Author: Dose

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“To reunite the Hughes brothers, Dougie Hamilton would no longer be part of the formation”

One of the rumors that has been circulating for some time is the New Jersey Devils’ desire to reunite the three Hughes brothers.

They’re “only” missing Quinn Hughes, which won’t be easy.

We all agree that acquiring one of the top two picks to win the Norris Trophy (best defenseman) won’t be cheap.

It’s hard to say whether the Devils currently have what it takes to acquire the older brother.

On the other hand, there are growing rumors that defenseman Dougie Hamilton could be headed elsewhere.

ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski discussed the matter on The Sheet podcast with Jeff Marek.

According to Wyshynski, if the ultimate goal is to reunite the Hughes line, Dougie Hamilton would be out of the picture.

However, he points out that the 32-year-old right-handed defenseman would not necessarily be directly included in the trade to acquire Quinn Hughes.

Click on the YouTube video below to go directly to the excerpt in question.

Hamilton certainly has good value right now, and if the Devils want to trade him, it would have to be sooner rather than later, otherwise his value could drop.

By trading Hamilton and a quality prospect like 6’7″ defenseman Anton Silayev, the Devils would acquire a very attractive piece that could be used to acquire Quinn Hughes.

However, it remains to be seen what the Canucks would like to receive in return.

Silayev would certainly be attractive to Vancouver, as he’s a left-handed defenseman with high potential, who could provide a backup if Hughes leaves.

So Hamilton should be in a package with another prospect or attractive element. Forwards Arseny Gritsyuk and Dawson Mercer could also attract the attention of some clubs.

In the end, Hamilton would have to go somewhere other than Vancouver, along with other attractive players, to acquire THE centerpiece that would attract the Canucks’ interest.

The Devils will have their work cut out for them, as adding the services of a player of Quinn Hughes’ calibre is no easy task.

Overtime

– It’s such a shame to see such a great player leave so soon. It’s like the death of the Gaudreau brothers…

– It’s certain that he wouldn’t have had as big a role as he’s had in recent years

– I’m also looking forward to the additions.

– Read on.

– Very encouraging for the Alouettes.

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“Lane Hutson just had a full season where no one could grab him.”

Ahh, that Lane Hutson. Did he give Montreal Canadiens fans a thrill this season?

His hesitation of the head, his drastic changes of direction and his incredible vision of the game have thrown more than a few fans for a loop.

Truly, Hutson seems to have been too comfortable in his rookie NHL season.

But will he be able to continue to produce as much this season, or will we have to talk about the famous second-year jinx?

It’s hard to believe that this jinx could affect a guy like Lane Hutson, but looking at Connor Bedard’s second season, it’s clear that no one is immune.

However, TSN’s Frank Corrado really believes that Hutson will have another excellent season offensively.

He wonders if opponents will start to catch on to the little defender and his little dekes, and that would be his challenge for next season.

You can listen to his entire column right here.

“What happens when the players figure it out? I’ll say this, he just had a full season where no one could really grasp it.” – Frank Corrado

Corrado also mentions that Hutson has more than one trick up his sleeve to trick opponents who try to attack him.

In the comments section of this Habs On Reddit tweet, one user wrote something very interesting: How do you know what someone is going to do when that player doesn’t even know what he’s going to do?

This is an excellent point, as Hutson is extremely unpredictable, which makes the task even harder.

Personally, I have every confidence in #48’s offensive arsenal to continue breaking ankles as he did so well in his first full NHL season.

This goal against the Flyers is certainly one of his finest highlights, if not the finest, of the entire 2024-25 season: a Bobby Orr goal.

Will Lane Hutson hit the 80-point milestone in 2025-26, or is that a bit of a stretch?

Overtime

– A very good interview by Marco D’Amico with the Islanders’ goaltender. Sorokin addressed the trade rumors against him, and also talked about Noah Dobson and Alexander Romanov.

– The only Québécois in the NHL Finals brings the Stanley Cup home.

– It’s amazing how Bedard can draw the puck with such ease.

– The son of Julien BriseBois joins the Sherbrooke Phoenix.

– Tristan Jarry could be a nice, inexpensive option to back up Stuart Skinner.

