Author: Dose

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Brad Treliving wants to “change the DNA” of the Leafs

What will the Leafs be doing this summer?

That’s a popular question in Toronto right now, and throughout the NHL.

Because, in reality, Brad Treliving has his work cut out for him. The Mitch Marner, John Tavares and Matthew Knies files will be the focus of attention in the coming months, and we don’t necessarily know what’s going to happen yet.

But one thing is certain: in the Queen City, we’re beginning to understand a few things.

We’re beginning to understand that the results – which are always the same – are unacceptable… and that change is needed.

A lot of change. And it started with Brendan Shanahan’s departure…

Brad Treliving spoke to the media today, and in his 50-minute (!) press conference, there was one sentence in particular that caught my attention.

It was this one:

If you keep getting the same results, there’s DNA that has to change. – Brad Treliving

What I find fascinating about this is that Treliving went on to mention that he sees Auston Matthews as a super-important piece of that team in the long term.

And he also said the same thing about Matthew Knies.

Was he trying to send a message about Mitch Marner, John Tavares… or even William Nylander, who signed a lucrative contract extension and is still the same soft player in the playoffs?

Has he, as it were, unveiled his plan by saying that it’s no longer working with the Core 4 and that it’s now time to move on?

In any case, in Toronto, we’re starting to see that the same results that keep coming back year after year are starting to take their toll on everyone.

It’s about time, you might say (and rightly so). It remains to be seen what changes will be made to “change the DNA” of the club.

In Overtime

– New contract for Shakir Mukhamadullin in San Jose.

– Mattias Ekholm should play tonight.

– Whew.

– Great read.

– Interesting.

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“Alex Ovechkin’s last season”: Capitals announce captain’s upcoming retirement

Over the past few months, we’ve been keeping a close eye on everything to do with Alex Ovechkin. The Capitals’ forward, who was on a mission to break the NHL career scoring record, finally achieved his goal.

He surpassed Wayne Gretzky.

That said, the Caps star isn’t getting any younger. He’ll be 40 this September… and more and more people are wondering if he’s about to retire.

While neither the player nor the team has made a formal announcement at this time, the club sent out an e-mail to its season ticket holders this morning. And in the e-mail is the following message:

October: the start of Capitals hockey and ALEX OVECHKIN’S LAST SEASON IN THE NHL

It’s not necessarily a huge surprise, of course, but it’s still rather peculiar that such an announcement should have been made in this way. The Russian undoubtedly deserved to be able to announce it himself… but obviously, the information leaked out.

I wonder how he’s taking it.

There’s a possibility, however, that the person who drafted the e-mail was too quick on the uptake… but we’ve long suspected that he’ll be retiring at the end of the 2025-26 season. After all, his contract will expire after the 2025-26 season… and we don’t know if he’ll really want to come back for another season at 41.

Especially as the quality of his game is really on the decline, unfortunately. He’s still scoring goals by the ton… but there’s a reason why his playing time was in freefall at the end of the season.

We can therefore expect Ovechkin to be showered with praise over the coming season if this information is confirmed. It’s safe to assume that he’ll be honored by many teams… especially the Capitals.

And it makes you wonder how long it will be before Sidney Crosby gets the same treatment…

Extension

Note that the e-mail specifies that this will be Ovechkin’s last season “in the NHL”.

Could we see him in the KHL in 2026-27? We’ve long been talking about a world in which he’ll end his career with Moscow Dynamo, his hometown club…

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No, Ivan Demidov did not win the KHL Rookie of the Year award

Ivan Demidov collected 49 points in 65 games this season in the KHL.

He finished the campaign as the leading scorer for his club – which had some good players – and helped SKA St. Petersburg to success.

Oh, and he also had the best season in league history for a player in his 18th season.

You might say that’s illogical… but it wasn’t enough for him to win KHL Rookie of the Year.

Instead, Yegor Surin, a player with 21 points in 60 games, goes home with the trophy.

Ahem…

The news is a bit… insane.

Ivan Demidov deserved to win this title, and we agree that it’s no secret.

Because not only was he the league’s best rookie, Demidov was also one of the most productive players on the circuit, while playing less than the others.

We know that his playing time hasn’t always been ideal with SKA this season. And we also know that, in spite of everything, he found a way to be among the league’s best players…

But what probably explains all this is the fact that Demidov won’t be attending the KHL ceremony to present the trophy. The Canadiens player will be spending the summer in Montreal:

But hey.

Ivan Demidov can take comfort in the fact that, in 24-25, he’ll have the opportunity to win the NHL Rookie of the Year award.

