Author: Dose

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A defenseman to keep in mind for the Canadiens

Since the injury to Kaiden Guhle, the Montreal Canadiens have been struggling defensively.

Since we know that Guhle won’t be back until mid-January (if not the end of January), the Habs can’t keep getting manhandled like this.

That’s why the idea of adding a defenseman isn’t all that crazy (not to mention the fact that Arber Xhekaj isn’t having the best of times these days).

In a recent TVA Sports piece, the name of Pavel Mintyukov of the Anaheim Ducks was mentioned, and the idea makes a lot of sense.

The 10th overall pick in 2022 has been struggling this season, so much so that he was left out by his coach in his club’s last three games.

The 22-year-old left-handed defenseman is an excellent skater and has good offensive assets. His vision is certainly above average.

However, with just three points in 18 games this season, this isn’t the best start to the campaign for the young defenseman.

How perfect a fit would he be in Montreal? The question remains, but a change of scenery can only be beneficial for him, and would clearly help him move the puck and make good first passes.

The Ducks are currently in first place in the Pacific Division with a 13-7-1 record, and Mintykov remains a valuable trade chip.

Still in California, this time with the San Jose Sharks, there are certainly several names that could change addresses. The Sharks acquired the contracts of Carey Price and Ryan Ellis for a reason. This gives them the leeway to trade active players for prospects or draft picks.

On the latest episode of the DFO Rundown Insider Edition (Daily Faceoff), David Pagnotta and Irfaan Gaffar discussed the situation in San Jose.

Although the Sharks are still enjoying a good season (10-8-3), thanks mainly to Macklin Celebrini and his 31 points, the plan was to trade veterans to replenish their bank of prospects and draft picks. There’s also the possibility of picking up an established young player to speed up the rebuilding process.

Mario Ferraro, Timothy Liljegren, Vincent Desharnais and John Klingberg could all change address, if the DFO Rundown Insider Edition is anything to go by. Their contracts all expire on July 1.

Desharnais could bring a more robust dimension to the right flank. The other defensemen are also good options for the Habs.

Still according to this episode, there are also some forward names on the Sharks’ roster that could be of interest to other teams. For the Habs, I can see a guy like Alexander Wennberg helping the club out, as he’s finishing the last year of a two-year, $5 million per season contract.

He can contribute a good 30 points a season (he’s on track for a 43-point season), he’s talented (he’d be a great option on Ivan Demidov’s line) and he’s a hard worker. What’s more, he’s a left-handed center, even if his face-off efficiency percentage hovers around 45 and 48%.

There’s certainly talk in California about Kent Hughes.

Overtime

– It’s hard for the Québécois…

– A well-deserved contract.

– Sad story about Connor Carrick… Missing the birth of his child to be left out that night.

– Too bad for the young Calgary Flames player.

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Habs recall Florian Xhekaj

Now that’s interesting.

The Canadiens have just recalled Florian Xhekaj from the Rocket.

We keep saying that Montreal needs sandpaper, and the other guy’s brother can help. Note that the Canadiens had initially announced that Joshua Roy was being sent back to Laval… but they were wrong.

The Canadiens didn’t recall Fowler or Kahkonen, but they didn’t take long to react to yesterday’s loss.

The club was shaken and battered… and not a single Canadiens player got up to trouble the Capitals. Florian Xhekaj will bring that element to the Habs line-up.

And I have a feeling he’s going to be hungry like a lion, because he’s got something to prove.

It’s worth noting that Jake Evans may not be able to play tomorrow. At least that’s what we understand when we see that Roy hasn’t been sent down – even though Arber’s little brother has been recalled.

It was the right move. The Habs needed a guy who could shake things up, and we know that Florian isn’t afraid of flowers.

We’re talking about a kid who got into a fight with Nicolas Deslauriers during practice…

Florian is scheduled to play tomorrow night against the Leafs, his first career game in the National Hockey League. Against the Leafs, it would be a good test… and I’m sure he’d seize the opportunity to make his mark.

Kind of like he did at the Canadiens’ practice camp, basically.

Because let’s not forget: even if the Unicorn had a difficult start to the season in Laval, he really impressed during the Montreal camp…

Extension

Florian Xhekaj wasn’t recalled to save the club’s season offensively.

