Author: Dose

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Here’s why Lane Hutson may not sign a quick contract this summer

When we think of the Canadiens’ summer projects, we often talk about possible acquisitions that could be made to improve the club. The question of a second center is one that often comes up… and the next few weeks are likely to be decisive in this matter.

With the draft coming up and the free agent market set to open in the next month, it’s going to get a lot of attention.

That said, the club still has a number of internal issues to deal with. They’ll have to decide whether to keep their unrestricted free agents in the making (Christian Dvorak and Joel Armia), but there’s also the case of Lane Hutson that’s got everyone talking.

The diminutive defenseman, who broke all records this season, is still under contract for next season. That said, as of July 1, he can sign a contract extension… and there are a ton of fans who’d love to see him sign long-term in town.

Because clearly, he’s a special talent.

However, Arpon Basu (The Athletic) has published an interesting article in which he concludes that it wouldn’t be particularly surprising if this case took a long time to settle… because everyone benefits from patience.

Comparing the case of the Habs defenseman to that of other defensemen in the same situation over the past few years, we can see that Hutson is already substantially at the peak of his value. After all, he’s already broken it all this season… and even another big offensive campaign wouldn’t boost his value too much, given that he’s already done it.

In fact, what might boost his value might be if he takes it to the next level defensively… but then again, it’s for his offensive skills that #48 will break the bank.

Hutson’s camp, meanwhile, would be well advised to wait in the event that Kent Hughes, who has demonstrated over the past few years that he’s willing to wait to get the deal he’s looking for, isn’t willing to pay the big price, especially if he feels he’d rather not overpay for a defenseman who has excelled, yes, but in extremely favorable minutes.

Hutson hasn’t had to deal with big defensive assignments this season, after all… and maybe the Habs will try to hit that nail on the head to get the price down.

I get the impression that the defenseman would like to settle this as quickly as possible so he can concentrate on hockey… but there’s a world out there in which this file is dragging on a bit because negotiations are a little more complicated than expected. And while Hughes signed Juraj Slafkovský long-term the first day he could, he was also willing to wait another year with Cole Caufield.

And Hutson isn’t eligible to sign an offer sheet next summer… which means that even if it drags on into the off-season next year, the Habs aren’t risking much.

At his end-of-season press briefing, we got the impression that Kent Hughes wasn’t in any particular hurry to settle the matter… and when you look at the situation, it’s a little easier to understand why.

Still, I have a feeling that the defenseman will have a long-term deal in his pocket before the start of the 2025-26 season… but maybe it won’t come on July 1 either. And if it does come on July 1, it’ll probably mean that the Habs got him at a (very) good price.

Overtime

– Jake Oettinger looks back at the sequence in which Peter DeBoer pulled him from the game.

– Interesting.

– Phew.

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Michael Hage will be (really) better surrounded in the NCAA this year

Michael Hage had a very solid first campaign in the NCAA. The CH prospect, drafted in the first round of the last draft, has been so good that some already see him as a future second center for the Habs.

13 goals and 34 points in 33 games in his first year in the NCAA, that’s not bad at all.

But what makes it all the more impressive is that the Habs prospect wasn’t particularly well surrounded in Michigan. After all, at 18, he was the best player on that team… which isn’t exactly a good sign for the team.

But that’s all likely to change next year, because the Wolverines are working hard to attract talent. And clearly, the club likes to scout the CHL… and just this morning, they were able to add goaltender Jack Ivankovic to their roster. We’re talking about a goalie who could go in the first round of the next draft.

And in addition to Ivankovic, the club also got hold of Malcolm Spence (who could be a target for the Habs in the first round), Jayden Perron and Henry Mews (in addition to Will Horcoff, who was already there)… and according to Marco D’Amico, other names could follow.

All of which means that next year, Hage will have talent galore at his side. He won’t be a one-man show (or almost): he’ll have other excellent players to share the ice with.

And that’s a good thing for his development: being able to play with guys who’ll give him a helping hand will give him an experience closer to what he’ll experience in the pros… and he’ll be able to learn to shine without always being the star of the show.

