Author: Dose

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Eric Engels: One must not underestimate the value of David Savard

David Savard holds significance in Montreal, and everyone knows it.

We have seen him help the Canadiens in his own way over the past few years, and even though he is 34 years old, he is still able to make an impact on the ice.

Players who have the courage to stand in front of any shot like he does are not common in the NHL. Especially since Savard has a wealth of experience after winning the Stanley Cup with the Lightning.

But I will repeat what I said a little earlier in the text: David Savard is 34 years old.

He no longer possesses the qualities of a fit defenseman, and it shows when we see him on the ice.

Nonetheless, we should not underestimate his value in the eyes of Eric Engels (Sick Podcast) for a pretty simple reason: right-shot defensemen available on the market are rare.

And in the context where Savard is willing to do anything to help his team, he has interesting characteristics for a club aspiring to the Stanley Cup:

Eric Engels’ point is 100% valid.

After all, we know that right-shot defensemen are a rare commodity in the NHL… And with his background, Savard can be interesting for almost any NHL team.

But still, it depends on what Kent Hughes wants to do with him.

Savard – who seems to be nearing the end of his time in the NHL – would probably be interested in the idea of finishing his career in Montreal with the role he currently has.

And if that’s the case, the idea of keeping him is interesting for the Canadiens’ GM because Savard has what it takes to help the Canadiens in certain areas even if he isn’t playing.

The Canadiens’ poor performance over the past two weeks also complicates Kent Hughes’ job.

The team would never have traded Savard if he were still in a position to fight for a playoff spot… But things are different right now.

And that’s why David Savard’s name continues (and will continue) to attract attention until March 7.

In brief

– Happy listening.

– Ivan Demidov has demonstrated the extent of his talent.

– To read.

– To follow.

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Shea Theodore’s injury: lucky that it didn’t happen to Nick Suzuki

Nick Suzuki is the only captain in his division not participating in the Four Nations Clash. Is that a shame? For the experience he could have gained, yes.

But what about the rest?

Right now, the Iron Man of the Canadiens is resting and is unlikely to get injured. At this level, that must be a certain relief for the Montreal Canadiens.

I say this because even though Shea Theodore’s injury is part of the game, it still remains that the guys who are at the Four Nations Clash are at risk of injuries.

And right now, the Golden Knights must not be satisfied.

What we know is that Theodore will return at the beginning of the playoffs will not return for the tournament. Canada, until proven otherwise, will have to roll with only six defensemen.

If there are any other injuries, some guys might join Team Canada in Boston. But right now, Jon Cooper will have to work with the roster he has on hand.

Fortunately, Canada won yesterday against Sweden – even if it was in overtime. After all, if the team had lost the game and a defenseman, it would have cried in town.

And that would have overshadowed what went well (and less well) during Wednesday night. For example?

1. Seeing Sidney Crosby being applauded by the crowd at the Bell Centre is not a surprise. He has always been appreciated at his true value in Montreal, and yesterday that was even more evident. Mario Lemieux and he were received like kings by the crowd.

Even when he is an opponent, he is respected. But when he wears the colors of the local team, we see how much he can be appreciated at his true value in Montreal.

Will this make him want to fi– oh, just forget it.

And when we see the quality of play offered by an aging and physically battered Crosby last night, we realize that the tournament is important for him… and that he is really strong, despite his age.

2. International hockey is important. Even though it wasn’t an Olympic match, the guys were skating at a crazy speed (Drew Doughty has never played in such a fast game), and the atmosphere was electric.

Good for them.

3. Seeing Mitch Marner being applauded at the Bell Centre must feel strange for him. That’s the kind of thing that can happen when an opposing player wears Canada’s colors at the Bell Centre.

Auston Matthews, however, had every reason in the world to be booed before the game.

4. Hearing Jon Cooper say that the Bell Centre is the best arena (away, since he won’t disrespect the Lightning’s facilities and fans) is pleasant to hear.

But it’s not surprising.

5. How much confidence did Jordan Binnington inspire in you? How much would Jon Cooper, who painted himself into a corner by saying publicly that there would be no goalie rotation, send a panic message by putting Jordan Binnington against the Americans?

The goalies must not sink Team Canada…

6. Would Mark Scheifele or Evan Bouchard, to name just those two, have made a difference yesterday? Would Canada have won in regulation with them?

The bad decisions of the management must not sink Team Canada…

in brief

– Sidney Crosby, the greatest player to represent his country? That’s Jon Cooper’s opinion.

– To read.

– Huge signing in Boston.

– To note.

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Martin McGuire (again) victim of a microphone left on

This is not a good week for Cogeco Media.

First, the station has to deal with the story of Louis Lacroix, who is in trouble after posting a comment on social media linking street gangs to Kendrick Lamar’s show.

In the short term, he is taken off the air. We will see what comes of it.

