Author: Dose

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No Canadiens veterans at Patrik Laine’s wedding

While we were all glued to our screens to follow the draft, the 1001 trade rumors, the arrival of Noah Dobson and the speculation leading up to the opening of the free agent market (tomorrow at noon), our phones were pretty much all relaying something else over the weekend: photos of Patrik Laine’s wedding.

On Saturday evening, Patrik Laine and Jordan Leigh united their destinies on the American East Coast.

We know that two Canadiens players were present, as they shared photos of the event: Ivan Demidov and Jakub Dobès. Demidov was accompanied by his wife.

At first glance, I thought: cool, Patrik Laine has invited young Habs rookies to his wedding. He’s a real leader. Especially since he’s only known Demidov for two or three months..

Yesterday, a popular columnist on BPM Sports texted me this, while I was on a golf course in Lanaudière:

“Two rookies at Laine’s wedding and no one else from the club? […] If it was just Dobès and Demidov, that says a lot. And if the others don’t share that they’re there, that says a lot too…”

I spied several images – including the one of the guest list – and you don’t see any other Habs players. Nor any coaches or members of the organization.

Adam Boqvist, Adam Fantilli, Ivan Provorov, Roope Hintz and Aleksander Barkov were present, however.

So there were a few of Laine’s former teammates in Columbus, even after Laine’s harsh words – and the Blue Jackets players’ disgraceful gestures on the ice – last winter.

Where were the Habs players?

Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Christian Dvorak and Josh Anderson attended their former teammate Joel Edmundson’s wedding in Scotland. The wedding had been planned for a long time, and the guys have known Edmundson a lot longer than they’ve known Laine.

Since Edmundson attended Jake Evans’ wedding last summer, there’s reason to believe that Evans has also been in Scotland in recent days.

But where were Mike Matheson, Samuel Montembeault, Brendan Gallagher, Lane Hutson, Joel Armia (a Finn like Laine), Alex Newhook, Kirby Dach, Juraj Slafkovsky, Alexandre Carrier, Kaiden Guhle, Arber Xhekaj, Jayden Struble and company?

Gallagher was in British Columbia..

Struble seemed to be on vacation somewhere, if his Instagram account is anything to go by..

As for the others, no cr*** idea.

Did Patrik Laine invite more teammates? If so, did they respond “thanks, but no thanks”?

I don’t know the whole story, but honestly, seeing so few of Laine’s teammates at his wedding leaves me skeptical. Especially since there are 1,001 rumours of a separation between Laine and the Canadiens… and only one of a desire to extend the association between the two parties.

As we all know, Laine is an outsider who’s more in his own bubble than with the group, in the dressing room. That’s his personality. That’s the way he is.

But to see so few Montreal players at his wedding (not far from Montreal), that’s something, isn’t it?

Extension

Speaking of weddings, Noah Dobson is getting married today, while Samuel Montembeault and Nick Suzuki will do the same over the summer. I’m pretty sure there will be more Habs players at Sam and Nick’s wedding..

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The Canadiens are copying the Panthers’ model

The Florida Panthers are currently the model to follow in the NHL.

The club, which has played in the last three Stanley Cup finals and won the two most recent editions, relies on talented players and heavyweights.

It’s not a bad recipe.

And when you look at it, the Canadiens think the Florida model is a good one. And why is that? Because nine of the 10 players added to the organization this weekend are taller than 6’1. We’re talking about Noah Dobson and eight of the nine prospects drafted.

This is a good thing, because we saw in the playoffs just how small the Habs were. It won’t happen overnight, but there’s a real desire to get bigger in Montreal.

But let’s not forget talent. After all, it’s all well and good to have big guys, but if you look at the Panthers’ roster over the past few years, there are first-round picks to be had.

And that’s (increasingly) the case with the Habs.

In reality, the Canadiens have a huge number of first-round picks in their organization. In fact, if nothing changes, there are 10 first-round picks guaranteed to start the year in town.

And that would have been 11 if Joel Armia wasn’t a free agent…

  • Patrik Laine (Winnipeg)
  • Nick Suzuki (Vegas)
  • Cole Caufield
  • Juraj Slafkovsky
  • Kirby Dach (Chicago)
  • Alex Newhook (Denver)
  • Ivan Demidov
  • Noah Dobson (New York)
  • Kaiden Guhle
  • Mike Matheson (Florida)

Also in the organization are Logan Mailloux, Filip Mesar (for what it’s worth) and Michael Hage. That’s a lot of talent for the many first-round picks all over the organization.

Good: that’s what it takes. #Upside

And even if they aren’t official first-round picks, Lane Hutson, Alexander Zharovsky and Jacob Fowler, if you put them in perspective for a goalie, are also very talented players.

The Canadiens are positioning themselves for the future. All that remains now is to find a Matthew Tkachuk…

overtime

– A machine.

