Author: Dose

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Oilers goalkeepers sh*t in the playoffs (again)

28-17: that’s the cumulative score from the six games of the Stanley Cup Final. In favor of the new Floridian champions!

That means the Panthers scored an average of almost five goals per game in the Grand Final. Against the best team in the other conference..

I mean, even the Maple Leafs did (slightly) better than the Oilers against the Panthers: 26-17. And they’ll have made it to the ultimate Game 7!

Were the Maple Leafs – whose core will soon undergo a metamorphosis – the second-best team in the 2025 series? The question arises.

Back to the Oilers..

Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl finished the playoffs with 33 points each, 10 more than the Panthers’ top forwards: Sam Reinhart, Matthew Tkachuk and Carter Verhaeghe. This is McDavid’s second straight spring at the top of the playoff scoring charts, but without a ring..

Why didn’t the Oilers go for the two wins that separated them from a Stanley Cup? Zach Hyman injury… lack of depth and grit up front… quality deficit on the blue line… but above all, atrocious performance from the team’s two goaltenders.

You can’t expect to win the Cup with a #1 goalie who finishes the playoffs with a 2.99 goals-against average and a .889 save percentage. Especially not when your second goalie finished his spring with a 2.85 goals-against average and a .886 save percentage.

Let’s face it: both Oilers goalies performed abysmally during the 2025 series.

The problem is, it’s been that way for three years. The evidence is staring us in the face (a bit like the Montreal players’ lack of grit against the Capitals).

(Credit: NHL.com)

Skinner in the playoffs is like Connor Hellebuyck… without the excellent regular-season performance though!

I put myself in Connor McDavid’s, Leon Draisaitl’s or Corey Perry’s shoes; I can’t believe that somewhere inside me, I’m not thinking that with a real #1 goalie, I’d have had a real chance of playing a game #7 this weekend, and then drinking champagne in the Stanley Cup.

What can we say about Stan Bowman, VP hockey and general manager of the Oilers, who did nothing to improve a huge weakness that was very apparent last summer?

Linus Ullmark, Adin Hill, Jake Allen, Frederik Andersen, Anton Forsberg, Ilya Samsonov..

The list of unrestricted autonomous goaltenders is thin once again this year. But if they want to win the Stanley Cup, the Oilers will have to find a new, quality #1 goaltender. Will they?

In closing, I don’t want to diminish the Panthers’ incredible achievement, both this year and last. It’s just that if they’d swapped goalies, I’m far from convinced they’d have celebrated a second consecutive title…

Overtime

– It’s going to be expensive!

– Matt Rempe stays in New York.

– Proof that you can take it or leave it with the trials and tribulations of the combine.

– Brad Marchand came close to winning the Conn-Smythe trophy.

– The Jones family, a family of champions.

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Matthew Tkachuk for Jonathan Huberdeau: the deal of the decade in the NHL

The decade of the 2020s is not over. We’re pretty much in the middle of it.

But even so, I’m comfortable saying that the 2022 deal that notably sent Matthew Tkachuk to Florida in return for Jonathan Huberdeau won’t be beaten in the 2020s. And it’s not close.

Why do I say that? Because without that transaction, which transformed the identity of the Florida club, the Panthers haven’t made it to the finals three times in the last three years.

I don’t know how Huberdeau feels this morning, after seeing the Panthers repeat their 2024 exploits. But the Québécois can’t be feeling too good, in my opinion.

The Flames had no choice but to let Matthew Tkachuk go – he didn’t want to stay in Alberta – and getting Huberdeau is no mean consolation prize. Despite the too-big contract offered afterwards.

But Tkachuk turned things around in Florida.

From a club that excelled in the regular season, but couldn’t break through in the playoffs, Tkachuk has turned the Panthers into a club that just has to go get its playoff ticket to do some damage rendered on the big stage.

The club has represented the East three times in the last three years in the Cup Final. And Tkachuk has had his say each time.

This year, he’s had less impact on the ice, but he’s still had some. And seeing him play despite his major injuries (Tkachuk tore his adductor bone and suffered a hernia) undoubtedly motivated his teammates to give more.

