Will Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton be able to find him by the end of the off-season, to help Ivan Demidov get to the next level in the NHL?
In fact, it’s worth asking whether they haven’t already acquired the #2 center.
Because, in fact, there’s a good chance that Zachary Bolduc will be tried out at center. He’s started practicing his face-offs, as Marco Normandin has learned, and you’d think that his past as a center could come into play.
It’s not necessarily the #1 plan right now, but it’s an option on the table.
What you need to know is that the Habs have told him that they need him at center, and that seeing him practice at center could be a good idea for next season.
The principal interested party practiced his face-offs (he’ll do it again this summer) with Marc Bureau, and he’ll be prepared in case the Habs need him in that position during the season.
But Martin St-Louis’s hybrid system could help him out.
If, in the defensive zone, you’re in man-to-man coverage, whether you’re a winger or a center, it all comes down to the same thing.
The exodus to the NCAA hits hard. “It’s very hard. You have to completely reinvent yourself and kick yourself in the butt to stay competitive,” noted Marc-Étienne Hubert. “The human side is going to take a nasty hit,” added Marc-André Élément. @RDScahttps://t.co/vQNveaM6yf
Montreal CF has played 24 official games so far in 2025.
It has won three in MLS, then one in the Canadian championship against Toronto FC. Here again, purists say they drew with Toronto before winning a penalty shootout. That’s it.
Laurent Courtois, the head of corporate image, Patrick Vallée and Samia Cheiber all dismissed..
Sale of Nathan Saliba, loan of Jakheele Marshall-Rutty, sale of Dominic Iankov, 1001 injuries and suspensions..
Closed-door practices, just one win in 11 games in front of your fans..
The goal of winning a trophy retired at the beginning of July..
It’s only halfway through 2025, and already, it’s safe to say it will be remembered as one of the worst in the history of the CF Montreal club as a whole.
#CFM stands for Ça fait mal?
#CFMTL stands for Ça Fait Mal (en) Tabarn*k Là?
There was a time when going to Saputo Stadium in the summer meant having a good time. Nowadays, it’s all about getting bored. These aren’t my words, they’re those of the Collectif and Samuel Piette himself.
Yesterday, getting knocked out of the Canadian championship by the Forge, a CPL team – for the second time in as many years – represents the bottom of the barrel. Humiliating! Awkward! Pathetic! Unacceptable! Disgraceful! Inconceivable! Choose the word that suits you.
Le Forge is a great story. We’re just not on the right side, unfortunately. I don’t even know if the entire Forge squad makes as much money in 2025 as Prince Owusu or Giacomo Vrioni alone.
Yesterday, Montreal CF had possession(71% vs. 29%), but were unable to find the back of the net with any consistency. Le Forge scored two quality goals, while CF Montreal picked up two balls that were lying in the box. I mean, the difference in quality, it must have been to the advantage of CF Montreal yesterday, by the Forge! #NotLikeMessiSaturday
You had 180 minutes to take the lead against the Forge and you couldn’t do it. All this in front of over 13,000 fans who continue to turn out in spite of everything!
Marco Donadel, whose changes and tactical choices were the talk of the press gallery yesterday, once again dared to talk about individual defensive errors to explain his team’s defeat.
Marco Donadel has just repeated that this defeat can be explained by individual and collective defensive errors.
The coach is (partly) right: why is Luca Petrasso so keen to prevent a corner, even if it means giving the ball back to the opposition on the edge of the box? Why does he leave Tristan Borges – a guy who almost played for CF Montreal, by the way – alone in front of the box?
But yesterday’s defeat can’t just be explained by defensive details or pivotal moments. Quality is lacking in this squad, and it’s increasingly blowing up in management’s face. The strategy of fielding a host of youngsters – poorly supported and nurtured – who we’d like to sell (not that expensively in the end), just doesn’t hold water any more.
How can Dante Sealy refuse to use his right foot when he receives a superb ball in the box and is alone in front of the goalkeeper? A young Quebec soccer player does this in AAA and we explain to him that we’d rather see him miss with his weak foot than try a shot with the outside of his foot while off-balance.
(Credit: Nicolas Brassard)
Bryce Duke multiplied his technical waste in the offensive zone yesterday. Why not give minutes to the Gold Cup ‘s best young player in Olger Escobar?
