Author: Dose

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Phillip Danault has only five goals this season

When the former management led by Marc Bergevin let Phillip Danault go to free agency during the summer of 2021, the majority of Montreal Canadiens fans were disappointed and frustrated.

Why?

Because the Los Angeles Kings managed to sign Danault for $5.5 million per year until 2027, an annual amount that was only $500,000 higher than what Bergevin had offered Danault.

The pride of the former general manager of the Habs weighed too heavily in the balance, as he had refused to give a little more to the Quebec center.

Here we are now four years later, and even though Danault may have been somewhat missed by the team in the early years of the rebuild, one could say that today, the Quebec player wouldn’t really have a prime spot in Montreal.

Especially when we compare Danault’s production this season to that of Jake Evans.

Indeed, this season, Phillip Danault has only scored five goals (he scored his 5th last night), while Jake Evans has 11.

There is still a big difference between the two players, even though they both have 25 points.

Today, I would pick Evans over Danault for my team any day.

Evans is three years younger (28 vs 31), and on top of that, he earns much less per year ($1.7 million vs $5.5 million) to do the same job as Danault.

Obviously, Evans does not have a contract for the next season, but if he re-signs with the Habs, it will never be for $5.5 million.

The Canadiens will surely offer him something around $3.5 million per year at most.

In short, even if Danault could have very well helped the Habs in the early years of their rebuild, he would have quickly become a contract falling into the same category as Josh Anderson’s, namely a contract that one looks forward to ending.

Without Danault, Evans was able to develop better and has become a solid two-way forward who excels on the penalty kill today.

So, many have blamed Marc Bergevin, but in the end, today, no one would take Danault and his five goals before Jake Evans.

In Brief

– To be closely followed today.

– Indeed.

– That would be great.

– A truly ridiculous gesture.

– Ryan Suzuki is already heading back to the American League.

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Big comeback from the Rocket: Florian Xhekaj is really a “clutch” player

The Laval Rocket is truly impressive this season under the guidance of Pascal Vincent.

The team is dominant, sitting at the top of its division, the North Division, while also leading the entire American League in terms of points percentage.

All the players of the Rocket contribute to the team’s success, and once again yesterday, they proved it.

Indeed, for a second consecutive game in two days, the Rocket won against the Hartford Wolf Pack.

After winning 3 to 1 on Friday, Laval also secured victory yesterday, winning 5 to 4 in overtime.

It was a significant match that required a major comeback from three goals down at home in front of its fans at Place Bell.

The Rocket demonstrated great character by coming back from behind after being down 3 to 0 and 4 to 1 in the match.

In the end, as on Friday, it was Florian Xhekaj who played the hero by scoring the winning goal for a second consecutive game.

Arber’s brother is having a great time currently with Laval and is progressing very quickly.

Pascal Vincent praised Xhekaj’s development and progression on Friday.

In short, Florian Xhekaj clearly has that “clutch” player DNA, and that’s very likely what will allow him to make a career in the NHL one day.

If you only look at his production, which is 14 points (10 goals and four assists) in 39 games, there is nothing impressive about it.

But Xhekaj is much more than just the points, as he executes the small details very well while being a very physical and dangerous player for the opposing team.

Seriously, the Canadiens are very lucky to have him in their ranks, as he could become a luxury fourth-line player in Montreal very soon.

After all, he is only 20 years old.

If we look at the rest of the game, Jared Davidson also had a very good game with a goal and an assist, leading one to wonder why he didn’t get his chance to be recalled by the Canadiens instead of Owen Beck.

Davidson is the kind of player who resembles Emil Heineman much more than Owen Beck, which would have helped the Canadiens better cope with the absence of the Swede.

At 22 years old, Davidson is having a great season with 27 points (15 goals and 12 assists) in 39 games and clearly deserves his chance up top.

Finally, it’s worth mentioning Cayden Primeau, who remains perfect since his return to Laval, as he earned his ninth win in as many games.

He has a record of 9-0 with an average goals allowed per game of 1.96 and a save percentage of .923.

Let’s see if that will be enough for him to earn a recall.

In Brief

– Crazy trade in the NBA.

– Indeed.

– Happy birthday Christian!

– To listen.

– It will be followed.

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Top-5: The American national anthem was strongly booed in Ottawa and Calgary

There were nine games yesterday in the National Hockey League.

