Author: Dose

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Noah Dobson’s number 53: a tribute to his grandfather

Canadiens fans are happy to see Kent Hughes trying to improve the team with established NHL players like Noah Dobson. People want to know all about the Habs’ new kid on the block, including the reason for his number: 53.

Dobson wore number eight with the Islanders since his arrival in the NHL. It’s a typical defenseman’s number, but he can now get his old number back by changing his address.

The number 53 was a tribute to his grandfather, who died of multiple sclerosis at the age of 53.

As Stu Cowan explains in his piece for the Montreal Gazette, Dobson thought of the idea with his father when he was drafted by the Acadie-Bathurst Titan. His grandfather was a native of Bathurst.

It was this number 53 that he wore during his three seasons in the QMJHL with the Titan and the Huskies.

When he arrived in the NHL, number 53 was no longer available. Casey Cizikas had been wearing it since 2012.

Even though Dobson was a 12th overall pick, he didn’t really have authority over a seven-year veteran with the organization.

So number eight became a good compromise. 5 + 3 = 8.

It’s nice to see a Canadiens player so close to his family. By playing for the NHL team closest to where he grew up, he’ll be playing with heart and soul to make the people he loves proud of him.

That seems to be one of Kent Hughes’ tactics this year. Bringing in local guys can help to get players who will leave it all on the ice.

Dobson will be under a lot of pressure in his Montreal debut, but he’ll be able to motivate himself by thinking of his grandfather with his real number.

Overtime

– The Blues traded Bolduc because they had too many wingers.

– Kent Hughes wants all his players to work on their face-offs.

– That explains Dvorak’s big salary.

– He has several options.

– Rangers acquire Raddysh.

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Alexander Zharovsky: the Canadiens have told him they’re counting on him

Kent Hughes has done a lot of work in recent days to improve his team. He had to give up prospects like Emil Heineman and Logan Mailloux to do so, but other players have taken their place.

Alexander Zharovsky, their first selection in the last draft, comes to mind. In fact, the Canadiens seem to have high ambitions for the young Russian player.

In an interview with RG Media, Zharovsky revealed some of the topics discussed with Nick Bobrov after the draft.

What clearly made an impression on the young man was when Bobrov told him that the Canadiens believe in him and are counting on him.

It’s pretty intense, but it’s good to have big ambitions. Zharovsky seems to have taken it well, even if it is a lot of pressure for an 18-year-old who has just been selected in the second round.

However, we already knew that members of the Habs organization saw great things in Zharovsky’s future. They had admitted that theforward was around 16th or 17th on their draft list.

The Canadiens also explained that they saw Zharovsky’s potential as a top-6 forward. It’s strange to tell a second-line player that you’re counting on him.

In a way, this kind of phrase can become a real motivation to push a player to excel and develop to his full potential.

Zharovsky can also count on the support of his good friend Ivan Demidov on his way to the NHL. The two players have known each other since childhood, and let’s just say that the idea of playing together in the best league in the world could force Zharovsky to push himself.

In an interview with RG Media, the Canadiens’ second-round pick insisted that he’d like to improve his physical game. He wants to get bigger, stronger and faster.

His skating stroke is a weakness in his game, but with a little more mass, he should be able to improve this facet and become dominant.

Zharovsky should get a real test next year with many more games in the KHL. This will be the perfect opportunity to see what he’s made of against men.

Overtime

– Very funny!

See this post on Instagram

A post shared by RDS (@rds)

– Good.

– Several former Canadiens players changed their address today.

– The season had started so well.

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Cole Caufield says goodbye to his friend Christian Dvorak

The Canadiens lost the services of Christian Dvorak today. Daniel Brière and the Flyers signed him for one season at $5.4 million.

The Habs wouldn’t have given him that kind of money.

The fact remains that Montreal is losing a highly underrated player who will certainly leave a gaping hole in the Montreal center line.

Montreal loses a good player, but also a good teammate.

In any case, Cole Caufield is going to miss him. He was very close to Dvo and said his goodbyes via his Instagram story.

(Credit: Instagram)

It’s been a fun time Rust. Thanks for everything. We’re going to get bored. – Cole Caufield

At the bottom of the story, Caufield identified his good friend Trevor Zegras, who was just acquired by the Flyers, and said, “enjoy.”

Dvo and Zegras can agree on at least one thing: the Habs’ 13 is a good Jack!

Who knows, maybe the 28 will come back to the metropolis. After all, he didn’t sign a long-term contract.

Overtime

– He looks happy.

– 775,000 for Cayden Primeau in Carolina.

– Still.

– He’s the last big fish.

