Author: Dose

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Georges Laraque once turned down a McDonald’s franchise when he played for the Habs

Recently, we saw the new collaboration between McDonald’s and Samuel Montembeault.

The Montreal Canadiens’ goalie brought out his poutine with chicken, bacon and ranch sauce (and not wrench, as Mike at Rona might think).

It doesn’t look bad, if you like the ingredients in this poutine, but what is bad is Montembeault’s performance this season.

The Québécois goalie has had just one good outing since the new poutine, in a 6-2 Habs win over the Utah Mammoth (25 saves on 27 shots).

It was a good performance, but nothing to write home about.

Today, Georges Laraque told BPM Sports that he was once offered a McDonald’s restaurant when he played for the Habs. His answer: an emphatic no.

According to the former NHL tough guy, he doesn’t understand why an athlete would associate himself with a fast-food chain like McDonald’s.

It doesn’t make sense for an athlete to endorse poutine, in Laraque’s words.

Of course, he takes a jab at Samuel Montembeault, but he’s also talking about Jeff Petry. The right-handed defenseman announced his smoked-meat poutine during the 2015-16 season, and it (really) didn’t go well for the latter (16 points in 51 games).

Georges also mentioned that Petry was eventually traded (a few years later). Can we expect the same for Monty? There aren’t really any concrete links to a Habs player announcing his poutine at McDonald’s, but it does make you wonder.

Definitely, like Petry in the 2015-16 season, things aren’t going well for Montembeault. He’s certainly having his worst season since arriving in Montreal.

Still, it makes no sense for an athlete to be associated with a chain like McDonald’s. That’s why Georges refused to get a McDonald’s franchise when he played in Montreal.

Of course, he’s never been a big McDonald’s fan. In fact, he went vegan at the end of his first season in Montreal.

Overtime

– Interesting.

– Flames owners don’t want to see Nazem Kadri traded, as he’d obviously fit in well in Montreal.

– Read more.

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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-December (if not the end of December), 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 of his club’s last three games by his coach.

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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Goaltenders : Elliotte Friedman suggests two names for the Canadiens

The Canadiens have a number of problems on their hands at the moment.

The most talked-about is the performance of the goaltenders in front of the net. Samuel Montembeault and Jakub Dobes aren’t (really) getting the job done, and that’s starting to become a recurring problem too.

The Habs have one of the NHL’s worst efficiency tandems, and it’s really, really not ideal. Especially in a context where the club isn’t super offensive either…

At some point, a solution will have to be found to solve the problem.

Because the Canadiens can’t go on like this either. Goaltenders have to make the big saves when it counts, and that’s not the case right now.

That said, Elliotte Friedman may have a solution for the Habs…

On his podcast, the informer suggested two names for the Canadiens.

He talked about Cam Talbot in Detroit… and he wonders if a guy like Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (Sabres) could become interesting for the Habs.

I like the second option. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has proven himself by playing for a really bad club like the Sabres…

Luukkonen is a good goalie. And it shows in his stats… especially when you consider that he plays in Buffalo:

  • 17-11-4, .892 and 3.58 in 22-23 games
  • 27-22-4, .910 and 2.57 in 23-24
  • 24-24-5, .887 and 3.20 in 24-25

For a Sabres goalie, that’s pretty respectable. Very respectable , in fact…

(Credit: Screenshot / HockeyDB)

Whatever happens, there have to be changes in Montreal.

It can’t go on, after all. The Canadiens’ goal is to make the playoffs, but that won’t happen if both goalies continue to be this bad…

And that I see one of them saying that Jacob Fowler should be recalled from Laval! It’s MUCH too early to do that…

Overtime

– Wow…

– Go Hage!

– He’s right.

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Florian Xhekaj recalled | Joshua Roy leaves for Laval

Now that’s interesting.

The Canadiens have just recalled Florian Xhekaj from the Rocket. As for Joshua Roy, he’s off to Laval.

We keep saying that Montreal needs sandpaper, and the other’s brother can help with that. How will things shake out tomorrow night against the Leafs at the Bell Centre?