Several highlights caught attention and made the rounds in the hockey world.

Here’s a summary.

1. Ottawa and Calgary fans boo the American national anthem

Upon his return to the presidency of the United States, Donald Trump has already made a few decisions that clearly do not please everyone, one of which is the imposition of tariffs on Canada.

In this context, Jean-Marc Léger stated yesterday that he would like to hear the American national anthem being booed at the Bell Centre, which would clearly not solve the problem.

But nonetheless, booing the American national anthem would do the Canadians good and allow them to release some frustration.

In fact, last night, in Ottawa, and then in Calgary, the American national anthem was heavily booed at the beginning and the end.

In short, Canadian fans expressed their dissatisfaction.

As for the hockey games themselves, well, in Calgary, the Flames lost 3 to 1 against the Detroit Red Wings, and in Ottawa, the Senators crushed the Minnesota Wild by a score of 6 to 0.

The Senators’ fans did not boo their American captain Brady Tkachuk when he scored a goal in this game.

It is also worth noting that in this game, Ryan Hartman was ejected for a disgusting act against Tim Stützle during a faceoff.

See Stützle’s bloodied head at the end of the video above.

2. Joseph Woll makes one of the saves of the year at the end of the game

We witnessed quite a match between the two best Canadian teams in the NHL as the Maple Leafs faced the Edmonton Oilers.

The Leafs came out on top with a score of 4 to 3, and they can really say a huge thank you to their goalie, Joseph Woll, who not only turned away 45 of the 48 shots from the Oilers but also made one of the saves of the year in the final seconds of the game.

Indeed, Woll robbed Corey Perry on the last play of the game, which could have sent the game into overtime.

In short, the Leafs finally seem to have a good goalie, which could be scary for the playoffs.

3. Two goals for J.T. Miller in his first game back with the Rangers

Of course, in his first game back with the New York Rangers, J.T. Miller made his mark by scoring two goals in the Rangers’ 6 to 3 loss against the Boston Bruins.

In short, Miller did not waste time distinguishing himself and feeling comfortable with the Rangers, despite the loss.

He will clearly have a great renaissance with the Rangers.

4. Seventh consecutive win for the Islanders by Tony DeAngelo

Things are going very well for Patrick Roy and his team right now, as the Islanders recorded a seventh consecutive victory last night.

Indeed, by winning 3 to 2 in overtime against the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Islanders are back in the thick of the playoff race, just three points away from the final playoff spot held by the Lightning.

What’s even cooler for the Islanders is that last night, it was the team’s newest signing, Tony DeAngelo, who scored the winning goal in overtime.

It was his first goal of the season and first as a member of the Islanders.

5. A crazy game between the two best teams in the NHL

Last night, there was a very big game to closely watch as the best team in the Eastern Conference, the Washington Capitals, faced off against the best team in the Western Conference, the Winnipeg Jets.

So we could expect quite a hockey game, and that’s exactly what we got.

The match ended in overtime as Josh Morrissey gave the Jets a 5 to 4 victory with his second goal of the game.

The Jets thus sit atop the league with this victory, but the Caps, who are just two points behind, still have two games in hand.

Notably, in the loss, Alex Ovechkin scored the equalizing goal in the third period, bringing him within 18 goals of breaking Wayne Gretzky’s goal record.

In Brief

– The Chicago Blackhawks score the fastest goal in their history to start a game. Landon Slaggert found the back of the net after seven seconds.

– Here are all the results from the previous day.

– Here are the top scorers from the previous day.

(Credit: NHL.com)

– On the agenda today in the NHL: nine games.

(Credit: Google/NHL)
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Patrik Laine admits it: he still plays video games

Patrik Laine, once again, opened up about several sensitive topics in an interview with the Finnish media Helsingin Sanomat.

My colleague Félix Forget discussed earlier today the player’s regrets regarding his comments before the Columbus Blue Jackets game on December 23.

And we learn more about the Finnish interview in an article published today on TVA Sports.

First of all, the forward confirms what many have known for a long time: it was an addiction to video games, more specifically to the game Call of Duty.

Laine played enough to reach a competitive level and win tournaments. This generally requires a considerable investment of time in a game, a type of hobby that does not fit well with the career of a professional athlete.