But if he can bring energy and toughness to the line-up, we’ll take him. Especially with what we saw last night against the Caps…

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Brad Lambert wouldn’t fit in with the Canadiens’ team culture

Yesterday afternoon, we learned that Brad Lambert was likely to be traded.

The young player is unhappy with his use in Winnipeg, and the Jets have allowed him to discuss a trade with other clubs.

Indirectly, in my text on the subject, I made a link with the Canadiens. Lambert’s got talent and right now, the Habs are trying to get help because things aren’t going well on the ice. But…

But according to information from colleague Maxime Truman, we should forget about this project.

Because it’s simple: Lambert wouldn’t fit in with the Canadiens’ team culture. In Montreal, the guys are close-knit, they want to fight together on the ice (even if that’s not happening right now) and there’s a positive mentality within the organization.

And we understand that Lambert may not always have the right attitude…

We know that this element is important to Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton.

A player may have talent… but if he doesn’t “fit” in the current Montreal line-up, the managers believe less in him. And that may be logical, because the organization wants to protect the culture that has been established since HuGo’s arrival a few years ago.

I agree with that, at least.

On the other side of the coin, Kent Hughes really needs to do something to relaunch the club. It takes an electroshock somewhere to send a certain message… because right now, it’s hard to believe that the solutions lie in-house.

And with the beating the Canadiens took last night, it’s starting to get heavy for everyone. I wonder what the Canadiens’ GM will do…

Overtime

– Absolutely.

– This is going to be good.

– Hehe.

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Atlantic Division: Habs within three points of first and last place

We all knew that at some point in the season, the Montreal Canadiens would experience a more difficult sequence, and that this near-perfect start to the season would not last throughout.

However, we clearly didn’t expect such a drastic change of direction as the one the Habs have undergone over the past two weeks.

The Habs are currently on a five-game losing streak, during which they’ve scored just ten goals and allowed no fewer than 27.

That’s horrible, and it’s been enough to slide the Habs from 1st to 6th place in the Atlantic Division.

It didn’t take much for Martin St-Louis’s team to be dethroned from the top of their division, and it just goes to show what a competitive division the Atlantic is this season.

The Canadiens, who sit in 6th place in the division with 23 points from 20 games, are only three points behind first place, but also only three points ahead of last place.

Indeed, when we analyze the Atlantic Division standings, we notice that only six points separate the first-place Boston Bruins from the last-place Buffalo Sabres.

To give you an idea, here are the gaps in the other divisions.

  • Metropolitan: 8 points between the Carolina Hurricanes (30) and the New York Rangers (23)
  • Central: 17 points between the Colorado Avalanche (33) and the St. Louis Blues (16)
  • Pacific: 12 points between the Anaheim Ducks (27) and the Calgary Flames (15)

The Atlantic division is clearly the tightest in the NHL, which is hurting the Habs at the moment, as they’re tumbling down the standings very quickly.

However, the fact that all the teams remain close means that the Habs continue to see the top of the division as within reach.

Although the Habs have slipped to 6th place, they remain just three points behind the Bruins, a gap that can be erased in just two games.

On the other hand, Martin St-Louis’ team could also find itself last in the division in just two games.

It’s a very precarious situation, and the Habs will have to manage it well, starting with tonight’s huge game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Habs’ direct rivals.

It takes a big win tonight at the Bell Centre to get back on the winning track, as well as getting within four points of the Maple Leafs, rather than letting them slip back to 23.

In short, the Canadiens need to wake up if they don’t want to languish at the bottom of the Atlantic Division.

Overtime

– We’re in for a high-scoring game.

– It’s clear.

– What a shame.

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“When did I say that?” martin St-Louis on Samuel Montembeault’s #1 post

Martin St-Louis led an intense practice this morning.

Although it was short-lived, it was clear that the Canadiens’ coach wanted his players to understand what was at stake and the importance of getting back on their feet.

It’s perfect.

But the fact remains that since yesterday, St-Louis has obviously taken the time to decant a little. In particular, he defended his boys to the media.

And how did he do that? By arguing that even if Jake Evans wasn’t avenged, it’s not because the guys didn’t try. It’s more because Tom Wilson didn’t want to dance.

And even though Wilson didn’t receive a check, the coach maintains that his flock had more checks than the Capitals players in yesterday’s game.

He talked about the moment in the game (it was close at the time of Wilson’s gesture) and you can sense that he didn’t want his players to get out of the game to avenge Evans.