The Canadiens didn’t take long to react to yesterday’s defeat.

The club got shuffled, roughed up… and not a single Canadiens player got up to go bother 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 was the right move to make. Anyway, it’s not as if Joshua Roy has proven he deserves to stay up there… and he hasn’t been great since his recall either.

Replacing him with a guy who can fight and who won’t be afraid to come to his teammates’ defense is a good thing.

Florian is scheduled to play tomorrow night against the Leafs, his first career NHL game. Against the Leafs, it would be a good test… and I’m sure he’ll seize the opportunity to shine.

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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Charlie McAvoy: No solid food for two or three months

Poor Charlie McAvoy…

Last Saturday, the Bruins defenseman was hit in the face by a shot against the Montreal Canadiens. The footage is chilling because you can see his teeth explode and the impact on the game.

In case you hadn’t seen it…

McAvoy hasn’t played since then, and he’s likely to be away for a nasty stretch too. Chances are he’ll miss the Olympics (remember, he had surgery earlier this week)… and that’s a shame for him.

But it’s even crazier to know that the defender won’t be able to eat solids for two to three months. He’ll have to be careful not to aggravate his injury, and he’ll have to be careful that there’s no risk of contamination with food, too.

Ayoye.

I have so much respect for hockey players.

Because when a puck hits you in the face, you can’t imagine how good it feels. McAvoy may play for the Bruins, but you can’t wish that on any NHL player, and the next few weeks are likely to be tougher for the Bruins defenseman.

Not being able to eat solids for that long, I think I’d go crazy…

I wish McAvoy well, honestly. It’s going to be a challenge, he’ll have to find a way to consume his calorie and protein intake in spite of everything… and it sure won’t be easy if he can’t eat harder foods.

But hey. That’s part of the risks of the job, I guess…

Overtime

– Reminder: the Rocket play tonight.

– It’s your turn to answer.

– Well done.

– Nice photo!

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Tony Marinaro called a police station to ask for a sheriff for the Canadiens

The Capitals did it again last night against the Canadiens.

In fact… Tom Wilson got his way again last night on the ice against the Canadiens. That’s how it was in the playoffs at the end of last season… and that’s how it was again last night.

And what’s disturbing is the fact that none of the Canadiens’ players went up to him during the game to give him crap. When you see Wilson unscrew Jake Evans and when you see Wilson backstabbing Ivan Demidov, it seems to me that it would make sense to send him a certain message…

Arber Xhekaj didn’t do his job. And the same can be said for Jayden Struble: both defensemen – who are known for their more physical play – ended the evening with a grand total of… zero checks.

Zero and one bar.

And it prompted Tony Marinaro to call into a police station this morning on his show to ask if there was a sheriff to lend the Canadiens right now. Great Tony:

No joke, it’s hard.

The guys keep saying they want to play for each other… but it didn’t look like that on the Bell Centre ice last night against the Capitals.

Want to hurt my teammate? No problem, buddy! I’ll let you do whatever you want, and I won’t even bother…

That’s how I felt watching the game. And it’s true in a way that the Canadiens need a guy who can help out at that level when it happens… even if it was Arber Xhekaj’s job to do it.

What’s also disturbing is that this isn’t the first time we’ve seen this with the Canadiens. It’s like the guys are afraid to stand up for themselves…

This has to be corrected. And Tony Marinaro was right to call a police station to see if anyone can help the Canadiens…

Overtime

– Right on target.

– To be continued.

– Ouain.

– Oh.

– Read on.

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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 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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“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 tight 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 the following, 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 pull 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 goaltenders, Monty was the one who made the biggest play 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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Jake Evans will not practice today (following Tom Wilson’s blow)

Of course, everyone knows that Tom Wilson hit Jake Evans with his elbow yesterday. It was the forward’s face that took the brunt of the blow.

Wilson, it should be remembered, will not be suspended for his action.

And now, unsurprisingly, Evans is not on the ice with his teammates for practice this morning. He is on site for treatment, however.