At the moment, several big names from the CHL are leaving to join the NCAA… and clearly, the Wolverines are betting big on this: the club is very active in trying to improve its group with guys who played in Canadian junior.

Not ideal for Canadian junior hockey, we agree… but at least it’ll help one of the Canadiens’ best prospects in 2025-26.

Overtime

– Nice read.

– Will he be able to shine in the final?

– Pole position for Oscar Piastri in Spain.

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One word to describe the Habs’ main prospects in Laval

We’ve had the chance to see a lot of Rocket hockey lately, including all the playoff games, two of which were in Laval, in person (!), at the always friendly Place Bell.

So let’s have a quick update on the Canadiens’ top prospects on the other end of the orange line.

One word to describe them. Simple as that.

Logan Mailloux: Questionable hockey IQ.
We could talk about good and not-so-good sequences in Mailloux’s case. For example, excellent against Cleveland, inconsistent against Rochester and atrocious against Charlotte(a little boo-boo?). But, more generally, as much as Mailloux is an excellent athlete capable of making big plays here and there (spectacular climbs, shots into the top corner, hard-hitting checks), he can also make two or three glaring and costly mistakes in the same game, not to mention his too many stupid penalties.

Here he is at his best:

But at the professional level, a defenseman isn’t allowed to commit turnovers galore on the blue lines, to “mismanage the puck” or to consistently miss his coverages in defensive territory. Mailloux also has trouble defending with his stick and controlling space and defensive angles against forwards.

In his second season in Laval, the 32nd overall pick in 2021 is still guilty of these kinds of sins, quite a bit every night. He’s almost become “predictable” in the wrong sense of the word… At this point, is it just inconsistency or simply a lack of hockey IQ?

Mailloux still has a lot of polishing to do if he wants to reach the next level. As much as we’d like to “use him to his strengths” as Anthony Martineau wishes, right now we wonder which NHL coach would want this kind of defenseman in his lineup night after night…

David Reinbacher: Smart.
Basically, everything Mailloux does wrong, Reinbacher does right. Of course, one might want to see more “big plays” from a5th overall pick. That’s normal, it comes with the territory. But short of repeated spectacular sequences, Reinbacher rarely makes “bad plays” and produces an industrial quantity of simple, effective, solid and intelligent little plays.

Defensive rebounds. Excellent stick. Defensive angles. Short, rhythmic passes out of the zone. Flair for supporting the forward out of the zone and into attacking territory. Regular shot that hits the net. Eliminates rival’s stick in front of net. Controlled strength. All things we see from him every game, several times a game. He even added a weberesque inbound shot from the right circle on the powerplay, a new string to his bow, a weapon we wouldn’t hate to see him polish further in the years to come.

Reinbacher is exactly the kind of player who will benefit from playing with better players who have more or less his intelligence. The perfect complement to Lane Hutson. Perhaps as early as next season.

Adam Engstrom: Intriguing.
Undoubtedly one of the Rocket’s best players against Rochester and Charlotte. The higher the stakes, the better the Swede. He particularly excels when on the move with the puck on his stick. As many have noticed lately, he’s fluid and agile on skates, reminiscent of Mike Matheson.

Not bad hands, not a bad shot either. Rather lanky, he needs to get a little stronger physically and sometimes fears the robust game. But he also knows how to pick his moments to put the opposition in check and, in all and everywhere, we regularly see him competing and trying to make a difference. The 92ndpick in 2022 remains ahead of Mailloux in my evaluations. A good summer of practice, a full season as the Rocket’s #1 or #2 defenseman in 2025-2026, and then who knows where Engstrom will be playing in 2026-2027… NHL games are on the horizon.

Owen Beck: As advertised.
At 21, this young player has the basic qualities to enjoy a successful career as a fourth-line center in the NHL, while also having the versatility to fill in elsewhere in the lineup as needed. Excellent on face-offs, the Ontarian, the 32nd pick in 2022, skates vigorously and hits his opponents hard. He’s like a faster, physically stronger Jake Evans. Beck also has an excellent wrist shot that he would benefit from using more.

