Author: Dose

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Joel Armia would have liked to stay in Montreal if the Habs had matched the Kings’ offer

Joel Armia is no longer with the Canadiens.

The veteran will continue his career in Los Angeles after signing a two-year contract ($2.5 million per year) with the Kings.

But it wasn’t because he no longer wanted to play in Montreal.

In his press briefing today, Kent Hughes said that Armia would have liked to stay in Montreal if the Habs had matched the Kings’ offer.

And that… says a lot about the Canadiens’ desire to move on.

It’s all part of the game.

The loss of Armia isn’t ultra crucial, but it’s still relevant.

And I say that for a specific reason: he was (really) useful on the power play. Armia was excellent on his line with Jake Evans, and both guys did a really good job last season there.

But then again, the reason the Habs let him go – even though Armia didn’t sign a big contract – was because Kent Hughes was no longer interested in having him in Montreal. Armia wasn’t the Canadiens’ most important player, and there are other guys with a similar style in the NHL.

It’s also worth noting that in Los Angeles, Armia will be joining Marc Bergevin – the GM who picked up the forward in Winnipeg in 2018. Armia will also have the opportunity to reunite with Phillip Danault… with whom he spent a few years in Montreal with the Canadiens.

He should therefore be able to adapt well to his new club.

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– We can also expect him to play a similar role in Los Angeles. He’ll play short-handed, he’ll be used on the Kings’ bottom-6… and he’ll be able to help the team defensively because he’s reliable in his zone.

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Listening to Kent Hughes, Kaapo Kahkonen is ahead of Jakub Dobes

This afternoon, the Habs reached an agreement with Kaapo Kahkonen. It was known that the Habs might be looking for a veteran goaltender, possibly with a view to being the team’s #2 next year.

Samuel Montembeault is the team’s clear #1, but keeping open the option of sending Jakub Dobes back to Laval is interesting.

And of course, Kent Hughes was asked about it by the media this afternoon… and he gave some interesting insights into his vision in front of the net at the very start of his press briefing.

In fact, what Hughes said was that you don’t sign a goalie with the intention of sending him to the waivers. And that’s when you have to remember that Kahkonen has to go through the waivers… but Dobes doesn’t.

Are we to understand that the veteran is ahead of Dobes at this stage in the race for the #2 goaltender position? Possibly, yes.

Hughes has said that it’s important to bring competition to the net, but it’s safe to assume that Dobes will have to go out and win it. Kahkonen is coming off a big series in the AHL and has NHL experience.

At the same time, sending Dobes back to Laval after he’s done the job in the NHL playoffs following Montembeault’s injury could send out a strange message… but if the club feels it’s the best avenue for his development, why not?

We know that in the AHL, teams often play games together, so it would be easier to share the task in front of the net between Dobes and Jacob Fowler. In this scenario, however, Fowler would be #2 in Laval.

For the development of a goalkeeper, a #2 position in the AHL is not as bad as a #2 position in the NHL, we agree. But then again, if the club really sees Fowler as its goalie of the future, that’s not necessarily ideal either.

We’ll have to see how it all works out, but don’t be too quick to assume that Kahkonen is simply with the Habs to back up Jacob Fowler in Laval. Because right now, if the GM is anything to go by… he may be there to back up Samuel Montembeault.

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When you look at the situation in front of the net across the organization, it’s easy to see why the Habs were quick to part with Cayden Primeau yesterday. Adding Primeau to the mix would have created headaches somewhere in the organization.

We should also spare a thought for Luke Cavallin, who broke everything in front of the Trois-Rivières Lions net this spring and could have been a candidate for a position with the Rocket. The arrival of Kahkonen isn’t likely to help him in that regard, let’s just say.

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Kent Hughes “sees himself continuing” with Mike Matheson in Montreal

With the arrival of Noah Dobson in Montreal, the Canadiens have several defensemen on hand.

And ultimately, you might think there’s not enough room for a guy like Mike Matheson.

But Kent Hughes doesn’t see it that way.

In a press conference, the Habs GM said he could see himself continuing with Matheson in Montreal.

He praised the fact that the defenseman was one of the most used in the NHL last season, and he praised his qualities on the ice because Matheson is an important part of the Canadiens.

Hughes obviously likes him.

The thing that bothers me is this.

Mike Matheson is a really useful player… but especially when he’s used as a first option. Matheson is good when he’s got the puck on the puckboard because he’s got a good skating stroke and because he’s able to carry the disc into the offensive zone.

But… if he becomes the club’s #3 or #4 defenseman with the additions of Guhle, Hutson and Dobson, his role becomes a little more minimal.

That said, Matheson was given more defensive duties last season alongside Lane Hutson, and he did his job well.

He was used against the best opposing trios, and although it wasn’t always perfect, Matheson did what he had to do.

If he can improve at this level and is ready to take on a less important role with the young defenders in front of him… so be it.

Because in reality, we know that Mike Matheson is a good hockey player.

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We thought Matheson could have been used as bait to get a top-6 player.

But to hear Kent Hughes tell it, Matheson’s future in Montreal is not in jeopardy. The defenseman has one year left on his contract… and it will be interesting to see what happens next in his case.

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Jonathan Drouin: two years with Patrick Roy in New York

Québécois Jonathan Drouin changes address.

We knew he was likely to sign with a new team, and now he has. Mathieu Darche’s Islanders have offered him a two-season deal, which he never got in Denver.

He’ll earn $4 million a year.

So he’ll be playing under Patrick Roy. I don’t know if the experience will be any more conclusive than that of Anthony Duclair, two players who don’t give everything they’ve got on the ice.

Not Patrick Roy’s style on paper, anyway.

In the end, he’s guaranteed a nice contract with a team that can make room for him. He’ll get playing time if he can put numbers on the board like he did in Denver.