The Panthers have become, with Tkachuk, a “tough club to play against” when it counts most. Guys like Sam Bennett and Brad Marchand are part of that culture.

Everyone has brought a bit of their experience to the table to win in 2024 and 2025.

But it all started with Tkachuk, who was hated in Montreal in February. Without him, Florida doesn’t reach the finals three times or win the Stanley Cup twice. The Lightning, who also have two rings in the 2020s, didn’t need a transaction of that magnitude to win.

So no, I don’t see how any other club could make a bigger deal than the Panthers between now and 2029.

overtime

– Speaking of Tkachuk.

– Speaking of culture: Bill Zito believes he can bring everyone back next year.

– Martin St-Louis turns 50.

– Already?

– Celebrating in Florida.

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Fifth defeat: Corey Perry must hate Florida teams

Poor Corey Perry.

Once again this year, the veteran lost in the Stanley Cup Final. He may have won the Stanley Cup in 2007 with the Ducks, but that’s not what history will remember.

What history will remember is that, for the fifth time in less than 60 months, Corey Perry lost in the Stanley Cup Final. Yesterday, he became the first player in history to lose five times in the final over six seasons with four different clubs.

And all five times, it involved a Florida club.

In 2020 and 2021, he lost with the Stars and the Canadiens to the Lightning. Then, in 2022, he lost to Denver, but WITH the Lightning. In 2023, he didn’t play in the final.

Then, for the past two years, he’s lost with the Oilers to the Panthers.

This is the fourth time in six years that a Florida club has won (clearly, the monetary advantage is important these days), and it can’t be said that Perry hasn’t made his war effort to bring the Stanley Cup back to Canada.

But we agree that the Panthers, for the past two years, have just been too good.

As Arpon Basu joked, the only way the Panthers would lose in the finals in 2026 would be if they signed Corey Perry. I found that one really funny.

Remember, even though Perry is 40 years old and has been hurt in the Final several times since leaving Anaheim, his goal is to play next year. And seeing him again in Edmonton is very possible.

To be seen in due course.

overtime

– A message to Stuart Skinner or what?

– Well done.

– Big win in Toronto yesterday. No, I’m not talking about hockey here.

– Friendly reminder.

– Deserved.

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Connor McDavid: third time leading the league in playoff points… but no ring

It’s done: the Florida Panthers have won the Stanley Cup. Sam Bennett, who will be a free agent in less than two weeks, is the MVP of the entertaining 2025 series.

Québécois A.J. Greer, Roberto Luongo and Sylvain Lefebvre are Stanley Cup champions. Greer had never won the trophy before and was the only Québécois in the final.

I wonder how Jonathan Huberdeau is feeling this morning…

Aleksander Barkov, Sergei Bobrovsky, Matthew Tkachuk, Brad Marchand, Paul Maurice: you could name several people this morning who are two-time Stanley Cup champions.

But at the other end of the spectrum, there’s Connor McDavid, who has lost twice in the finals. He’s the only captain in the last 50 years to lose back-to-back finals.

And what’s worse? This is the third time in four years (2022, 2024 and 2025) that the Oilers captain, who was clearly playing injured on the heels of the 2025 final, has led the league in playoff points. He was even last year’s playoff MVP.

But he still doesn’t have a ring.

It’s clear to see that without goaltending and depth, a player, no matter how good, can’t win. His 33 points in 22 games this year are proof of that, as are his 150 points in 96 games since the start of his career.

And what about Leon Draisaitl’s 52 goals and 141 points in 96 career playoff games?

Note that according to Matthew Tkachuk, McJesus is too good not to win it one day. But right now, I imagine McDavid doesn’t want to hear that, as he must be very disappointed.

Ah: remember that the Oilers captain, who is proud of his boys’ effort against the overmatched Panthers, can sign a contract extension as early as July 1, 2025…

overtime

– Gonzo must be relieved.

– Giving the Cup first to all the guys who weren’t there last year and never won: wow.