For the rest, while he remains a fairly intelligent player, he lacks guile, finesse and raw talent. Can he reach another level in the AHL before making it to the NHL for good? That’s probably what we’re hoping for from the Canadiens.

Florian Xhekaj : Unicorn.

The proverbial “brother of the other” has been the flavour of the past few months in Laval. Not without reason. He scores, plays well defensively and isn’t particularly pleasant to play against. An intelligent player who positions himself well without the puck and executes rather quickly and efficiently with it. Not a bad feel for the game, nor a bad skate, nor bad hands.

In fact, this4th-round pick is exactly on his way to becoming the “unicorn” that Nick Bobrov spectacularly told us he would be in the 2023 draft. But he shouldn’t take anything for granted. No one is going to hand him an NHL job on a silver platter next fall. He’ll have to earn it. As with Beck, perhaps there’s still some polishing to be done in Laval before taking the next step in Florian’s case, whether at center or wing. But the Habs are in dire need of players like him in their line-up… and, when the time comes, it may not necessarily be on the 4th line…

Sean Farrell: Still alive!
Like good old Gerry, Sean Farrell must be the one “looking forward”. Because, against all odds, he’s not done yet. Farrell probably has the best vision, the best sense of the game and the best pace of play (big improvement here) among Rocket forwards. The man who “clicked” and recorded 35 points in his last 30 regular-season games is often half a second ahead of the other players. This allows him to quickly identify his team-mates, or to free himself in the enclave, where he can shoot without warning or deflect shots.

While he remains tiny on the ice, he has gained in explosion and power, which were his main shortcomings. In short, we’ll have to wait and see what kind of summer the Habs will have, who will leave and who will arrive, but Farrell just has to keep believing and working hard in the gym if he wants to “leave his mark”. A good practice camp, a few minor injuries here and there, and a path to the NHL could open up for “the one who goes for it, head in the brambles”.

Joshua Roy: “Yé mieux de comprendre”.
That’s probably what the subtle Michel Therrien would say to him(see White, Ryan)! Roy was undoubtedly the most disappointing player in the entire organization in 2024-2025. In fact, it was a REGRESSION. He lost an almost guaranteed position on the third line in Montreal. It started with a very bad practice camp and never really recovered. If there really hasn’t been any progress on the ice, the source of the problems seems to be off the ice in his case. Although he had a few good moments in the playoffs, this season in Montreal and Laval, the Beauceron often seemed a little hungry, a little distracted, a little disengaged.

The 5th-round pick in 2021 must focus on one thing this summer: practicing and becoming a true professional. That’s what another Beauceron is telling him: no more fooling around. He’s got to get stronger and more explosive, and he’ll have to eat tape at practice camp. Whether that happens here or elsewhere remains to be seen..

Good luck to the Rocket this spring! They’re “hard to play against”, these Checkers…

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Claude Giroux and the Senators: serious contract talks as early as next week

The Montreal Canadiens’ clear objective this summer is to add a second center to their roster to support Ivan Demidov, and thus enable the young Russian to have a good first season in the NHL.

The goal is to surround the 19-year-old prodigy with a competent center capable of leading a line.

The Habs have several options open to them, and this invites all fans to debate which is the best option.

Some would still prefer to think about the future by adding a young, established NHL center, while others would much rather have a veteran who will only be around for a few years.

In the end, it’s the Habs who will decide, and they’ll have to live with that decision and believe in it.

In the meantime, we can continue to speculate on the various names still available, before some leave the Habs’ list of possibilities.

Because yes, some options on the list will eventually be crossed off.

And one of them could be crossed off as early as next week, when Claude Giroux holds serious discussions for a potential new contract with the Ottawa Senators.

So, if discussions go well, a new contract announcement with the Sens for Giroux could be announced very soon.

The Habs would then have one less veteran option.

On the other hand, if discussions aren’t positive, things could quickly lead to a clear-cut divorce between Giroux and the Sens.

And in that case, Giroux would land on the free agent market, becoming a nice free option for the Habs.

All this knowing that Giroux would love to play in Montreal.

The 37-year-old veteran is still capable of producing, having scored 50 points this season.

His experience and especially his efficiency in the face-off circle could be very beneficial to the Habs, and especially to Ivan Demidov.

