Dach’s case was particularly notable. After all, the Canadian announced a lower-body injury. The player is still being evaluated and we await further updates on his case.
But as of this afternoon, Martin St-Louis was clear: Dach will not play tomorrow. For the others, we’ll see.
Kirby Dach will not play tomorrow, confirms Martin St-Louis. For Savard, Anderson, and Gallagher, we’ll have to revise tomorrow before the game against the Hurricanes.
I know that Alex Newhook can play center, but the fact that a center like Dach is falling in battle means it’s very logical to see a freshly recalled Owen Beck play tomorrow.
Kent Hughes rolled his counterpart with the Blackhawks in the dump by going after Kirby Dach for (roughly) Alexander Romanov.
This is roughly what everyone was saying about three years ago, when the Canadiens, Islanders, and Blackhawks made a deal in the hours leading up to the amateur draft.
Except that today, this certainty is a bit less certain, let’s put it that way. Romanov is playing on the Islanders’ top pair and is doing more than his job, while Kirby Dach has been raising more question marks than crowds for the past 18 months.
When Hughes managed to get his hands on Justin Barron (and more) in return for Artturi Lehkonen, several Montreal experts were telling everyone that Kent Hughes had screwed the Avalanche. Two years later, those same experts were saying the opposite.
Both in terms of transactions and the amateur draft, it seems we forget to take a step back before analyzing the actions and decisions made by our team. How many times do we read analyses of the amateur draft… the day after the first round? As if it was at that exact moment that we would be able to know who made the best selections…
Justin Barron vs Alexandre Carrier
In Montreal’s recent hockey history, we had the same reaction to the Justin Barron vs Alexandre Carrier trade.
“Kent Hughes rolled Barry Trotz in the flour by going after Carrier for Barron!”
Yes, everything indicates that the trade will work out for the Canadiens, both in the short and long term, but is it possible that the Predators didn’t get taken advantage of as much as we thought?
I’ll explain.
After a few tough games – he was even criticized by a teammate -, Justin Barron seems to have found his groove in Nashville.
Barron has been playing nearly 20 minutes per game for a few weeks, including on the top power play with Roman Josi.
He has collected five points in his last 10 games.
All of this while playing for a team that’s having a lot of difficulties.
In short, Barron, 23, is possibly playing the best hockey of his career in Nashville. We could talk about a resurrection, but I’d be more comfortable with the term “professional birth”, like…
Justin Barron is finally emerging (for real?) in Nashville.
(Credit: Getty Images)
Remember that Sidney Crosby has already talked about Justin Barron as an excellent hockey player. He knows what he’s talking about, Sid the Kid.
Be careful! I’m not saying the Canadiens got taken advantage of with this trade and/or that Carrier is not a good player. I just want to remind people not to jump to conclusions that are too hasty or too focused on the short term (recency bias).
You can use this last paragraph with Juraj Slafkovsky too.
After 30 games last year: Slafkovsky is a bust.
At the end of the 2023-24 season: Slafkovsky is top-notch. He deserves $10 million per season. He’s finally found himself.
After 50 games this year: Slafkovsky is (again) a bust. The Canadiens should have chosen Logan Cooley or Shane Wright.
Since Saturday: Slafkovsky is playing like Brady Tkachuk. The Canadiens are lucky to have him.
You see where I’m going with this?
Let’s call it the duty of reserve…
in a burst
– Official.
Anaheim’s Trevor Zegras will have a hearing today for interference against Detroit’s Michael Rasmussen.
Ovechkin has led the Capitals in goals each of his previous 19 seasons. Shared team lead with T.J. Oshie with 33 in 2016-17, but otherwise has led team outright. https://t.co/6sGMMMe6VD
No #CBJ Zach Werenski at today’s practice, but I’m going suggest strongly this is a maintenance day. That 4 Nations Face-off took a lot out of players physically, but especially mentally/emotionally.
Looks like same #CBJ lines as deployed in 5-1 win over #Blackhawks on Saturday.
