Author: Dose

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The Montreal Canadiens’ best player is…

It’s summertime again in Montreal – greetings to my old boss MS – and 1001 rankings, charts, top20s, fantasies and the like are flying by. Reading all these top-something about the Canadiens has made me realize something: it’s hard to identify who’s the best player on the current team, whether you look by position or overall. Innet, it’s simple: Samuel Montembeault is currently the best goaltender in the organization. He was the starting goaltender in 2024-25 and will be again in 2025-26. He could even represent Canada once again on the international stage, this time at the Olympic Games. At $3.15 million a year, Montembeault is a real bargain for the Habs. Up front, we all seem to be able to come to a consensus: Nick Suzuki, the team’s captain and first center, is probably the team’s best forward.Power play, shorthanded, 5 v.,3 v., 3 v., shotgun.5, 3 v. 3, shootout… Suzuki is second to none for the Habs.Remember that he finished at the top of the team’s scoring charts last season, 19 points ahead of his closest pursuer.

Nick Suzuki took matters into his own hands last week. (Credit: Getty Images)

Still, in the playoffs, Suzuki collected just two points in five games, also posting a minus-5 cumulative differential. What’s more, many fans believe that one day (not so far off), Kirby Dach Ivan Demidov, Cole Caufield or Juraj Slafkovsky could surpass Suzuki as the organization’s best forward. Where all the debate begins is on the blue line. Who’s the best defenseman in the organization right now? Noah Dobson or Lane Hutson? We all agree that Kaiden Guhle is currently third, ahead of Mike Matheson and Alexandre Carrier.And that David Reinbacher is pushing behind…[content-ads]Let’s get back to Hutson and Dobson.

Dobson scored 70 points in 2023-24, has nearly 400 regular games of experience in the show, possesses quite an offensive sense of play, is 6’4, right-handed and has greatly improved his defensive game.

He’ll also be making an average salary of $9.5 million next season. Except that he’s just regressed to 39 points in 2024-25… and he still hasn’t scored a playoff goal in 31 playoff games. Hutson, meanwhile, has just won the Calder Trophy for the NHL’s top rookie. He has 68 points in 84 regular games and five assists in as many playoff games since his NHL debut. And he’s never missed a game despite his small stature…What’s more, he’s nowhere near as bad in his own territory as some would have us believe…Okay, it’s not a very large sample, but I feel like writing it this morning: Lane Hutson is a better defenseman than Noah Dobson. Even if he is smaller, left-handed and a new pro.What Hutson can do on the ice is unique. Except that, in the playoffs, the big players always have the advantage [content-ads]OK, it’s decided: in my eyes, Hutson is the Habs’ best defenseman.

Does he rank ahead of Nick Suzuki as the team’s best player, though?Um… No. It’s impossible not to put Suzuki in that position. But I really feel that in two years’ time, that hierarchy will have taken over. And I also have the impression that many of you will disagree with me. No stress!

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Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky agreed to take less money when they signed their contracts

Since the arrival of Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton, the Montreal Canadiens organization has never been the same: the HuGo duo have started rebuilding, they’ve changed the team culture… and today, we know that the guys have a lot of fun in town. The players are close off the ice and they fight for the same goal on the ice.There ‘sa great chemistry in the dressing room. This is also explained by the fact that some players decided to take less money to stay in town because they wanted to play here and because they wanted to respect the salary scale instituted by Kent Hughes.

Marco D’Amico spoke about this on the Shaun Starr show:[content-ads] Caufield felt it was important for him not to earn more money than his captain. And Slaf felt the same way when he signed his eight-year deal in July 2024. But even taking less money, it also points to one thing: both forwards were comfortable signing multi-season contracts in Montreal because they want to play for the Canadiens.You didn’t necessarily see that a few years ago in town. Now, you have to wonder if Lane Hutson will decide to make the same deal.The defenseman has the arguments on his side to sign a huge contract, after all. He won the Calder in his rookie season after a terrific year, the salary cap is going to rise considerably in the next few years… and salaries all over the National League continue to rise too. That said, we know that the main interested party loves the organization and loves playing here. He confided in an interview(NHL.com) at the beginning of June that he feels fortunate to be able to play for the Montreal Canadiens, and we also know that he’s a well-liked guy in the dressing room. Could this encourage him to take less money when signing his famous contract? That remains to be seen. At the same time, he saw Noah Dobson come to town with a new eight-year contract at $9.5 million a season… and maybe that plays a role in his discussions with the Habs.But ultimately, seeing Lane Hutson take less to stay in Montreal… that would be quite a gift to the organization too.