It’s still too early to know if he’ll play tomorrow night or not. But what we do know is that the Canadiens currently don’t have any extra skaters in town.

If need be, a guy could be recalled before tomorrow’s game.

Aside from Evans, there’s another thing that’s been getting a lot of attention: the goaltending, which was really, really bad yesterday against the Caps.

And the guys know it.

Samuel Montembeault took to the ice no less than 45 minutes before the start of regular practice. He practiced his moves, which are sometimes lacking.

We can’t blame him for his lack of effort.

We still don’t know which goalie will play tomorrow night against the Maple Leafs. But whether it’s one of the two current goalies or a goalie recalled from Laval, it’s sure to be the talk of the town.

Stay tuned…

overtime

– Speaking of practice.

– Knee surgery: four to six weeks’ absence for the Jets’ #1 goaltender.

– A name to watch.

– Nice.

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Zack Bolduc currently tougher than Arber Xhekaj

I was at the Bell Centre last night, sitting in the Rouges. The people around me were experiencing their team’s third thaw in less than 10 days, and at $500 or $600 a night, many were saying they would have had more fun Tuesday or Wednesday for the Paul McCartney show than yesterday for the Canadiens “show”.

The Habs have lost their last five games, as well as seven of their last eight. And all too often, they give up five goals or more to their opponents..

On November 12, I wrote that despite a strong October, the Canadiens were not yet a playoff team. The Montrealers are still having too much trouble against big, strong, experienced teams. Let’s just say that the team’s most recent games have proven me even more right.

On Monday, I wrote a hard-hitting column asking the following question: What’s the point of Arber Xhekaj if he’s losing all his fights and no longer commands respect?

Last night, Arber Xhekaj and Jayden Struble combined for a grand total of ZERO body checks. It’s just not right!

So I’ll rephrase my question: What good is Arber Xhekaj if he loses all his fights, doesn’t command respect, doesn’t distribute checks and lets his opponents hurt his teammates? Because let’s not forget: Tom Wilson did whatever he wanted on the Bell Centre ice yesterday, and Arber Xhekaj didn’t make him pay for hitting Jake Evans in the head. Nor did the Sheriff charge another (talented) Capitals player..

Some fans had more reaction than Xhekaj to Wilson’s hit on Evans..

Xhekaj has one assist in 19 games, has a minus-5 rating, spends only about 11 minutes per game on the ice and doesn’t stir anyone up. He’ll have to question his role on the team.

The guys who handed out the most checks yesterday were Zachary Bolduc (5) and Josh Anderson (4). Bolduc picked up an assist and finished the game at plus-1. He did not do badly alongside Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield.

He was one of the few Montrealers to have a good game last night.
(Credit: YouTube / CH)

Since the start of the campaign, Bolduc has given the Canadiens the most hits (39). Slafkovsky (38), Anderson (33), Struble (31) and Veleno (30) follow behind.

And Xhekaj has just 27..

Back to yesterday’s game..

We saw last night that Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton still haven’t addressed the needs that were glaringly obvious to us during the last series. The problems we saw in April are still the same today.

The Habs players are still too fragile (and often injured), there’s a lack of toughness and experience in the lineup (although Jeff Gorton lost his job in New York due to a rebuild that focused too much on talent and not enough on physicality), and the goaltending isn’t consistent enough, the talented players are looking too hard for the perfect game, the wolf pack isn’t sticking together enough, Martin St-Louis is making some poorly defended decisions (like always sending the captain to the shootout), Slafkovsky isn’t always playing big enough and the lack of depth is glaringly obvious. Damn, I’d have liked to see Samuel Blais in red tomorrow night at the Bell Centre, and not in blue..

Even the team’s GM, who built an overly fragile team, is injured right now!

For all these reasons – and because the Canadiens aren’t a cult you can never question – I’m starting to get worried about the season and the short/medium-term future of my team.

If the playoffs started today, the Habs wouldn’t be in them(13th in the East). The excellent start to the season (against lesser teams) is already long forgotten..