Author: Dose

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Ryan Reaves: Controversial comments at the heart of his transaction

It’s no secret.

Ryan Reaves isn’t the player he once was… and he’s not contributing much on the ice.

He hasn’t scored in 35 games this season in Toronto (two assists), and at one point, the Leafs even decided to send him to the minors. He’s reached that point in his career at the age of 38.

But if the Leafs did trade him, it wouldn’t just be because he slowed down.

Rather, it was because he made comments that Leafs management didn’t like on the Cam & Strick Podcast.

In particular, the forward said that in Toronto, the media is (very) intense and that this doesn’t necessarily help the team on the ice… and he also said he hated Evander Kane.

TVA Sports also wrote an article on the subject.

Honestly, at this point in his career, Reaves probably should have thought twice before criticizing his club’s media.

And to me, that’s the main reason the Leafs decided to send him to San Jose.

After all, he wasn’t used very often last season because he wasn’t able to help his club on the ice. And now, in spite of everything… he’s been talking trash about the media, which is never a good idea for a guy in an intense market like this.

It’s not ideal, really. And the Leafs don’t need someone criticizing journalists for their coverage of the club.

All in all, Ryan Reaves – never one to mince his words – may have gotten himself out of trouble.

At 38, he’s at the end of his career… and it’s hard for me to believe that he has a very good chance of playing next year, even if the Sharks need to fill some jerseys.

Overtime

– I love it.

– His turn to play.

– Great saves.

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Finding a second center won’t get any easier in 2026

It’s July 11 and the Canadiens’ two biggest needs are still unmet: #2 center and toughness.

Although some insiders believe that transactions will take place in the next few days, we have to face the facts: the chances of Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton getting their hands on a second center in the opening days of next season are relatively slim.

Let’s just say that if I had to bet $100,000 on he’ll succeed or he’ll fail, I’d put my money on he’ll fail. Evgeny Kuznetsov may be available late in the summer, much like Patrik Laine last year, but I personally don’t see the Canadiens making him a contract offer.

Otherwise, the only center players with more than 20 points last season still without a contract are Jack Roslovic and Jeff Skinner. That’s it.

Could the Canadiens acquire their second center during the season, like they did Alexandre Carrier? I don’t think so.

Trading a diminutive #4 defenseman and trading an established second center are two different things.

At the deadline?

The center players who move at the trade deadline are likely to move to a city whose team aspires to win the Stanley Cup. Montreal isn’t there yet. #Crosby #Denver

And let’s leave transactions involving at-risk players who haven’t yet reached their full potential. What the Habs need, in the short to medium term, is a second center who brings certainty to the position. Not another project..

Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton don’t need to find a new project; the club needs certainty.
(Credit: Joe Sargent/Getty Images)

Clearly, this second center isn’t coming this year. And we’ll have to hope that it will arrive in 2026. Probably during the summer..

No, Michael Hage won’t be ready to occupy that chair anytime soon. He may never be, but we’ll see, except that in 2026, he won’t be playing center in the top six.

So what are the options for Hughes and Gorton?

A number of quality center players will reach the end of their contract in 2025-26: Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel, Martin Necas, Anze Kopitar, Evgeni Malkin, Charlie Coyle and Christian Dvorak Alexander Wennberg, among others..

Who among these players will still be without a contract on July 1? Very few..

Don’t dream too much about Connor McDavid or Jack Eichel!

There’s a good chance they’ll sign a new deal with their current team or be traded before April.

In short, the solution to filling the coveted second-center position remains either in-house (Bolduc, Dach, Newhook or Slafkovsky) or via the transaction market.

The salary cap may rise by several million dollars again next season, and Carey Price’s contract – like Patrik Laine’s – may be up, but it’s unlikely that the Habs will find their second center via the free agent market. The GMs of the other teams will be spending aggressively.

In short, there won’t be any easy ones, as the old saying goes.

And Jeff Gorton already knew that when he met the media at the end of last season. Go back and listen to what he had to say; he knew that finding a top-six center is (really) not easy. Talk to Marc Bergevin..

That’s why, if a GM somewhere is willing to give a number 2 left-handed center in return for Michael Hage and something more, we’ll have to give it serious consideration. The Habs need certainty.

Overtime

– We spoke to Marco Donadel this morning. He talked about Samuel Piette, a player on trial, Vrioni’s elbow and more.

– The guy who ate a volley from Nick Tarnasky tries to save face online. [HFans]

– Bryan Woo had a scoreless, hitless game after seven innings.

– There are several incongruities behind some of the decisions made at CF Montreal.

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Mikhail Sergachev at the heart of a story against Jeff Blashill (but it doesn’t add up)

At DLC, we sometimes report what’s happening on social networks – when it makes sense.