Because things have been going better for him over the last two years. He’s regained his confidence after a disappointing end to his career with the Canadiens, which enabled him to sign a two-year contract.

Details to follow…

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Center: Kent Hughes ready to start the season with Dach and Newhook

Kent Hughes is working hard to improve the team. On Friday, he acquired Noah Dobson and earlier today, he traded Logan Mailloux for Zachary Bolduc.

That doesn’t solve the problem of the second center, but it’s not going to be solved at any cost, in all likelihood.

Centers are worth a lot. You know, when Christian Dvorak is worth $5.4 million… At about 2:25 p.m., the GM of the Canadiens began his press briefing and said he was ready to start the season with what he has at center. He’s still working the phone, but he’s confident with Kirby Dach and Alex Newhook.

The boss insists that it’s through trades that he wanted to improve, not via the free agent market.

So forget Mikael Granlund in Montreal. He’ll cost too much anyway, and in recent years we’ve seen many teams overpay for free agents. This is not Kent Hughes’ plan, I assure you.

If the season were to start today, here’s what the Habs’ forward lineup would look like:

Slafkovsky-Suzuki-Caufield

Demidov-Dach-Laine

Bolduc-Newhook-Anderson

Blais-Evans-Gallagher

The central line isn’t bad, but obviously, acquiring Jordan Kyrou would have put everyone in the right chair. Let’s not forget that Michael Hage could come to Montreal at the end of the season, too.

He may not have found his second center, but he still has all summer to do so. Let’s remain patient, then, and that doesn’t mean Martin St-Louis will actually start the season with Dach in his top-6.

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Alex Belzile signs contract with the Canadiens

Alex Belzile left the Canadiens organization in the summer of 2023.

He signed a two-year contract with the New York Rangers… but never played a single NHL game for the Blue Shirts .

Now, however, he’s back with the Canadiens.

The Habs also announced the signing of defenseman Nate Clurman.

Both have signed a one-year, two-part contract.

More details to come…

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Jordan Harris joins the Boston Bruins

Yesterday afternoon, we learned that the Blue Jackets were not going to submit a qualifying offer for Jordan Harris. The defenseman, acquired in the deal that sent Patrik Laine (and a second-round pick) to Montreal, would become a free agent a year later.

And in that text, I mentioned that I wouldn’t be surprised if Harris, a Massachusetts native, were to come to an agreement with the Boston Bruins…

And 24 hours later, we learn that the former Habs player is leaving… for Boston.

The defenseman also played his college hockey at Northeastern University, also in Massachusetts. He grew up a Bruins fan, and you’d think that joining his childhood team was something that might interest him.

And in the end, here he is in Boston.

Remember that in 2024-25, Harris played just 33 games in Columbus, being left out on numerous occasions (including two consecutive months at the end of the season). There was no more room for him with the Blue Jackets.

The reason the club didn’t even make him a qualifying offer was really because there was no point in keeping him.

In Boston, a team in a transitional phase, Harris is likely to have a role quite similar to the one he had in Columbus this year. He may get a few more opportunities to play, but at nearly 25 years of age, he’ll need to quickly start demonstrating that he’s a player who can be part of a team’s NHL plans.

Let’s see if coming back home will motivate him.

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Remember that Boston is already counting on Hampus Lindholm, Nikita Zadorov and Mason Lohrei as left-handed defensemen.

Barring a deal, then, Harris is likely to be a seventh defenseman.

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Samuel Blais arrives in Montreal

The Canadiens have announced that Samuel Blais is coming to town.

While the Habs have announced that Kaapo Kahkonen has signed a one-year, one-part contract, we’ve also learned that Québécois Samuel Blais is coming to town on a one-year deal.

His name has been linked to the Habs recently.

Details to come…

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Eric Engels: I hear Ivan Demidov’s skating has improved

When you look at all his qualities on the ice, you realize that Ivan Demidov is a good hockey player.

Talent comes out of both his ears, and he knows how to use it to his advantage.

That’s the beauty of this young Canadiens player.

But that doesn’t mean Demidov doesn’t need to work on certain aspects of his game. Since the beginning of the summer, he’s been concentrating on his skating because he wants to improve in that area.

And according to Eric Engels, who saw Demidov skate this morning, he seems to have a better skating stroke today.

His work reports:

So much the better.

After all, we know that Demidov has the potential to become a star player in the National League.

We’ve already seen flashes, we’ve seen that he has exceptional hands, superb game vision, a good hockey IQ… and he’s so dangerous offensively when he’s got the puck on his palette.

If on top of all that, he can improve his skating… that’ll be something.

But it also shows that he has the right mentality.

He wants to become the best player he can be, and it reminds me a little of Lane Hutson, who’s always on the ice to correct things that aren’t working so well.

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Ivan Demidov’s next season will be an important one in his development.

This will be his first full year in North America, and by playing in the best hockey league on the planet, he’ll be able to progress.

I can’t wait to see him develop over the next few years.

And I really wonder what the organization’s expectations are of him for the next campaign…

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The Canadiens sign goalie Kaapo Kahkonen

In recent days, there have been rumours that the Canadiens were looking for a second goaltender.

Well, it’s done.

Kaapo Kahkonen, a 28-year-old goaltender, is coming to Montreal.

The Habs have succeeded in their mission because Kahkonen has played 140 games in the National League.

He has more experience than Jakub Dobes… and this will allow the Habs to have two older goalies next year.

I don’t hate this move.

It’s natural to wonder what this means for Dobes.

But… let’s not forget one thing: Dobes is 24 years old, and seeing him return to the AHL wouldn’t be punishment for that.

On the other hand, Kahkonen spent all of last season in the AHL…

Both guys will have to fight for a practice camp spot.

More details to come…