Dante Sealy (10), Brandan Craig (6) and Joel Waterman (6) all found themselves playing in midfield in the second half. Not all positions had to be doubled or even tripled, Gabriel?
Both the coach and the captain said some players lacked passion, willingness to put the shoulder in, etc. How can you do that in a game with no tomorrow against a team from a lower league?
I’m told things got a bit chippy in the dressing room after the last two games (Saturday and yesterday). Maybe that’s why it took so long for Marco Donadel and a player to appear before the media.
I can confirm that Joey Saputo, who was sitting next to me in the North stand, was (really) not happy with the result last night.
Le Forge is all about consistency, belonging and loyalty. Tristan Borges and Kyle Bekker – last night’s two scorers – have been there for years. Bobby Smyrniotis is patient and that pays off.
On the Montreal side, they’re banking more on turnover, hoping to find “nuggets ” in players left elsewhere to sell quickly or, alternatively, to pay not too much to fill a jersey.
I ran into several die-hard fans at the Stade yesterday. Many of them left before the end or told me they wouldn’t be renewing their season tickets next year. Enough is enough!
You can’t blame them; they’ve been supporting this club for years and they feel they’re not being offered any reason to continue.
If Tony Marinaro’s information is correct, and a CPL club moves to Laval next year, CF Montreal will have a perfect storm on its hands. If I were them, I’d arrange to bring in some (big) reinforcements on July 24, when the mercato opens. Because what’s currently on offer isn’t good enough.
Investing doesn’t just mean creating new VIP sections, notably by throwing out the defunct family zone..
Luca and Simone Saputo will have to make better sporting decisions, and if they’re going to be mentored, they should be. It’s not easy being in charge of sports decisions for a soccer team worth close to half a billion dollars and facing off against Kyle Bekker and Lionel Messi.
And it’s not easy trying to coach a team like that…
(Credit: Nicolas Brassard)
Extension
– After the game, I went for a walk in 132. The anger of the fans was palpable, and the players were subjected to several heartfelt shouts and frustrations as they left the field. I’m told that a few members of 1642 had a run-in with Forge fans on the other side. Montreal CF is playing (clumsily) with the emotions of its die-hard fans and the cup is starting to boil over. As Joey said a decade ago: the fans deserve better.
– The power went out for about twenty minutes early in the second half. You know, when everything goes wrong..
– Marco Donadel was not in a good mood after the game, when he met the media. There were a few nasty comments that reminded me of Laurent Courtois’ last moments at the helm.
– I spoke to both Anthony (Desaulniers and Marcotte) about yesterday’s game and what’s coming up for CF Montreal this morning. Good listening!
– In the end, the stadium applauding Lionel Messi wasn’t all that bad,was it, Nilton?
– Tony’s not entirely wrong.
When Olivier Renard arrived at @cfmontreal, he inherited some bad contracts: Taider 3,2M and Urruti 1,7M. A couple of years later, Wanyama was extended at 1,8M – which was not his call. Not to mention Renard’s budget was cut by 3M.
In the last few days, the Canadiens have acquired Zachary Bolduc. An excellent move.
To do so, they got Logan Mailloux out of the organization. We know that the Habs wanted to trade Mailloux to get him out of the organization, but not at any price. And this was the perfect opportunity to do it by getting Bolduc.
Who will win this deal in a few years’ time? Only time will tell.
I think it’s the kind of deal where everyone could win. Bolduc is a guy who knows how to score, and Mailloux is a big, tough, right-handed offensive defenseman.
That’s an interesting profile.
And Tony Marinaro was right to ask Pierre McGuire, on the heels of his Sick Podcast, if he thought the Habs would ever regret the Blues deal.
Because while I agree with McGuire that it was a great deal for the Habs, I also agree with the following premise: a right-handed defenseman of his profile doesn’t come around very often.
Could trading a high upside prospect like Logan Mailloux come back to haunt the #GoHabsGo down the line?
– The Sick Podcast with Tony Marinaro (@thesickpodcasts) July 10, 2025
In actual fact, this is the fifth time Kent Hughes has traded a young defender (yes, the bank of prospects was full) since taking office. And by young defenseman, I’m obviously not counting the Jeff Petry, Ben Chiarot and Joel Edmundson of this world.
Who are the others, apart from Mailloux?