The problem for Laine is that video games became a refuge when things started to go poorly for him on the ice and in his personal life.

The loss of his father and his disinterest in hockey created a vicious circle where the hockey player began to excessively game to the point of losing interest even in video games.

Moreover, gaming was not the only excess, as the Finn also owned a Ferrari, a Lamborghini, and a McLaren.

Since then, Laine is doing much better and seems to have regained his passion for playing hockey as well as a certain balance in his life. He still plays video games, but in a healthier and more reasonable way.

He has also gotten rid of his three luxury cars.

Additionally, religion helps him a lot and now plays a more significant role in his daily life, as he prays before each game and takes advantage of the offseason to attend church on Sundays.

It is interesting and refreshing to see Laine open up on topics often considered taboo in the world of professional sports.

Not only do several athletes have to face mental health issues like depression and anxiety, but they also have to protect themselves against the risks of excess that come with professional athletes’ salaries.

More players should open up about this topic and share their experiences to help break the taboos surrounding various mental disorders in professional sports.

In Brief

– Clash at the top!

– Ovi’s 877th!

– The Sens crush the Wild!

– The Leafs hang in there.

– Four consecutive games with at least one goal for Crosby.

– 900th points for Brent Burns!

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Separate Suzuki and Caufield: Anthony Marcotte’s idea to revive the CH

The Canadiens are not doing well lately.

The Tricolore is currently on a four-game losing streak (0-3-1) while the team is in the thick of the playoff race.

During this stretch, the CH has scored only six goals in addition to seeing its power play struggling (0 for 5 during these four games).

Six goals in four games is 1.5 goals per game. Let’s just say it doesn’t leave much room for your goalies.

Today, on BPM Sports, Anthony Marcotte suggests shaking up our top-6 by swapping the centers of the two first lines.

This would give the following lines:

Laine-Suzuki-Newhook
Caufield-Dach-Slafkovsky

He notably highlights the chemistry that was observed two years ago between Juraj Slafkovsky and Kirby Dach, while Patrik Laine could benefit from Nick Suzuki’s playmaking talent while taking advantage of Alex Newhook’s speed.

This is indeed an interesting idea. It would allow the CH not to put all its eggs in one basket and possibly have a more diversified offense by reviving the second line that is operating at a slow pace.

In the last four games, our second line has only three points (all obtained in the game against Detroit) and a combined differential of -7.

Do Laine (one assist in four games) and Newhook (no points in four games) really deserve a promotion to the first line?

I understand that the CH is looking for solutions, but is this the kind of message you want to send to your locker room?

Perhaps it’s time to give a chance to a player from the third or fourth line to come play a few games in the top-6.

Or maybe even give a chance to a young player, like Owen Beck, who the Canadiens recalled earlier today, to prove themselves in an offensive context by playing on the second line.

Furthermore, even though I like the idea of trying the Dach-Slafkovsky combination again, I’m much less convinced about separating Suzuki and Cole Caufield, the most consistent duo for the CH in several years.

In short, it’s clear that Martin St-Louis must be looking for solutions to revive his offense and that stirring things up a bit by reshuffling his lines could possibly help an anemic offense that has struggled for some time.

In Brief

– Suzuki wins the Molson Cup!

– Hage scores!

– Bruins win.

– A brief departure!

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Patrik Laine regrets his comments about the Blue Jackets (and he has learned his lesson)

On December 23, the Canadiens were in Columbus for their last game before the holiday break. It was an important game for Patrik Laine, who was returning to Columbus.

That being said, a few hours before the game, Laine spoke to the media… and he threw his former team under the bus a bit. He essentially claimed that the Blue Jackets were complacent in their defeat.

And that did not sit well in the Columbus locker room.

Laine was targeted throughout the first period, and he left the game afterward. Zach Werenski was furious about his former teammate’s comments after the game.

In short, it quickly snowballed… and today, Laine acknowledges that he made a mistake. In an interview with Helsingin Sanomat (a Finnish media outlet), the Canadiens forward admitted his fault for his comments on December 23.

In the same interview, Laine explains that he knows the Blue Jackets deliberately targeted him that night. Given the number of hits he took in the first period, the opposite would have been surprising.