But then yesterday, on the sidelines of the Four Nations Confrontation, another situation occurred that does not reflect well on 98.5. This happened during a post-game broadcast.

On YouTube (in a link that will surely not be available for long), during the post-game of Bonsoir les sportifs, we noticed that the microphones’ sound was not cut during a commercial break.

As a result, we heard what Martin McGuire had to say to his technical team, which is the worst nightmare for a radio man. And let’s just say it was not a celebration of good moves. Far from it, even.

Basically, the hockey game commentator was upset to see that in the middle of an interview with Nathan MacKinnon, there was a cut.

This generated anger from Martin McGuire, who told a member of his technical team that it proved what he had said earlier that morning: it makes noise at 98.5.

He added this.

We try to play at being big, but we are not big. – Martin McGuire

He did not like the fact that despite a good broadcast during the game, it ended badly due to the technical error with MacKinnon. And from the way he speaks, it feels like he wants people in the booth to know that not everything is as rosy as they believe.

Several times during the YouTube broadcast, we heard the comments of people who thought they were not on air. It’s not supposed to be like that. It proves McGuire’s point: making the mistake and leaving it open for the public makes noise.

At BPM Sports, for example, you hear nothing during the breaks on YouTube.

At the time, the 98.5 YouTube link was not the most listened to, which allowed the error to go under the radar to a certain extent. A little more, at least, than the time he spoke against Americans on air when he thought the microphones were off.

That was during the 2020 playoffs.

Let’s also note that during the online broadcast, McGuire did not look at the camera for YouTube at all. I don’t know if he liked the concept in the first place, but clearly, he must not like it this morning with everything that comes of it.

overtime

With Renaud Lavoie having communication problems (and letting a nasty word slip on air) at TVA Sports and the guys from HFTV also struggling with communication towards the end of their live broadcast (which was very good) at TVA Sports, it was quite a night on air.

Obviously, communication at the Bell Centre was not optimal.

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4 Nations: Sidney Crosby dominates in a victory for Canada

Finally! It is tonight that the Four Nations Face-Off in the world of hockey is kicking off, as the Canadian team and the Swedish team are clashing at the Bell Centre.

While Jordan Binnington was the goaltender for Canada, Filip Gustavsson was the one for Sweden in this first match.

Here are the complete lineups:

Before the match, a ceremony honoring the four countries participating in the competition was held on the ice.

The highlight of it? Auston Matthews getting booed loudly, but also Mario Lemieux receiving a massive standing ovation from the fans present at the Bell Centre.

We then got to enjoy the beginning of the game… and the Canadian team did not wait long before raising the crowd.

When Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby, and Nathan MacKinnon combine their efforts on a power play, it creates… a magical sequence:

Then, a few minutes later, while Sweden still had not registered a shot, Brad Marchand doubled the lead for his team.

For the first time in his life, Marchand received some love at the Bell Centre.

After 20 minutes, the score was 2-0 for Canada. Sweden had hardly any shots on net after 20 minutes.

That said, in the second period, Sweden found some rhythm… and they finally tested Jordan Binnington.

And it paid off: Jonas Brodin scored the first goal for his team.

Nonetheless, Canada regained a two-goal lead before the end of the period, courtesy of Mark Stone.

Sidney Crosby made a brilliant play on the sequence.

After 40 minutes, the score was 3-1 in favor of Canada.

In the third, however, Sweden made a push. Adrian Kempe brought both teams to within one goal at the beginning of the period.

Binnington did not look particularly solid on that sequence…

Then, a few minutes later, it was Joel Eriksson Ek who found the back of the net.

All of a sudden, the score was tied.

Canada then attempted to regain the lead, and they had a magnificent play…

But Filip Gustavsson completely robbed Devon Toews of a goal. What a stop by the Swedish goaltender.

We eventually needed overtime to separate the two teams. Reminder: for this preliminary round, overtime is a 3-on-3 session for 10 minutes followed by a shootout.

Nathan MacKinnon was dominant during this 3-on-3 session, but in the end, it was Mitch Marner who secured the victory for Canada.

Sidney Crosby recorded a third assist in the match on this winning goal… and he received a lot of love from the fans on site.

Final score: 4-3 Canada (OT)

The action will resume tomorrow, as the United States and Finland will make their entrance, also at the Bell Centre. The game will once again be at 8 PM.

Overtime

– It was nice to see the best players in the world defending the colors of their country. Just seeing Crosby, McDavid, and MacKinnon together on a power play was a joy to watch.

– Shea Theodore left the game in the second period due to an arm/wrist injury. He underwent X-rays and did not return to the match. His health status will need to be monitored, and if he cannot play in the next match, Travis Sanheim will take his place. Let’s remember that a team cannot call for backup unless they have fewer than 18 healthy skaters.