[spacer title=’En rafale’] – It’s

– It’s about time!

– A big date in Canadiens history

– Oh!

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Kaiden Guhle’s contract: the Canadiens’ biggest theft, according to an NHL executive

In the long term, the Canadiens have already signed several pieces of their puzzle: Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky are three important pieces. The club’s top line is signed for the long term, and the captain’s contract has laid the groundwork. Will Ivan Demidov join them one day? Possibly, yes. Defensively, the focus is on Lane Hutson’s upcoming contract, which could be signed in the next few weeks. But in concrete terms, two guys are signed long-term: Noah Dobson and Kaiden Guhle. And we need to talk about the latter’s contract. The left-hander, who was once a first-round pick of Marc Bergevin’s, has a $5.55M per year that runs from this year until 2031. And Marco D’Amico, who discussed the subject on the Shaun Starr podcast, had this to say about the contract.

I was told by an NHL executive that Kaiden Guhle’s contract is the Canadiens’ biggest steal.

–

Marco D’Amico

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xt2A3RFbWds [content-ads]The problem with Guhle has always been injuries. And I’m sure that had an impact on the negotiations between Kent Hughes and the Canadiens’ agent,because if he’s healthy, Guhle is a first-pair defenseman. If the Canadiens are ever able to sign Hutson long-term and develop David Reinbacher, it will make the club’s defense a huge strength for the future. And clearly, the contract of Guhle, a player whose work is visibly recognized, has something to do with all this. [spacer title=’Overtime’]- It’s been stirring.– How does it work to have a hockey team? [BPM Sports] – Wow.

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Blues announce Milan Lucic’s return to the NHL: he’ll be at camp

The rumor mill has been churning for a few hours now. The St. Louis Blues have announced on their website that Milan Lucic has earned a tryout and will be attending camp in the hope of earning a contract for next season. According to the club’s announcement, he will be at camp in the hope of earning a contract for next season. He’s obviously back in the NHL fold.

(Credit: NHL.com)

I say he’s back because, as you may know, Lucic played just four games in 2023-2024. He had been placed on the NHL’s assistance program, and his wife had stated that her husband had strangled him in front of his children. Note that she is still married to the hockey player, who recently stopped drinking.[content-ads

Since the case was settled without the man being in trouble and the NHL allowed him back into the hockey world, Lucic has every right to go to St. Louis for the Blues’ camp. The league isn’t going to stop him.

Even if it’s legally correct, I wonder how much negative feedback the Blues will get for announcing that they’ve given such a controversial player a chance.On social networks in general, Lucic is still getting comments about his story. It won’t get any better now that we’ve seen the announcement about his return to the world of hockey, will it?[content-ads]

We should soon find out if the game was worth the candle. After all, aside from the off-ice aspect per se, I wonder if the guy is still making any headway on the ice. Already having slowed down quite a bit TWO years ago, I don’t see what the Blues see in Lucic to consider bringing him back to a National League practice camp in 2025.

[spacer title=’en rafale’]- We’re keeping an eye on this.

– Patrik Laine in Montreal: it’s been a year.

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Despite expected battle with Arber Xhekaj, Jayden Struble is happy in Montreal

The Canadiens’ practice camp gets underway in a few weeks’ time, and there will be battles for the last available roster spots.

This is the case for Jayden Struble and Arber Xhekaj, who will be fighting for the 6th defenseman spot. The presence of Noah Dobson creates this situation for both players. Both have good arguments to convince Martin St-Louis.

Struble was well aware of this struggle when he signed his new contract this summer. Even so, he couldn’t see himself anywhere else, he told reporters in Brossard.

“I’m really happy. I wanted to stay here so badly. I love the city and the team. We’re heading in the right direction” -Jayden Struble

[content-ads] It has to be said that he couldn’t really leave as a restricted free agent unless there was a hostile offer sheet from a rival

Struble knows that Xhekaj will be a tough competitor for his job. He is concentrating on what he can control and assures us that he will arrive at camp in the best possible shape.

If Struble has an advantage over Xhekaj, it’s in discipline. In an 82-game season, his coach will prefer consistency at this level and Xhekaj has yet to demonstrate it. Struble is capable of being robust too. He’s also very good on the power play.

If he wants to earn his place, he’ll have to bring more offensively. He doesn’t have a bad skating stroke, he just needs to finish more shots on net.

After his 13 points last season, he’s capable of taking it to another level. If he can reach 20-25 points, he could force his coach’s hand. Time will tell.

[spacer title=’Overtime’] – It’s time for the season to start.

– New podcast.

