickly as possible. We know that Hutson thrives on silencing his detractors, and this year he’ll have plenty of opportunity to do just that,especially as he seems to have really improved his shot strength. If he adds that string to his arsenal, it’ll take him to another level.

We know that at the end of last year’s season, being ignored by Team Canadiens at the 4 Nations Confrontation galvanized Nick Suzuki. If Hutson can crank it up like that, and does so from the start of the season, it’ll really be something,and maybe if he can do it, the U.S. team management will have no choice but to recognize their mistake and find him a place on the team. Because yes, theoretically, that’s always a possibility[spacer title=’Overtime’]- I like it.

– Great news.

– What do you think?

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Juraj Slafkovský named Slovakia’s Player of the Year

Juraj Slafkovský is one of the big guns in the Canadiens’ core. The young Slovak, who has high expectations for himself and his team this season, is also a star in his native country.Over there, he’s really, really popular.And today, Slaf was in his native Slovakia as part of a gala honoring Slovak hockey stars.

Last year, at the same gala, he won the Player of the Year award, so he was trying to defend his title this year.

And after winning the title of best forward earlier today, we have just learned that he has once again been named Slovakia’s player of the year,ahead of Martin Fehervary and Martin Gernat, who complete the podium.

[content-ads]Obviously, it’s not a huge surprise to see him win this title. He may still have some way to go to establish himself as a top NHL forward, but he’s clearly the best active player to come out of his country.No one was surprised when he was one of the first six players chosen to represent Slovakia at the next Olympics, you know.It’s safe to assume that this honor will be Slaf ‘s for many, many years to come. There are a few young Slovaks on the rise, but Simon Nemec and Filip Mesar, the other two youngsters drafted in the same year as Slaf, are slow to develop.Dalibor Dvorsky is one who could eventually play in Slafkovský’s footsteps, but he still has some way to go.Another fine accolade for the 21-year-old forward, who is defending his Player of the Year title in his native country. Let’s see how many years he can hold on to that title.spacer title=’Overtime’]- He didn’t do his military service.

– I’d be surprised, personally.

– Too bad,

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Pierre McGuire sees the Habs closing in on 100 points this season

In 24-25, the Canadiens were able to punch their ticket to the playoffs. Was this expected? Not really… no. But with the Habs adding two good players in Zachary Bolduc and Noah Dobson, it’s possible to believe the club could have an even better season. Pierre McGuire is of that opinion, at least. McGuire, who appeared on Tony Marinaro’s podcast, makes no secret of the fact: for him, the CH will be a formidable team in 25-26. Not better than the Leafs… but good. That said, he even sees the Habs approaching the 100-point mark in the standings… which, in reality, would be pretty special.

[content-ads] Last season, the Canadiens went for 91 points in the standings. It was a bit of a surprise in general. But if the Habs want to get even more points and want to improve even more, it’s going to depend on certain things too. And here, I’m thinking of a few things

The Habs lost David Savard, Christian Dvorak and Joel Armia in the off-season, and these guys played a vital role in the team’s numerical inferiority. We’re talking about an important element here too… and once again, the Canadiens will have to find a way to replace them in order to achieve success quickly. But on paper, the Canadiens have the weapons to be dangerous: Suzuki, Demidov, Caufield, Slafkovsky, Laine, Bolduc, Hutson, Dobson… and if they all play like they did in the final stretch of the 25-26 season, the Habs have a good chance of getting closer to the 100-point mark. spacer title=’Overtime’] – There’ll be an ECHL team in Augusta.

– Well done.

– Oh.

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Fans’ confidence in their club’s leaders: the Habs rank 5th in the NHL

Canadiens fans have confidence in the team’s management because they like the way it works. This morning, The Athletic published a piece in which it asked NHL fans to rate their favorite team’s management on six different criteria.

The six criteria are: payroll management, building the club on paper, draft and development, free agents, transactions… and management’s vision. Among the 32 NHL clubs, the Canadiens are ranked 5th. It was 6th in 2024. Kent Hughes and his team received an A- grade from fans… which is interesting in itself.Ahead of the Habs are the Panthers (#1), Stars (#2), Hurricanes (#3) and Lightning (#4):

(

Credit: Screenshot / The Athletic )

You can find the article in question by clicking on the link below:

[content-ads] It’s hard, after all, not to salute the work of Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton.

Since they took over, the Canadiens have never been the same organization… both on the ice and in the dressing room. And a lot of that credit goes to the HuGo duo: whether it’s making big trades (Patrik Laine, Zachary Bolduc, Noah Dobson), drafting the right players (Lane Hutson, Juraj Slafkovsky) or changing the team’s culture…. things are being done the right way, and it showed in the Habs’ (surprising) success in 24-25. And what’s special is that the Habs have what it takes to be good for a long time. This, too, is partly due to HuGo… since the Canadiens’ management have made sure they have good youngsters on hand who can help the club in the long term on the ice. This is exciting for the fans, who want to see the club succeed after several more difficult years. And you can also see the passion of the fans in Montreal… because it’s the only team to have garnered more than 1,000 responses to The Athletic’s survey.So there’s a bit of a buzz in town at the moment… [spacer title=’Overtime’] – For CF Montréal fans:

– He was really good.