He’d be an excellent, stable support whose contribution would be known without question, helping the Habs for a few years while Michael Hage waits.

In short, we’ll have to keep a close eye on the discussions between the two camps next week.

Overtime

– To listen to.

– Impressive.

– To be continued.

– Logical.

– Bravo.

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Jonathan Toews in Anaheim: it makes a lot of sense, says Elliotte Friedman

In the last few days, we learned via Pierre LeBrun that Jonathan Toews had informed his agent Pat Brisson that he was 100% considering a return to the National Hockey League for the 2025-2026 season.

The 37-year-old former Chicago Blackhawks star will soon begin taking calls from various NHL teams in preparation for the free agent market, which opens on July 1.

So Toews really wants to get back into the NHL, and despite his age and two-year break, when a name like that is available, there’s interest.

Three Canadian teams – the Oilers, Jets and Maple Leafs – are already said to be interested.

In short, with this announcement, the rumour mill obviously got into overdrive, as various informants began to take the pulse of the matter via several NHL teams.

There was also speculation that Toews, who speaks French very well, could end up in Montreal.

More recently, however, and with much more concrete information, the name of the Anaheim Ducks came out of the mouth of Elliotte Friedman.

Indeed, the reputable tipster sincerely believes that Toews in Anaheim is a reunion that would make a lot of sense.

The addition of such a veteran on Anaheim’s side would clearly help establish a better culture going forward with all the very talented young players coming through and already progressing with the big club.

Although Toews will clearly be rusty, his experience will be extremely important in the dressing room, and he’ll bring a lot more than just points to the table.

The veteran will therefore be a coveted asset on the market, and also one that is likely to help some teams make decisions.

And in Anaheim, if the rumors are to be believed, there are still some important decisions to be made.

Indeed, Trevor Zegras and Mason McTavish remain two names that circulate a lot in trade rumors, and so, by adding a center like Toews, the Ducks might feel more comfortable letting another one go.

On paper, trading a young player for a 37-year-old veteran may sound ridiculous, but in the Ducks’ case, they have so many good young forwards, they can afford to trade one, or even two, to rebalance their lineup.

And that’s where the Canadiens could come in.

It’s no secret that the Habs are looking for a center, and McTavish is one of the options.

So is Zegras, but let’s just say he’s becoming less and less popular.

So there’s a world in which adding Toews to Anaheim benefits the Habs, who clearly have what it takes to uproot one of the Ducks’ young centers.

We’ll keep a close eye on everything.

Overtime

– Happy Birthday, Joel!

– Read on.

– An addition to keep an eye on next season in New Jersey.

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Trois-Rivières Lions: from near bankruptcy to Kelly Cup final

Last April, the Montreal Canadiens’ Trois-Rivières-based reserve club was on the brink of collapse.

Despite the nice project and the nice idea of adding a third-tier team to the Habs hierarchy, the Lions were really in a bad way, as they were on the verge of bankruptcy, and therefore on the verge of losing their team.

A move seemed imminent, but in the end, the team was saved by the skin of its teeth.

In short, unlike the Newfoundland Growlers, who were in the same situation at the time, the Lions survived, much to the delight of hockey fans in Trois-Rivières.

As a result, the Canadiens kept their ECHL affiliate, which helped the Laval Rocket to better manage its roster by recalling Lions players on occasion.

And now, just over a year later, much to everyone’s surprise, the Trois-Rivières Lions are in the Kelly Cup final, which kicks off tonight.

They will face the Toledo Walleye. Game #1 will be held in Toledo, Ohio, starting at 7:15pm.

The Lions have gone from near-inevitable bankruptcy to the ECHL Finals in the space of just over a year.

It’s an absolutely astonishing turnaround, and all the better for it.

It’s also worth noting that, to qualify for the final, the Lions defeated the three-time Kelly Cup champions, the Florida Eveblades.

We don’t often, if ever, talk about the Lions, but in this case, it’s well worth highlighting this great achievement.

A lot of good people are involved in managing and setting up this team in Trois-Rivières, and it’s totally deserved.

