Author: Dose

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Rumor: David Savard in Edmonton

American Thanksgiving isn’t here yet, but we can already conclude that the Canadiens won’t be making the playoffs.

From there, you have to wonder what Kent Hughes will do. Clearly, he won’t be looking for short-term solutions to “fix” the club this season. But are long-term additions on the table?

It depends on the price.

But above all, we’ll have to ask ourselves whether the GM will want to liquidate any players to make the end of the season even more painful. And if so, which players could leave Montreal?

One name that’s sure to come up is David Savard. The defenseman stabilizes the Habs’ defense, and without him, it’s clear that a lot of guys would be pulling even harder in their zone.

But at the same time, if he’s a good value on the market, we agree that Hughes could be tempted to take a player whose days are numbered in Montreal anyway.

And on this subject, David Pagnotta mentions that the Edmonton Oilers are the kind of club that could be interested in Savard.

The problem with all this is that the season has only just begun. The “logical” time for teams to make trades hasn’t really started yet.

Apart from Lars Eller recently, it’s been quiet on the market.

The Oilers will have their sights set on a defenseman in the Savard mold. But the price will have to be right. The Québécois will have to be healthy. He’ll have to fit under Edmonton’s payroll. He’ll have to have a good season. The Oilers will have to want him at the expense of other players.

I have a feeling that Kent Hughes’ phone won’t just be ringing off the hook in Alberta for Savard, if all goes well. And let’s not forget that if the Habs play their cards right, the gang at The Fourth Period believes in a first-round pick in return for Savard.

Extension

– The fact that Savard is healthy enough to play tonight against the Oilers can’t hurt Kent Hughes if he really wants to trade his veteran to Western Canada. The Habs blanked the Oilers 3-0.

– Savard is at the end of his contract. He has a salary impact of $3.5 million.

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Kyle Dubas (Penguins GM) attends the Canadiens’ game against the Oilers

Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

In a few days’ time, the four countries in the Tournament of Nations will have to send in their official line-ups.

In the meantime, we can expect several executives to be present at games in which their NHL team is not playing.

Such is the case with Kyle Dubas (Penguins), one of Team Canada’s executives, who is at the Habs game.

According to Renaud Lavoie, he’s here for Team Canada, obviously. The Penguins aren’t playing tonight.

So Dubas is recruiting, and he’ll need to know if Connor McDavid really deserves to be on Team Canada. No kidding, he’s probably at the Bell Centre to see Samuel Montembeault in action. After all, despite a roller-coaster season, the Québécois is certainly in the conversation to be one of Canada’s goalies.

Aside from Montembeault with the Canadiens, Nick Suzuki is the other Canadian who could be in line for a starting spot.

With the Oilers, McDavid already has a spot, but the same cannot be said for Zach Hyman, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Evan Bouchard.

Stuart Skinner, a goaltender who has often been linked with the Canadiens, is another Dubas would surely have liked to see in action. Unfortunately, he’s watching from the bench, as he’ll be Calvin Pickard’s assistant tonight.

Overtime

– “If David Pastrnak was able to warm the bench for a period in Boston, don’t tell me Kirby Dach can’t watch a game from the bridge on any given night.”

– Deserved.

– Another battle for Mathieu Olivier.

– Very funny.

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Molson unveils a beer bearing the effigy of Pierre Houde

Shea Weber was recently inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

In addition to the former defenseman, another very familiar name was inducted. It’s the excellent play-by-play man Pierre Houde.

For the occasion, the Canadiens paid tribute to Houde in their own way.

In fact, some Molson beers feature Pierre’s face and a congratulatory message.

Nice bottles, all in all!

On X (formerly Twitter), Geoff Molson republished the 5 à 7 post and congratulated Pierre Houde himself on his work. And of course, he didn’t miss the opportunity to praise one of his companies…

All over the media, the team’s commentator was praised for his work and photos of the beautiful bottle were published.

Even Renaud Lavoie (TVA Sports), who is a direct competitor of Houde (RDS).

In Quebec, there’s no one who doesn’t love Pierre Houde.

In fact, he will be honoured before tonight’s game against the Oilers for his induction into the Hall of Fame and for his Foster Hewitt Award, a distinction given to a member of the radio and television industry who has distinguished himself through his contribution to the hockey community.

Overtime

– Long absence ahead for him.

– An excellent future support plumber.

– Should the Canadiens pick him up?

– Martin St-Louis doesn’t manage all his players in the same way.

– That pretty much sums up the Cowboys season.

– The question arises.

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Corey Perry wants to play until he’s 45

Photo by Derek Cain/Getty Images

Corey Perry is not the player he used to be.

We’re still talking about a guy who once scored 50 goals and averaged 65-70 points per season when he was in his prime.

The veteran has been in a depth role for a few years now, and he’s doing his job well.

We knew him in Montreal as a true leader and he still has those qualities.

It’s not for nothing, after all, that he was able to sign a new one-year contract ($1.15M) with the Oilers this summer.

But Perry is 39 years old, and players that age usually start thinking about retirement. It’s quite the opposite for the former Habs star, who wants to play until he’s 45.

