Author: Dose

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Back in the NHL: Jonathan Toews wants to pick his team by the draft

Jonathan Toews hasn’t played in the NHL since April 13, 2023.

That’s a long time.

He stepped away from the game after the 22-23 season due to the effects of long-acting COVID and chronic immune response syndrome. But now he wants to make his NHL comeback.

And it doesn’t stop there. In the coming weeks, we should know the identity of the team he wants to play for next season.

According to David Pagnotta, the player is in the process of reviewing his options… and Toews would like to make his decision before the next draft, which will take place at the end of June.

Toews can’t sign his contract right now, and must wait until July 1 to do so. But he does have the right, at the moment, to choose his team and reach a verbal agreement with it:

Where will he play?

That’s the thousand-dollar question.

But it doesn’t matter: knowing he’s on the verge of returning to the NHL is good news. We’re talking about one of the best players and leaders in the history of the league, and it’s going to be special to see him play in his first game in over two years.

I really wonder what his game will be like when he’s able to make his comeback.

Toews had slowed down considerably in his last two seasons in Chicago, and after missing so much time, it’s sure to take some getting used to for the former Blackhawks captain.

On the other hand, we know he has undeniable qualities in the dressing room, and it’s there above all, in my eyes, that he’ll be able to help a National League club.

He has leadership, he wore the C on his jersey for several years in Chicago, he knows what it takes to win because he has 3 Stanley Cup rings and we’re also talking about a guy who is truly respected throughout the National League.

It now remains to be seen where he wants to pursue his career after taking a long break.

Overtime

– The two-headed monster is due for a big game #4.

– I’m going with Kucherov.

– Oh.

– Another team (yet) for KD.

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Nicolas Hague: here are three Eastern teams battling the Habs for his services

The Canadiens are interested in Nicolas Hague, as you no doubt know.

Does Kent Hughes have what it takes to secure the services of the Vegas defenseman, who will earn quite a bit more than $2.3 M per year for the rest of his career?

And if so, is he ready to give the Knights a run for their money and beat out other teams in the race for his services?

Hague, who will be a free agent WITH restrictions this summer, is possibly expecting to be traded since the Golden Knights have warned their player that there’s a chance he’ll leave. #SalaryQuestion

But where to?

The site The Fourth Period has written an article on the subject. And what we notice is that a few Eastern teams are mentioned, along with the Canadiens, among the interested teams.

The Red Wings, Penguins and Flyers are said to be interested. So, inevitably, these are the Canadiens’ adversaries in this matter.

Of course, there could be more. There will be more, in fact.

But the fact that three Eastern teams (including a division rival) are involved reminds us that there’s no guarantee that Kent Hughes will get his hands on the defenseman who would help the Habs get bigger. That’s a goal this summer.

What could hurt the Habs, however, is the fact that the Knights might like to take advantage of the deal to get their hands on a top-6 winger. And unless the club likes Patrik Laine and his fat contract, the Habs don’t have too many top-6 wingers.

We’ll know more around the draft, when Hague’s rights could be traded.

overtime

– One to watch.

– Of note.

– Hmm…

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Norris: Lane Hutson receives third-place vote

Unsurprisingly, Cale Makar won the Norris. #Mérité

He received 176 of the 191 first-place votes available, clearly demonstrating that he was the favorite to get his hands on the honor. It wasn’t even close.

Here’s how the NHL announced it.

But as is the case every time a player wins such an honor, we’ll see who finished behind him. After all, Zach Werenski, Quinn Hughes and Makar weren’t the only ones to get votes.

So clearly, we’re going to see if Lane Hutson received any votes. His agent did too, so he probably checked. #Contract

We see that out of 191 voters, 28 chose to place the American defender, who won the Calder this season, on their ballot. He even received a third-place vote.

Five people voted for Hutson in fourth place and 22 chose him at #5, which is the last rank allowed. After all, these are ballots of five votes only, no more.

It says a lot that 28 people think Lane Hutson was one of the league’s top five defensemen. And it shows just how much respect there is for him.

Reminder: Hutson is a rookie.

In addition to the finalists, Josh Morrissey, Victor Hedman, Rasmus Dahlin, Thomas Harley and Jaccob Slavin finished ahead of him. They’re all hams on the ice, of course.

And even behind him, there are some big names. So no, Hutson isn’t just a “powerplay specialist” in the NHL… and we wonder if that’s a clue as to his place at the Olympics, in 2026.

overtime

– Speak of the devil.