– Matthew Tkachuk: a banged-up guy.

– Pure, unadulterated domination.

– Interesting.

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For the second season in a row, the Panthers are champions

Game six of the Oilers-Panthers series took place tonight.

Florida could clinch a second consecutive Stanley Cup with a win.

And that’s exactly what the club did. With a 5-1 victory, Paul Maurice’s team wins the final series 4-2.

Last year, the team also took top honours in front of their home fans. That time, however, it was in seven games.

So it took less time in 2025.

The Cats got off to a good start.

In the first period, Sam Reinhart set the tone with a superb goal. He laughed at everyone.

Early in the second period, Matthew Tkachuk hurt the Oilers badly with a goal that gave his team a two-goal lead.

Reinhart scored another goal and threw a shower of cold water on the Oilers.

What a mistake Stuart Skinner made on that one…

With just under seven minutes to go, Kris Knoblaugh decided to remove his goalie and it benefited… the Panthers.

Reinhart completed his hat trick, his first in a Stanley Cup Final since Mark Stone in 2023.

Think he was done there? Think again.

He scored his fourth goal of the game late in the third.

Sergei Bobrovsky was beaten late in the game, but obviously, it was too little, too late.

A reminder that the Habs beat the two-time defending champions four times in 2024-2025…

This intermittent season is now over. The NHL will really have to rethink its schedule, especially in the playoffs.

Now it’s time for the best moments of the year: the amateur draft and the opening of the free agent market.

Extension

– It was definitely directed at Skinner.

– Brady was obviously on hand.

– Impressive.

– Still.

– Scorers of the game :

Sam Reinhart 4 goals

Carter Verhaeghe 3 assists

Aleksander Barkov 2 assists

Matthew Tkachuk 1 goal

Anton Lundell 1 goal

Vasily Podkolzin 1 goal

Eetu Luostarinen 1 assist

Aaron Ekblad 1 assist

Leon Draisaitl 1 assist

Jake Walman 1 assist

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Second center: Tony Marinaro mentions Evgeni Malkin as plan B for Montreal

The biggest debate right now among the Montreal Canadiens is who will be the club’s #2 center for next season.

We know that Ivan Demidov needs more support, and a true center for the 2nd line would be ideal.

Kirby Dach is still the backup option, but something more needs to be added to this line.

Several players have been named as possibilities, but nothing concrete so far.

Mason McTavish, Sidney Crosby, Sam Bennett, John Tavares and so on.

Still, it’s fun to talk about, and that’s what Tony Marinaro did during his appearance on TVA Sports’ JiC segment.

Marinaro named an interesting player as Plan B to fill this need: Evgeni Malkin.

At the end of the clip, there’s a brief moment on the famous subject of Montreal’s second center.

As Marinaro mentions, the Habs’ initial goal is to find a center in his prime, in his mid-twenties, so that he fits in well with the team’s core and can stay for a good while.

On the other hand, finding a 2nd line center in his prime isn’t easy and, above all, it would be expensive.

That’s why having a plan B is always a good idea.

Acquiring a veteran of Malkin’s calibre would cost something, of course, but much less than Sidney Crosby, for example.

And Marinaro’s suggestion makes a lot of sense for other reasons too.

Let’s not forget that Ivan Demidov needs a good player to follow him into his first full season, and that’s just as well, since Malkin is Demidov’s childhood idol.

What better way to launch your show career than playing alongside your all-time idol?

Plus, not only would he not cost the moon to acquire, but he’s definitely better than Kirby Dach and Alex Newhook, without taking anything away from them.

And it would be perfect to give Michael Hage time to develop and arrive in two or three years (ideally).

Malkin has great size, even if he’s never played like, say, Corey Perry.

But his imposing size helps him protect the puck (especially when you add his silky hands to that), which would give Demidov plenty of room, and he’d benefit amply from it.

Even though he’s 38, he still managed 50 points in 67 games this year as a 2nd center.

Malkin would definitely be an excellent Plan B.

Overtime

– Ehlers should test the free agent market this summer.