And if he plays the way he did at the end of the season with the Canadiens, he’ll give himself a chance.

Overtime

– Well done!

– Seen likewise.

– Who wins tonight?

– Love the look.

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It’s confirmed: Patrick Roy keeps his job as Islanders head coach

With the arrival of Mathieu Darche, we had to wonder whether Patrick Roy would keep his job.

And we have more details today, as Darche spoke to the media for the first time since his hiring. The Islanders’ new GM (and VP) said it out loud: Roy isn’t going anywhere.

He’s keeping his job as Islanders head coach. Assistant coaches John MacLean and Tommy Albelin will not be returning.

Is the decision surprising?

In my eyes, not necessarily.

Roy proved in his first season (and a half) on Long Island that he could take the club further. And even though the Islanders missed the playoffs in 24-25, they gave themselves a chance to get there… by not having the best line-up on paper.

Patrick Roy did what he had to do. And now they want to give him the chance to prove himself even more.

More details to come…

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Pascal Vincent is in trouble

Series days come and go, but they’re never the same for the Rocket.

In the first round, Jacob Fowler, fresh from American university hockey, was a veritable fortress in front of his new professional team’s net: two goals allowed, no goals allowed, then one goal allowed. He won all three games in the first series.

Meanwhile, Cayden Primeau allowed three goals in the Rocket’s only first-round loss.

In the second round, the opposite was true. Cayden Primeau won all three games against the Americans, while Jacob Fowler – who allowed eight goals in less than 90 minutes of play – lost two. Pascal Vincent even referred to Primeau as a 6’12 ” goalie after the final game.

The third round got underway yesterday in Laval, under the 2-3-3 format (first four-of-seven of the year for the Rocket).

Pascal Vincent, even though he tried to muddy the waters in the morning, named the man we’d all have preferred to defend the Rocket cage: Cayden Primeau. The guy’s got experience and was coming off a shutout.

Cayden Primeau has been a monster this season in Laval.
(Credit: Getty Images)

Except what had to happen happened: Primeau reverted to the average pocket goalie he was in the first round (and in Montreal). He let in four of the 23 shots he received, unable to keep his team in the game early on. The game was over by the first intermission, like…

This morning, both goalkeepers have a record of 3-2-0, an efficiency percentage between .903 and .906, and a goals-against average ranging from 2.40 to 2.46. And they’ve each earned a shutout. And they each earned a shutout..

(Credit: TheAHL.com)

Everyone’s asking the same question right now: which goaltender will Pascal Vincent send into the fray tonight in Laval?

If he sends Primeau and it goes badly, we’ll say he should have bounced back with the organization’s #1 prospect at that position..

But if he sends Fowler and it doesn’t go well, we’ll say that he should have kept going with his #1 goaltender… and that he shouldn’t let management dictate his choices (whether they do or not).

Damned if you do, damned if you don’t!

In short, Pascal Vincent must win tonight’s game in Laval, or his team will have to win at least two of their three games in Carolina to avoid elimination and bring the series back to Laval. Unfortunately, he only had one (short) night to think things over.

Since tonight’s game will be the second in two nights, I think my call would be to go with Jacob Fowler.

Except that it’s not the call I’d make that’s important, it’s the call Pascal Vincent would make.

No, Cayden Primeau’s exit yesterday at Place Bell doesn’t make Vincent’s job any easier. And I’m pretty sure a few NHL GMs will be watching closely what happens in Laval tonight. If Vincent makes the wrong choice, could it hurt his chances of getting back into the show?

Pascal Vincent will be betting big tonight. It’s up to him to put his money on the right horse.

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Justin Carbonneau in the NCAA at Boston College: it’s all over the news!

Justin Carbonneau is one of the top prospects for the upcoming NHL draft.

He’s recognized as a possible first-round pick, and with his style, qualities and potential, some even see him being selected among the top 20-25 guys in 2025.

The kid’s got talent.

However, the player who scored 89 points in 62 games this season with the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada is said to be on the verge of leaving the QMJHL for the NCAA.

Marco Normandin (HabsolumentFan) mentioned it on Twitter, and it’s starting to circulate since his tweet has been picked up by a number of people (including Marco D’Amico)… and according to what’s being said at the moment, Carbonneau would be joining Boston College for the 25-26 season.

This would be a huge coup for the player – but also for the university, which would be adding one of the best young players in North America to its team.

At 18, leaving the QMJHL to go to the NCAA might be more interesting for the player’s development… and it might also help him at the next draft.