We have an element of an answer here since four players, including three forwards, are not at the club’s practice this morning. Josh Anderson and David Savard are having a treatment day, Brendan Gallagher is absent for personal reasons…
And Kirby Dach is injured in the lower body. He is still being evaluated.
Josh Anderson and David Savard (therapy day), Brendan Gallagher (personal reasons) and Kirby Dach (lower body injury, still being evaluated) will not participate in today’s training.
Josh Anderson and David Savard (therapy day), Brendan…
Naturally, the first thought we have is to think about his knee. We will have to hope that the Canadiens’ forward is not affected in his knee, which cost him the 2023-2024 season.
Did he get injured in his first game back after a long break? If so, it’s either bad luck or a lack of preparation. But since he played all his shifts on Saturday, we don’t know for sure.
Let’s mention that yesterday, he was at the public practice, but not on the ice. It was a hint that he might not be 100% – even if he didn’t look hurt yesterday.
The Montreal Canadiens made a recall.
Owen Beck, who was returned to Laval before the Four Nations Confrontation, has been recalled by the Canadiens. This was announced by the club a few minutes before today’s practice.
And it’s interesting.
Why is it interesting? Because the Canadiens left for the West with 12 forwards and six defensemen earlier this month, knowing that Logan Mailloux and Owen Beck were in the corner in the worst case.
In short, what I’m trying to say is that this year, the CH is still trying to have the fewest players on its lineup.
So if a young player like Beck is recalled when the CH has 13 healthy forwards (the 12 from Saturday and Michael Pezzetta) and he’s at home, it’s surely not to sit out.
But why do they need a forward? I have ideas.
There’s a virus going around the locker room
Injury: Emil Heineman or Josh Anderson or another player
It’s important to remember that Heineman is coming back from an injury, having been hit by a car last month. And Anderson has been missing practices and is clearly playing injured. Yesterday, he didn’t participate in a skills competition that isn’t necessarily tough on the body.
– Former Canadien Phillip Danault is 32 years old.
Happy birthday to former Canadien Phillip Danault, who turns 32 today. He has 5-25-30 totals in 53 games this season with L.A. Kings. #Habs#HabsIOpic.twitter.com/BCLXkdZdRh
Since 2015, the Colisée de Québec has not been used much. Hockey (notably the Remparts) and shows have been held at the Centre Vidéotron, and the Colisée has not been used much, ultimately.
But a decision has been made regarding the future of the arena.
The journalist announces that a mixed structuring project, which will include housing, will replace this place where the Nordiques played for years. So, it’s a page of history that is turning in Quebec.
I imagine that Gary Bettman will use this against the return of the Nord – ah, never mind.
What needs to be understood is that the longer it takes, the more expensive it would have been to tear down the Colisée. Making the decision now will allow for a quicker move to something else.
In 2020, an estimate valued the demolition between 17 and 20 million dollars. I imagine it will be the city that will pay.
What’s interesting is that in Quebec, needs have taken precedence over nostalgia. Even if the history of the Nordiques takes a hit with this news, it was the right thing to do strategically.
We can wonder to what extent Montreal should have taken inspiration from Quebec in the Olympic Stadium dossier.
It will cost $1 billion more to redo the interior.
So a total of nearly $2 billion.
At that price, I repeat, I would have turned the stadium into a baseball park, if it was still possible to have a new MLB team.
Of course, I’m putting everything in a different verb tense than the present, since the renovations of the stadium’s roof mean that Montreal is not following Quebec’s lead.
I know that the metro line changes things and that the stadium is still used, but… I prefer what Quebec is doing to what Montreal is doing, let’s say.
in a hurry
– Ah, yes?
For the second time in a few days, the Yankees are moving away from their history. https://t.co/TxNRv96Ufe
Don’t sleep on Tyler Thorpe #GoHabsGo fans!@grantmccagg: «His skating for a 6’4/6’5 kid is excellent… He’s got enough pace I do believe to play at the NHL level»
More than ever, the chase for the record is on for Alex Ovechkin.
Yesterday, against the Oilers, the Russian scored a hat trick. He is now only 13 goals away from Wayne Gretzky and has also become the first player to score 200 goals in three decades.