– That’s a good point.

– It really wouldn’t be like that in Montreal.

– To be continued, so far, things aren’t going too well for the Oilers.

– To listen.

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Carey Price at the Temple on Saint Jean-Baptiste Day: there’s a real chance!

One week from today, it will officially be four years since Artturi Lehkonen scored the St. Jean-Baptiste Day goal. We’re talking about the goal that sent the Habs to the Stanley Cup Final… when nobody expected them to be there.

Let’s not forget that the Habs were crowned Western champions that year. Yes, the 2021 season was weird.

And of course, at that time, Carey Price was in front of his team’s net. And that night, in fact, he was sparkling in front of his net, turning aside 37 of the 39 shots he faced.

It had been a beautiful June 24 for the goalie… and for the second time in four years, he might have a reason to celebrate St. John the Baptist Day.

The reason this time? That’s the day we’ll find out who’s been inducted into the Hall of Fame… and Price is eligible for induction this year.

In reality, Price is still an active player, as he is still under contract. He won’t announce his retirement until next summer, when his contract expires… but he’s still eligible to be inducted into the Hall as early as this year.

Remember, guys are eligible after three seasons without playing… and the last time we saw Price was in 2022.

Of course, Price isn’t necessarily guaranteed induction. That said, seeing Shea Weber inducted into the Hall last year (in his first year of eligibility) suggests that Price’s chances are pretty good.

Zdeno Chara, Joe Thornton and Duncan Keith are other newcomers to the process who have a real chance of being inducted. P.K. Subban is also eligible for the first time… but it’s harder to see a world in which he’ll be one of the inductees.

So, four years after reaching the final, Price will have another chance to become immortal on June 24. And I have a feeling he won’t have too much trouble making history next Tuesday…

Overtime

– If the Habs don’t trust David Reinbacher and Logan Mailloux…

– It’s true.

– What do you think?

– Who better than Roberto Luongo to wake up the crowd in Florida?

– Interesting.

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“I’m convinced that Connor McDavid will continue his career outside Edmonton”

Game #6 of the Stanley Cup Final kicks off in just a few minutes. The Oilers must win to force a Game #7, while the Panthers would like to lift the Cup in front of their fans tonight.

Returning to Edmonton for a game #7 is not in the reigning champions’ plans.

For the Oilers, a second Grand Final loss in two years would hurt. And for Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, as good as they are, it’s something that would hurt their legacy.

McDavid’s case is particularly interesting, as his contract expires at the end of next season. Many expect him to sign a new contract with the Oilers this summer… but Jean-Charles Lajoie isn’t necessarily convinced.

In fact, he even wonders if tonight’s game could be McDavid’s last in an Oilers uniform.

JiC explains that he doesn’t see the Oilers taking a risk like the Maple Leafs did last summer by keeping Mitch Marner without a contract extension. The host notes that if McDavid isn’t ready to sign right now, he expects the Oilers to store him around.

And Tony Marinaro doesn’t disagree, either.

That said, I don’t necessarily get the impression that McDavid wants to leave Edmonton. It’s not impossible that he might (perhaps he’s tired of his team having a revolving door in front of the net), but I have serious doubts about that.

Do you think Leon Draisaitl would really have signed an eight-year contract without being almost 100% sure McDavid was here to stay? I don’t think so.

I have the impression that this matter will be settled fairly quickly this summer and that McDavid will sign a contract that will make him the NHL’s highest-paid player (in 2026-27) a few days after July 1 at the most.

That said, it’s true that it’s not completely impossible that McDavid will play his last game in an Oilers uniform tonight. But I’ll believe it when I see it.

Overtime

– Enjoy.

– That’s right.

– Mika Zibanejad doesn’t want to be traded.

– Corey Perry would like to stay in Edmonton.

– What do you think?

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Nordiques: Luc Poirier (still) interested in bringing them back to Quebec City

Last fall, colleague Maxime Truman spoke with Luc Poirier. He recounted the main points of that interview in a text for DLC (available HERE), and among them was the subject of a Nordiques return to Quebec City.