This makes him aware that he should have been more careful with his words… but he doesn’t seem to take all the blame for it:

I should have kept my mouth shut. The journalists wanted me to say it, though. – Patrik Laine

Two things can be true: the journalists who spoke to Laine that day may have tried to get him to talk about that (and that’s their job, after all)… but Laine shouldn’t have fallen into the trap either. He could have simply said he requested a trade because he needed a change of scenery… and all of this could have been avoided.

But instead, he threw his former team under the bus… and obviously, that’s what drew attention.

The good news, however, is that he learned his lesson regarding all of this:

I will never say anything negative about another organization again. I learned it the hard way. – Patrik Laine

At least, if he leaves Montreal one day, we can believe he won’t trash the Canadiens with such comments.

That can obviously change in due time, but it’s good if he learned a lesson.

In Brief

– The Rocket wins a completely crazy game. The club was down 4-1 at one point and finished the game with 10 forwards, but Cayden Primeau keeps his unbeaten record in the AHL this season.

– Cole Caufield is in great shape.

– Two goals for J.T. Miller, who plays his first game with the Rangers this season.

– Good for him!

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American national anthem: Jean-Marc Léger wants to hear boos at the Bell Centre

Sports and politics do not mix well. We know that.

Yet, four or five supporters in the heights of the Bell Centre decided to boo the American national anthem a week ago, before the game against the Devils.

This Thursday, they were a little more numerous.

And here comes Jean-Marc Léger, CEO of the Léger polling firm and a columnist at TVA, who just wrote that he was looking forward to hearing the boos from the fans during the American national anthem (with a photo of a Bell Centre filled with Canadiens supporters to complete his tweet).

It is easy to understand that in Jean-Marc Léger’s eyes, this would be an excellent way to respond to the tariffs imposed by Donald Trump.

Except that…

1. The American national anthem does not represent Donald Trump; it represents a whole country (of which 50% of people did not vote for Trump) and a whole history. Booing the American national anthem is booing the soldiers who lost their lives to defend American society.

2. Booing the national anthem will not do “harm” to Americans. Aside from provoking anger and disgust from some people, it will change nothing. I hope François Legault will have better strategies…

3. If you boo the American national anthem but cheer wildly for a goal by Cole Caufield, assisted by Lane Hutson and Jayden Struble (or Christian Dvorak), you will look a bit confused. And if you boo Caufield or Hutson, you will look even more confused. Those guys have nothing to do with the American tariffs imposed by their new president.

Should we bend before Donald Trump? Stand tall? Respond economically? Turn the other cheek? I don’t know. I’ll leave the experts to answer this question.

But booing the American national anthem at the Bell Centre is certainly not the best solution.

Fortunately, the Canadiens are on the road for several days; it will allow some people to think a little before acting (and regretting?).

Extension

As a response, Jean-Marc Léger should start by removing his books from the Amazon platform. That would be a good start…

(Credit: Amazon.ca)

Walk the walk, talk the talk, as they say south of the border…

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Handshakes for Marc-André Fleury: Chris Nilan “would have hit him in the face”

On Thursday night, at the Bell Centre, the Minnesota Wild defeated the Canadiens by a score of 4-0. It was a fourth consecutive loss for Martin St-Louis’s men… but that was not the story of the evening, far from it.

In fact, the story of the night was in front of the Wild’s net. Marc-André Fleury, the last of the great Quebec goalies, was playing his final career game at the Bell Centre.

And the fans made sure to show him some love for the occasion.

And after the game, when the goalie completed his shutout, the players from the Canadiens all stayed on the ice to shake hands with the goalie. They wanted to show him their respect.

That said, even though it was praised everywhere, it did not make everyone happy either. During an appearance on Tony Marinaro’s Sick Podcast, former Canadiens player Chris Nilan admitted that he would probably have reacted differently if he had seen such a thing happen as a player:

I would have punched him in the face. — Chris Nilan

We know that Knuckles is never one to hold back, and he explains his point by saying he has nothing against Fleury in particular. In fact, what he didn’t like was seeing the Canadiens show love to a guy who had just made the club look bad on the ice.

He explains that in his time, that didn’t happen… and it clearly shows how things have changed.

We know that Nilan always gave his all to defend the Canadiens logo when he played for the team, and he would clearly have preferred to see the team respect itself a little more.