Alex Ovechkin is the FIRST-EVER NHL player to score 200 goals in three different decades pic.twitter.com/Ii7nukFSu7
Only Bobby Orr and Paul Coffey have reached this plateau in fewer games.
The Avalanche defenseman is therefore in very good company.
This season, in 59 games, the world’s best defenseman has collected 64 points, including 22 goals.
3. The Calder Trophy race is heating up
Early in the season, the Calder Trophy race was led by Matvei Michkov, Macklin Celebrini, and Lane Hutson.
But recently, Dustin Wolf has joined the party. Yesterday, with a 27-save performance in a 3-2 win for the Flames against Celebrini, he reached the 20-win plateau this season.
The two Tkachuk brothers particularly stood out during the recent 4 Nations Tournament, not only because of their talent, but also for their intensity and robustness.
Brady Tkachuk showed that he was made for playoff hockey, although he hasn’t played a single playoff game since the start of his NHL career.
However, in light of these recent performances, rumors have surfaced that the younger Tkachuk might want to continue his career with a US team after starting in Canada, just like his father Keith Tkachuk did with the Winnipeg Jets and more recently Matthew with the Calgary Flames.
In fact, the older brother had forced the Flames to trade him to the Florida Panthers with a conditional fourth-round pick in 2025 in exchange for Jonathan Huberdeau, MacKenzie Weegar, Cole Schwindt, and a conditional first-round pick also in 2025.
Could the Panthers be interested in acquiring Brady Tkachuk to play with his brother? The way the two complemented each other with Team USA, it would be a great move by the team’s general manager, Bill Zito.
The American has 44 points, including 21 goals, in 56 games with the Senators this season, but he also brings a level of robustness and energy that few elite players can match.
And even if it’s not with the Panthers, he’s a player who could interest many teams in the League.
However, what would be the cost demanded by the Ottawa management?
Because the Senators can (and must) afford to be patient in Tkachuk’s case, who is in the fourth year of a 7-year contract worth $57.56 million (average annual salary of $8.22 million) that runs until the end of the 2027 season.
The team really needs to make sure it maximizes its return if it goes ahead with this trade to ensure it doesn’t take a step back in its rebuilding process.
And according to you, where will Brady Tkachuk go?
In a hurry
– Jeremy Roenick is fighting… with Justin Bieber!
Justin Bieber and Jeremy Roenick dropped the gloves in the LA Strong charity game pic.twitter.com/a05ODO7H8Q
As captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs, but also more recently as captain of Team USA, which lost in the final against Canada, even though the Americans were favorites to win the game.
Let’s say it’s nothing to get rid of his reputation as a “choke artist” that has been following him for a few years.
The problem is that the role of captain is not just about being the leader of your team in the locker room, it’s also about giving more time to journalists and facing the music even when things are not going well (or when the questions are not good).
As captain of a team like the Leafs, one might think that Matthews would be used to all the media circus.
However, when asked yesterday, after his team’s 6-3 win over the Carolina Hurricanes, if it haunted him to have come so close to deflecting the pass (“So close to deflecting that pass, does that haunt you in any way?”), Matthews simply replied a bit stupidly “Sure, Kevin” in a way that’s similar to saying “Ok, Karen”.
Although the journalist, probably Kevin McGran, who covers the Leafs for The Toronto Star, apologized (“I’m sorry”) immediately after Matthews’ response, it seems to me that Matthews’ answer was unnecessarily brief.
Moreover, McGran is currently writing a biography about the Maple Leafs’ captain, which will be released later this year.
In short, it’s a funny way to respond to the media.
Yes, journalists often ask obvious, or sometimes silly, questions, but it’s part of the game for a professional hockey player to answer those questions, especially if you’re the captain of a team.
It must be said that the timing was a bit strange after a win by his team and that Matthews had just taken second place in the history of the Leafs’ best scorers by scoring his 383rd career goal. We can understand that the hockey player probably wanted to focus on the positive.
But well, after losing another important game in the 4 Nations final, maybe Matthews should be a bit more careful.
In rapid fire
– Not easy!