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Fan Vote: Nick Suzuki voted 28th best forward in the NHL

What would be your ranking of the best forwards in the entire National Hockey League?

This is clearly a fun exercise to do, and it’s always interesting to compare different lists to see what different people think.

The exercise becomes even more interesting when a ranking takes into account the opinions of several thousand people.

Well, as it does every year, this is the exercise carried out by the X/Twitter account JFresh, as it takes the time to tally the votes of its subscribers to produce a ranking of the best forwards.

He normally also does this for defenders, goalkeepers and, of course, all players put together.

This generally gives us a pretty good idea of the state of the forces in the NHL, as over 8,300 hockey fans vote and have therefore been able to give their opinion.

So it’s interesting to see how the various NHL fans rate the different forwards, especially those of the Canadiens.

Well, if you look at JFresh’s list, you’ll see that Nick Suzuki is ranked 28th.

It’s a respectable position for the Habs captain, who is coming off his career-best season with 89 points, including 30 goals, in 82 games.

Clearly, I’d have seen Suzuki move up a few spots, ahead of guys like Tim Stützle, Nico Hischier and maybe even Brady Tkachuk, but hey, it’s still a great position for the Habs’ number 14.

As for the Habs’ other forwards, well, in the top-100, there’s only one other, Cole Caufield, whose name appears at number 53, just ahead of a certain Jordan Kyrou (linked to the Habs via several rumors).

53ᵉ may be a bit low for Caufield (who just scored 37 goals and 70 points), when he clearly deserved to be in the top-50, ahead of guys like Andrei Svechnikov, j.T. Miller, Matthew Barzal and Nikolaj Ehlers.

Obviously, this is just my humble opinion, and you’re entitled to think differently than I do.

Now, if we expand the list to see the top 128 NHL forwards according to this fan vote, we can spot another Habs player, Juraj Slafkovsky at 115th.

What’s also interesting about this second table is that it shows the positions of each of his players in the JFresh rankings over the past four seasons.

Suzuki has climbed steadily in recent years, from 70th to 28th since 2022, and up 15 places since last season.

As for Caufield, it has climbed back up after suffering a small drop from 70th to 74th between 2023 and 2024. He has now climbed 21 places since last season.

As for Slafkovsky, he’s gone from 92nd to 115th since the 2023-2024 season.

In short, it’s really interesting to analyze this ranking, and not just for Habs players.

The top-10 is fairly evenly distributed, and the Stanley Cup champions have five forwards in the top-50.

Florida Panthers :

  • Aleksander Barkov – 5th
  • Matthew Tkachuk: 13th
  • Sam Reinhart: 15th
  • Sam Bennett : 43rd
  • Brad Marchand: 45th

Let’s just say they’re not two-time Stanley Cup champions for nothing…

For those interested, here’s a list of the forwards who have risen and fallen the most in this ranking since last year.

Overtime

– Good point.

– I couldn’t agree more.

– Interesting.

– Diogo Jota’s death still seems unreal.

– Up next.

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Emil Heineman: the Islanders really wanted him, says Elliotte Friedman

Toughness and sandpaper in general are an increasingly rare commodity among forwards in the National Hockey League.

Players capable of breaking and tackling on a regular basis are not to be found on every street corner, especially those who are capable of being consistently intense as well as having a certain offensive touch.

The Montreal Canadiens provided a pleasant surprise in this department with the emergence of Emil Heineman.

The Swede had made a name for himself in Montreal thanks to his intensity, robust play and excellent shooting.

He had become a much-appreciated player among fans, and was seen as an important element to have in the line-up.

Unfortunately, Heineman was traded in the deal that brought Noah Dobson to Montreal, and even though it was a very good trade for the Habs, the loss of Heineman still hurts.

The Habs must have been reluctant to part with him, but the Swede was really valuable to the New York Islanders.

Indeed, Elliotte Friedman stated that the Islanders really wanted to get their hands on Heineman.

That’s what the renowned tipster said in the latest episode of his “32 Thoughts” podcast, when he discussed the Noah Dobson deal from the Islanders’ point of view.

And Friedman was very clear about Heineman, when he reported that the Islanders were keen for him to go the opposite way of Noah Dobson in the deal.