Alexander Romanov (2022)
Johnathan Kovacevic (2024)
Jordan Harris (2024)
Justin Barron (2024)
One has to wonder whether Mailloux will become more like Romanov and Kovacevic, who both signed big contracts in the New York area, or more like Harris and Barron, who didn’t break anything in 2024-2025.
Barron didn’t take off in Nashville and Harris has already left Columbus as a free agent. #Boston
Mailloux was traded like Romanov, that is, in the context that the club was going to look for a young piece for the offensive top-6 in return. And if he wants, he has the potential to go out and get himself a big contract.
Will he? That remains to be seen. But in St. Louis, he’ll have the tools to do so, as the club will want to show that it was right to trade Bolduc for the young Ontario defenseman. I’m betting more on a Romanov scenario than a Harris one, then.
overtime
– Seen the same way.
All it took was:
-Top-15 in NHL scoring
-Tied for fifth in GWG
– Being +19 on a team with -20 goal differential, and carrying it to a playoff spot when many predicted bottom three in east.
…for Nick Suzuki to finally be a favourite (outside MTL) to make Canada’s Olympic team.
In recent years, the Canadiens have drafted many prospects. That’s what rebuilding is all about.
But even though it’s probably done going after high draft picks (the club isn’t really in a position to trade the Sean Monahans or Ben Chiarots of this world anymore), the club still has plenty of picks for the future.
The Habs still have all their picks for the upcoming auctions as we speak. That’s significant.
But on top of that, as you can see, Kent Hughes has already had his hands on three other picks for the 2026 session for the past 12 months or so. The club therefore has 10 speaking rights for the 2026 draft.
In the second round, the Canadiens have the Blue Jackets’ pick due to the deal that sent Jordan Harris to Columbus and picked up Patrik Laine.
In the fourth round, the Devils’ pick goes to the Habs. #JohnathanKovacevic
And finally, in the seventh round, Kent Hughes got his hands on the Hurricanes’ pick on the heels of the deal that sent Cayden Primeau to continue his career in Carolina.
(Credit: Cap Wages)
10 picks for a club that’s not at the bottom of the standings is quite something.
Since 2022, the Canadiens have drafted between nine and 11 times per auction. Of course, the off-season often started with more picks… but it’s not that different for 2026, for now.
I don’t see the Habs drafting 10 times in 11 1/2 months, by the way. In my eyes, there will be transactions made with the assets represented by the 2026 picks.
But still: since the Habs could draft three of the top 50 prospects in the next crop, we’ll have to keep a close eye on the draft next summer.
The Canadiens have a strong Russian connection in their organization.
For the past three drafts, the club has not been afraid to draft in Russia. Ivan Demidov, Alexander Zharovsky, Bogdan Konyushkov, Yevgeni Volokhin, Makar Khanin and Arseni Radkov (a Belarussian) have all been targets for the club.
Is this the Nick Bobrov effect? Of course it is. He has his connections in Russia and that makes all the difference.
Some of these prospects are important. Ivan Demidov is obviously one of them: we know that the Canadiens are counting heavily on him as part of their plan to revive the organization.
Yevgeni Volokhin is another. He spent several weeks practicing in town, and we know that the Habs hold him in high esteem.
Russian goaltender Yevgeny Volokhin, a 5th-round pick in 2023, is also present.
He’s currently in the KHL with Sochi HC, where he did well last season despite being with a bottom-ranked team.
– Frank Well The Hockey Podcast (@fwell2) July 3, 2025
Bogdan Konyushkov wants to come to North America someday, and we’re keeping an eye on him too… but among the guys who aren’t Ivan Demidov, the most serious name in recent weeks has been Alexander Zharovsky.
His talent is intriguing a lot.
While many in Russia expected him to be drafted in the first round, the Canadiens were able to draft him early in the second round last month.
He moved up to 34th to do so.
But if he hadn’t moved up, the Habs wouldn’t have been able to pick him. And it’s not just a guess: this was confirmed by Nick Bobrov, who did his homework on the subject after the draft to confirm his hunches.
So, yes, the Habs did the right thing going into the draft. Without it, the story would have been different and the highly talented Russian would not have been able to be selected by the Canadiens, who have a lot more information than other teams on players from Russia.
Will it pay off?
overtime
– This club is doing well…
Marco Donadel made a point of apologizing to #CFMTL fans who are still behind the team.