– It’s getting tougher.

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RUMOR! Montreal CF may have found its next Nacho Piatti

The rebuilding process is well and truly underway at the Montréal Canadiens: before rebuilding, Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton first destroyed what was in place, then traded Artturi Lehkonen, Tyler Toffoli, Jeff Petry and so on. They traded Artturi Lehkonen, Tyler Toffoli, Jeff Petry, etc.I know, it’s not the same in soccer, but with all the constraints MLS imposes on its teams, there’s a limit to how fast you can turn your roster around. Anyway, Nathan Saliba, Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty, George Campbell, Jules-Anthony Vilsaint, Caden Clark, Joel Waterman and Dominic Iankov are all playing for a new club right now.

Vilsaint, Clark and Waterman have all been traded in the last week.

[content-ads]According to what I’m hearing, more players could leave the team in the next 36 hours. Who? Sunusi Ibrahim, Mahala Opoku, Tom Pearce and Bryce Duke are all available according to my information. I’m told that the Montreal CF could even decide to buy out the contract of one of them (Sunusi?) if they don’t manage to trade/transfer anyone in the next few hours. Why? Because if the information that Ivan Jaime is headed for Montreal right now is true – and I have every reason in the world to believe it is, because 1. several Spanish media outlets are confirming it, and 2. I’m hearing the same thing on this side of the Atlantic – CF Montreal will need an additional international place in order to activate Jaime. So they can either buy one for around $150,000 or $200,000 on the open market, or free one up by buying out the contract of a guy like Sunusi.

Ivan Jaime could be on loan to CF Montreal in the next few hours, if not minutes. (Credit: Instagram)

[content-ads]The beauty of Ivan Jaime’s possible arrival is the structure of the deal that seems to have been closed between Luca Saputo and FC Porto. If Jaime – who could be a DP, but also a TAM player in Montreal – produces and stays healthy, CF Montreal will have to pay a large sum of money to Porto. Except that if the Jaime project fails, it won’t have cost CF Montreal a fortune to try.

As you read this, I’m already on my way to the Nutrilait Centre for CF Montreal practice. Will there be any new players? Follow my X account for all the latest news on the Montreal mercato. spacer title=’Prolongation’]- Ivan Jaime is an attacking midfielder capable of playing on the left wing. In short, he ticks all the boxes of the most important need/recruitment to be accomplished this summer. Jaime is creative and has the profile of those Spanish players who manage to read the game and execute complicated technical tricks by making them look simple. His inability to make his mark in a top European league doesn’t scare me too much, as that was the story of Nacho Piatti before he said yes to the Montreal Impact. Offensive players who don’t make it in Europe are often excellent anyway, you know.Jaime in Montreal: it could click– The timing of Jaime’s eventual arrival couldn’t be better. Since the letter signed by the Saputo brothers, fans have had high expectations and, following the numerous departures, many were hesitant to renew their season tickets. The arrival of a creative midfielder will certainly be well received by the team’s fans – There is/has been interest in Caden Clark from a club in Berlin.

– I invite you to watch the last threeIMFC Radio shows I’ve been on recently. You’ll hear about the reasons behind Jules-Anthony Vilsaint’s departure, a story explaining how it had become obvious that Caden Clark was going to leave the club, the possibility of Prince Owusu applying for DP status … and the Montreal CF refusing such a request (which would perhaps mean selling Owusu, who knows?), the real reason behind Prince Owusu’s arrival in Montreal, an update on the Fafa Picault file, good news for Marco Donadel’s staff, an analysis of Joel Waterman’s difficulties in 2025, pertinent information on Mathieu Choinière’s transfer to Los Angeles (the club suspected this possibility and acted accordingly) and a blessing for Olger Escobar.

– Montreal CF still have just one win in 13 games at Stade Saputo and are heading for their worst-ever MLS season. Saturday night at Stade Saputo, it’s going to take a win, nothing else! Nothing else!– Luca Saputo will meet the media at Stade Saputo on Friday at 11:00 a.m. – I’ve seen Joey, Luca, Simone, Joey Jr (he works in marketing and/or social networks for the club, I’m told) and Jesse Saputo over the past few days in Montreal. In short, the whole family is here. So much for the good old “they don’t give a damn about Montreal and its fan market”…

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Predictable powerplay: Pierre McGuire would put Patrik Laine in bumper position

For several years now, the powerplay has been a problem for the Montreal Canadiens. Despite several good moments and a slight improvement last season, the Habs still finished the season with the NHL’s 21st best powerplay at 20.1%. Clearly, this isn’t good enough, and the Canadiens will have to find a solution if they hope to return to the playoffs in 25-26.

