Author: Dose

Categories
Uncategorized

Matvei Michkov involved in a road accident: the story is (very) disturbing

In the last few hours, we’ve been talking about Ilya Kovalchuk and his problems on the road. The former NHL forward has been arrested no fewer than 210 times for traffic offences since the start of 2024… and that sounds bad when you know he’s involved in a road safety prevention campaign in Russia.

Clearly, then, we thought this would be the biggest story involving a Russian and a car today… but clearly, it isn’t.

In fact, according to what is currently circulating in Russia, Matvei Michkov was involved in a road accident while on vacation in Dubai. He wasn’t at the wheel of the vehicle… but it seems to have hit pretty hard.

And considering that he was a passenger, seeing that it’s mainly that side of the vehicle that’s been damaged is a little worrying.

The good news is that at the moment, we’re not worried about his health. It was he who brought the vehicle, which was leased, back to the dealership.

However, this story becomes even more worrying when you consider the context. According to Alexey Shevchenko(Sport-Express), who first reported the story, the details are truly disturbing.

In fact, the car that crashed was leased in Mishkov’s name. That said, he wasn’t driving it… and that’s illegal. But that’s not the most worrying thing.

On her Telegram account, Shevchenko explains that there would be alcohol, prostitutes and document issues in the story. In fact, Mishkov is said to have “left the country without certain documents”, according to the journalist… and it’s understandable that things could get messy in the next few hours.

“Tomorrow will be a fun day,” he says.

Hopefully, we’ll have more details on this story in the coming hours, but right now, there seems to be reason to be worried in Philadelphia. Let’s just hope everyone’s doing well at the moment.

Overtime

– Corey Pronman sees the Habs turning up their nose at Justin Carbonneau to draft Carter Bear and… a left-handed defenseman.

– Mattias Ekholm could return to action in the Western Finals.

– Enjoy.

Categories
Uncategorized

Sam Bennett: Shohei Ohtani’s contract could help the Habs lure him to Quebec

The famous subject of the Habs’ second center has been the talk of the town for the past few weeks. Just about everyone agrees that the Canadiens need to get a big second center behind Nick Suzuki… but everyone has an opinion on who that second center should be.

A lot of people want to go after the Islanders… but once again, there’s no unanimity on that either.

However, there’s also the possibility that this center player could land via the autonomy market rather than via a trade. And if John Tavares is a popular name, Sam Bennett is even more so.

The problem with Bennett is that it will be difficult to convince him to come to town for tax reasons. After all, a player in Florida loses a lot less money than a player in Montreal from a tax standpoint… but even so, there are ways around all that.

Nicolas Cloutier (TVA Sports), who spoke to an expert in sports taxation, wrote an excellent paper on the subject… and what we understand is that there are avenues the Habs could consider to try and convince Bennett.

And among them is… Shohei Ohtani’s contract.

For those less familiar with Ohtani, who is a baseball superstar, the Japanese signed a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The most striking aspect of this contract is that, over the 10 years of his contract, the Dodgers will pay him a grand total of… $20 million.

How is that possible? That’s where the notion of deferred money comes in.

The remaining $680 million will be paid to Ohtani within 10 years of the end of his contract. So, he’ll get almost all of his money after the 10 years of his contract, and that’s good for everyone: he’s already making so much money in sponsorships that he doesn’t need that money right away, plus it allows the Dodgers to look for other big players to surround him.

Bennett’s case is different, since he won’t be getting the tens of millions Ohtani is in sponsorship. That said, if a substantial portion of his contract money is paid to him after his contract is up, he’ll be able to reduce the amount of money he pays in taxes.

Frank Vatrano of the Anaheim Ducks did much the same thing: a good portion of his money will be paid to him when he’s away from California.

What Cloutier notes, however, is that the NHL doesn’t like to play in these areas. Deferred money could be a prohibited practice in the next collective agreement… but right now, it’s still legal.

So it could be an option the Habs would consider if they wanted to try and convince Bennett to sign in town. We don’t know if the forward would be interested in such a contract, but it’s an asset they can keep in their pocket to try and convince him.

Let’s see where this goes.

Overtime

– Worlds: Canada defeats France. Two goals for Bo Horvat and a (magnificent) goal for Sidney Crosby.

– Huge news in Major League Baseball.

– Whew.

– Jayson Tatum tore his Achilles tendon last night. His current series is over and he could miss all of next season.

Categories
Uncategorized

David Savard insists he wants to stay involved with the Canadiens

It’s now been almost two weeks since David Savard officially retired. The defenseman, who had announced he would retire at the end of the Habs season, saw his very fine career come to an end on April 30, when the Capitals eliminated the Habs.

It was truly an emotional moment.