The whole staff must be so happy and excited about this incredible season, which could be crowned with an ECHL championship.

Seriously, that would be absolutely brilliant, and would help attract even more people to Trois-Rivières at Colisée Vidéotron.

Here are the dates for the final series, in case you’d like to check it out.

Note that the Lions’ top scorers in the playoffs are Alex Beaucage and Anthony Beauregard, with 14 points each in 16 games.

Overtime

– Read more.

– For those interested.

– Please note.

– Nice win for the Alouettes.

– Ohtani gets the better of Judge.

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Alex Ovechkin’s last season in the NHL: his wife adds insult to injury

The 2024-2025 National Hockey League season was marked by many great moments.

Whether it’s the birth of hockey in Utah, the great success of the Four Nations tournament, or the return of Gabriel Landeskog, we’ve been spoiled this season.

But nothing comes close to beating Alex Ovechkin, who broke Wayne Gretzky’s goal-scoring record this season.

897 goals is absolutely enormous, and it’s the kind of legendary career we may never see again.

So we’re lucky to have been able to experience it, and to have seen Ovi break the record this season.

The question now is what’s next for Ovechkin in the NHL.

At 39 years of age, he’s accomplished all he can, which leads us to believe that the end is nigh for Ovi, as reported in an e-mail in the last few days.

And on the subject of how next season could be the “Great 8’s” last in the NHL, Ovechkin’s wife spoke along the same lines.

In an exclusive interview with aif.ru’s Olga Shablinskaya, Nastya Ovechkina stated that her husband would play the final year of his contract with the Washington Capitals, after which they would move to Moscow.

She thus made it clear that the next campaign will most likely be Ovechkina’s last in the NHL, and that afterwards, when he’s 40, he’ll move with his family to his hometown, where it all began for him.

It now remains to be seen whether Ovechkin will decide to play in the KHL by signing a contract in Moscow.

In short, even though the Washington Capitals have denied the rumour that Ovechkin will retire after next season, everything points in that direction, especially with his own wife talking about it as the plan.

It should also be noted that Nastya Ovechkina stated in her interview that the 2024-2025 season had been very difficult for her husband, because he felt so much pressure to break Gretzky’s record.

Now that it’s done, Ovechkina simply wants her husband to have fun in his final season, doing what he loves best – playing hockey.

In the end, it’s clearly a shame to feel the end coming for such a great legend, and especially, one might have hoped that he would perhaps try to reach the 1,000-goal plateau, but well, we can understand that enough is enough.

Overtime

– To be continued today.

– Montreal CF players’ predictions for the Champions League final.

– What a crazy transfer.

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Mitch Marner could have become a member of the Vegas Golden Knights

The Toronto Maple Leafs have been eliminated early yet again, and there’s panic in town.

Is Auston Matthews really the ideal captain and leader for Toronto?

Are Stolarz and Woll two goalies who can bring you a Stanley Cup?

Should Mitch Marner and Matthews be separated? Do they have what it takes to win big honors together?

All questions that are regularly asked, but the one that comes up most is whether Marner will re-sign in Toronto or test the free agent market and choose his next destination.

The latter seems to be the more plausible option, and I personally believe that the Leafs need to separate Matthews and Marner to be successful.

Based on whatElliotte Friedman recently said on the 32 Thoughts Podcast, the Leafs have tried to trade him in the past.

The Leafs looked to the Vegas Golden Knights for a trade involving Marner and Shea Theodore last summer.

It would have completely changed the Leafs’ (and Knights’) look, and we could have seen a longer run for both teams.

Having Marner alongside Jack Eichel and Mark Stone is interesting.

On the other hand, the Leafs with a one-two punch on defense with Morgan Rielly and Shea Theodore, that changes a defensive brigade.

And we know that Toronto needs more impact defensemen.

Rielly is very good, but Theodore would still be the club’s best defender.

And we all know: it’s defense that wins championships.

Although the Oilers could prove that having two of the best forwards in the world and only one (very) good defenseman is enough.

I have my doubts, though, because the Florida Panthers team is perfectly built to win the Stanley Cup.