What we learned was that, in the last decade, Poirier had tried to bring the Nordiques back. He made an offer of $800 million for an expansion team, as well as an offer of $380 million to buy out the Coyotes, but in both cases, it didn’t work out.

Why am I telling you this today? Well, in the last few days, Poirier was at the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve for the Grand Prix… and he took the opportunity to give an interview to RDS.

And in that interview, Frédéric Plante, who chatted to him on air, asked him if he was interested in investing in the world of Formula 1. Except that, obviously, the businessman isn’t necessarily interested… who has a different interest in the world of sport:

I’d rather have a team, let’s say the Nordiques return to Quebec City, I’d like that. – Luc Poirier

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Our colleagues at HabsAndLNH also reported the news.

Presumably, then, the failures of the past decade haven’t affected Poirier’s interest in bringing an NHL team back to Quebec City. He’d obviously still like to do it… even if prices have skyrocketed since he last tried to acquire a team.

Particularly since he said the NHL wasn’t really interested in returning to Quebec City at the time. And the leaders haven’t really changed since…

Now, it’s interesting to hear him say this a few weeks after Renaud Lavoie noted that “no one in Quebec is coming forward to bring a team back to Quebec City”. It was then that the idea of an American bringing a team to the capital was mooted.

So it’s safe to assume that, despite his interest, Poirier hasn’t necessarily made himself clear.

We’ll have to see if all that changes eventually, but at least there seems to be someone somewhere in Quebec who’d like to get involved in this project.

And that’s better than nothing.

Overtime

– Wow.

– Name to watch.

– Patrick Kane is expected to stay with the Red Wings.

– Well, well.

– What do you think?

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Olympic Games 2026: “Nick Suzuki is a little ahead of the game for his position with Canada”

In 2024-25, Nick Suzuki took his Habs career to another level. The captain, who led his team into the playoffs, collected 30 goals and 89 points in 82 games, becoming the first player to collect a point per game in Montreal since Alex Kovalev.

It also earned him votes for the Hart Trophy (including a first-place vote), as well as the Selke Trophy.

Because yes, beyond the points, Suzuki also contributes through his defensive play. That means he’s capable of helping his team in many ways… and with the Olympics just a few months away, where NHL players will be back, you have to wonder what that means for his chances of representing Canada.

He is, after all, the kind of player who increases his chances given his ability to contribute in a supporting role (which isn’t necessarily the case for Cole Caufield, for example).

On this subject, Eric Engels was asked by Tony Marinaro on the Sick Podcast about the chances of Suzuki playing for Canada at the next Olympics… and Engels has the impression that Suzuki has a bit of a head start on the other candidates for his position with Canada.

We know that Suzuki, who wasn’t selected by Canada for the 4 Nations Confrontation, broke everything in the final stretch of the season. Inevitably, therefore, there’s reason to believe that his candidacy has gained points in recent months.

Especially since teams can bring 25 players to the Olympics, two more than at the 4 Nations Confrontation.

The problem, though, is that there are quite a few candidates for the chair Suzuki would occupy. Guys like Robert Thomas, Macklin Celebrini and Connor Bedard, for example, could all vie for the position… but Suzuki has the advantage of playing in the Montreal market, which means he gets the spotlight more often.

That helps build a reputation.

However, the captain will need to make a strong start to the season to secure his place, as he’ll need to find a way to force the hand of management. And Engels brings up another interesting point: if Christian Dvorak doesn’t return to Montreal and isn’t really replaced, Suzuki could even more easily win points.

Dvorak’s departure would force the captain to play even more short-handed, for example… and you’d think he’d take on a role like that with Canada. If he excels at short-handed play and does it often, his candidacy will become even more interesting.

We’ll see how all this develops over the next few months, but Suzuki seems to have a real chance of joining Juraj Slafkovský as the Habs’ representative at the Olympics.

At least, he probably has a better one than Caufield and Lane Hutson.

Overtime

– Speaking of the wolf.

– Two different realities in front of the net for the Panthers and Oilers.

– Coming up.