That said, even though he’s retired as a player, just about everyone has the impression that we can expect to see Savard around the Habs again. He’s extremely well respected in the dressing room, and he’s been a very formative veteran for his younger team-mates. Pierre-Luc Dubois would be the first to confirm this.

And this afternoon, Savard was on BPM Sports. Martin Lemay asked him about a number of subjects, including his interest in a possible position with the Habs.

And the veteran was clear: he wants to stay involved with the club.

Savard explains that he hasn’t really talked it over with the club yet, as he’s had a lot to deal with in recent weeks. He still has to pick up his equipment… and it feels like it’s been a pretty intense couple of weeks for him.

That said, he has expressed his interest to the Habs for such a position, and the plan is to talk about it over the next few weeks. My feeling: we’ll be talking about all this after the draft and after the free agent market opens, and an announcement will be made somewhere before the start of next season.

Savard is clear on one thing, though: he wants to stay close to his family. That’s one of the reasons he retired: it’s something that’s really important to him. And that’s what makes me think that a “Paul Byron” role would be very, very logical for Savard, who could mentor young players while remaining in Quebec full-time.

But what’s clear is that he feels he didn’t have another season in him. If that had been the case, he’d have thought about signing a new contract… but injuries have taken their toll.

His hand, his back, his knees: he’s worn out, and he didn’t feel capable of giving another full season.

And as for the idea of seeing him sign somewhere as a depth defenseman who would eventually be squeezed out by the young up-and-comers (for example, in Montreal while waiting for David Reinbacher), he says he would have been open to it, but wasn’t necessarily keen. Signing as a seventh defenseman wasn’t necessarily what he was looking for either.

On the other hand, he says that if a youngster had beaten him out of the lineup this year, he would have been open to giving up his position. In a world where Logan Mailloux had really been too good to stay in Laval, for example, Savard would have been open to putting the team’s interests ahead of his own.

And that’s one of the reasons he was so beloved in Montreal: he always had the team’s best interests in mind.

A very interesting interview, therefore, which provides some insight into the reasons behind his retirement, as well as a glimpse of what’s to come. And speaking of what’s to come, hearing him praise the “exceptional talent” of Lane Hutson and the “stability” of Kaiden Guhle was encouraging for the future of the Habs…

Overtime

– That’s a good one.

– Oops.

– He plays big hockey.

– Interesting.

Categories
Uncategorized

210 offences in 16 months: Ilya Kovalchuk really drives the wrong way in Russia

Ilya Kovalchuk enjoyed a fine career in the NHL. The forward, who broke all records with the Thrashers and Devils, also had a memorable (albeit short) stint with the Canadiens at the end of his career.

He was truly one of the league’s most electrifying talents during his time in America.

But for the past few years, Kovalchuk has been back in Russia. He played a few games in the KHL in 2023-24, but otherwise, he’s pretty much retired.

That gives him a little more time to enjoy life, but also to drive… and maybe that wasn’t such a good idea after all.

In fact, according to Postnews in Russia, Kovalchuk is having quite a few problems with his driving. In fact, since the start of 2024 (that’s just over 16 months), Kovalchuk has been pulled over 210 times while driving.

Nothing less.

210 infractions over a period of 498 days, that means he gets arrested once every 2-3 days, that. Again, nothing less.

And clearly, he’s having trouble with speed limits. Of his 210 infractions, 115 were speeding violations… not unlike Alex Ovechkin, who also boasts of driving very fast.

In total, Kovy ‘s offenses earned him fines of 264,000 rubles, the equivalent of $4,611.34 Canadian. Not very steep fines, let’s say.

But what makes Kovalchuk’s infractions particularly ironic is that, in recent days, he’s been the face of an awareness campaign in Russia about… road safety.

Yes, you read that right.

Let’s hope Kovalchuk will be able to calm down a bit on the roads, because clearly, his behavior is pretty reckless right now. And that’s dangerous not only for him, but also for others.

Overtime

– He’s being closely watched in Montreal.

– Germany on fire.

– We especially wish for the Rocket, hehe.

– Very cool.

– Obviously.

Categories
Uncategorized

Here’s why the Canadiens don’t have to worry too much about hostile offer sheets

Talk about hostile offer sheets.

When Marc Bergevin tabled a hostile offer sheet for Sebastian Aho in 2019, he saw the Hurricanes retaliate by stealing Jesperi Kotkaniemi from the Canadiens a few seasons later.

It was a revenge of sorts, then.

The question I’m asking myself, then, is whether, in 2025, there are still executives who will be in fine fettle if one of their players were ever to sign such an offer.

I’m inclined to say no, since hostile offer sheets are likely to become increasingly popular. But who knows, even so, if a club might hold a grudge following such a perfectly legal manoeuvre.