– The end is in sight for Alex Pietrangelo.

– Please note.

– Ryan Reaves and Max Pacioretty praised Vegas to Mitch Marner, who admits he had a hard time leaving Toronto.

– What a game!

– Many Québécois still haven’t found a buyer.

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20 goals in one season in Montreal: Bolduc could become the first Québécois since Ribeiro

Today, the Canadiens acquired Zachary Bolduc, Alex Belzile and Samuel Blais. It can’t be said that Kent Hughes doesn’t go out of his way to bring home-grown talent to the metropolis.

Well, he won’t go looking for Québécois just because they’re Québécois, but there you go.

Last year in Saint-Louis, Bolduc collected 36 points, including 19 goals. He was the top scorer among rookie players after the Four Nations Tournament. No mean feat, considering that Matvei Michkov and Macklin Celebrini were healthy.

19 goals in his rookie season is good. Obviously, there’s still room for improvement, which brings me to Mike Ribeiro’s “feat” in 2003-2004. What did good old Mike achieve this year? He scored 20 goals. He’s the last Québécois to reach the 20-goal plateau in Montreal in a single season.

The Habs’ new forward will have a chance to do it this year.

(Credit: NHL.com )

It’s still pretty crazy to think that, despite the many Québécois who have passed through the metropolis, not one has passed the 19-goal mark since Ribeiro.

Guys like Jonathan Drouin and Phillip Danault have never managed to reach that plateau.

I don’t know which line Bolduc will start the season on, but he’ll certainly be in the top-9. Martin St-Louis will have several interesting pieces in his line-up and, if need be, the left-winger could help out on the second line.

Will he be used on the powerplay? Kent Hughes is aware that he’s been playing on the power play in St. Louis, and made a point of emphasizing this at his press briefing this afternoon.

But, as I mentioned in a recent text, there are only 10 spots (for many good, young players) on both waves of the power play, maybe even nine, if Nick Suzuki plays the full two minutes.

Will he get his chance, giving him more opportunities to find the back of the net 20 times?

Overtime

– Big contract for K’Andre Miller with the Hurricanes, who paid a lot to acquire him.

– The Blackhawks are working on a contract extension for Connor Bedard.

– 20 million for Ryan McLeod in Buffalo.

– All the better.

– Alex Nedeljkovic joins the Sharks.

– Well done.

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The departures of Dvorak and Armia will transform the Habs’ last two trios

Today, the Canadiens lost two important players.

And here, you’ll understand that I’m talking about Christian Dvorak and Joel Armia.

Both veterans played on the Habs’ bottom-6… and ultimately, their respective departures mean that there will be changes in Martin St-Louis’ line-up next season.

And with Emil Heineman also gone, that’s quite a few changes.

Jake Evans, Brendan Gallagher and Josh Anderson are still in town and are likely to occupy a place on the Habs’ last two lineups.

But… what will the rest look like?

That’s the question, after all.

Samuel Blais signed a contract with the Canadiens today, and maybe he’ll be able to fill a seat on the bottom-six.

He’s got the fire to help the Habs at that level, and in a supporting role, it could get interesting.

But ultimately, we’ll also have to find other guys who can play on the 3rd or 4th line.

Will Alex Newhook be asked to play on the third line? With the arrival of Bolduc, who can play on the top-6, it’s possible…

Can the same be said of Patrik Laine and Kirby Dach? Maybe, but…

For me, if the season started tomorrow, here’s what my line-up would look like:

  • Caufield – Suzuki – Slafkovsky
  • Bolduc – Dach – Demidov
  • Laine – Newhook – Anderson
  • Blais – Evans – Gallagher

On paper, the Canadiens’ lineup is interesting. But there are also candidates who could fill a hole on the 4th line: Alex Belzile(who signed a contract with the Habs today), Oliver Kapanen, Owen Beck, Florian Xhekaj…

Perhaps the solution to this “problem” already lies within the Habs organization.

Having said that, we shouldn’t fall out of our chairs if Kent Hughes gets his hands on another support player between now and the end of the summer, because it could allow the youngsters to stay in Laval and develop.

But one thing’s for sure: the Canadiens’ line-up will be different next season. Especially in the bottom-6…

Overtime

– Really?

– Adam Gaudette heads to San Jose.

– Three additions in Toronto.

– He’s retiring.

– Oops.

– Habs alum gets a job.

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Oilers: Kevin Weekes mentions Carter Hart as an option

It’s already been over a year since Carter Hart played in the NHL. The Flyers goaltender had to leave the team during the 2023-24 season… due to the situation surrounding ÉCJ 2018.

