Author: Dose

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Rookie of the Month in the KHL: Ivan Demidov celebrates by tying the record of Kirill Kaprizov

Ivan Demidov is really having quite a season for a rookie in the KHL.

Of course, there have been some lows in Demidov’s season due to his very limited ice time from his coach, Roman Rotenberg, but in the end, the Habs’ prospect is doing very well in his first season in the KHL.

Moreover, he is producing at a historic pace, as he is experiencing one of the best seasons for a young player under 20 years old in the KHL.

He had 40 points in 49 games before today, which placed him in very good company.

Additionally, with his incredible recent streak of 14 points, including nine goals, in 11 games, Demidov earned the title of Rookie of the Month (for January), a title he has already won two other times this season.

And today, Demidov had the chance to start February off right and celebrate his January title as the SKA of Saint Petersburg faced off against Dynamo Moscow.

And let’s say that Demidov did not disappoint, as he recorded two assists in this match, allowing him to tie Kirill Kaprizov’s record for the most points by a player under 20 years old.

Here is his first assist.

And here is his second assist, which was a great play on the game-winning goal in overtime.

Thus, Demidov recorded two assists, bringing his total points this season to 42 (19 goals and 23 assists) in 50 games, placing him 13th in scoring in the entire KHL, and 2nd in scoring for SKA.

He thus ties the record of Kirill Kaprizov, who had 42 points in 49 games in 2016-2017.

And now, with 17 games left in his season, Demidov has a very good chance of breaking Kaprizov’s record and taking it even higher.

If he continues to produce at this pace, Demidov could very well finish the season with over 55 points.

All this remains to be seen.

In a Flash

– To be followed very closely.

– He is getting very close.

– A game to watch today.

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Potential return of Russia in 2026: Sweden will NOT boycott the Olympic Games

As everyone knows, due to the war between Russia and Ukraine, the Russian national ice hockey team, as well as the Belarusian team, have been banned from all international competitions since 2022 until now.

Therefore, Russia and Belarus have not participated in any tournaments since this ban, and have missed several opportunities to showcase themselves on the international stage.

Let’s say that without Russia, international tournaments are easier for countries like Canada, the United States, Finland, and Sweden.

And clearly, there would have been a FIVE nations tournament, rather than four nations, if Russia had not been banned, considering that a large majority of the best players in the world are Russian.

In short, it’s unfortunate for the players, but politically speaking, it makes sense.

However, good news for the players, as Russia (and Belarus) could be making their return to the international scene for the 2025-2026 season.

And if that’s the case, well, Sweden has announced that it would NOT boycott the 2026 Olympics if Russia is back.

 

See this post on Instagram

 

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Stan Bowman went to encourage Kyle Beach and his team last night

Unfortunately, in recent years, several horrible stories have really tarnished the image of the National Hockey League and the world of hockey in general.

One can think of the collective rape story involving the 2018 edition of Team Canada Junior, or the story of Kyle Beach, the Chicago Blackhawks player who was sexually assaulted by a video coach in 2010.

When reflecting on the story of Kyle Beach, one remembers how horrible it is that the entire team, from the players to upper management, hid the scandal to focus on winning the Stanley Cup.

One of the individuals most involved in hiding the story and keeping it secret was the general manager at the time, Stan Bowman.

Bowman was the GM of the Chicago Blackhawks from 2009 to 2021, and he was in office when Kyle Beach was sexually assaulted by Brad Aldrich, the video coach at the time.

He thus bore a large share of responsibility in this story, and obviously, Kyle Beach has held it against him.

However, as of late, Stan Bowman, who is now the general manager of the Edmonton Oilers, is working very hard to develop a positive relationship with Kyle Beach.

In fact, last night, Bowman went to support Beach, who is the assistant coach of the Trinity Western Spartans.

Indeed, Bowman was present at the game between the Spartans and the University of Alberta Golden Bears to offer his support to Kyle Beach.

Honestly, I’m not quite sure what to think about it, and if I rely on the various comments regarding this matter, let’s just say I’m not the only one finding it quite strange.

Of course, it’s great if Beach has forgiven Bowman and has developed a positive relationship with him, but seriously, I would have thought Beach would prefer not to run into Stan Bowman in his life.

In short, as of late, the two men have a positive relationship, which Bowman has worked hard on, as evidenced by his presence at this USports game, which is the league of Canadian universities.