But as Marco D’Amico pointed out on Twitter, it’s important to remember that, grudge or no grudge, if the Canadiens were to make a hostile offer this summer, revenge wouldn’t necessarily come in the form of another hostile offer.

Why do I say this? Because Ivan Demidov and Lane Hutson won’t be eligible for such an offer sheet because of their short first season in the Bettman circuit.

We can assume that Michael Hage, who could finish next season in the NHL, will be in the same boat, if need be. But it’s too early to talk about that in his case.

And with the rest of the core under NHL contract, the Habs are protected in that sense.

Elliotte Friedman penned a paper today updating the compensation to be given in the event of a hostile offer sheet. And let’s not forget that the Habs have all the options to do what they want… and plenty of room under the cap.

Will the Blues be imitated in 2025? We’ll see.

overtime

– Back in the game?

– Great news.

– Good listening.

– Interesting stuff.

– Still…

Categories
Uncategorized

Rick Tocchet: three teams to watch for (potentially) imminent hiring

Yesterday, on the 32 Thoughts podcast, Elliotte Friedman talked about the Rick Tocchet file.

The pilot, who left the Canucks, shouldn’t have too much trouble finding a job. He’s been collecting interviews, and in reality, he’s not really the one being interviewed.

He’s in such high demand that it’s really the teams who are interviewing him.

But now, Darren Dreger has clarified which three teams are currently in the running for his services. That’s not to say there are only three, by the way.

Dreger named the Bruins, the Kraken and the Flyers.

He says we shouldn’t expect him to be out of work for too long, and these three teams would be among the most likely to welcome him, the way he sees it.

It’s all very interesting.

Dreger mentions that the Bruins historically don’t like to put too much money on a coach. And it’s hard for me to believe that he dreams of coaching the Seattle Kraken.

Vancouver fans certainly won’t want to see him manage the rival club, anyway.

Because Dreger sees the Flyers as being aggressive, because he sees the fit with the club and because Tocchet has been strongly linked to the Flyers since the start of the off-season in Philly, I see Daniel Brière’s club as the favorite, right now.

We’ll have to keep an eye on the situation, but I don’t think we’ll have to wait too long to sort things out. And since Tocchet played there for years…

overtime

– The Maple Leafs goalie is getting better.

– Intéressant.

– It starts tomorrow.

– Of note.

– Indeed.

Categories
Uncategorized

Samuel Montembeault to play less next season

In 2024-2025, during the regular season, Samuel Montembeault played 62 games. He started 60.

Add to that the first three games of the series against the Capitals. So, compared to previous years, his workload was definitely more intense.

And it’s not even close.

(Credit: Hockey DB)

Even if goalies did that in the good old days, in 2025, it’s no longer the norm. After all, the speed of the game, the rise of the offensive game, travel and all those factors make a goalie’s life more difficult.

And the proof is that few goalies played as much as Monty in 2024-2025. The Habs have shown, more than ever, that in today’s NHL, you need two good goalies.

Before the holidays or in the run-up to the playoffs, when Martin St-Louis didn’t trust his #2 goalie, the Québécois played a lot. And he was inevitably tired, apart from that.

In fact, only five goaltenders got at least 60 starts this season in the NHL. As L’Antichambre tells us, two didn’t make the playoffs, two performed poorly in the playoffs… and Montembeault was injured.

I’m clearly of the school of those who want to see Monty play less in 2025-2026. And I’m not saying that because I don’t think Montembeault is a bad goalie. On the contrary: I think he’d be even better with a little rest.

That’s likely to be the plan, since the Habs seem to want Jakub Dobes to give Montembeault a hard time to keep his #1 spot, as Maxime Truman once said.

Remember that right now, the plan would also be for Jacob Fowler to be backed up by a veteran next year in Laval.

That doesn’t leave much room for Cayden Primeau, whom everyone (or almost everyone) sees leaving this summer. Few, like PJ Stock, see Primeau starting the season in Montreal… even if it’s only to be traded later.

Let’s also remember that in the bank of prospects, the Habs have a few guys: Emmett Croteau, Quentin Miller, Mikus Vecvanags, Joe Vrbetic and Yevgeni Volokhin, a Russian goalie.

The latter, as the folks at RG Media have informed us, has his sights set on the NHL. But it won’t happen right away.

overtime

– The Habs will be in action.

– News from CF Montreal.

– Interesting.

– Oh?

– The Islanders must rebuild.

Categories
Uncategorized

“If you’re lucky enough to have a John Tavares, you pay for it”

There are many ways for a team to improve quickly.

One of the easiest ways, if not the easiest, is to sign a free agent, because free agents don’t cost teams anything in return, and we generally know what to expect from them.