In essence, we understand his point… but we know how respected Fleury is in the NHL, especially in Montreal. A strong reaction from the fans was to be expected, and I think the Canadiens players felt the same way because they hold the goalie in high regard.

But indeed, it is true that this is not something we could have seen when Nilan was jumping on the ice. Yes, the NHL has really changed in that respect over the past forty years.

In brief

– The atmosphere seems good at the Canadiens.

– J.T. Miller did not take long to make his presence felt with the Rangers.

– Positive words for Jakob Pelletier.

– Things are going well for the Canadiens prospect in Russia.

– The Stars have a lot of resources.

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David Reinbacher traveled to the West with the CH

David Reinbacher has been sidelined since the start of the season. The defender, who was injured during a preseason game against the Maple Leafs (just minutes before Patrik Laine suffered the same fate), saw his season derail before it even began.

His injury was much more severe than that of the Finnish player… and there were concerns about whether he would be able to play again this season.

That said, even though he still hasn’t played this season, we can really sense his progress for a little while now. Recently, he started training alone again, and then he took to the ice with the rest of the team.

However, what we learned today is that Reinbacher traveled out West with the Canadiens.

He practiced with the group today.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that Reinbacher is on the verge of returning to action. That said, seeing him able to make the trip with the rest of the group is a strong encouraging sign.

Keeping him with the team when we are in Montreal is one thing… but bringing him on the road is another. And above all, it shows that the defender is making good progress.

I don’t think the Canadiens brought him on the trip because they intend to play him during it. However, it does seem to suggest that a return to play could happen sooner rather than later.

Let’s remember that the initial prognosis spoke of a return to play on March 1 in a best-case scenario… but seeing Reinbacher’s progress, one might wonder if a return in February has suddenly become a real possibility.

We’ll have to see how this all develops in the coming weeks, but it’s great news to see the young defender on the road with the rest of the group.

In Brief

– Mikael Granlund and Cody Ceci have joined the Stars.

– Good news.

– A missing player in the Four Nations Face-Off.

– Today’s waiver claims.

– I love it.

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The Canadiens recall Logan Mailloux and Owen Beck

The Canadiens are currently in California as they will play three games in the West.

However, before the trip, the club did not recall any players, meaning there were no extra skaters with the team…

But that has just changed: Logan Mailloux and Owen Beck have been recalled by the big club.

In fact, these are not particularly surprising recalls. The club needed to have extra players for the trip, and the two young players are going to California for the AHL All-Star Game.

It made sense… but the timing is peculiar.

Let’s remember that the Canadiens are not playing today (they play tomorrow at 4 PM), but the Rocket is playing. That means the guys won’t be able to play in Laval today… which puts the Rocket in a funny situation.

The club could very well be forced to play with 11 forwards and 5 defensemen, which is not ideal.

It should also be noted that the two guys are still in Quebec at the moment. They were not recalled just because they are already with the rest of the team in Anaheim and the Canadiens wanted to give them a chance to practice with the group today: the two were supposed to play this afternoon and leave for California afterward.

This is why the scenario of seeing the Canadiens not call them up tomorrow, let the two guys play in the All-Star Game on Monday and recall them officially on Tuesday made sense. But clearly, a different path has been chosen… which is more difficult to understand.

Does this have to do with the fact that a center (Jake Evans) and the two right-handed defensemen in town (Alexandre Carrier and David Savard) will not be practicing today due to a treatment day? If so, should we be worried about their status for tomorrow’s game? We know that often, guys who have a treatment day play the next day… but usually, there are still extra players just in case, which was not the case with the Canadiens before today’s recalls.

We will see if the two guys will play tomorrow… but the timing of their recall is quite interesting. That said, by recalling them before the Rocket’s game today, we avoid a scenario where one of the two young players (or both) would play three games in three days.

Usually, when you recall big prospects, it’s to get them playing… but in the context where the big club mainly needs extra players (and the Rocket doesn’t play again until Friday), it wouldn’t be the end of the world if they were in the stands for the three games in California.

Overtime

Let’s remember that the AHL Skills Competition takes place tomorrow evening, while the AHL All-Star Game will be held on Monday.

If they were recalled today, we can assume they won’t be at the skills competition tomorrow… but we will see if they will be sent back down to participate in the game on Monday… because otherwise, the poor social media manager of the Rocket is going to find the next few days long.