But let’s just say that when it came time to talk about the goalkeepers, he didn’t defend Samuel Montembeault with the same verve. He didn’t plant it either, of course.

When St-Louis was asked about his earlier comments (when he said Monty should be #1) about the Québécois, the pilot’s reflex was to say this, via an air of mild astonishment.

“When did I say that?” – Martin St-Louis

Finally, he said that the plan over the past few weeks (since the remarks) had been to give the two guys closer starts. So the plan did change.

He then said he didn’t know who was going to play tomorrow. Normally, on a Saturday night at home, it’s #1, which is Monty. Not knowing is not a sign of confidence… and he said nothing in defense of Montembeault.

Later in the media dispo, he said that Jakub Dobes arrived in less obvious conditions in the game and that the club didn’t support the new goalie.

So clearly, the rope is short for Montembeault, a goalie St-Louis didn’t hesitate to remove from yesterday’s game.

St-Louis put a lot of emphasis, as he sometimes does, on the famous “actions that help the other team” on the ice. And among the goalies, I’d note that Monty was the one who made the biggest action that didn’t help the Habs, via the Caps’ third goal.

We can’t wait to see who plays tomorrow, then. But I don’t have a feeling it’ll be the Québécois.

overtime

– Jake Evans: we’ll know more tomorrow.

– Interesting.

– This is good.

– Of note.

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Tom Wilson did what he wanted… even if Arber Xhekaj was in uniform

Things are really bad for the Canadiens.

Yesterday’s heavy defeat(8-4 to Washington) confirms that the Habs’ good start to the season, when they beat bad clubs, is far behind us. Right now, the Habs are incapable of winning games.

And it shows in the standings… #OutOfThePlayoffs

(Credit: NHL.com)

In fact, the Canadiens have lost seven of their last eight games. It has given up 23 goals in its last four home games. It has suffered three losses by at least four goals at home since… last Monday.

Since November 9, the club has collected no points at home and only one point (in overtime) in Ohio. That explains the drop in the standings…

(Credit: NHL.com)

We’ll have time to come back to the goalies later this morning (because yes, they must be to blame for the losses), but there’s another element to discuss.

And that is? Physical play.

If yesterday’s game didn’t convince you that Tom Wilson has a place on Team Canadiens for the upcoming Olympics, I don’t know what more it’s going to take.

Because clearly, he can take control of a match single-handedly. That was true last April and it still is.

You might say, however, that if he were to face the Tkachuk brothers and the United States, he might not have as free a field as he did last night in Montreal. That’s true.

But let’s agree that yesterday, big Wilson did as he pleased?

The Canadiens watched Wilson do his thing without reacting. Jake Evans went down fighting after a dirty hit from the Washington Capitals big man and… and what?

And not much. The captain said the refs didn’t see it the way the Habs do… so surely that means the guys aren’t allowed to defend Evans?

In what world does Wilson do what he wants against Evans and get away with it? In what world has Arber Xhekaj been this quiet on the ice? #JoshAndersonCan’tDoAnything

Yes, we can make reference to a potential battle, but it goes beyond that. Because even if Wilson said no to fighting, no one needs his approval to tackle him.

Wilson (who probably won’t be suspended) hasn’t been brewed, and neither have his teammates. Are the Habs’ big defensemen (who didn’t get shuffled all night) too comfortable without an internal fight for playing time?

Arber Xhekaj and Jayden Struble didn’t get the job done, either on Wilson or another Capitals star. What good is the Sheriff right now if he’s not hitting and losing his fights? #RealQuestion

In all this, we must also keep an eye on the health of Jake Evans, who was unable to finish the game. We know he has a history of concussions.

After taking to the ice following Wilson’s hit, Evans left the game, never to return.

Will he join Patrik Laine, Alex Newhook, Kirby Dach and Kaiden Guhle among the club’s injured players? And if so, will the Habs be forced to call up another guy from Laval to compensate?

We’ll see. We can expect to see an Owen Beck-style center come up if Evans is absent, to make sure he never scores.

It’s all very well to say that Joe Veleno played well, that Brendan Gallagher found the back of the net, that Mike Matheson is a stud and that, at times, the Habs looked like they wanted to get back into the game… but it’s still painful, what happened yesterday.

Martin St-Louis may have brought a touch of positivity to the press conference (saying that the club sometimes gave the impression that the game wasn’t over), but his less complimentary comments are worth remembering.