But this morning, there’s a story making quite a bit of noise, and we wanted to tell you about it from the following angle and message: beware of the veracity of what’s being said in the Mikhail Sergachev story.

That’s our warning for the day.

Basically, since yesterday, Mikhail Sergachev’s comments have been circulating. In a podcast in Russia, he was quoted as saying that Jeff Blashill’s system for Lightning defensemen wasn’t working.

Blashill was an assistant to John Cooper from 2022 to 2025, when he became coach of the Chicago Hawks.

The defenseman is quoted as saying that Blashill wanted the Lightning to play like the Golden Knights, even though the system in place had taken them to the Stanley Cup Finals three times.

Here’s what’s floating around right now.

But there are problems in all of this that make us raise our red flag. Sergachev may have gotten his story mixed up, but the dates don’t coordinate.

Sergachev would talk about Blashill’s arrival as an event that derailed everyone’s differential. But his went up in 2022-2023…

(Credit: Hockey DB)

When Sergachev is reported to have mentioned that defensemen regressed under Blashill, does that take into account that he improved his differential one year and had his best offensive season under the former Red Wings?

Does it take into account the fact that Victor Hedman has improved his differential in recent years? That Nick Perdix and Erik Cernak were in the plus column?

Yes, Sergachev regressed in his final year in Tampa Bay. But in his first season with Blashill on Cooper’s staff , he was still able to progress en masse.

So the reported comments don’t completely hold water, and the timeline is bizarre. Pay attention.

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Rocket: John Sedgwick named AHL GM of the Year

The honors keep piling up for Laval.

After seeing Pascal Vincent named AHL Coach of the Year, now his boss, John Sedgwick, has been named AHL Executive of the Year.

This was announced by the league.

This is the first year this award has been offered in the AHL. And to see that the Rocket GM was able to win it is no surprise, considering that the club dominated during the regular season (Laval finished first) and made it to the final four in the playoffs.

It was a logical choice.

The fact that he’s an assistant to GM Kent Hughes in Montreal was also highlighted. After all, the Habs made the playoffs and the ECHL’s Lions were crowned league champions.

Sedgwick has been recognized for his work.

It’s also worth noting that the press release mentions that the Rocket is the organization of the year and that the club also won the title of best team in the East for fan experience.

It’s true: few people complain about Place Bell.

The Canadiens are one of those teams that emphasize their club school, and it shows. Not a bad idea for a club that’s rebuilt in recent years, of course…

So much the better if the work of the people at Laval is recognized.

overtime

– The Hurricanes would have liked to sign Claude Giroux.

– Of note.

– Indeed.

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Jonathan Drouin: “My time in Montreal wasn’t very good for me”

Jonathan Drouin didn’t make the Canadiens’ history the way people would have liked.

The deal involving Mikhail Sergachev for the Québécois didn’t exactly help the Montreal club, and we all know how it ended for the player in Montreal.

After his $33 million contract expired two years ago, he signed as a free agent in Denver.

We knew, of course, that a change of scenery would be necessary in 2023 for Drouin, who was once again enjoying playing in Colorado with his good friend Nathan MacKinnon.

And now, having signed with Long Island (a club that takes care of him and his family) for two years, Drouin is visibly more open to talking about his past.

I say that because onthe heels of his appearance on the NHL Network, where he was asked to comment on his time in Denver, he said that’s what he needed because he’s back to enjoying the game.

And he added this:

My time in Montreal wasn’t very good for me. – Jonathan Drouin

Obviously, I don’t think anyone here is surprised by Drouin’s comments. We may be surprised to see him talk so openly about it, but not about the nature of his statement.

Clearly, playing in Montreal wasn’t for him.

I think a lot of people in Montreal are happy to see what he’s become over the past two years. He’s back to being the player he can be in Colorado, and we’ll see what Patrick Roy does for his career.

It can’t be any worse than it was in Montreal… unless the player’s intensity doesn’t make the coach happy.

overtime

– Speaking of Mikhail Sergachev: he loves his life in Utah.

– Wow.

– Interesting.

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Toronto: Michael Pezzetta grows in stature now that Ryan Reaves is gone

In recent days, the Maple Leafs have offered Michael Pezzetta a two-year contract. Pezzetta joins Ryan Reaves among the players who can compete in Toronto.

Despite past altercations between the Habs and the Maple Leafs, Pezzetta was going to play with Reaves.

But now the San Jose Sharks have changed all that, picking up Reaves from Toronto. And since the veteran earns just over $1 million and isn’t a big addition to the salary cap, we’re not sure why the San Jose club did it.

By necessity, because Reaves was no longer the tough guy he once was, the addition of Pezzetta meant that the Maple Leafs didn’t necessarily need the big forward anymore.

We’d been feeling for a while that Reaves was more in the legs than anything else.