Mathieu Darche and the Islanders really like Heineman’s style of play, and they sincerely believe he’ll bring a lot of identity to the team.

With the recent retirement of Matt Martin and Cal Clutterbuck a year ago, the Islanders felt they needed to replenish their lineup in terms of intensity and toughness on their bottom-6, which explains their strong interest in Heineman.

In short, any Montreal Canadiens fan can only understand the Islanders’ interest in the Swedish forward.

It’s a shame to have lost Heineman’s services, but you have to pay to improve, and that means sacrificing things you like and value.

Heineman is likely to enjoy success on Long Island, so we wish him all the best, and above all, get back to where he was before getting hit by a car in Utah.

Overtime

– It would have been big.

– Ouch.

– The Alouettes are no longer alone at the top.

– Read on.

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Katie Gaudreau’s wedding: a brilliant tribute to her brothers

It’s been almost a year since the wedding of Katie Gaudreau, sister of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau, was called off due to the huge tragedy that occurred on August 29, 2024.

The two Gaudreau brothers were hit by a drunk driver while riding their bikes on the eve of their sister’s wedding.

On Friday evening, that wedding finally officially took place, as Katie Gaudreau married her high school sweetheart, Devin Joyce.

And for the occasion, Katie Gaudreau and her husband took the time to set up countless ways to pay tribute to the Gaudreau brothers during the wedding.

In an article for “People” newspaper, Katie took the time to talk about the event and reveal many of the little touches that were made throughout the evening to honor her two brothers.

It’s truly touching what the couple has prepared and put in place to honor Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Gaudreau.

With each little attention revealed in the article, tears welled up in my eyes, thinking back to the horrible tragedy that completely shook the National Hockey League and the entire hockey world.

“We have honoured my brothers in many ways to reflect who they were and the joy they brought to this world. We keep their legacies alive through various tributes in their name.” – Katie Gaudreau

First, one of the first tributes Katie revealed was to her veil, where she took the time to inscribe “Love you – Matty” and “Love ya – Johnny” in her brothers’ exact handwriting.

“It was their words, their hands, a part of them that accompanied me and spoke to me as I walked down the aisle, each on one side of the veil protecting me.” – Katie Gaudreau

Here are more Overtime tributes from the wedding:

  • Beautiful photos of the two Gaudreau brothers were printed in the jacket of Guy Gaudreau, the father.
  • All the groomsmen, as well as Katie’s husband’s father, wore socks with the numbers 13 and 21, the Gaudreau brothers’ numbers.
  • Rose bouquets containing exactly 13 or 21 roses, depending on the bouquet.
  • A video montage showing Johnny and Matthew laughing, dancing and lighting up every room they entered.

During the video, Katie Gaudreau replicated the same dance Johnny Gaudreau had done at his own wedding, making for a very touching moment.

In short, it’s truly a beautiful tribute that was paid to the Gaudreau brothers by their sister, and seriously, I very strongly invite you to go read the People article and check out all the photos in the article, as well as in the stories on Katie Gaudreau’s Instagram account.

It’s really worth it.

Overtime

– Read on.

– Love this.

– Of note.

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Samuel Piette played last night despite a hospital stay on Thursday

Montreal CF is having an absolutely catastrophic season on every level.

The Montreal club is in last place in MLS (30th) with just 15 points accumulated in 22 games, and a horrible differential of -22.

Worse still, if we look at the club’s record, it’s just three wins this season in 22 games, including just ONE home victory at Stade Saputo.

It’s really a season to forget, and let’s just say it’s really hurting the club’s reputation, and above all, it’s leading a large number of fans to give up on this team.

Virtually the entire line-up changes every season, which makes it very difficult to become attached to the club, especially when all it does is lose.

Despite all this, Montreal CF captain Samuel Piette is still loyal to the post, and continues to give his all for the club despite its glaring failures.

As proof, after a trip to hospital on Thursday due to dizziness that has lasted several days, the Québécois was still in uniform last night in Orlando, playing 71 minutes.

It’s impressive how Piette is a warrior, playing such big minutes despite dizziness, a flight to Orlando and suffocating heat.

But no matter how much we praise Piette, this situation reveals a much bigger problem with the lineup.