MSL (who no doubt knows that last year, the Habs were also eating a volley a week at this time of the season) felt like his club had gone back in time in terms of mistakes made on the ice.

The coach knows he has to play better in front of the goalies. And the goalies in question will be getting their own text later this morning, because we’ve got a lot to say…

extension

Tomorrow night, the Maple Leafs will be in town. It’ll be the last game of the month at home, since next week the Montreal club will be on the road.

Games in Salt Lake City, Las Vegas and Denver are on the menu.

This morning, the Canadiens will be practicing in Brossard. What will the atmosphere be like? Will Martin St-Louis be stirring his soup? Will there be any recalls? Will Jake Evans be present?

We’ll be watching closely.

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“The problem is not the defensive system”: Alexandre Carrier sends a message

The Montreal Canadiens are going through a truly horrific sequence at the moment, on every level, after starting the season off superbly.

What stands out the most from the Habs’ current woes is the fact that the team is giving up so many goals game after game.

In the last five games, the Habs have allowed 27 goals, for a horrific average of 5.4 goals allowed per game over the last two weeks.

Of course, we can blame the work of goalkeepers Samuel Montembeault and Jakub Dobes, but they’re clearly not the only ones whose heads need to be pounded.

The entire Habs defense should take a serious look in the mirror.

And Alexandre Carrier understands this.

The Habs’ Québécois defenseman made it clear to reporters after practice yesterday that the problem clearly didn’t lie with the coach’s defensive system.

Carrier said Martin St-Louis’ man-for-man system was a good, easy-to-understand system and that the problem was more with the overall play of the Habs players.

It’s rare to see the Habs’ #45 make this kind of comment with such a glare, and it says a lot about how dissatisfied he is with the team’s current play.

Carrier makes it very clear that it’s up to everyone to “man up” and do a better job in the defensive zone.

We’ve seen over the past two weeks that the Habs no longer play with the same ardor and confidence in their own zone, and that’s what’s giving rise to the horrible results we’re seeing right now.

In short, it’s high time the Habs players got their act together and got back on the winning track, because if they don’t, with all the current injuries, it’s going to be a VERY long season.

Let’s hope Alexandre Carrier’s words can shake the troops up a bit, and make them realize that they need to play tighter defensively.

Overtime

– Read on.

– It doesn’t look good for Toronto.

– Lando Norris one step closer to the title.

– To be continued.

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Top-4: Morgan Geekie joins Nathan MacKinnon at the top of the NHL scoring charts

Only four games were played last night in the National Hockey League, with only eight teams in action.

Even so, there were plenty of goals scored to keep the attention on all four games.

Here’s what we remember about each game.

1. Two goals for Morgan Geekie

Several NHL players stand out this season in the top scorers’ box, but if there’s one surprise in this ranking, it’s Boston Bruins forward Morgan Geekie.

After exploding last season with 33 goals and 57 points, 27-year-old Geekie seems to have reached a whole new level this season.

Indeed, the Bruins’ #39 finds the back of the net with ease, as he did yesterday, scoring the Bruins’ only two goals in a 2-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings.

With this performance, Geekie now has 16 goals and 22 points in 23 games, tying him with Nathan MacKinnon at the top of the NHL scoring charts.

No player has more goals than the Bruins’ forward.

Let’s see if Geekie can keep up the pace, but for now, it’s really impressive what he’s doing with Boston.

2. Sabres pick up Blackhawks with nine goals

It was a crazy game last night as the Chicago Blackhawks visited the Buffalo Sabres.

The Sabres greeted the Hawks with no less than nine goals in a 9-3 victory.

The Sabres players enjoyed themselves throughout the game, scoring three goals in each of the three periods.

In the second, Buffalo scored two goals in the space of eight seconds.

And in the third, Tage Thompson scored a beautiful goal on Alex Tuch’s fourth assist of the game.

In defeat, Connor Bedard still picked up two assists, giving him 31 points in 21 games, good for third in the NHL, tied with Macklin Celebrini.

3. Nikolaj Ehlers wins on his return to Winnipeg

It was a special night last night for Nikolaj Ehlers, as the Carolina Hurricanes forward made his return to Winnipeg, where he spent the first ten seasons of his career.

Ehlers has enjoyed some great times with the Jets, as evidenced by the fact that he ranks 6th on the team’s all-time scoring list.

The Danish forward naturally received a standing ovation from Jets fans.