– Definitely.

– Full details of the Nicolas Hague transaction.

– Of note.

– To be continued…

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Development camp: don’t expect to see Alexander Zharovsky

Tomorrow, the eyes of the hockey world will be on the autonomy market. It’s only natural.

But it’s also important to remember that the Canadiens will be holding their development camp. Some of the club’s prospects will be there from July 1 to 3 to skate a little.

This is often an opportunity to see prospects who have just been drafted a few days before.

In the case of the Canadiens, we were naturally keeping an eye on Alexander Zharovsky, the club’s second-round pick. He was the first prospect drafted by Montreal in 2025, and his talent is obvious.

So, by necessity, we were monitoring his potential availability for the development camp, an event he wanted to attend.

But unfortunately for him, for the Habs and for the fans, Zharovsky will probably not be able to show up in Quebec to participate in the small camp with the others. Even though he’s been in Florida for a few days.

Why not? Because, as Anthony Martineau mentioned on X, the Russian is not expected to have his visa in time.

At the moment, Zharovsky is undoubtedly the prospect that most intrigues fans. More than Ivan Demidov? Yes… because of the novelty surrounding the Habs’ new prospect.

Seeing him at camp would have been nice, but that won’t be the case.

Remember that the young man has a valid contract in Russia for two more seasons. If nothing changes (who knows what can happen with a Russian prospect?), he’s not expected to attend a real Canadiens practice camp until 2027.

That’s why this year’s development camp was so important. But within a year, he should have his visa for the 2026 development camp, shouldn’t he?

overtime

– Of note.

– I can see him leaving.

– Interesting.

– Several contracts in Boston.

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2025-2026: the Canadiens are the only club currently above the salary cap

It’s June 30. Tomorrow, the autonomy market opens.

Tomorrow, the face of the NHL will change. And I’m not just talking about guys changing teams: I’m also talking about contract extensions coming into effect or guys retiring, for example.

It’s like that for all teams.

Recently, my colleague Maxime Truman painted a picture of the players who could leave the Canadiens organization. This gives an idea of what to look out for this week.

What will change tomorrow, on the first day of the 2025-2026 season?

1. At the NHL level, four players will be unrestricted free agents: David Savard, Michael Pezzetta, Christian Dvorak and Joel Armia. Savard will retire, Pezz is likely to leave and I don’t necessarily see Dvo staying – although he might.

Armia could possibly stay, but we’ll see. In particular, it will depend on the price.

2. Also in the NHL, only two players will become restricted free agents: Jayden Struble and Jakub Dobes. These shouldn’t be the most difficult files to settle.

3. Several players will count more on the payroll tomorrow than they do today. Who are they?

  • Juraj Slafkovsky: $0.95M to $7.6M
  • Jake Evans: $1.7M to $2.85M
  • Noah Dobson: $4M to $9.5M
  • Kaiden Guhle: $0.863M to $5.55M

4. There will be less dead money on the books. While youth bonuses will likely have to be deferred as long as Carey Price’s contract is in town, Jake Allen’s and Jeff Petry’s deals will expire. The Canadiens were withholding salary on these contracts.

5. The salary cap will rise to $95.5 million and the salary floor to $70.6 million. This means that tomorrow, a club will be able to reach $105.5 million, since during the summer, teams can exceed the cap by 10%.

This is an important detail for the Canadiens, as all contracts count during the off-season. That includes Carey Price’s, valued at $10.5 million a year for another 366 days.

And with all the big contracts coming into effect tomorrow (Dobson, Slaf and Guhle: that’s three big chunks, after all), the Habs’ salary picture is really set to change.

How much? To the point where the Habs are no longer “middle of the pack” in terms of the salary cap, as has been the case in recent months. In fact, it has the largest projected payroll, as of today, for 2025-2026.

And no one other than the Habs, according to Puck Pedia, is above that lot right now. That should change tomorrow, though.

(Credit: Puck Pedia)

Given that the Canadiens won’t be giving Struble and Dobes a golden bridge, that youngsters from Laval can take spots and that Price’s contract will either be traded or placed on the long-term injured list during the season, this isn’t a dramatic situation.

It’s not like the Golden Knights, who were forced to trade Nicolas Hague and will have to place Alex Pietrangelo on the LTIR to make room for Mitch Marner’s projected $12M…

Still, we can see that the Canadiens have less leeway than before. That’s fine, since it was used to get Dobson and to secure the future of young core players… but it’s noticeable, nonetheless.

So can the Habs afford Jordan Kyrou, who earns $8.125 million a year? Not without moving some money first.

HAVE A NIGHT, KYROU 🚨

Jordan Kyrou nets his first hat trick of the season as the @StLouisBlues win big on Saturday night!