It should be noted that, unfortunately, Beach’s team lost 5 to 0.

In Brief

– To read.

– The Rocket will be in action this afternoon.

– This will be worth watching this summer.

– To be followed today.

– Congratulations!

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Marcus Pettersson in Vancouver: the Canucks now have three Petterssons

Last night, the Vancouver Canucks decided to give us a second big Friday night in a row in the NHL, making a major trade of their own, just like the Hurricanes and the Avalanche (Rantanen/Necas) did last Friday.

Indeed, after several weeks of rumors, the Canucks finally parted ways with J.T. Miller, as they traded him to the New York Rangers in exchange for Filip Chytil among others.

Miller waived his no-trade clause for the Rangers and is thus returning south of the border as he wanted, while also joining a city he knows well, having played there for six seasons from 2012 to 2018.

In short, the Canucks handled a big issue last night, but they didn’t stop there.

Patrik Allvin, the general manager of the Canucks, made another move last night, this time much later in the evening, acquiring defenseman Marcus Pettersson from the Pittsburgh Penguins.

This trade is directly related to the J.T. Miller deal, as the Canucks sent the first-round pick received from the Rangers to the Penguins.

Here are the full details of the transaction, which also involves Quebec defenseman Vincent Desharnais heading to Pittsburgh.

In short, the Canucks made two moves last night, and after all that, well, they now have three players with the last name Pettersson.

Indeed, with the addition of Marcus Pettersson, Vancouver now counts three Petterssons, as Elias Pettersson (the forward) and Elias Pettersson (the defenseman) are already on the team.

It’s quite a funny situation, as it could require quite a bit of work from the commentators to describe the game by identifying the right Pettersson to clearly communicate the play to the fans.

It must have already been difficult with two Elias Petterssons, just imagine now with a third Pettersson.

As for Marcus Pettersson, well, he is a 28-year-old left-handed defenseman who is having a relatively good season, considering he was playing with the Penguins, one of the worst teams in the Eastern Conference.

In 47 games, he recorded 18 points, including three goals, and he will bring solid support to the Canucks’ defensive squad, which has been struggling lately.

Too bad Elias Pettersson is also a left-handed player because a Pettersson – Pettersson pairing would have been fantastic.

In short, it’s a nice acquisition for the Canucks, who are battling for a playoff spot in the West against the Calgary Flames.

Quick Hits

– Not to be missed.

– He will play again on the first line.

– Interesting. What do you think?

– To be continued.

– Why not.

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Top-5: Martin Necas scores his first goal with the Avalanche

We had four games last night in the National Hockey League, with eight teams in action.

Each game brought us some great highlights.

Here is a recap.

1. Martin Necas scores his first goal with the Avalanche

After Mikko Rantanen on Thursday night with the Carolina Hurricanes, Martin Necas also scored his first goal with his new team, opening his account with the Colorado Avalanche in style last night.

Indeed, Necas made a superb rush and entry into the zone to then fire a quick shot that beat Joel Hofer, in the Avalanche’s 5-0 victory over the St. Louis Blues.

A beautiful goal that now allows Necas to tally five points (one goal and four assists) in four games since arriving in Colorado.

2. Three points for Jonathan Drouin

It is also worth noting that in this 5-0 victory for the Avalanche, Jonathan Drouin also shone, as he recorded three points, including two goals.

The Quebecer is now producing at a rate of one point per game, as he has 20 points in 20 games this season.

3. A first defeat without J.T. Miller for the Canucks

After weeks of rumors, the Vancouver Canucks finally traded J.T. Miller.

The star forward was traded to the New York Rangers in exchange among other players for Filip Chytil.

, just before their game against the Dallas Stars.

Miller was traded just minutes after arriving at the American Airlines Center in Dallas.

In short, the Canucks played their first game without Miller, and unfortunately for them, it ended in defeat.

The Stars won 5-3, while only managing 16 shots on goal against Thatcher Demko.

Jason Robertson and Roope Hintz had a good time.

4. The Blue Jackets win a third straight game

In contrast to the Montreal Canadiens, the Columbus Blue Jackets have not slowed their impressive pace.

They are still hot in the playoff race, thanks to three consecutive victories, including last night’s 3-2 overtime win against the Utah Hockey Club.

The Blue Jackets came back from behind last night, and they managed to grab two very important points, bringing them to 59 points now, placing them as the first wildcard team.

The CH has 53 points to give you an idea, with one game less played.