Hart is one of five players currently on trial for allegations of gang rape.

As a result, the goalie is currently a long way from relaunching his NHL career. That said, his name was mentioned on the TSN panel by Kevin Weekes today.

In what context? In the context of the Oilers… looking for a goalie:

I’ve heard rumors linking Carter Hart to the Oilers, depending on what sanctions the league imposes. – Kevin Weekes

Note that the excerpt doesn’t seem to be available online, but Weekes talked about all this at around 11:25 this morning on TSN. He says he doesn’t know if the goalie is on the verge of a comeback, but was told that depending on what the league determines, there’s a good chance the Oilers will be interested.

We sensed a little unease from the others on the panel.

Obviously, for the Oilers, all this would be a public relations nightmare… especially in light of the fact that the team’s GM, Stan Bowman, had been splattered by the Kyle Beach scandal in Chicago.

Here’s a thought for Edmonton’s PR staff.

Hart is a native of Alberta, and before the 2018 ECJ story broke, he was long linked to the Oilers. Currently, he’s a free agent, given that his previous contract has expired.

But before he thinks about signing a new contract, he probably has a slightly more important file to manage: that of his criminal record. And for the Oilers, if the club really hopes Hart is the solution to the team’s problems in front of the net after Stuart Skinner’s playoff woes, maybe going for a safer (and less controversial) value wouldn’t be such a bad idea.

Extension

Let’s not forget that the trial of the 2018 ÉCJ players ended in the last few weeks, and that a verdict is expected in the case on July 24.

That said, regardless of the verdict, the NHL could decide to sanction the players involved in this saga.

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Nick Suzuki will have to sacrifice powerplay for disadvantage

More and more, we’re starting to get a good picture of what the Canadiens of 2025-26 will look like. Noah Dobson and Zachary Bolduc are the Habs’ two big acquisitions… and you have to wonder if the Habs are at the end of their shopping spree.

It could happen later this summer, of course (think Patrik Laine last summer), but we already have a good idea.

And what we’ve noticed is that, with Dobson and Bolduc, the Habs are going to be a more offensive team. We’re talking about two guys who can create offense, and therefore candidates to play on the powerplay.

And that’s interesting when you consider that the Habs will really be better on the powerplay. After all, Martin St-Louis will have Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovský, Ivan Demidov, Patrik Laine, Zachary Bolduc, Kirby Dach, Alex Newhook, Brendan Gallagher, Lane Hutson, Noah Dobson and Mike Matheson as powerplay options.

That’s 12 options… and that means two of those players won’t be on the powerplay.

But in reality, last year Suzuki spent a good part of the season playing on both waves of the massive forward line. So we have to wonder more and more if those days are over (or, at least, if they’ll only be used occasionally)… but when you look at the numerical disadvantage, you might think they are.

With Christian Dvorak and Joel Armia out of town, two of last year’s four big forwards on the power play won’t be back. So, after Jake Evans and Josh Anderson, there are some positions to fill.

And Suzuki, who has experience on the power play, may have to step up in that role. Expect him to play more minutes short-handed… even if it costs him time on the powerplay.

Unlike last year, the Habs can afford not to send their captain out on both powerplay waves. And they’ll need to be able to afford it.

There’s also the question of who could become the fourth element on the power play. Samuel Blais, acquired today, hasn’t really played shorthanded in the pros (and he’s not guaranteed to be a regular), so we may have to look elsewhere.

Could Gallagher, who seemed open to it, inherit the role? If not, could a guy like Owen Beck (if he makes the team) help out there? Possibly.

The Habs have really improved on the powerplay in recent days, but their powerplay (which was a team strength in 2024-25) has lost some big pieces in Dvorak, Armia and David Savard.

Let’s see who inherits that role now.

Overtime

– He could have helped out on the power play.

– Big signing in Anaheim.

– Pontus Holmberg joins Lightning.

– Lars Eller joins Eric Gryba’s former team.

– John Klingberg with the Sharks.

– Alex Lyon to Buffalo.

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Zachary Bolduc: he’s the one who complained about the Québécois’ place with ÉCJ

The Canadiens completed a major transaction earlier today, acquiring Québécois Zachary Bolduc. In return, Logan Mailloux headed to Saint-Louis.

Colleague Marc-Olivier Cook painted a good picture of the kid, who really had a solid end to the season.

And when you look at the comments under the Blues’ post, you can see that in St. Louis, there are a lot of people frustrated by the transaction.

That said, a lot has been said about Bolduc as a player, but a little less has been said about him as a person. And a few years ago, Bolduc was the talk of the town for off-ice reasons.