Piette has decided to play because of a lack of manpower, given that there are no midfielders other than himself and Victor Loturi available.

It’s really not normal for Marco Donadel to have only two midfielders available for a game away from home, and it’s another situation that adds to CF Montreal’s disastrous season.

Nevertheless, the Montreal club came away with a 1-1 draw in Orlando last night, thanks to Prince Owusu’s 83rd-minute penalty-shot goal.

In short, the Montreal CF is literally surviving this 2024-2025 season, when it’s clear that everyone – fans, players, staff, coach and journalists – can’t wait for it to end.

The next game is on Wednesday against the Union in Philadelphia.

The Union are on fire, and currently sit in first place in MLS. This could be a good one, the 30ᵉ team against the 1ʳᵉ team in the league.

Overtime

– Resigning Ivan Provorov was the Columbus Blue Jackets’ plan C, if not D.

– Read more.

– Interesting news.

– It’s really impressive and inhuman at this point.

– Wow.

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Goals Michigan: Matvei Michkov wants to stop using the maneuver

Matvei Michkov completed his first NHL campaign with the Philadelphia Flyers.

His adaptation to North American hockey went well, and in his rookie season, Michkov scored 63 points, including 26 goals, in 80 games.

His performances helped him finish fourth in the race for the Calder Trophy.

The Russian gave an interview to sports website RG in which he reflects on his first season, but also talks about the Flyers’ future.

Asked about his few attempts to score a Michigan-style goal, or LaCrosse goal, Mishkov says that’s all over for him.

His few attempts during the last campaign were all unsuccessful.

Is it over for good for the forward, or will we see him score at least one goal like this?

Unless he prefers to leave that task to new teammate Trevor Zegras, who already scored in this manner two years ago.

Incidentally, Michkov is thrilled with Philadelphia’s off-season influx of new players and hopes his team will be able to make the playoffs as early as next season after missing out on spring ball this year.

In addition to acquiring Zegras in a deal with the Anaheim Ducks, the Flyers have signed several depth players, including Dan Vladar, Lane Pederson, Noah Juulsen and former Habs star Christian Dvorak.

The young Russian likes the direction his team is taking.

Michkov, who played a good part of last year under John Tortorella, will also have the opportunity to start the next campaign under a new coach, Rick Tocchet.

Tocchet’s arrival will surely help the Russian’s development, as Tortorella was hardly the ideal coach for a young player.

Unlike his compatriot Ivan Demidov in Montreal, Michkov preferred to return to his hometown of Perm, Russia, for the summer.

He came face-to-face with a bear during a visit to the family cottage in an encounter that fortunately ended without incident.

In short, even if Michkov follows his club’s news from another continent, he’s looking forward to next season and hopes to see the Flyers improve.

Overtime

– Another Demidov deke.

– And another one.

– What hands!

– No smoke without fire.

– Any movement to be expected?

– Solid block!

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Ivan Demidov stuns the gallery at the Make Your Move tournament

Today was the ninth edition of the Make Your Move tournament in Boisbriand at the Centre d’excellence Sport Rousseau, home of the Armada.

Basically, it’s a shootout competition open to the general public where players are encouraged to pull out their Sunday deke.

You can find more details here.

The Canadiens’ prospect Ivan Demidov was at the event, as was social networking star Swaggy P.

My colleague Michaël Petit was on hand to cover the event.

As soon as he arrived on the ice, the 18-year-old Russian was warmly applauded by the crowd and took the opportunity to hand out a few pucks to the spectators.

Now it was time for the competition!

It went fast and the fans barely had time to blink.

A few of the participants showed off some great dekes, but it was Demidov who really stood out with a clever one-handed deke past the opposing goalie.

In fact, it was the Habs forward who won the first segment of the competition by acclamation from the crowd.

Let’s just say it was perhaps more a popularity contest than a skill contest, and given Demidov’s popular quote, it was probably a foregone conclusion.

Then came the second part of the event, with six skaters competing to be the first to score five goals.

Demidov made another fine move to score his fourth goal of the competition and tie three of his opponents.

However, it was prospects Bill Zonnon and Justin Carbonneau who were the first to break the tie and earn their place in the competition’s final.