Obviously, we all think that with all the talent Martin St-Louis will have on hand, it shouldn’t be too complicated. However, it’s not always talent that makes a good powerplay, while strategy and tactics are also two very important aspects. And in this respect, it’s clear that the Habs became far too predictable last season with Patrik Laine on the right side of the net.

Pierre McGuire therefore raised the possibility of moving Laine to the center of the powerplay, or to the bumper position in the enclave. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OI0F64Nx8H8 [content-ads] Pierre McGuire made this point duringa recent episode of the Sick Podcast, when he was Tony Marinaro’s guest.

For McGuire, it’s clear that it would be a good idea for the CH to play 1-3-1 on the powerplay with Laine at center, in order to make the Habs’ plays much less predictable. We remember that the pass to Laine for a shot on goal was made more telegraphed than any other play, and the CH had a much better powerplay in the playoffs (33% – 5 in 15 – 2ᵉ in the NHL), when Laine was injured and Ivan Demidov learned his place. The whole thing was a lot less predictable. In short, by being positioned as a “bumper”, Laine could still use his excellent shot on reception, as well as freeing up space for his teammates, given that he would be demanding a lot of attention from his opponents. Incidentally, McGuire would use Laine this way, regardless of whether he was on the 1ʳᵉ or 2nd wave.

On a first wave, here’s what it might look like: Slafkovsky Demidov Caufield – Laine – Suzuki OR Caufield – Laine – Suzuki Hutson Hutson [content-ads] Obviously, we want to see Ivan Demidov on the first powerplay, but I’m not sure putting him in front of the net would be the best option.

In short, Pierre McGuire’s solution isn’t crazy, and I think Laine could perform very well as a bumper with guys like Noah Dobson and Zachary Bolduc. Also note that McGuire said he’d be disappointed if the Habs’ powerplay wasn’t at least 24% next season. To give you an idea, if the Tricolore’s A.N. had rolled at 24% last season, the Habs would have finished 11th in the NHL in this statistic, just ahead of the Ottawa Senators’ 23.8%.

[spacer title=’En Rafale’] – Very cool!

– Good news.

– Wow.

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Joel Waterman to be traded by Montreal CF

In the past week, CF Montreal has traded Jules-Anthony Vilsaint (Toronto FC) and Caden Clark (D.C. United). Nathan Saliba and George Campbell have also jumped ship. But the club obviously hasn’t finished cleaning house yet. Why do I say that? Because it’s Joel Waterman’s turn to be traded by Montreal CF.Maxime Truman released the information exclusively on Twitter.In the post, we read that in return for the defenseman, CF Montreal has put their hands on a GAM amount to be determined. Another big name, therefore, leaving the CF Montreal organization

[content-ads] Waterman became one of CF Montreal’s important players over the last few years. He had leadership qualities and established himself as an indispensable piece in the club’s defense.

That said, we’ll remember his (many) yellow cards, his red cards… and his (stupid) scorpion kick against Toronto FC. In all of this, it’s important to remember one thing: CF Montreal is currently rebuilding, and it’s normal to see that the club is cleaning up its act.We want to start afresh, and that’s why we’ve seen a number of guys get traded lately. That said, for the club’s fans, it can be disappointing in a way, because the quality on the pitch will diminish. It’s bad enough that the quality of the current squad isn’t exceptional when you compare it to other MLS teams… Let’s also remember, in closing, that we’re hearing that a quality player could join the squad between now and the end of the summer mercato (in two days’ time). Could that player be Ivan Jaime? There’s never smoke without fire, as they say…

[spacer title=’Overtime’] – Speak of the devil:

– Interesting.

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USA Orientation Camp: Caufield invited, but its place at the Games is far from guaranteed

Cole Caufield has been invited to the U.S. Olympic orientation camp, and to see his talent and hard work recognized in this way is good news in itself, especially when you consider his last season (70 points, including 37 goals) with the Canadiens.

But the small forward’s place on the team is far from guaranteed, in fact. Looking at the guest players, it’s easy to see that there’s lots and lots of talent in the forward group. And it makes you wonder if Caufield has what it takes to surpass the likes of..

  • Matt Boldy
  • Jason Robertson
  • Jake Guentzel
  • Jack Hughes
  • Auston Matthews
  • Tage Thompson
  • Brady Tkachuk
  • Matthew Tkachuk
  • Clayton Keller
  • J.T. Miller
  • Jack Eichel
  • Kyle Connor
  • Patrick Kane

Right here, we find 13 high-quality forwards. I’m not saying that Caufield isn’t a good player: I’m just saying that he’ll have to work extremely, but extremely hard to prove himself…

[content-ads] In the photo above, we can also see that Lane Hutson is not among the defensemen invited to the camp in question.But we knew that: Tony Marinaro announced it a few weeks ago.