– News from CF Montreal.

– Indeed.

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Rumor mill: Chris Kreider has the Ducks on his no-trade list

Last night, we learned that the Anaheim Ducks are well on their way to acquiring Chris Kreider. The Rangers and the California club are said to be in intensive talks on the subject.

The veteran New York Ranger has been in the rumour mill for the past year, and we suspect he’ll be leaving this summer. He’s earning an average of $6.5m a year for another two years.

But it’s a challenge to get him out of New York. After all, you first have to find the right price to convince the Rangers to let him go to California.

But there’s more.

On Kreider’s 15-team no-trade list are the Ducks, according to Pierre LeBrun. So the Rangers player needs to be convinced to get up and go to Anaheim.

Warning: just because the Ducks are on his list doesn’t mean he doesn’t want to go there. Sometimes, some players put teams who can afford to go get him on the list in order to get control.

Why take one of the 15 spots on your list for a club that doesn’t have the space to go get you?

So we’ll see what the main interested party decides. But discussions continue, which leads me to believe that there is a path to an official transaction in the case of Kreider.

To be continued.

Mitch Marner in Columbus?

The Columbus Blue Jackets have already tried to get their hands on Mitch Marner. That was in 2019, when he was in a position to receive an offer sheet from another team.

And now, in 2025, the Blue Jackets should try again. Aaron Portzline (The Athletic) wrote about it.

The Blue Jackets are surely looking to replace Johnny Gaudreau, who tragically passed away in 2024. Marner would be a good candidate… provided the Ohio city is in his sights.

I can’t see him there, but who knows?

Contracts soon in Toronto?

The Toronto Maple Leafs have a few issues to deal with – apart from Mitch Marner, who really seems to be on track to sign a contract elsewhere for the rest of his career.

And on that subject, according to James Mirtle, John Tavares and Matthew Knies could sign contract extensions in the next week or two, just before the draft.

Tavares will be an unrestricted free agent in a few weeks if he doesn’t sign. He’s expected to take a big discount from the $11M he’s received in the past.

What about Knies? His entry-level contract expires in July and he’ll be entitled to a raise. The Maple Leafs want to sign him before July 1, to neutralize the threat of a hostile offer sheet.

overtime

– Hey boy.

– RNH: will he play tomorrow?

– Interesting.

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“We’ll see” – Lane Hutson regarding a contract announcement

Lane Hutson is the talk of the town these days.

It seems that the fact he won the Calder, awarded to the NHL’s Rookie of the Year, has brought contract issues to the forefront. And that’s to be expected.

Jean-Nicolas Blanchet even wonders if he’ll sign for $100 million.

It was a good opportunity under the circumstances to see BPM Sports’ Maxime Lalonde ask Hutson in an interview this morning what he had to say about a contract.

The host went about it in a roundabout way – and it was well done. He asked the Canadiens defenseman if it would be worth it to buy his child a Lane Hutson #48 jersey.

Would we be able to keep the jersey for eight years? And will we find out soon, do you think? – Maxime Lalonde

Lane Hutson obviously found it comical before replying that we’ll see. He added that he loved being in Montreal, and took the opportunity to repeat that we’ll see what happens.

You can listen to it here. The question was asked at the end of the interview between the two men on the morning show .

Of course, it’s important to remember that Lane Hutson doesn’t have to sign now, and can wait a year. He may even sign a bridge contract in a year’s time before signing long-term.

But if the past is a guarantee of the future for the Calder winner, Maxime Lalonde can buy a Lane Hutson jersey with peace of mind.

overtime

– Wow.

– Speaking of Lane Hutson.

– Wow.

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Justin Carbonneau and e-mail: a storm in a teapot, according to several teams

Recently, Justin Carbonneau has been in the news for all the wrong reasons.

The young Québécois, whose attitude has been questioned by some, has been at the heart of a story about himself. We’re talking about the one about him firing his agent by e-mail.

The guys from the Tellement Hockey podcast were the first to mention it, saying it was all the rage for all the wrong reasons.

But now, the latest NHL scam has clearly set the record straight. I say this because Nicolas Cloutier and Anthony Martineau have addressed the subject.

And what did they come up with? From what they’ve learned, many teams aren’t too worried about the situation. There’s even been a misunderstanding, since written proof is required in such cases.

That’s the version they have at the moment.

You can read what they have to say about Carbonneau, but also about several other prospects, in a good text published on the TVA Sports site on the heels of the end of the combine.