Justin Carbonneau has been truly dominant this season and will be even more so next year. Being the best at a “weaker” level isn’t always ideal…

There’s a lot of talent in the NCAA and the guys are older too. You can see that a youngster’s progression can be easier at university level, and at Boston College, Carbonneau would be just as well surrounded.

Especially if James Hagens decides to stay another year…

Let’s not forget that Carbonneau’s name has been linked to that of the Canadiens in recent weeks, and that the Canadiens organization already has a connection with Boston College.

Habs officials love the players who play over there in Boston, and it makes you wonder if seeing Carbonneau join Boston College next year might change some things in the club’s vision.

All in all, the news is interesting… but it would also be a blow to the QMJHL, which would see one of its best young players leave the circuit.

We’ll be keeping an eye on this in the coming days.

Overtime

– Yikes.

– Incroyable!

– Nice.

– At least the Jays were able to go for the W.

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Six years in a row in the final: Who can stop the Florida clubs?

It’s done.

The Panthers have (YET AGAIN) booked their ticket to the Stanley Cup Final.

It’s the third year in a row that the Florida team has been in the Final. And if we take it a step further… it’s the sixth year in a row that a Florida team (Lightning or Panthers) has made it to the final round of the NHL playoffs.

Hockey in Florida is working right now.

The Panthers and Lightning are able to have big clubs all the time because the tax advantage helps, too.

Tax-free” states can – more easily than others – build good teams, and we’re clearly seeing the result of that right now in the National League.

It’s as if they have an advantage. And at some point, National League executives may have no choice but to sit down and revisit this problem, because if they don’t, it’s going to get even worse.

Because if the NHL wants to establish parity in all four corners of the league…

Hate It Or Love It, the Panthers really do have what it takes right now to lift the Stanley Cup for a second year in a row.

They have what it takes to beat the Oilers. And they also have what it takes to beat the Stars.

It would have been different talking about the Canadiens, though, since the Panthers haven’t been able to win this season against the Habs… Hehe. #Sarcasm

No joke, the Panthers lineup is impressive.

Bill Zito (GM) deserves credit because he’s built a club with a lot of good, quality players, and we know that depth in the playoffs helps.

In fact, 10 of the club’s players have scored at least 10 points since the start of the playoffs.

10!

Eetu Luostarinen hurt himself last night in Game 5 (and final) against the Hurricanes.

But after the game, Paul Maurice reassured the club’s fans that the player should be OK for the start of the final.

The forward will have plenty of time to get back into shape, by the way: if the Oilers win tonight, the first game of the final will be played on June 4.

And if the Stars win… the final will begin on June 7.

In both scenarios, the Panthers have time to rest and heal their wounds.

In the midst of all this, it really seems like the acquisition of Brad Marchand has helped weld the group together even more.

The Panthers players loved to hate him when he was in Boston, but now Marchand has become an important piece in Florida and everyone likes him.

Seeing the guys throw rats at him after the game – the club’s new tradition – is quite revealing…

If I had a two penny bet for the next Stanley Cup winner, I’d put it on the Panthers.

The Oilers have lost Zach Hyman for the rest of the playoffs, the Stars seem fragile at times… and on the other side, the Panthers really look like a club on a mission right now.

The guys hardly celebrated last night’s win, and Matthew Tkachuk said after the game that the players had another goal in mind – which is pretty clear.

They’re dangerous, the Panthers.

And they’ve looked virtually unstoppable for some time now…

Overtime

– Seen the same.

– Enjoy!

– The Rimouski Océanic’s season is over. Meanwhile, the Wildcats are off to the semi-finals to face the London Knights in the Memorial Cup.

– Sick.

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Series wrap-up: Panthers advance to the final

The Panthers had the opportunity to eliminate the Hurricanes last night in Carolina.

A Florida win would send the organization to a third straight Stanley Cup Final.

And that’s exactly what happened.

Not that the Hurricanes weren’t ready to play, though.

In the first period, it was up to Sebastian Aho… who scored his team’s first two goals of the game.

It was 2-0 to the Canes after 20 minutes of play, and honestly, they looked in control. But…

But everyone knows the Panthers’ strike force.

The Floridian outfit has the luxury of three trios that have been going strong since the start of the playoffs, and they were able to count on them again last night.

Matthew Tkachuk, Evan Rodrigues and Anton Lundell scored three goals in five minutes in the second period… and just like that, with a snap of the fingers, the Panthers took a 3-2 lead in the game.

We have to talk about it: in the game, the Panthers lost a big one.