– Jordan Binnington was not particularly good in this match. I wonder if Jon Cooper will trust him again for the next game (Saturday, against the United States) or if he will look to Adin Hill or Samuel Montembeault.

– Sidney Crosby does not really look like a 37-year-old player carrying an injury. He was incredible tonight.

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Regular season games in Quebec: it would be “too complicated,” according to Gary Bettman

On January 27, Michael Andlauer caused quite a stir in the NHL. The owner of the Senators, who had just announced that his team would play preseason games in Quebec next fall, added another layer to the conversation.

Basically, he opened the door to playing regular season games in Quebec… and that, really didn’t make the NHL happy.

Ultimately, Andlauer had to retract his statement. One might wonder if the pressure came from the NHL or from people in Ottawa who are afraid of seeing the team move (or both), but clearly, someone somewhere didn’t want it to happen.

And tonight, as part of the start of the 4 Nations Confrontation, Gary Bettman gave a brief interview to TVA Sports… and he addressed the topic of regular season games in Quebec.

Except he didn’t exactly open the door to the idea:

[Playing games in Quebec] is not that simple. – Gary Bettman

Bettman didn’t really want to explain why it’s so complicated, but he noted that Andlauer, in saying that, probably got a little too worked up.

And that’s when Élizabeth Rancourt had the good idea to mention the regular season games that take place in Europe… which don’t seem “too complicated.” His response?

It’s not the same thing. – Gary Bettman

No, he didn’t specify the reason.

On the substance, Bettman is right to say that it’s not the same thing. After all, one of the two scenarios involves disrupting the schedule of certain teams during the season by making them play across the Atlantic… while the other option wouldn’t be very different from playing games in Montreal for visiting teams.

I’ll let you guess which of the two avenues is the simplest in the commissioner’s eyes. The answer may surprise you.

In brief

– 4 Nations: Jon Cooper motivated his players by talking about… P.K. Subban.

– A first defeat in the AHL for Cayden Primeau this season. It had been almost a month since the Rocket lost.

– Pat Brisson discussed a few hot topics in the NHL on the air with 98,5 Sports. [98.5 Sports]

– Very cool!

– Great signing for the Padres.

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Centre Bell: a monstrous ovation for Mario Lemieux

This evening, Canada and Sweden will face off at the Bell Centre as part of the first match of the 4 Nations Showdown. It’s obviously a match that was highly anticipated… and the NHL made sure to highlight it.

How? With a pre-game ceremony to honor the four countries.

As both teams were on the ice, a legend from each of the four countries was introduced to the crowd, along with the captain of each team.

And when it came time to present the legend of Canada, none other than Mario Lemieux made his appearance…

And the Bell Centre gave him a massive ovation.

More details to come…

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4 Nations: Nick Suzuki, the only captain of the Atlantic who is not from the tournament

This evening, for the first time since 2016, the best hockey players in the world face off on the international stage. It is happening at the Bell Centre as Canada and Sweden clash.

It’s great to see this again.

However, what stands out is that there are no players from the Canadiens in uniform tonight. Samuel Montembeault is part of the Canadian team, but he is in the press box… while the other representatives of the CH are playing for Finland.

For a little while, we hoped to see Nick Suzuki part of the Canadian lineup. After all, he is one of the best Canadian centermen… and is capable of handling defensive assignments. That said, he was overlooked by the Canadian team.

Interestingly, what we see is that Suzuki… is the only captain of an Atlantic team not present at the tournament. The other seven are all there.

What is interesting, however, is to see how well represented the captains of the Atlantic are compared to other divisions. Indeed, in the other three divisions combined, only three captains (or four if we consider Quinn Hughes, who is injured and will not participate in the tournament) are on their national team.

It should be noted, however, that six captains (Radko Gudas, Anze Kopitar, Roman Josi, Nico Hischier, Anders Lee, and Alex Ovechkin) could not represent their country… simply because their country is not in the tournament.

We can wonder how close Suzuki was to being part of the Canadian lineup… but we know that Mark Scheifele is among the players who would have been considered (before?) the captain of the Canadiens. It may have taken more than one absence for Suzuki to make it to the tournament.

The good news for Suzuki, however, is that he still has plenty of time to defend the colors of his country. Whether it is at the 2026 Olympics or the World Cup in 2028, he could eventually be chosen by the Canadian team.

But today, he is the only captain of his division enjoying two weeks off. And it’s quite unusual to see that, considering he is recognized as one of the good centermen in the NHL.

In a nutshell

– It’s his turn to play.

– Indeed.

– Bravo.

– Michael Misa reaches the 100-point plateau this season.

– Happy reading!

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World Cup in 2028: the NHL “hopes” that Russia will be part of the tournament

This evening, the 4 Nations Showdown kicks off at the Bell Centre. Canada will take the stage as they face Sweden.