At least, that’s what we learn from an article by Dave Lévesque. Perry will celebrate his 40th birthday next May:

This season, Perry has collected three goals and one assist.

Still, he’s not as productive… But he’s still played in every Oilers game so far (18) and is still capable of being useful to a National League club.

That said, it remains to be seen whether he has enough in the tank to play another five years.

Five years is a long time… And when an athlete passes forty, the body often doesn’t keep up.

Which is normal, of course.

But what can help him is that Perry doesn’t need to score 15 goals a season to help a team. His voice in the dressing room is important because he’s won… And because he’s always ready to go to war for his teammates.

Anyway. All this to say that Perry wants to play for a long time to come… And that it wouldn’t surprise me to see him be able to do so.

Overtime

– Interesting…

– Of note for poolers:

– That would be something.

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Bérubé comes to Reaves’ defense: “In my opinion, he’s a clean player”.

Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images

Ryan Reaves decided to make news for all the wrong reasons this weekend.

He delivered a brutal blow to Darnell Nurse’s head, and the images are chilling.

Especially when you see Nurse’s head banging on the ice after the blow:

The NHL has decided to act on the matter by suspending Ryan Reaves for a total of five games.

Not enough in my opinion, but hey. I don’t work for the NHL.

But when Craig Berube saw his player being criticized on social networks for his disgusting hit, he came to Ryan Reaves’ defense.

And the Leafs’ coach sounds crazy: he said he doesn’t think Reaves is a dirty player.

He’s not a sneaky player. In my opinion, he’s a clean player. – Craig Bérubé

Oh, right! I forgot…

According to Bérubé, it’s “not like Reaves wants to hit him in the head”.

Is the Leafs coach blind? I’m asking for a friend…

If not, maybe he should go see an optometrist for an eye exam!

I will always respect a coach who comes to the defense of his player.

But perhaps Bérubé should have taken the opportunity to avoid that comment.

Ryan Reaves isn’t a bastard player, but this is already the fourth suspension of his career. Right…

After all, this isn’t the first time we’ve seen him act like a caveman on the ice. Here’s a good example:

Craig Bérubé wasn’t about to throw his player under the bus. His club still managed to win against the Oilers, regardless.

But on the other hand… It’s illogical to see him defending a player whose reputation is well established.

Ryan Reaves has been in the NHL for almost 15 years and he’s never changed his style…

Overtime

– Stankoven is having quite a season.

– Hum…

– Sick.

– It’s going to be tough tonight. 5-1 Oilers.

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Brett Kulak “calls out” Carey Price about morning practices at the Bell Centre

MONTREAL, QC - APRIL 29: Look on Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price (31) during the Florida Panthers versus the Montreal Canadiens game on April 29, 2022 at Bell Centre in Montreal, QC (Photo by David Kirouac/Icon Sportswire)

When the Canadiens play in Montreal, they practice in the morning at the Bell Centre, not at the training complex in Brossard.

It’s the same for most NHL teams. When a club plays at home, it normally practices that morning on its home ice.

But that hasn’t always been the case with the Habs. In fact, it hasn’t been that way for long…

Anthony Martineau met with Brett Kulak in the lead-up to tonight’s game, and Kulak told him that, back in the day, players used to wonder when they were going to start practicing at the Bell Centre on the morning of a game.

At the time, practices were still held in Brossard even though the Habs were playing that evening… And Kulak explained why this was the case.

The reason is simple, by the way. Her name is Carey Price:

I told them that as long as Carey (Price) was going to be there, they’d better be patient! He had the power… – Anthony Martineau

What you need to know is that Carey Price lived not far from the practice complex in Brossard.

That way, he’d be able to get home faster for the evening game.

But after seeing Kulak call out his former teammate, it makes you realize how important Price’s voice was within the team and within the organization.

He was the club’s superstar for many years, the one on the big salary… And the Canadiens’ management wanted to make sure he was happy and satisfied in Montreal.

That’s normal, and we often see it elsewhere in the sport. Organizations do everything they can to make their star players comfortable, because it can bring concrete results.

When athletes are happy, they’re even more motivated… #SpecialTreatment

Extension

– Auston Matthews is still injured.

– Of note:

– It’s funny, but I’d like to see him be dominant.

– Nice contest :

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SKA match: A pass for Demidov, but Kuznetsov stole the show

Ivan Demidov and the St. Petersburg SKA were in action today.

To begin with, the Canadiens’ prospect started the game on his team’s 4th line.

His usual partner, Evgeny Kuznetsov, was on the first line:

The first period was fairly quiet.

Demidov spent a total of 5:14 on the ice in six appearances and fired two shots on goal. Nothing too spectacular, then.

But in the second period, things started to change.

The forward collected his 20th point of the campaign when his shot was deflected from the slot:

The rest of Demidov’s game was pretty ordinary.

He was penalized for roughing at the end of the second frame and barely touched the ice for the rest of the game.

In the end, he made 14 appearances on the ice and finished the game with 9:54 of playing time, one assist and two shots on goal. He now has 20 points in 29 KHL games this season.