And it was Zonnon who had the last word, winning the tournament with a magnificent backhand throw.

The rest of the event was devoted to clashes between different groups of underage players.

The spectators in attendance thoroughly enjoyed their experience of the Make Your Move tournament, which featured many spectacular and exciting dekes that the audience seemed to really appreciate.

Not to mention that a little dose of summer hockey is always fun.

Overtime

– Damien Alford was on fire!

– Another series for the Jays?

– He’s aging well!

– Solid performance!

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Alexander Zharovsky wins KHL 3-on-3 Cup

For the first time, the KHL organized an official 3-on-3 tournament on small ice, featuring some of the league’s teams.

One of the teams taking part was Ufa’s Salavat Yualev, the team of Alexander Zharovsky, this summer’s first choice of the Montreal Canadiens.

It’s a summer tournament that showcases the talent of the players.

And let’s just say that Zharovsky took the opportunity to showcase his talent.

But what really stands out is that Zharovsky and Salavat Yulaev won this first edition of the 3-on-3 tournament.

It’s a great start to the new season for the Habs’ Russian prospect.

You can watch the first three games of the tournament by clicking here. You can also watch the two semi-finals and the final right here.

Here’s Zharovsky’s first goal of the tournament. A powerful, quality shot that tied the game in the second match of the first day.

And Zharovsky didn’t stop there. He also scored a superb shootout goal to give his side victory in the same game.

He completely undercut the opposing goalkeeper.

And he came very close to winning the grand final in a shootout too.

In the end, it was his teammate who sealed the outcome.

But from what I’ve seen of Zharovsky in replays of tournament matches, he’s got talent aplenty.

And he’s only 18…

His future is very bright, that’s for sure.

If he has the right mentality, he’ll undoubtedly make it to the NHL and possibly have an impact on the Habs’ top-6 sooner rather than later.

I can’t wait to see how he does in his first full season in the KHL, if he makes the team, of course. If not, he could dominate at a lower level.

Overtime

– Kovalchuk had good words for Demidov: he thinks he did the right thing by staying in Montreal this summer.

– Now that’s style.

– If you can be there, don’t miss the opportunity.

– It’s clear that Crosby will decide whether he leaves or not.

– Read on.

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Alex Belzile still believes in the NHL

Many were happy to see the Montreal Canadiens re-sign hard-working Alex Belzile.

As long as a player works hard and always wants more, it’s often a winning recipe for Habs fans.

And Alex Belzile is the ideal profile, because even if he’s not the most talented, he’ll always strive to improve and get his chance in the NHL.

After spending his last two seasons with the New York Rangers’ club-school, Belzile never got his chance with the big New York club, despite a recall.

Now back in Quebec with the Habs, Belzile is out to prove he can play in the NHL.

The native of Saint-Éloi, a small municipality near Trois-Pistoles, recently confided in RDS that he still believes in the NHL.

Here is Mikaël Filion’s summary of the interview:

I’m of the opinion that he can certainly help out in a minimal role in case of injury: “a mini-cracker” is all Belzile wants.

And we know he’ll make the most of it 100% if he gets the chance to play for the big club.

Belzile became the seventh-oldest player in NHL history to score his first career goal, at 31 years and 165 days to be exact.

The Québécois has spent five great years in the lap of the Habs and is eager to continue:

“I’m very grateful for the first five years I spent here. Why not spend another five? – Alex Belzile

Belzile is definitely confident that he can finish his career in Quebec.

However, this contract with the Habs is not a “retirement plan”; he’s not here as an extra. He still wants to prove things:

“Some people might think I’m coming home at the end of my career, but I see it the other way around and I’m going to prove them wrong.” – Alex Belzile

Belzile will undoubtedly be a valuable asset to the Rocket. Last year, he had a career-best 56 points and his third 19-goal season in the AHL.

With the departures of players like Rafaël Harvey-Pinard and Alex Barré-Boulet, these holes had to be filled, and Belzile is a regular at Place Bell. He’ll bring a lot to the Laval Rocket.

Overtime

– There are certainly similarities in their game.

– Matheson is probably the Habs’ best bet for a second center.

– When you get mauled by a player who’s seven inches shorter…

– It’s off to a good start for Zharovsky.

– Read on.