In 2022, Bolduc was invited to the Team Canada junior camp, but was cut. Afterwards, he criticized Hockey Canada, saying that the Québécois “leave with two strikes” at the JCS camp.

It caused quite a stir at the time.

Let’s not forget that, at the time, Stéphane Leroux mentioned that, in his opinion, it was really because Bolduc hadn’t been good enough that he had been cut. We were talking about a purely offensive player who didn’t lend himself well to a support role, diminishing his chances of making the club.

The good news is that he seems to be a slightly more complete player than he was back then.

And obviously, the Québécois’ frustration back then seems to have motivated him, who has become a solid NHL player since then.

And now, as a Québécois, he’ll have the opportunity to shine in Montreal.

Extension

On the subject of this transaction, Anthony Martineau chatted with Logan Mailloux. Mailloux thanked the fans and admitted he was disappointed to leave the Habs, given that the club is building something very interesting.

But he says he can’t wait to get back to the Bell Centre, as he hopes to play an important role in St. Louis.

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Ivan Demidov and Zachary Bolduc in the middle: anything is possible, says Kent Hughes

The Canadiens are not expected to add their second center forward today.

In his press conference, Kent Hughes said he was prioritizing trades on the free agent market. Barring a big surprise, fans will go to bed today with Kirby Dach or Alex Newhook as their second center.

Obviously, everything can change very quickly, but the GM feels comfortable starting the season with what he has.

Later in the press conference, a reporter asked him about the center line and the fact that Zachary Bolduc and Ivan Demidov could potentially play there.

The boss said that anything is possible and that we shouldn’t rule out this scenario.

Hughes says it’s a possibility, but first he wants his two players to familiarize themselves with their new environment. Demidov is from Russia and has only played seven games with the Canadiens, and Bolduc has just joined his boyhood club. He played center in junior, and the GM is well aware of this.

The Montreal boss doesn’t want to push them and wants his two forwards to be in positions conducive to their development. Without naming Dach or Alex Newhook, he hopes that others will be able to fill the role of second center this season.

Jordan Kyrou, Sidney Crosby, who has still not been traded, and Matt Duchene, who signed a contract extension in Dallas, are all centers who have been linked to the Habs in recent days. Hughes is aggressive, but patient. After all, the regular season doesn’t start until October.

Let’s not forget that Michael Hage is a center with a lot of potential, and in the long term, he could be the one to move to the center of the second line.

Extension

One center who really intrigues me is Anthony Cirelli. He’s good in both directions of the rink, is capable of playing in all game situations and is a player who would be perfect for Montreal’s top-6. Would the Lightning want to part with him? I’m not sure. One thing’s for sure: he could be a great target.

He’s 27 years old and earns $6.25 million per season until 2031.

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Logan Mailloux “ready for the NHL”, believes Blues GM

Logan Mailloux is no longer part of the Canadiens organization. The defenseman was sent to St. Louis today, when the Habs acquired Zachary Bolduc.

In Montreal, the club needed help on the forward line, and Bolduc fills that need. We’ve tapped into the city’s bank of right-handed defensemen, which has been much better stocked since the arrival of Noah Dobson.

And Mailloux admitted it: he knew that when Dobson came to town, he was likely to be traded.

So, it’s in Saint-Louis that Mailloux will try to establish himself in the NHL… and the good news is that, with the Blues, he’ll be able to count on people who see him establishing himself in the NHL.

The Blues GM, at least, says the club sees Mailloux as a guy who’s ready to play in the Bettman circuit. He fills a need both now and in the future, as he obviously has a position to lose at the next camp. The club sees him as a top-4 defenseman of the future.

So you’d have to think that Mailloux has a real chance of playing in the NHL full-time this season. The Blues seem to see him as a player who’s ready to make the jump… even though he didn’t make it in Montreal, when the club was in desperate need of a right-handed defenseman.

But that’s a detail.

In a press conference, Mailloux also stated that he feels he is ready for the NHL. He thinks he can contribute right now and help the Blues win games.

During the press conference, the Blues GM was also asked about the 2021 draft, in which the Habs drafted him despite the player’s request not to be selected.

He claims that, at the time, the Blues respected the player’s wishes… and you have to wonder whether they would have selected him at the time. That said, the Blues claim to have done their homework on the matter.

We’ll have to see what Mailloux can do in St. Louis, but he’s clearly got supporters within the organization.

It’s up to him to prove he deserves his place.

Overtime

– Tanner Pearson to Winnipeg.

– Kraken reaches agreement with Matt Murray.

– To be continued.

– Of note.