“I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry. I will try to do everything (to make this team better).” pic.twitter.com/bog9aWRGcc
In this week’s @passion_mlb podcast with @SebasBerrouard, we discuss the Blue Jays’ success, the DJ LeMahieu file, Alex Bregman’s future in Boston and the https://t.co/5onf iWMZbI circuit contest
– Charles-Alexis Brisebois (@Charles__Alexis) July 10, 2025
With Gavin McKenna’s departure to the NCAA, we continue to wonder how much the QMJHL will be affected by this type of move.
Caleb Desnoyers and Justin Carbonneau are two big names who may decide to pursue their careers in the NCAA rather than stay in the QMJHL.
For Desnoyers, the decision hasn’t yet been made, but his agent told Kévin Dubé of the Journal de Québec that he’s aiming for the NHL on the first try.
CHL or NCAA? Caleb Desnoyers still hasn’t made up his mind.
Desnoyers had also made these comments to the Salt Lake City media in recent weeks.
Making the NHL right away would end the debate between the QMJHL and the NCAA pretty quickly.
But it’s a lot of work. Nothing is guaranteed. The last time a fourth overall pick broke into the NHL in his first year of eligibility was in 2018 with Brady Tkachuk.
The Desnoyers clan is still considering his future NHL entry-level contract. As soon as he signs with the Utah Mammoth, he is no longer eligible to play in the NCAA.
Let’s say Desnoyers impresses enough to start the season with the Mammoth, and if the team decides to send him back down after a few games, he’ll have no choice but to return to the Wildcats.
That wouldn’t be a bad thing for Desnoyers, who has already been named captain of the Moncton team. Another year in the QMJHL could teach him even more about being a leader in a group.
We’ll have to wait a few more weeks, or even until the Mammoth training camp, before we have a clear answer as to Desnoyers’ future for next season, but it’s certain that he’s thinking big for the rest of his career.
Overtime
– It’s awful.
The power isn’t flowing for Montreal CF against Forge FC.
Sports broadcasting is not doing well in Quebec. While RDS and TVA Sports try to establish themselves as Quebec’s leading sports broadcasters, the numbers are slipping.
However, this is a first. This is the first time that RDS has lost more money than TVA Sports since the creation of Quebecor’s sports channel.
RDS revenues are always higher than those of TVA Sports ($140 million for RDS and $89 million for TVA Sports), but it’s the final loss that is greater in the case of the Bell channel.
Éric Brunelle, professor in the management department and director of the sports division at HEC Montréal, told Richard Dufour that RDS was profitable when TVA Sports didn’t exist.
Times have changed, but if TVA Sports were to disappear, RDS would certainly recover.
Right now, RDS looks bad with La Presse’s figures. However, we’ll have to do the exercise again in a few years’ time, when we find out who will get the NHL rights back, which are due to be reallocated by the 2026-27 season.
Even if TVA Sports were to disappear, people are subscribing less and less to cable, which generates losses, regardless of the competition. This doesn’t mean that RDS would become as powerful as it was in the event of the disappearance of TVA Sports.
Prices for NHL broadcasting rights are extremely high. This could force a complete change in the format of the new NHL contract.
Maxime Truman wrote about this in March, explaining that RDS could go from 60 to 50 Canadiens games, while Amazon Prime could enter the picture for a few French-language games.
In Overtime
– A great visit to Saputo Stadium.
Mathieu Choinière is at Stade Saputo tonight. Here he is chatting with Hassoun Camara. pic.twitter.com/sszTnU0cnY
– Four of the 32 first-round picks have already signed with their respective teams so far.
4 of the 32 players taken in the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft already have signed their entry-level contract. Here’s our tracker to see who signed, who hasn’t and where they might play this season. https://t.co/OyDaLAP3QA
The Lightning had a fine prospect in Isaac Howard. Drafted in the first round in 2022, the American forward won the NCAA’s Hobey Baker Trophy this season.
It was time for him to make the jump to the pros, but he didn’t want to align himself with the Lightning. Tampa Bay was therefore forced to trade him to the Oilers for Sam O’Reilly.
The deal came as a surprise to many hockey fans, but the signs were there. Howard had already played for the Oilers during a movie shoot!
A few months ago, he and his Michigan State University teammates had the chance to play behind the scenes in the filming of a movie about the life of Theoren Fleury.