– He’s had a great season.

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The Habs, the most improved team over the summer according to Marco D’Amico

The Canadiens made two major personnel moves in the off-season with the acquisitions of Noah Dobson and Zachary Bolduc. Both are expected to have significant roles once training camp begins. No, the Habs haven’t acquired a second center, but the team is definitely better. Is this the most improved team in the Bettman circuit over the summer? Marco D’Amico thinks so.

Looking at the two takes, it’s hard to disagree with him, but losses hurt on some levels too. Let’s start with the acquisitions. There’s been a lot of talk about Dobson, but acquiring a first-pair defensive player via trade is extremely difficult in the NHL, and Kent Hughes did it [content-ads] I also find it easy to forget the arrival of Bolduc, who will be able to heat up top-6 players on the current roster. He brings a whole new dimension and could be a nice compliment to Kirby Dach, if the latter is healthy. On the other hand, the losses on the last two trios will be felt especially on the defensive side. Christian Dvorak, Joel Armia and Emil Heineman were three responsible players for the organization. Dvorak and Armia are among the NHL’s elite on the short-handed side, and Emil Heineman was capable of bringing some offense to the table. It will be up to Josh Anderson, Brendan Gallagher and Jake Evans to step up for the team. In the end, despite the losses, the Habs have made tremendous progress. When you look elsewhere in the NHL, only the Golden Knights can give the Habs a run for their money. They went and got Mitch Marner, but also lost a reliable player in Nicolas Roy. [spacer title=’Overtime’] – Bad news for the Jays.

– A name to keep an eye on.

– This is very cool.

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Noah Dobson named best Habs defenseman ahead of Lane Hutson by Bleacher Report

Noah Dobson’s arrival with the Canadiens will change many things on defense. Kent Hughes has replaced David Savard with one of the NHL’s elite right-side defensemen, but you have to wonder if he’s already the Habs’ best defenseman. According to Bleacher Report, he is. This was revealed in a ranking of each NHL team’s best defenseman.

The author of this list, Adam Gretz, asserted in his text that Lane Hutson would have easily deserved the Habs’ best defenseman spot if it weren’t for the Noah Dobson trade. According to him, Dobson’s offensive performance took a hit last season due to circumstances with the Islanders. He may have a point, but it’s hard not to place a player who finished ninth in Norris Trophy voting as your team’s best defenseman.The only exception to the rule here is Thomas Harley, who finished seventh in Norris voting, but is overtaken by Miro Heiskanen, who was injured for much of the season.Both Hutson and Dobson are offensive defensemen. With 66 points last season, Hutson far exceeds Dobson’s 39, and Hutson is probably the best offensive defenseman between the two at the moment.

[content-ads] Another argument is that NHL Network ranked Hutson 19th on its list of the best defensemen in the NHL, while Noah Dobson didn’t make NHL Network’s top-20 defensemen list. There’s no clear winner in this debate, but that’s the beauty of it. It’ll be interesting to see two defensemen from the same team try to be the best of the bunch [spacer title=’Overtime’] – Suzuki is an excellent captain.

– He won’t have been sidelined for long.

– Ouch.

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Patrik Laine trade: Kent Hughes asked Nick Suzuki’s opinion before concluding the trade

The second season of the series Rebuilding: Inside the Montreal Canadiens will be available Thursday on Crave. It’ll be a behind-the-scenes look at the Habs’ last season, and so far we’ve been given a sneak peek at one of the episodes. The most striking part of the clip is when we learn that, on the eve of the deal, Kent Hughes called Nick Suzuki to see if he thought it was a good idea.

Now we understand that Hughes had his captain’s approval.

The Canadiens’ GM explains in the clip that he sounded out Suzuki to make sure he was going to get a player who would be able to integrate the team by being accepted in the dressing room. For Hughes, his captain’s opinion seems to be very important.

The best example was at the last trade deadline, when Suzuki asked him not to sell to improve the Habs’ chances of making the playoffs, which he did. It’s hard to say whether most general managers trust their captains this much, but it’s still a big deal for the Canadiens. Kent Hughes is a former player agent. He knows how players feel about transactions, and his approach often seems to be aimed at making his players happy and confident [content-ads] One also wonders whether this is a polite gesture to his captain, or whether Kent Hughes has ever cancelled a transaction after Suzuki’s refusal. It’s understandable that Kent Hughes would ask Suzuki for his opinion on the player’s integration into the team, but the captain probably also has something to say about the new player’s talent. A guy on the ice may not be the best judge of talent against a general manager, but the good news is that Suzuki seems to be using his influence in a good way at the moment. We’re talking about a rallying captain who helps keep a positive attitude on the ice. And let’s just say he’s also setting a solid example on the ice. spacer title=’Overtime’] – Details of the deal reported by Maxime Truman.