Hat Trick Challenge presented by @AstraZenecaUS

[image or embed]

– NHL (Bot)(@notnhl.bsky.social) March 15, 2025 at 11:02 PM

Obviously, if Kent Hughes ever trades for the Blues’ player’s services, the return given to the St. Louis club would no doubt result in salary going the other way, solving the problem.

But if Hughes wants to sign a top-tier free agent (I say that even though I doubt it’s a real possibility right now) starting tomorrow, that’s something to keep in mind.

overtime

– Unbelievable.

– Who are the Canadiens’ new prospects? [BPM Sports]

– Read on.

– Michael DiPietro signs with the Bruins.

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Nicolas Hague traded to Predators: signs four-year contract in Nashville

A few weeks ago, the Canadiens were known to have stuck their noses into the Nicolas Hague file.

The Golden Knights were potentially looking to trade the defenseman because of the salary he would command. In recent years, he earned $2.3 million per season.

Funny, though, since Noah Dobson was traded to the Canadiens, Hague’s name hasn’t been bandied about in Montreal. I wonder why?

Well, the Knights have finally reached an agreement to trade the man who will be a restricted free agent tomorrow. He was traded to the Nashville Predators.

Jérémy Lauzon and Colton Sissons are headed for Vegas.

The Preds wasted no time, as their new defenseman has already signed a new four-year contract, valued at $5.5m, to spend the next few years in Tennessee.

Noah Dobson at $9.5M or Nicolas Hague at $5.5M?

I know it’s unfair to compare years of autonomy and years of control, but I’d rather have Kaiden Guhle at $5.55M than Nicolas Hague at $5.5M per year, for example.

But the fact that the cap is going up and that the former Knights was approaching full autonomy changes the game.

So that (to me, at least) sends the Preds the message that we don’t want to give up, and that the 2024-2025 season was just a blip along the way.

I don’t see Jonathan Marchessault or Steven Stamkos heading to Toronto, for example.

overtime

– Morgan Geekie: $33M to Boston.

– New York Mets: it’s more than bad. [MLB Passion]

– Brad Marchand: Boston’s name refuses to die on the record.

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Who will be playing on the powerplay in 2025-2026: a nice problem to have

There’s nothing wrong with having too much talent on a roster.

The Canadiens, especially with the acquisition of Noah Dobson, will have plenty of talent for next season. That doesn’t mean, however, that Martin St-Louis will have easy decisions to make.

For example, the powerplay. Who will play on the first wave and who will be relegated to the second?

In 2024-2025, for most of the season, it was Patrik Laine, Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky, Nick Suzuki and Lane Hutson who played on PP1. At the end of the season, Ivan Demidov was added to this wave, and now Dobson joins this talented group.

So, who’s going to play where? I’ve got a pretty good idea. First of all, in the modern NHL, it’s rare for a team to use two defensemen on the same wave. For the next one, I think St-Louis will use two backs on the first wave: Dobson and Hutson. With an eight-year/$9.5 million contract in his pocket, I can’t believe the former Islander won’t have more powerplay responsibilities.

Because let’s face it, the first wave averages 1:30 out of 2 minutes. I don’t want to see Dobson only 30 seconds per powerplay; that’s too little. For the three forwards on the first unit, I see the three most talented forwards on the team: Caufield, Suzuki and Demidov. Too bad for Slaf, who hasn’t done badly, but is a victim of the team’s talent.

This is the kind of decision the coaches will have to make.

With Suzuki, Caufield, Demidov, Dobson and Hutson on the first wave, this has to be one of the NHL’s best units. The second wave will be no slouch either.

The only defenseman who will be on this wave is Mike Matheson. Until proven otherwise, he’s still capable of giving good service on the power play. Unless he’s traded (his name was linked to the Oilers today), I see him on the second wave with four forwards: Patrik Laine, in his office, Kirby Dach, Alex Newhook and Juraj Slafkovsky. With so much talent on a second wave, I sincerely wonder if it will only play 30 seconds per PP.

Imagine Alexander Zharovsky on one of these waves two years from now…

Brendan Gallagher, Josh Anderson, Christian Dvorak and Joel Armia had powerplay time last year. That shouldn’t be the case this season. In any case, it’s not certain that Dvo and Armia will be back in town.

In any case, several other combinations are possible: Suzuki on both power plays, as at the end of the season, the two best defensemen separated, Laine in place of Caufield on the first unit… What do you think? One thing’s for sure, some players will be disappointed…

Overtime

– Good question.

– Don’t

– It deserves to be clear.

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Jordan Kyrou file: the Canadiens would have competition

The draft weekend is over.

Now it’s time for the free agent period. For the Canadiens, who are a buyer, it looks like there will be some changes. Will it be via a signing or a trade?

I have more faith in the second option, as Jordan Kyrou (who is not a free agent) is closely linked to the team. It’s worth mentioning that Montreal isn’t the only team in the derby.