It was Zach Werenski who secured the victory for the Blue Jackets in overtime.

5. Jiri Kulich gives the Sabres the victory

Does this name ring a bell?

If I mention the end of the first round of the 2022 draft.

In fact, Kulich is the forward who was drafted just two spots after Filip Mesar (26th overall).

The Canadiens therefore preferred Mesar over Kulich, and let’s just say that today, this doesn’t reflect well for the Tricolore.

Mesar is producing at a fairly ordinary rate in the American League, while Kulich plays in the NHL and is on a good pace.

Moreover, last night, Kulich scored two goals, including the winning goal in the Sabres’ 4-3 victory over the Nashville Predators.

This now brings him to 16 points, including 11 goals, in 37 games this season.

The kind of young goal-scorer that the CH could really use.

Kulich is only 20 years old I remind you.

Overtime

– Here are all the results from last night.

– Here are the top scorers from last night.

(Credit: NHL.com)

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

(Credit: Google/NHL)
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8th victory in as many matches for Cayden Primeau with the Rocket

The matches keep coming for Cayden Primeau. The Rocket’s goalkeeper has responded very well since his return to the American Hockey League.

Tonight, he just won his eighth game in as many appearances in front of the Laval net.

This time, he stopped 30 of the 31 pucks directed at him in his team’s 3-1 victory.

Since his return to Laval, he has a goals-against average of 1.85 and a save percentage of 0.925. He is getting the job done despite a very rough start to the season with Montreal.

I tip my hat to him. He was almost ridiculed with the big club, with a goals-against average of 4.70. I remember very well his brief time in net against the Penguins where everything seemed to go in.

Since then, he has bounced back very well with the Rocket. I wish him a good finish to the season so that a team takes an interest in his services. A fresh start in another place could be beneficial if he wants to establish himself in the NHL.

In Montreal, Jakub Dobes and Jacob Fowler seem to be ahead of him in the hierarchy, and the last few weeks won’t change anything about the situation.

In the meantime, Primeau has a great opportunity to lead the Rocket into the playoffs, and maybe even to lead the team to a Calder Cup. Unless Dobes is called upon to finish the season in Laval, but that is far from decided.

In brief

— A great one too

— What a hit!

— Interesting analysis.

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Now, Elias Pettersson is better off giving it his all

Finally, the JT Miller-Elias Pettersson saga is over. The Canucks have sent Miller to the Rangers, and let’s face it, the return is not commensurate with the center’s talent.

Recall that the Canucks received Filip Chytil, a protected first-round pick, and Victor Mancini, an AHL player. The only good news for Vancouver is that New York will absorb the entire contract. This is also another reason for the quite minimal return.

This is what happens when the market is non-existent for a player who also had a no-trade clause.

As Scott Wheeler points out, the return is very weak considering Miller has been in the top-10 scorers in the NHL in two of the last three seasons.

Now, all eyes are on Elias Pettersson. He has no choice but to produce and become the face of the Canucks for the coming years.

It’s quite incredible how this situation has escalated. That two teammates don’t like each other off the ice can happen, but for it to become serious enough that one of them must be traded is something else.

It was the logical choice to keep Pettersson, as he is younger, but that will come with pressure, of course.

He has 32 points in 44 games this season, including 11 goals. Clearly, that’s not enough to make up for the loss of Miller. With all due respect to Chytil, he is not going to be the savior either.

Pettersson simply has no excuses left. We’ll see his response in the upcoming games. It starts tonight in Dallas.

In Brief

– Everything is happening very fast.

– The Rocket is ahead after 40 minutes.

– That’s going to be good.

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The CH has the third easiest schedule until the end of the season

The Canadiens are experiencing their first slump in nearly two months as the team has lost its last four games (0-3-1)

Back to reality or did the team simply stumble? Hard to say.

However, the CH must quickly find the path to victory if the team wants to stay in the race as it is already four points behind the Columbus Blue Jackets and the last playoff spot.

At least, the Canadiens can count on having one of the easiest schedules until the end of the season.

According to the site Tankathon, the Tricolore would have the third easiest schedule, being surpassed only by the Maple Leafs and the Predators.

(Credit: )

Moreover, if we look at our opponents directly involved in the playoff race, only the Senators are in the top tier, sitting fourth just behind Montreal.

At the other end of the standings, among our direct rivals, we find the Islanders (31st), the Rangers (28th), the Flyers (26th) and the Blue Jackets (22nd) as the teams with the toughest schedules.