Not only does this story not seem to be a major factor in the decision to draft Carbonneau, but it should also be mentioned that the Québécois’ popularity rating is currently on the rise.

Increasingly, it’s possible that the QMJHL product could emerge before the Canadiens’ picks. Maybe even in the top-10?

I’m not sure how much the Canadiens want him. After all, the fact that they’ve met just about every prospect available means we don’t know what the Habs are going to do.

And that’s assuming the Habs don’t trade their picks.

overtime

– Listen now.

– Comical.

– Really?

– Georges Laraque: it’s not over for the Oilers. [BPM Sports]

– Definitely.

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“Everyone knows that Connor McDavid will be the first $20 million-a-year player.”

A year from now, Connor McDavid can become a free agent.

Should we expect him to leave Edmonton? Not necessarily, no. In fact, even if the rumours were true, I’d still be surprised to see McJesus play anywhere other than Alberta.

We could be surprised, but… let’s just say it would be quite a surprise.

A big clue that McDavid will stay with Jeff Jackson and Kris Knoblauch in Edmonton is the fact that Leon Draisaitl, one year away from his 2024 independence, has chosen to stay with the Oilers for the long term.

Would he have chosen to stay knowing that McDavid was on his way out? Possibly not.

And on that subject, Renaud Lavoie talked about the Oilers captain this morning with Maxime Lalonde and Anthony Desaulniers on BPM Sports. He talked about the contract he’s in line to sign.

Not only did he say nothing to suggest that McJesus will leave Edmonton, but Lavoie added this:

Everyone knows that Connor McDavid will be the first $20-million-a-year player. – Renaud Lavoie

What the journalist mentions is that Draisaitl earns $14 million a year and signed the contract when the salary cap was around $80 million a season.

And not only is McDavid better, but the cap will soon be $110 million.

Remember that in the NHL, players and teams operate on the percentage of the cap. McDavid, who could therefore sign for $160 million, will thus be visibly approaching the 20% that a player is entitled to have under the cap.

Will the Oilers be able to win with two players earning $34 million a year? We’ll see. But in the meantime, winning this year, when the guys are earning a more reasonable salary, might be a good idea.

extension

Renaud Lavoie reminds us that Patrice Bergerons who leave money on the table to establish a winning culture within a team aren’t a common sight.

And that’s even if Leon Draisaitl said he could have had more than $14 million.

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Chris Kreider: Rangers in advanced talks with Ducks

Over the past season, Chris Kreider’s relationship with the Rangers has not been a happy one. We learned that the club was trying to trade him… and it came out of the blue.

After all, he’s a big part of that line-up, and was coming off 52-, 36- and 39-goal seasons.

But clearly, in 2024-25, it didn’t work out. The veteran still scored 22 goals in 68 games, but only eight assists. And seeing him sidelined at some point during the season sent a strong message.

So we wondered if Kreider would be on the market again this summer… and now, in the last few minutes, Frank Seravalli has reported that there are “advanced discussions” between the Rangers and the Ducks about Kreider.

And no, they’re not discussing his favorite meal: it would be for a deal sending Kreider to Anaheim.

Seravalli insists, however, that there is no agreement at present. That said, there is a basis in place… and it could move as early as tomorrow.

However, both teams are working on other issues at the moment. That’s why there’s no deal in place right now.

We know that the Ducks want to be aggressive this summer, and in Kreider, they would be getting their hands on a big power forward who could perhaps relaunch his career away from New York. After all, he was still a very useful player before his 2024-25 season… and it’s logical to think that his relationship with the team has affected his performance.

For a young team like the Ducks, a guy like Kreider could help both on the ice and in the dressing room.

We’ll keep an eye on everything tomorrow, but it’s not impossible that Kreider will become a Duck before long. To be continued.

Extension

Remember that Kreider has just turned 34 and is still under contract for two years at an annual salary of $6.5 million.

He can also submit a list of 15 teams to whom he refuses to be traded… but it’s safe to assume that if discussions with the Ducks are “advanced”, they’re unlikely to be on his list.

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Series in 2025-26: “It won’t necessarily be the Habs’ goal”

In 2024-25, the Canadiens wanted to be #InTheMix. That was the phrase repeated at the golf tournament… and in the end, the Habs weren’t #InTheMix: they were #InThePlayoffs.

Well, to be in the playoffs is to be in the mix… but you get the point: the club exceeded expectations.