Traffic jam in Toronto: Hurricanes forced to walk to the Scotiabank Arenahttps://t.co/uCQmn6l5xn
Everyone knows: Alexander Ovechkin is a real scorer.
The great number eight got one more earlier in the day in a 7-3 Washington Capitals home win over the Edmonton Oilers, bringing his total to 29 goals in 41 games.
His three goals bring his total to 882 goals, just 13 nets away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s record of 894.
WHAT AN AFTERNOON FOR OVI
He scores his 32nd career hat trick to move within 13 of breaking Wayne Gretzky’s record! #Gr8Chase
A nice gesture on his part and as it turns out, we always remember our first experience!
For Leclaire, who likes to joke that “it’s me who put Ovechkin on the map” and who can finally prove to his daughters that he faced Alexander the Great, this shows his generosity and the kind of person he is.
13 goals in 25 games at the pace of the attacker, it’s very possible by the end of the season.
And while Ovy chases records, the Caps are currently atop the league standings and are one of the teams favored to win the top honors this year.
Can the great number 8 break Gretzky’s record AND win the Stanley Cup in the same year? It would definitely be a great way to end an exceptional career for the great Russian player.
P.K. Subban is not afraid to speak his mind. Just before the famous final between Canada and the United States at the 4 Nations Tournament, he published a tweet about a comment from Donald Trump that left much to be desired. Moreover, a former player, Akim Aliu, gave him a pretty intense blast. Not later than yesterday, Subban gave his thoughts on Kyle Dubas’ work as GM and president of operations for the Pittsburgh Penguins. During an intermission on ESPN, the former star defenseman criticized Dubas after the team’s collapse. The Penguins are currently ranked 27th in the NHL.
PK Subban just RIPPED Kyle Dubas on national television. “You’re getting paid 7 million dollars a year. Give Mike Sullivan better players, give Sidney Crosby a team to play with. If you’re going to rebuild, rebuild. Pick a lane. It’s on you.” Embarrassing times for the pens
« You are paid 7 million dollars a year. Give Mike Sullivan better players, give Sidney Crosby a team to play with. If you want to rebuild, rebuild. Choose a lane. It’s your fault. » – P.K. Subban
Let’s say the former Montreal Canadiens defenseman didn’t mince his words to get his message across. But that’s what makes Subban, Subban. However, there’s a nuance to be added to P.K.’s statement. He’s asking Dubas to choose a path, but clearly, he has. As Scott Wheeler mentions in this tweet, the Penguins seem clearly in rebuilding mode. After all, they’re the team with the most picks in the first three rounds of the next three drafts with 15. The Blackhawks and Canadiens have 14.
I’ve seen this tweet going around a lot. The Penguins have 15 picks in the first three rounds of the next three drafts — more than any other team in the league (Blackhawks and Canadiens have 14). Kyle has picked a lane.
Subban should start doing his homework before criticizing a general manager. Isn’t that logical?
Rapid Fire
– Jakub Dobes and Arber Xhekaj did a Q&A session with fans while playing NHL25.
Jakub Dobes and Arber Xhekaj are live NOW on Twitch and YouTube for a gaming session presented by Under Armour
– Three more goals for Ovechkin, who is only 13 goals away from surpassing Wayne Gretzky.
THERE IT IS!! OVECHKIN HATTY! We are witnessing history ladies and gentlemen
– With the goal in an empty net, that’s now 15 goals in 24 hours (approximately). The Capitals are not first in the NHL for nothing.
The Capitals have scored 14 goals in the past 24 hours (game started at 3:20 yesterday) with some time left today.
– It shows how Ovechkin is in a class of his own.
Highest goals/game pace in Ovechkin’s career: 0.79 — 2007/08 0.71 — 2008/09 0.71 — 2024/25 0.71 — 2019/20 0.67 — 2012/13 0.65 — 2013/14 Is this Ovechkin’s third prime?
– By the way, McMichael is the fourth Capitals player to reach the 20-goal plateau this season.
Connor McMichael reaches 20 goals in a season for the first time. He’s Capitals fourth player to reach 20 this season, joining Ovechkin (28), Wilson (26) and Protas (23)
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