And best of all for Ehlers, he picked up an assist on Andrei Svechnikov’s game-winning goal.

This earned Ehlers the game’s third star.

4. Penguins whitewashed at home by Wild

After an excellent start to the season, the Pittsburgh Penguins are starting to lose their way in recent games, and last night’s home loss to the Minnesota Wild was proof of that.

The Penguins were shutout 5-0, but what’s worse is that they only got 19 shots on goal in the whole game.

Wild goalie Filip Gustavsson didn’t need that many to record his 13th career NHL shutout.

It was a tough loss for the Penguins, who must have seen Matt Boldy have some fun against them, as he picked up three points, including two goals.

Extended

– Here are yesterday’s results.

– Here are yesterday’s top scorers.

(Credit: NHL.com)

– Today’s NHL schedule: 12 games.

(Credit: Google/NHL)
(Credit: Google/NHL)
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David Reinbacher scores in front of several NHL scouts

Tonight, the Rocket were in action on the road against their division rivals, the Belleville Senators

Without the services of Jared Davidson, Joshua Roy and Florian Xhekaj, who was recalled today by the Canadiens, Laval had to start the game.

Many NHL scouts were on hand for the game.

However, despite the absence of three key forwards, the Rocket managed to claim their eleventh overtime win of the season thanks to Adam Engström’s overtime goal.

David Reinbacher put in a solid performance and scored his first goal of the season. The defenseman also added an assist and finished the game with a plus-1 rating.

Unfortunately, this good night was partly overshadowed by a blocked shot late in the third period that Reinbacher received on the hand that appeared to hurt the defender on the Sens’ third goal.

However, the defender returned to the game in overtime and hopefully avoided the worst.

Reinbacher, who had experienced some difficulties on his return to action, seems to have found his stride in recent games. In his last three games, he has three points and a plus-2 differential.

The Austrian has found his rhythm again, and we can only hope that he will continue in this vein.

Laurent Dauphin also had a good night, with a two-assist performance that leaves him alone at the top of the AHL scoring charts with 19 points in 17 games at the time of writing.

Although he didn’t have a very busy night with 22 shots directed at him, Kaapo Kähkönen had a good outing in front of goal.

The Finnish goaltender continues to do a fine job with the Rocket, and one wonders whether he might be able to help, at least in the short term, with the goaltending situation in Montreal.

Kähkönen has 140 NHL starts to his name.

Overtime

– Indeed.

– Lions defeat.

– Sabres forward explodes.

– The Raptors are on fire.

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“If Arber Xhekaj doesn’t hit his opponent, he’s useless”

Things haven’t been going well for the Habs of late, and the club, which got clobbered last night by the Capitals, is trying to shake things up a bit by recalling Florian Xhekaj, who could well play his first game with the Habs tomorrow night.

Especially with the Canadiens facing a physical rival when they host the Toronto Maple Leafs.

However, part of the reason Florian Xhekaj needs to add muscle in Montreal is that his big brother Arber isn’t getting the job done right now.

Last night, in a particularly tough game with the Capitals, the elder Xhekaj was invisible, with no checking and, more importantly, no reaction to Tom Wilson’s elbow on Jake Evans.

Exactly the kind of situation you need a player like him for.

Georges Laraque didn’t mince his words about the defenseman on BPM Sports:

“I’m sorry, but if Arber Xhekaj doesn’t intimidate, doesn’t hit the opponent, he’s useless.”

It’s rough as a comment, but it’s hard to disagree.

It was a second straight game without a check for the defenseman. In 19 games this season, the defenseman has only hit the opposition 27 times (1.4 checks per game).

And apart from his toughness, the Sheriff doesn’t offer the Habs much. His defensive play is decent at best, he often makes bad decisions, he’s often undisciplined and his only assist of the season came in the second game of the season against the Detroit Red Wings.

I used to think that one of Arber’s problems was that he played like a player who risked losing his position if he made a mistake, but if the injury to Kaiden Guhle has shown us anything, it’s that this wasn’t the problem.

Since Arber has been playing every night with the team, it seems his overall game has regressed.

In short, if Jayden Struble continues to throw down the gloves and look good in physical games, the Habs may be hard-pressed to justify a roster spot for their sheriff when Guhle returns to action.

Overtime

– A beautiful tribute.

– Whew!

– Nice deflection.

– What a trade.