In the eyes of many, therefore, the Habs have reached a new stage in their rebuilding. But a new stage also means higher expectations, and suddenly there are quite a few people in Montreal who think that for the Habs, qualifying for the playoffs in 2025-26 would be the least they could do.

On the Tellement Hockey podcast, Alexandre Gascon talked a bit about all this… and listening to him, we understand that his impression is that this isn’t necessarily how the Habs management sees things.

His feeling is that they don’t necessarily see a need for results in 2025-26… and that we should perhaps expect another year when the club hopes to be #InTheMix (changing the expression, of course) rather than #InTheSeries.

Gascon notes that he gets the impression that management feels they still have time… and that’s not necessarily unrelated to what they said at their end-of-season press briefing.

They often insisted that the team might be even younger next year, and while they want to try to improve, they didn’t sound like two men aiming for the Stanley Cup as early as 2025-26, let’s say.

And obviously, in many people’s eyes, that would be a disappointing result after making the playoffs this year… but it wouldn’t necessarily be out of the ordinary either. The development of a team, after all, doesn’t happen in a linear fashion, and the Habs were a bit lucky to qualify this year.

It caught fire at the right time and all the other teams fell apart… and it still required a win in the 82nd game of the season, a game in which the Hurricanes didn’t play their regulars.

Even if Ivan Demidov has a big first season and the Habs go looking for 1-2 pieces to improve their team, it wouldn’t be the end of the world if the club found itself out of the playoff picture. The important thing, once again next year, will be to see the important pieces of the core step up.

And if that means another year of being #InTheMix, so be it… although, of course, it’s always nicer to see them #InThePlayoffs.

Overtime

– Cole Caufield teases Lane Hutson.

– What do you think?

– To listen to Mathieu Darche’s appearance on La Poche Bleue, click here. It starts around 1:08.

– Nice read.

– I think so too.

– Could any of these players be of interest to the Habs?

– Whew.

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Matty Beniers: if the Habs want a perfect center for Ivan Demidov, they must talk to the Kraken

The question of the famous second center in Montreal is undoubtedly the most talked-about issue of the coming month. We’ve seen this year that Nick Suzuki, as good as he is, needs help… and with Ivan Demidov playing the whole of next season in town, finding him his center is a must.

The problem, though, is that the Habs are far from the only team that wants a center… and few teams are willing to sell a player who might be what the Habs are looking for. So it’s not necessarily likely that the club will find a solution to this problem this summer.

But obviously, that would be the goal… and there’s one name that’s been on my mind for a long time: Matty Beniers.

And that’s why seeing Marco D’Amico, who held a Q&A session on Reddit tonight, bring up Beniers’ name as the kind of center that would be perfect for Demidov, it caught my attention.

He put him in the same category as Anton Lundell, another name that has come up recently.

Beniers is a 22-year-old left-handed center (he’ll be 23 this November) who has been rolling with the Kraken for the past few years. He’s signed until 2031 at just over $7 million a year… and when you look at all that, you wonder why the Kraken would trade him.

Beniers has been a bit stagnant offensively since his NHL debut. After a 57-point campaign in his rookie year (which won him the Calder Trophy, by the way), he’s managed just 37 and 43 points in his last two seasons.

That leaves something to be desired for a player who earns $7 million a year… especially since the Kraken is also banking on Jared McCann, as well as Shane Wright, who will eventually make the move to Seattle. And it makes you wonder if the Kraken might suddenly be tempted to part with Beniers to improve elsewhere.

So, if the Habs are willing to pay the big price, there’s an option in Seattle that’s the ideal prototype for his second-center role. His production is a little worrisome, but playing with a guy like Ivan Demidov could help him get back to the player he was at the start of his career.

And he’s also an excellent defensive player who wins face-offs: for the Habs, who are in desperate need of a left-handed center, Beniers fits the bill on many levels, especially since he’s in the same age bracket as the rest of the core.

I’m not saying that Beniers is coming to Montreal tomorrow morning, far from it. What I am saying is that if the Habs want the second center who ticks all the boxes they’re looking for and could be moved to Ivan Demidov for several years, maybe they could drop the Kraken a line to see if there’s a way to get Beniers out of Seattle.

And maybe in the end, in a way, passing up Shane Wright in the draft could help the Habs get their second center.

Overtime

– Here’s the Senators’ new uniform.

– Stars coach: watch for Alain Nasreddine.

– Vincent Desharnais attended… and it was quite something.

– What do you think?

– Do you agree?