I can’t wait to see if Roman Rotenberg uses him a bit more in the next SKA duel…

But it was Evgeny Kuznetsov who stole the show.

The former Capitals and Hurricanes player pulled a real rabbit out of his hat, scoring “a Michigan goal”… Direct from the enclave.

No, it’s not a prank.

And no, I didn’t think it was possible either:

Kuz then went for his classic bird-on-the-ice celebration.

The sequence couldn’t have ended any better, hehe.

On a serious note, this is definitely one of the most creative goals we’ve seen in recent years. Kuznetsov worked his magic and the result is fantastic.

We’re going to see this goal in the games of the year, and there’s no doubt about it.

In Overtime

– Kasperi Kapanen on the waivers. Should Kent Hughes claim him?

– Reminder: there are six games tonight in the National League.

– About time.

– Coming up.

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Arber Xhekaj reportedly fights Jake Paul “for $20M”

Much has been written about Mike Tyson’s fight with Jake Paul.

If there’s one thing Paul is being criticized for, it’s the fact that he fought a 58-year-old man. I won’t throw the first stone at him because I wouldn’t want to face Tyson at any age, but I understand the criticism.

The jokes about Paul, who won last Friday, are numerous. Here’s one of them.

At this morning’s practice, Anthony Martineau decided to ask Arber Xhekaj, on the heels of Friday night’s fight, this: would you say yes to a fight against Jake Paul?

And the main man said that for $20 million, he’d say yes. However, he thinks he’d be too fresh for Paul.

Remember that Mike Tyson received $20 million for his fight, even though he didn’t win. That’s a hefty sum for a fight that isn’t tied to a specific title.

Obviously, it was a fun fight .

And of course, Jake Paul isn’t going to want to fight Arber Xhekaj, who isn’t exactly Mike Tyson material. Not outside Montreal, anyway.

And above all, Xhekaj is still young…

Remember that on Saturday, the Canadiens’ Sheriff fought for the first time this (regular) season and gave a better fight than Tyson and Paul. It wasn’t the same context, but hey.

Anyway, it’s not going to happen. It’s just for fun.

Overtime

– Of note.

– Just this.

– Obviously.

– When will the captain return?

– To be continued.

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David Savard is back in practice

Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images

Saturday night brought a surprise: David Savard didn’t play.

Yet he had taken part in the morning practice a few hours before. And even though we know that he’s more prone to injury (he’s a veteran who puts his body at the service of the team) than the others, there were no clues that night.

All we know is that his upper body was involved.

Yesterday, Savard was unable to train because of his upper-body injury, but this morning, the veteran is on the ice at the Bell Centre on the heels of the day’s practice.

This may mean he’ll be playing tonight, although nothing has yet been confirmed.

It’s worth noting that Savard isn’t the only player we’ve been keeping an eye on on the heels of practice. Guys like Rafaël Harvey-Pinard and Patrik Laine, who are progressing towards a return to action, are also under the microscope.

And once again, both were on the ice this morning.

That doesn’t necessarily mean they’re at 100%, of course. But in the last few days, they’ve also been practicing. So they’re making good progress, which is good news.

Details to come…

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See Alex Newhook’s new Montreal penthouse

A hockey player established in the NHL has the means to achieve his ambitions. Alex Newhook is one of them.

The Canadiens’ forward, who is (somewhat) redeeming his difficult start to the season, is in the second year of a four-year contract that pays him $2.9 million per season.

And as Martin Jolicoeur (Journal de Montréal) reports, the Maritime-born forward has bought himself a $1.25 million penthouse within walking distance of the Bell Centre, in the Cité du Multimédia. Good thing it wasn’t DLC who first said out loud where he lives…

The condo has three floors and was initially on sale for nearly $100,000 more than the $1.25 million it went for. And when you see the pictures, it’s clear that it’s a beautiful place and probably justifies the original asking price.

I particularly like the private rooftop terrace. The view is something else.

(Credit: Melissa Pirrera, Royal Lepage Village)
(Credit: Melissa Pirrera, Royal Lepage Village)

Since the condo was sold just prior to 2019, it’s clear that the interior is modern and up to date. The images speak volumes.

The middle floor, with the piano, is magnificent.

(Credit: Melissa Pirrera, Royal Lepage Village)
(Credit: Melissa Pirrera, Royal Lepage Village)

There seem to be lots of windows in the building, which will brighten things up. Except on winter evenings, when the sun sets very early: no windows will make a difference then.

There’s plenty of space in the house.

(Credit: Melissa Pirrera, Royal Lepage Village)
(Credit: Melissa Pirrera, Royal Lepage Village)

If Newhook bought such a penthouse, it means he’s settling in better and better in the city. Is there a link with his difficult first month, then his better performances over the last two weeks? Hard to say.

But one thing’s for sure: he’ll be settling in just fine.

Overtime

– Prime and RDS will broadcast tonight’s game.

– To be continued.

– The Montreal Grand Prix in May from 2026: will the weather be there?

– Please note.

– Will you be listening?

This content was created with the help of AI.