Eetu Luostarinen, who’s having a fiery series, hurt himself trying to hit Taylor Hall. And to see the images, it looked really painful.

At least the Stanley Cup Final doesn’t start tomorrow…

The Hurricanes went into the third period with one goal in mind: to get back into the game and avoid elimination in front of their home fans.

Seth Jarvis, one of the club’s leaders, rose to the occasion: the diminutive forward foiled Sergei Bobrovsky with a sublime maneuver.

With just over 10 minutes to play, the two clubs were level at 3-3:

Back in 2024, during the club’s run, we all realized that Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov was a bit underrated.

And guess who did it all on the Panthers’ game-winning goal?

Sure enough. Captain Barkov. The little backhand deke before handing the disc to Carter Verhaeghe… beautiful :

The Hurricanes never had an answer.

Sam Bennett – who else? – scored into an empty net to secure victory for the Panthers, who are heading to the finals for the third year running.

Now it remains to be seen whether they’ll have a rematch with the Oilers…

Oh, and for those wondering: no, the Panthers didn’t touch the trophy after the game.

Just like last year… and we often wonder what happened:

Extension

– All means are good. Although…

– Classique.

– 14 players collected at least one point last night.

(Credit: NHL.com)

– Game 5 of the Stars vs Oilers series tonight. The game will be presented in Dallas (8pm) and the Stars will try to avoid elimination.

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Rocket loses first game of Eastern finals

For the first time since December 2018, the Rocket faced the Charlotte Checkers.

Both teams are in the same association… Weird, LAH schedule.

The stakes for this game, taking a 1-0 lead in the final Eastern series.

And unfortunately for the fans at Place Bell, they saw their team beaten by the visitors.

Final score: 5-1.

The visitors started strong, scoring two goals in the first period.

And early in the second, they hurt the home side badly.

However, Oliver Kapanen brought back some prospects.

Following a fine pass from Joshua Roy, he scored with a well-taken shot.

Laval dominated the second period, but couldn’t close the gap any further.

The visitors were a little more opportunistic. One of the AHL’s top scorers this season broke the Rocket’s back.

Tough outing for Cayden Primeau, who allowed four goals on 19 shots. Will the rotation continue and Jacob Fowler play tomorrow night?

That remains to be seen.

Tomorrow’s game will be played at Place Bell.

Pascal Vincent’s team certainly won’t want to be trailing 0-2 in the series, before heading to Charlotte for three games.

Overtime

– That’s why they’re the defending champions.

– It feels like the end for the Océanic.

– For ball lovers.

– From bad to worse for CF.

– Seattle contract.

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Lane Hutson still on the ice to prepare for next season

As we all know, Lane Hutson is a hockey fanatic.

We always saw him on the rink whenever he had free time during the season.

And this desire to improve can only help him to have a long and prolific career, because it’s (really) not all players who dedicate themselves so much to hockey.

At least, not as much as Hutson…

This morning, Hutson was spotted (again) on the ice practicing and fine-tuning a few details, even though the season has been over for almost a month.

In the video below, we see Hutson in a CH practice jersey beating the goalie between the legs, and HabsolumentFan actually reported this earlier today.

The surfer who shared the video of the talented little defenseman actually added a rather interesting sentence:

“Lane Hutson is getting ready to win the Norris Trophy next season.” – @RizNHL

Really, Hutson has a desire to improve that very few players have.

And you have to wonder if RizNHL ‘s tweet is realistic. After all, he still finished tied for 6th in the NHL in scoring and just two points out of 4th.

It’s also worth pointing out that even if he doesn’t score many goals, he more than makes up for it with his playmaking skills. He finished tied for 2nd in assists among defensemen.

On the face of it, Hutson still has some crusts to eat before he reaches the caliber of Cale Makar and Quinn Hughes. But when it comes to raw talent among defensemen, he’s certainly already among the NHL’s elite.

Throughout the season, #48 impressed the world with his easy adaptation to the NHL level, game after game.

Many thought he was going to be shuffled around like a doll because of his small stature, but his ability to break away from opponents in tight spaces helped him enormously. I think I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve seen Lane Hutson on his backside after being checked this season.

In the playoffs, he was tackled harder than in the season, which is to be expected, as the playoff game is much more robust. It’s a big adjustment for a youngster fresh out of the American university ranks…

He’ll undoubtedly have to work hard in the practice room this summer to build up his strength and arrive more ready to try and make the finalists for the Norris Trophy.

He’s got what it takes.

Overtime

– Good joke.

– The Canes start strong.

– Read more.