– Good news for Toronto: it’

– Carrier has become a real star in Montreal.

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Montreal CF has traded Caden Clark

There’s a lot going on at Montreal CF, and as the summer mercato draws to a close… the Montreal club has traded Caden Clark to D.C. United. Maxime Truman shared the information on Twitter, as he did just last week for the Jules-Anthony Vilsaint trade (who went to Toronto).

It wouldn’t be surprising to see Clark sign a new contract with his new team. He was one of the promising young players in town… but Montreal CF is starting a rebuild and there was interest in Clark’s services in MLS.

Toronto FC and the Chicago Fire were also in the running for Clark’s services, according to Maxime Truman [content-ads] CF Montréal had several forwards and it’s “normal” to see one of them being traded.

That said, some may wonder why a guy like Bryce Duke or Sunusi Ibrahim couldn’t have been sacrificed in place of Clark… and there’s an explanation for that.There was interest in Caden Clark, unlike Duke and Ibrahim . Speaking of Sunusi, it’s pertinent to know that seeing his contract (depending on what you hear) could be bought out at some point. And while we’re on the subject of the summer mercato – it’s worth noting that at least one quality player could join the Montreal CF squad before the mercato closes. That could help… given that the Montreal CF currently finds itself in 14th place in its conference (out of 15) with a record of four wins, 15 losses and eight draws. In closing, let’s remember that there are links to be made with the Montreal CF and the Montreal Canadiens. The Montreal CF is rebuilding after seeing the Canadiens do the same… and after seeing the results of the Habs’ successes last season. Here’s hoping the Montreal CF rebuild is as exciting as the Canadiens’…[spacer title=’Overtime’] – After Clark, Joel Waterman?

– Um…

– Oh yeah?

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Ivan Demidov vs Matvei Michkov: the Quebec-Pennsylvanian Russian battle

It’s August 18. Rookie camp shouldopen in just over three weeks, and the annual Canadiens Children’s Foundation Golf Tournament – which marks the return of hockey to the game each year – should take place in exactly four weeks’ time. In short, it’s starting to feel like hockey in Quebec, even if it’s still 30 12 degrees Celcius outside. Especially with the days getting shorter with every sunset…We’ll be observing several things in Brossard when the practice camp opens: the identity of the guys who will be called upon to form the second line first, Kirby Dach’s state of health, the identity of the fourth defenseman to complete the top four, the different pairs on the blue line, Patrik Laine’s mood, the identity of the backup goaltender, Samuel Blais’ fate, Joe Veleno’s place, Joshua Roy Zachary Bolduc’s role, the Rocket’s young players… But I’ll also be observing something else: will Ivan Demidov be as dominant as he was in his first game against the Blackhawks, or will he need time to acclimatize to NHL hockey?

Demidov scored a goal and an assist in his first game on April 14, but was then limited to two assists and a minus-5 rating in his next six games (including the playoffs). Yes, Lane Hutson, Zachary Bolduc, Noah Dobson, Samuel Blais, Joe Veleno, Patrik Laine, Kirby Dach and others will attract attention in September, but I’ll be watching Demidov in Brossard.

We’ll be able to compare Demidov’s 2025-26 season with Michkov’s 2024-25 season. (Credit: YouTube/capture d’écran)

I’ll go one step further… Matvei Michkov was selected seventh overall in 2023-he could have been the fifth overall pick and lined up for the Canadiens, but Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton saw things differently-and he played his first campaign a year later. He managed to score 26 goals and 37 assists in his first campaign in Philadelphia, albeit with a minus-18 differential. Will Ivan Demidov, selected fifth overall a year later, be able to have a better first campaign in the show than his compatriot Matvei Michkov? Will the 19-year-old Ivan Demidov have a better NHL season than the 19-year-old Matvei Michkov? Will Demidov be able to do what Michkov was unable to do (because of Lane Hutson), which was win the Calder Trophy?Note: Michkov was born on December 9 and Demidov on December 10 (one year later). So my comparison this morning really does hold up…Who knows? Maybe Demidov will even collect more points than Michkov next season, period. Michkov and Demidov will always be linked to each other. From their training at SKA St. Petersburg, their generational talent and their selection – and non-selection – by the Canadiens de Montréal. So yes, even on this August 18, 2025, it’s not just Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump that occupy my thoughts when I think of Russia.

[

– To be continued.

– Whew.