According to Elliotte Friedman (32 Thoughts), the Seattle Kraken may also be interested.

And as Marco D’Amico says, the newest expansion club has more assets to move with Bill Armstrong.

In 2026 and 2027, the Kraken has four first-round picks. The club also has quality prospects who could serve as trade chips. Since the off-season, Ron Francis’ club has been keen to improve. It has already acquired Mason Marchment and Frederick Gaudreau. These are two quality players in an NHL line-up.

In any case, the Kyrou derby should be interesting, and a trade could be concluded very soon. A no-trade clause will be in effect as of Tuesday (July 1) in the Blues’ forward’s contract.

St. Louis would like to trade him before it’s too late. The Blues believe they’ve drafted enough wingers who could play a similar role.

Could Montreal conclude a second major transaction in a matter of days?

Overtime

– Of note.

– A guest coach.

– Kent Hughes’ son expected to sign soon.

– Big pact.

– Too bad.

– Ah well.

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Seeing Brad Marchand in Boston again would be special

Barring a last-minute deal with the Florida Panthers, Brad Marchand will be a free agent on July 1.

And the 35-year-old forward could well break the bank with his recent playoff performances.

Marchand was at the heart of the Panthers’ success in their second consecutive Stanley Cup conquest, with 20 points, including 10 goals, in 23 games.

The veteran scored many important goals and established himself as one of the most clutch players in the playoffs in recent years.

The center forward would be an excellent addition for a club looking to go further in the spring, such as the Toronto Maple Leafs, for whom Marchand was a particular headache in the last playoffs.

In fact, several rumours in recent weeks have claimed that the Toronto club was interested in the Halifax native.

Marchand could end his career with his childhood team.

However, Pierre LeBrun mentioned another possible scenario in which the forward would return to his former team, the Boston Bruins.

It’s understandable that Marchand might want to finish his career where he’s already played sixteen seasons and retire in a Bruins jersey.

On the other hand, Boston is about to embark on what could be a lengthy rebuilding period, and will the veteran want to play his final seasons with a team that’s likely to be out of the post-season tournament for at least a few years?

What’s more, Marchand’s current value is as a playoff player, whereas his regular-season performances have been declining for the past four years.

Unless the forward accepts less money to return to Boston, it doesn’t make sense to pay top dollar for a club that probably won’t make the playoffs for a while.

However, I’ll admit I was surprised to see the Bruins trade Marchand this winter, as I thought he’d finish his career with the team that drafted him.

Who knows, maybe we’ll see the man we love to hate in his black and yellow uniform again, but I have to admit I was getting used to him in Florida colors.

Overtime

– Interview with Emil Heineman (he talks about his time with the Habs).

– Big signing for Toronto.

– Where will Jonathan Drouin go?

– A quick reminder.

– Jays win.

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Mitch Marner: in case of raiding, his contract could be terminated

Mitch Marner has been the talk of the town in recent weeks.

As soon as the Toronto Maple Leafs were eliminated in seven games during the second round, when many fans booed Marner, his return to the Queen City seemed unlikely.

The latest rumors link the forward to the Vegas Golden Knights , who are reportedly trying to acquire his rights via a trade.

Nicolas Roy, in particular, is rumoured to be on his way to Toronto, which could also help the Golden Knights free up money for Marner.

Today, we learned that the Leafs could accuse the Knights of poaching if Marner decides to sign in Nevada.

Is this a blackmail attempt by the Leafs to force a deal and get their star player back?

It’s possible, but the threat is no less real.

The consequences of tampering, i.e. contacting a player before his autonomy, can be very serious, both for a team and for the player in question.

As we all know, the NHL is starting to get fed up with this practice, with a number of questionable signings last year.

However, to date, the League has never imposed full consequences on a team for poaching, but it may well be tempted to make an example of the Vegas club.

For now, the Maple Leafs have no concrete proof that Vegas has raided, but the organization clearly doesn’t like to see their forward’s name associated with signing rumors in the city of gambling.

In an extreme case, the National League could even terminate Marner’s contract, in addition to suspending him.

Penalties could also be severe for the Knights, as in addition to fines, they could even lose draft picks.

We know that, in the past, the NHL has rarely applied the rules in their most severe form, and the penalties, which are generally lenient, seem more like a slap on the wrist to management, but if it decides to really make an example of them, it could cost Vegas dearly.

On the other hand, it wouldn’t be the first risky bet in the capital of vice.

Overtime

– Indeed!

– Talks coming soon?

– Caleb Desnoyers had dinner with the Mammoth’s CEO.

– What a slap in the face!

– King James returns!

– All-Star captains

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Claude Giroux stays in Ottawa

Those hoping to see Claude Giroux join the Habs will be disappointed.

The forward has just signed a one-year extension with the Sens for $2 million plus performance bonuses that could reach $2.75 million.

Details to come..