On the other hand, the free agent market tends to drive up players’ salaries, and most of them want the highest possible salary.

There have been many mistakes in the past, where a player who did well in the last year of his contract was overpaid, but never returned to that level afterwards.

That’s the risk of the free agent market.

Karl Alzner, for example, signed too high a contract with the Montreal Canadiens and was eventually bought out by the club.

In the case of the Habs, we know there’s an urgent need to add a true second-line center to complement Ivan Demidov for his first full NHL season.

And a few players are ticking the habs’ boxes for this, including Sam Bennett and John Tavares.

On this subject, Pierre Dorion mentioned that the Canadiens are ready to take the next step and must overpay in free agents this summer to fill this need.

He said so in his daily column on Retour des Sportifs.

When a club in need of a number-two center sees a player like John Tavares available, it shouldn’t miss such an opportunity.

Still, it’s important to be sensible about the contract on offer, but Tavares could definitely fill the hole at second-line center.

He would also be a perfect complement to Ivan Demidov, who will be able to count on a veteran capable of putting it in the back of the net, even if he is starting to age (he’ll be 35 at the start of next season).

When a team targets a player like Tavares, it’s not necessarily the annual salary that’s important, but the length of the contract.

At 35, you can’t sign him for five years, for example. Logic dictates that the last two years of the contract become a burden on the payroll.

But if the Habs can offer a good three-year contract (in the event that Tavares accepts a contract of that length), they should offer whatever they can (using common sense) to add his services.

A second line of Demidov, Tavares and Kirby Dach starts to make sense.

But one wonders why Tavares would leave Toronto for Montreal.

Overtime

– Interesting.

– He’ll become quite a player.

– What will he do this summer?

– Really?

Categories
Uncategorized

Comments about the 51st state: Panthers owner suspended by the NHL

The NHL may have a hard time suspending guys on the ice in the playoffs, but it’s capable of handing out suspensions nonetheless.

Yesterday, we talked about how a minority shareholder of the club (Doug Cifu) had completely lost it, yet again, on X. He insulted a Maple Leafs fan by talking about the 51st state and anti-Semitic comments.

It wasn’t classy.

But let’s just say that the NHL didn’t exactly appreciate the “initiative” of the Panthers’ shareholder. After all, he really made his club, and the league, look bad in all this.

And so the NHL acted, to protect its image.

Until further notice, Cifu has been suspended indefinitely by the league. He will not be allowed to be involved with his team, nor with the NHL. He will also have to meet the commissioner in person to explain his actions.

The Toronto Star reports.

As we said yesterday, this isn’t the first time he’s tweeted enormities. But now, just as it’s gaining momentum on social networks, the NHL is turning its nose up at the issue.

That’s good, isn’t it?

I don’t know how far Cifu will learn his lesson, but at least, until further notice, his Twitter account has been deactivated. It’s harder to post stuff when you don’t have an account.

To be continued.

in Overtime

– P.K. Subban turns 36.

– Well done.

– To listen to.

Categories
Uncategorized

Series wrap-up: Tom Wilson mocks Hurricanes’ celebration

Last night, the Canes and Oilers could take a comfortable 3-1 lead in their respective series.

And that’s exactly what they did, with wins of 5-2 and 3-0.

Here are the highlights:

Tom Wilson mocks Hurricanes’ celebration

Up 2-1 in the series, the Hurricanes wanted to push the Caps to the brink.

Thanks to a 5-2 victory, Carolina now leads the series 3-1 and can reach the Association Finals in Washington the day after tomorrow.

In the victory, Taylor Hall and Sean Walker collected two points each. Walker scored his first career playoff goal.

Hall, meanwhile, scored a superb breakaway goal.

In defeat, Alex Ovechkin scored his first goal of the series.

It was his 77th playoff goal. He thus overtook Mario Lemieux for 12th all-time in goals after the regular season.

Tom Wilson also made a splash.

He imitated the Hurricanes’ post-game celebrations. Yet Carolina dominates the series…

Not necessarily the right thing to do.

Oilers one win away from Western final

In the West, the Oilers, too, could be one win away from the Western Final.

Yesterday, they blanked Vegas 3-0. They now lead the series 3-1.

Like Carolina, Edmonton can eliminate their opponents at home in tomorrow’s game.

Stuart Skinner may not be having the best of series, but in games number four, he’s unbeatable. Take a look at his stats in match number 4.

Yesterday, he stopped all 24 shots fired at him.

Adam Henrique started the ball rolling in forward. He opened the scoring in the 26th second.

And he scored his second later in the first.

Extension

– A bizarre goal.

– Two-point game for Hall, Jakob Chychrun and Walker.

(Credit: NHL.com )

– The Stars can take a 3-1 series lead tonight.

(Credit: NHL.com )