💪

Getting back to Caufield, there are two things that could help him make the U.S. team for the next Olympics. He has to be really dominant at orientation camp to open the eyes of management… All in all, no player is immune to injury (although we never wish it on anyone) and maybe that can change things between now and the competition too. That said, we know that “small” players are often overlooked by nations for tournaments like this… and maybe that explains why Lane Hutson wasn’t even invited by the USA to the camp in question. It’ll be interesting to see what the States’ line-up looks like, I suspect… [spacer title=’Overtime’] – Sick.

– Great. #Not

– He had a great NBA career.

– Oh yeah?

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Kirby Dach: “The longer you wait, the more the tendon becomes a ligament”

When will Kirby Dach return to action? It’s been 6 months since Dach underwent surgery on his knee (again). The organization told us he’d be back in time for the start of the 2025-26 season, but now we’re hoping he’ll be back in time. It’s hard to know that far in advance when an athlete can return to 100% form after a second surgery on the anterior cruciate ligament of the same knee.

To find out a little more about Kirby Dach’s situation, a physiotherapist by the name of Gabriel Perreault was recently on 98.5 FM to discuss some interesting details. Gabriel Perreault (not the New York Rangers prospect) has worked for the Rimouski Oceanic, Hockey Québec and the Habs’ rookie camp. According to him, we need to be as patient as possible with him, so that his graft solidifies further.

[content-ads]First, the term graft means (in this case) to take a tendon from somewhere else (be it Dach, another person or even an animal) to replace the anterior cruciate ligament.

And as Perreault pointed out, the longer you wait for him to return to play, the more the tendon will become a ligament. As in Dach’s case, when you come to a second ACL surgery on the same knee, the failure rate increases. He added, however, that for surgeries like this, 60% of ordinary people return to their pre-surgery level. And in the case of athletes such as hockey players, the physiotherapist points out that it can climb to 80%, which is quite encouraging. It all varies depending on the surgery, as there may be limitations for the athlete in question. There is a panoply of physical and psychological tests to test the strength of the operated knee. When I say strength, I mean both maximum strength and endurance, and the aim is to compare the strength of the two knees, to find out where the operated knee stands. And ideally, you want a maximum difference of 10%. In short, this column has certainly enabled us to learn more about an operation of this kind, and possibly to worry less about Dach’s return to action. Can we still hope that he’ll be back in time for the first game of the season? Of course, but we know Habs management won’t rush his return to action to ensure he’s as healthy as possible. spacer title=’Overtime’] – Don’t miss tonight’s episode of the Sick Podcast with Tony Marinaro:

– An interesting signing for the Avalanche.

– Straw continues to impress.

– This is incredible.

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“Jacob Fowler is more mentally involved than Cayden Primeau was

Almost everyone in Montreal misses Carey Price in front of the net. What he’s been able to accomplish without ever having a truly competitive team is simply unbelievable. Jacob Fowler seems to be an excellent prospect in front of the net, but it’s hard to say just how elite a goalie he’ll become. If his college stats are anything to go by, it’s easy to say he’ll have success in the NHL. But do you know what other goalie had very good stats in the NCAA? Cayden Primeau, who hasn’t (yet) established himself in the NHL, but what’s the major difference between Primeau and Fowler?Pierre McGuire was on The Sick Podcast with Tony Marinaro and gave a clear answer, as he is a big fan of the young American goalie.

According to him, Fowler is more mentally involved than Primeau was. The extract in question is at the end of the 38th minute of the episode.Clicking on the YouTube video below will take you straight to the right place.[content-ads]It’s hard not to agree with McGuire. Fowler’s calmness and mental strength are probably his two greatest qualities. And God knows how important that is for a goalie in the National Hockey League. It’s what made Carey Price so successful in the big leagues. Without his uncommon calm and tenacity in the face of adversity and pressure in Montreal, he certainly wouldn’t have had such a successful career.

McGuire also drew comparisons with Trevor Kidd and Martin Brodeur, who came 11th and 20th respectively in the 1990 draft. Both goalies had similar stats in junior, but Brodeur stood out for his impressive concentration, and the Calgary Flames made the grave mistake of drafting Kidd rather than Brodeur. Kidd still had a great NHL career, but Brodeur is Brodeur. Imagine if Brodeur had made his career in Calgary… In short, if Fowler remains well positioned during games, in addition to always being focused to the max and keeping his cool, I don’t see how he can fail to become what is expected of him. [spacer title=’Overtime’] – Pretty funny that Reinhart.

– Proving once again what a force of nature Ovechkin is.

– To read.

– Blue Jays come back strong after two straight losses.