But with Theodore (and possibly more in return for Marner), the Leafs would clearly be a team to watch (for real) in the playoffs and not just in the season.

Overtime

– Caleb Desnoyers scored both of his team’s goals in the loss.

– Hard to say no.

– What a story.

– Seth Jarvis is quite right: it’s extremely difficult to score in the NHL.

– Read more.

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“I haven’t reached that level yet, but I hope I will” – Jesperi Kotkaniemi

Jesperi Kotkaniemi wasn’t the most popular player during his time in Montreal.

Clearly, he was drafted too early, but the Habs sorely needed a center and he was the best available.

In hindsight, it’s easy to see why the Habs passed on him when they chose the Finn over Brady Tkachuk.

Kotkaniemi has always been nonchalant, with an attitude of “it doesn’t matter, everything’s fine” when it wasn’t fine, something that always sort of annoyed me.

And in the wake of the Carolina Hurricanes’ elimination in the Eastern Final, KK had other words to say that “everything’s beautiful” in his case.

The way he said it makes me think he thinks it’s going to magically fall from the sky.

And that’s really not how it works in the NHL.

You have to work your ass off and find ways to improve what needs to be improved, take steps to find out what’s wrong and figure out why you’re not producing up to expectations.

You don’t hope “it will happen”, you do everything you can to make it happen.

He could take a leaf out of Lane Hutson’s book, as he’s on the ice every chance he gets.

As RDS mentioned in the tweet above, Kotkaniemi hasn’t scored in his last 32 games (!!!), which is far from ideal for a third overall pick.

His best season was 43 points in 2022-23, which isn’t exactly stellar for a guy drafted 3rd overall.

Now 24, he still hasn’t reached the potential the Habs drafted him for, and it’s questionable whether he’ll ever really be an NHL impact player.

With 33 points this season and a (very) long drought of scoreless games, we wouldn’t bet much, if anything, on him.

Overtime

– He was an accomplice on both Moncton Wildcats goals in this semi-final.

– Is this really the year of the Oilers?

– Wow!

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Two 1st round choices and two 2nd round choices for the 3rd: The Snake does it running

Every year, the NHL draft is the talk of the town.

Several different lists come out over the course of the season, and there’s always a reaction.

There are also many rumors circulating about teams who would like to move up in the standings to draft a more interesting player.

The Montreal Canadiens have the 16th and 17th picks this summer in a draft that lacks depth.

And with Caleb Desnoyers likely to be selected in the top five, it stands to reason that the Habs are rumored to be interested in drafting him.

In the latest episode of the Processus podcast on Patreon, Mathias Brunet and Simon “Snake” Boisvert discussed the possibility of talking to the Blackhawks for their 3rd overall pick.

Brunet offered the Snake something very interesting: two first-round picks and two second-round picks for the 3rd pick.

To that, the Snake says he’d do it “on the run”, in his words. You can listen to the episode right here, the excerpt in question can be found at the 7-minute mark.

By the way, there’s an interesting article from Chicago Hockey Now, profiling Caleb Desnoyers, who could very well be a Hawks target.

For sure, the Habs would love to add a prospect of Desnoyers’ caliber. After all, he won the QMJHL playoff MVP trophy before he was drafted, which is pretty incredible.

On the other hand, you have to wonder a few things.

First, are the Blackhawks really interested in going down in the draft, given that they’re in the midst of a rebuild and could use a good prospect to back up Connor Bedard?

Also, are two Habs first-round picks (let’s assume 16th and 17th this year) and two other second-round picks enough for 3rd overall?

And finally, is Desnoyers really worth being drafted 3rd? His QMJHL playoff record says yes, but after three Memorial Cup games, it’s much harder for the Québécois, who has been blanked each time.

Ironically, as I write this, Caleb Desnoyers has found the back of the net in tonight’s game against the mighty London Knights.

But the fact remains that these are all questions the Habs need to ask themselves and think about properly.

I can’t wait to see what Kent Hughes does this summer.

Overtime

– The Leafs looked to Vegas to trade Marner for Shea Theodore.

– JiC suggests the Habs join the race for Jonathan Toews.

– What a lob pass from Jared Woolley.

– Worth reading.