Howard got to play the role of Mark Messier with the Oilers, while his teammates took on the roles of other Oilers and Flames players.
The new Oilers forward spoke about this story in one of his most recent posts on his Instagram account. He also took the time to thank the Michigan State University organization for the past two seasons.
It’s a funny coincidence, but it may allow Oilers fans to dream a little. If Howard can pull off a fraction of Messier’s feats in Edmonton, he’ll certainly be a crowd favorite.
However, as for the “C” on his jersey, I think he’ll have to wait a while before he even gets a chance to think about it. Let’s just say that Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are well ahead of him on that score.
With 52 points in 37 games last season in the NCAA, Isaac Howard could become an important player in the Oilers’ future.
He signed his NHL entry-level contract with Edmonton immediately after the deal. He’ll no longer have to put on an act to wear an Oilers jersey on the ice.
As Darche explained in his interview with Meeker Guerrier, he learned from Julien BriseBois not to flinch during negotiations, even if it means letting the player go.
Darche therefore had the difficult task of finding a team with whom Dobson wanted to sign a contract extension, which limits things. Fortunately for the Islanders GM, the Canadiens were able to convince Dobson and offer a good return to New York.
Mathieu Darche is satisfied with his transaction. And rightly so, since it allowed him to select three times fairly early in the draft. He said he was happy to have been given such circumstances for his first steps as general manager.
With their first three picks, the Islanders selected Matthew Schaefer (1st), Victor Eklund (16th) and Kashawn Aitcheson (17th). We’re talking about three players with bright NHL futures.
After all the craziness surrounding the draft, Darche is now happy that the dust has settled and things are running a little more smoothly. The only thing stressing him right now is the purchase of a new home in New York, which is far from easy to do!
In Overtime
– A new goalie in Laval.
The Rocket agree to terms on a one-season, two-part contract with goaltender Benjamin Gaudreau
Details at https://t.co/Xo5HCaP0nx
– The Canucks have already signed their first pick of 2025.
General Manager Patrik Allvin announced today that the #Canucks have agreed to terms with forward Braeden Cootes on a three-year, entry-level contract.
The Canadiens are looking for a second center… but haven’t found him yet.
Kent Hughes is actively trying to get his hands on a guy who can surround Ivan Demidov in the right way and who can produce offensively too. And maybe the Kraken has such a player for the Habs.
Right now, there are discussions about Jared McCann in Seattle.
The Kraken remain open to the idea of trading him… and McCann, with his qualities, could become a relatively interesting target for the Canadiens.
We’re talking about a 6’1, 191-pound left-hander who’s good offensively.
McCann has scored 50, 70, 62 and 61 points in his last four seasons (all with the Kraken) and can play both center and wing.
Oh, and he also scored 40 goals in 2022-2023.
He can contribute offensively, to put it another way… especially if he plays with quality players, which would be the case in Montreal.
Where it gets interesting, too, is when you look at the player’s contract.
The player earns $5 million a season and his contract expires in the summer of 2027. He wouldn’t necessarily hurt the Canadiens’ books… and for a guy who’s been averaging 60 points a season for a couple of years now, that’s pretty respectable.
He’s got skills, too:
Jared McCann scores his 100th goal as a Seattle Kraken!
The Jared McCann option may not be the most enticing out there, but when you look at the big picture… it could also make some sense.
Especially in the context of the Kraken not closing the door on sending him elsewhere. And we know that, at the moment, center players aren’t exactly a dime a dozen in the National League…
Overtime
– Signing with the Rocket.
The Rocket agrees to a one-season, two-part contract with goaltender Benjamin Gaudreau
Details at https://t.co/Xo5HCaP0nx
Alouettes : BCLions’ Kemoko Turay suspended one game by CFL for instigating post-game brawl Saturday in MTL
IsaacA.-Berglund and M.Sherman fined for taking part in brawl
P.O.Lestage fined for making contact with cameraman pic.twitter.com/strxmnevYv
– Renaud Bourbonnais (@RenBourbonRDS) July 9, 2025
– Interesting…
Elliotte Friedman: One name I’m curious about is Utah’s Nick Schmaltz; he’s heading into the last year of his current deal; I’m wondering what his future is there – 32 Thoughts Podcast
– NHL Rumour Report (@NHLRumourReport) July 9, 2025
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