Let’s remember that Jordan Binnington and Filip Gustavsson will be the starting goaltenders.

Before the match begins, however, Gary Bettman addressed the media to discuss a few topics… and he confirmed what had been in the air: the World Cup will return in 2028.

Basically, the plan is simple: NHL players will participate in the Olympics in 2026, then we will have the World Cup in 2028 and the Games in 2030.

We want the best players in the world to compete on the international stage every two years, in short.

The big question in all of this is what the tournament will look like. And on that note, we also got some details.

During this tournament, there will be “at least” eight teams… and there won’t be a Team Europe as was the case in the last edition of the tournament. Each “team” will be a country this time.

Obviously, the four countries participating in the 4 Nations Showdown (Canada, United States, Sweden, and Finland) should fill four of the eight spots. One might think that Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Switzerland, for example, are other good candidates…

And we have to wonder if Russia will be included.

Marty Walsh, who heads the NHL Players’ Association, was asked about this, and he stated that the league “hopes” Russian players will be involved. That said, it will all depend on “political factors.”

We will see how everything evolves in the coming years, but the good news is that after nearly a decade-long pause, we can expect to see the best players in the world competing on the international stage regularly in the coming years.

And that’s good news for everyone.

Overtime

It should also be noted that the World Cup will take place in February. This is something that some criticize about the 4 Nations Showdown since it falls right in the middle of the season… but we will move forward with this time window.

It should also be noted that during his press conference, Gary Bettman mentioned that he has not determined where the World Cup will take place. He has asked cities to submit their bids… and he noted that he is open to both North American and European cities.

Could Montreal, which is hosting the 4 Nations Showdown, gain some points in the coming days to host the World Cup in 2028? To be continued.

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Evans and the negotiations with CH: The problem is the duration of the contract… but also the salary

Jake Evans is one of the players who could leave the Canadiens by March 7. His contract ends at the end of the current season, and it is known that he is not close to reaching an agreement with the Canadiens for the terms of a new deal.

His comments after the Canadiens’ game on Sunday even suggest that he is in his final days in Montreal…

Brian Wilde (Sick Podcast) is convinced that Evans knows he’s leaving:

Pierre LeBrun, in the recent episode of Radar, shared new information regarding the discussions between Evans and the Canadiens.

The issue is not just the length of the next contract… But also the salary.

The insider emphasized that both sides are (really) far from a deal at the moment:

Jake Evans will turn 29 in June.

It is therefore normal for him to consider testing the free-agent market, as this is likely his last chance to sign a big contract in the NHL.

At 33-34-35 years old, he likely won’t have the opportunity to sign a multi-year contract at a really attractive salary.

That said, Pierre LeBrun explains well: if Evans wants to stay in Montreal… He will have to be willing to accept less money (and fewer years), even though he could potentially get more in the free-agent market.

The Canadiens cannot offer him the moon because there are other guys in the coming years who will sign big contracts. #LaneHutsonAndIvanDemidov

Ultimately, at this point, it’s up to him to make a decision.

Either he decides to sign a more familiar contract to play in Montreal… Or he chooses to trust his skills to see where that could lead him on July 1.

And if it’s the latter path he chooses, it would make sense for the Canadiens to send him elsewhere in order not to risk losing him for nothing this summer.

In Brief

– Big game tonight for the Rocket.

– My heart wants to go with Canada. My head, on the other hand, really likes the United States…

– Are you going to watch Canada’s game tonight?

– That’s such a nice idea!

– Oh really?

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Mathieu Olivier gives love to Arber Xhekaj

Upon his arrival in the NHL, Arber Xhekaj sent a message to the rest of the players in the league.

You want to fight me? Alright… But you need to know that I can defend myself too.

The Canadiens’ defender is now seen as one of the good fighters in the NHL, and his reputation is well-established.

Xhekaj is a tough guy, and the other tough men in the league can recognize that.

Among them? Mathieu Olivier… Who showed him some love during his stint on the Cam & Strick podcast.

“He’s a tough kid,” said the Blue Jackets player when discussing the Canadiens player:

In Mathieu Olivier’s eyes, Arber Xhekaj is among the best tough guys in the NHL.

And coming from the Blue Jackets player, that’s quite significant because he’s not afraid of anything either.

Let’s remember that the two guys have already fought together:

It’s cool to see that the guys respect each other this way.

That said, it has to be admitted that it would be special to see Mathieu Olivier and Arber Xhekaj on the same team in Montreal… Even if the latest news suggests that the chances of that happening seem pretty slim.

Everything indicates that the Blue Jackets will do everything in their power to keep their forward in Columbus because he helps the team in his own way and because he is a really beloved player there, both in the locker room and outside of it.

The fans of the club appreciate him a lot too.

In Brief

– A return to BU for Lane Hutson.

– They have what it takes to cause an upset.

– Wow!

– Poor guy.