Except for the Rangers, the other three clubs have two matchups against the Capitals, who don’t lose often this year.

Will the Tricolore take advantage of this opportunity?

The problem is that the CH often has the bad habit of losing games against poorer teams, so even if the team has a favorable end to the season, it will need to ensure it wins these matchups.

Furthermore, among its strong opponents, the Sainte-Flanelle has three matchups against the Florida Panthers and the Carolina Hurricanes scheduled. That’s potentially 12 points that won’t be easy to obtain.

In short, even though the Canadiens have an advantage on paper, that doesn’t necessarily mean it will be easy for the team until the end of the season.

Especially with the loss of Kaiden Guhle, who may miss the remainder of the season, the CH could face its first real adversity in several weeks as the club has been able to field complete and healthy lineups.

In Brief

– One shot, one goal!

– What a shot!

– A must-read.

– Potential concept.

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J.T. Miller has agreed to be traded to the Rangers: he is leaving the Canucks

Fridays follow one another and look alike.

Last week, Mikko Rantanen made his way to Carolina. The Hurricanes traded Martin Necas to Colorado after discussing the big names available in Vancouver: J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson.

But now, one of the two big names from Vancouver is about to leave: J.T. Miller. He is en route to New York to continue his career since the Canucks traded him to the Big Apple.

In the last few minutes, several insiders have reported that Miller has agreed to waive his no-trade clause and that he will not play for the Canucks tonight.

So that’s confirmed.

This is shaping up to be a big trade. Filip Chytil and Victor Mancini are involved, as they are heading to Vancouver along with a protected first-round pick.

Erik Brannstrom and Jackson Dorrington are also making their way to New York with the star forward.

Miller, an American, wanted to return south of the border and especially wanted to stop working with Pettersson. He is ultimately returning to the team that drafted him in the first round in 2011.

As the Rangers are performing better than at the beginning of the season, he must be happy with the situation.

In 40 games this season, he has 35 points. He is not on track to score more than 100 as he did last year, but a change of scenery might do him some good.

We’ll see.

extension

Miller earns eight million dollars per year, and this will continue until the summer of 2030. He still has just over five seasons left in New York, where he started his career before heading to Tampa Bay.

There are no salary cap implications in the deal.

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Rumor Corner: Marchand could leave the Bruins (according to Elliotte Friedman)

Could Brad Marchand leave the Boston Bruins?

In his latest podcast 32 Thoughts, Elliotte Friedman discusses this possibility (at the 24th minute).

The journalist believes that if the Bruins are sellers by the trade deadline, the team might be interested in parting ways with their captain.

At the moment, the team is just one point behind the Columbus Blue Jackets for the last playoff spot. The problem is that the team has played more games (53) than most of its rivals in the playoff race (50 or 51).

Although there is still plenty of hockey to be played, if the Bruins continue to display inconsistent performances, they could very well miss the spring meeting this year.

If the Bruins decide to sell, Marchand could be an interesting trade asset as several teams will be looking for offensive depth.

Elias Pettersson interests the Blue Jackets

The Pettersson/Miller saga continues in Vancouver.

It has been known for several weeks that the Canucks are trying to trade one of their star forwards, either T.J. Miller or Elias Pettersson, as the two players have a difficult relationship.

According to Pierre LeBrun, the Canucks and the Columbus Blue Jackets have had discussions about acquiring Elias Pettersson.

No players are mentioned, but since these are two teams in the thick of the playoff race, one can expect a trade involving big names on both sides, similar to the one between the Avalanche and the Hurricanes last week.

Contract extension for Charlie Lindgren?

The Capitals seem eager to ensure stability in net for the coming years.

After offering a 6-year contract to Logan Thompson for $35.1 million ($5.85 million per year), the Caps are reportedly preparing to sign an extension with their number two goaltender Charlie Lindgren.

According to Kevin Weekes, the former Canadiens goalie could see a substantial pay raise as a contract between $3.5 million and $4 million per year is being discussed for the player who is in the final year of a 3-year deal worth $3.3 million ($1.1 million per year).

Although it’s unclear how many years the deal will be, with this signing, the Capitals could very well settle their goaltending situation for several seasons.

In Brief

– How much for Hutson?

– The Lions’ lineup.

– Five to seven weeks out for Gourde due to a hernia.

– What a save!

– Baseball in Montreal?