Since the Maple Leafs certainly didn’t want to have two forwards like that (who don’t rack up points at an insane rate, let’s say), trading Reaves made sense.

And it did.

Will the Maple Leafs be happy to rely solely on Pezzetta, who definitely can’t play all 82 games in a season for a team with Stanley Cup aspirations? We’ll see.

Because while there are other tough players out there, guys in the Pezz mold aren’t a dime a dozen in the NHL.

I also wonder, by the way, what the good Arber Xhekaj thinks of the Maple Leafs deal. After all, Reaves has had his moments with the Habs in recent years….

I imagine the question will be put to him when he talks to the media on the heels of the season opener.

overtime

– The Hurricanes really wanted Mitch Marner.

– Can Kaiden Guhle reach the next level? [TSN 690]

– Gavin McKenna bids farewell to the WHL.

– Who do you think will win?

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Sidney Crosby’s future in Pittsburgh could depend on the next lottery

Is Sidney Crosby’s future in Pittsburgh? That’s the question on everyone’s lips throughout the NHL.

The most logical destination besides Pittsburgh is Montreal, and everyone knows it.

Even if the Penguins aren’t going anywhere, there’s a world out there where Sidney Crosby puts his desire to win behind him and stay where his legend began. Greg Wyshynski spoke to Jeff Marek’s podcast The Sheet and believes the upcoming lottery could have an impact on the 87’s future.

According to the American journalist, if the Penguins, who will be among the worst teams on the Bettman circuit next year, win the Gavin McKenna lottery, it could have an influence on the captain’s future.

His questioning makes sense, because instead of leaving, he could do what Mario Lemieux did and stay in Pittsburgh to help grow the next face of the franchise.

From Mario, to Sidney, to Gavin: that would be three consecutive franchise players. The Penguins would be lucky indeed. Because yes, McKenna has a chance to become Crosby 2.0 and build a dynasty with the Penguins when all seemed lost for this franchise.

But before we can think about that, the club has to finish among the NHL’s worst teams. With captain Evgeni Malkin (for one last season) and Kris Letang, that’s not necessarily going to happen.

The Penguins are also counting on Erik Karlsson. According to Chris Johnston, the Swede won’t be traded to another team. If Kyle Dubas doesn’t get a solid offer for his defenseman, he won’t trade him, period.

Overtime

– Ah well.

– Of note.

– That remains to be seen.

– Nice catch.

– That’s a good quality to have.

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The Islanders sent jerseys to Jonathan Drouin’s family after his signing

On July 1, Jonathan Drouin left the Avalanche to join the New York Islanders and Patrick Roy.

The Québécois capitalized on his fine end-of-season performance in Denver to sign a handsome pact with New York. The two-year, $8 million deal makes him the organization’s sixth-highest-paid forward on an annual basis.

Today, the Québécois was interviewed by NHL Network and said that the organization sent him and his family new team jerseys after his signing.

According to him, it shows the class of the organization.

It’s a nice gesture in any case, and it’s a nice gift to give to a player who has just put his trust in your team.

Drouin has spoken with a few players, including Anthony Beauvilier, about New York and they agree that it’s a great place to play. I guess he hasn’t talked to Noah Dobson.

His agent Allan Walsh even commented on the Islanders’ new acquisition. #DrouinIt

In 43 games last year, Drouin collected 37 points. He richly deserves this contract and, should he have two more good seasons, he could command a nice salary increase in July 2028.

In New York, he won’t have the pressure he had in Montreal, and he’ll be playing with quality players. Maybe not a Nathan MacKinnon, but the likes of Mathew Barzal and/or Bo Horvat are a good bet. And on the power play, he’ll be able to play with Matthew Schaefer.

Overtime

– The Flames are active.

– RFA: the class of 2026 is intriguing. [The Athletic]

– Who will win the competition?

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LAST HOUR! 19-year-old CHL players get to play in the AHL

Times are tough for the CHL due to new regulations allowing players to exile themselves to American universities.

A few days ago, we learned that Gavin McKenna was leaving the WHL to go to Penn State. It’s all very well, but money continues to dominate.

No Canadian team can match an offer of $700,000…

But, as Q president Mario Cecchini said, “Canada would have lost him next year anyway.

Sad, but true. In June 2026, he’ll be drafted, and barring a major surprise, he’ll start right in the NHL.

Today, Frank Seravalli revealed a very interesting piece of information, but one that won’t help Canadian teams retain talent. The journalist said that, under the new collective agreement, NHL teams will be able to bring one 19-year-old player from the Canadian leagues to the NHL per season.

This change will begin as early as the 2026-2027 season and will be very beneficial for NHL teams and 19-year-old players who have capped out.

I’ll give you an example: instead of playing his fifth junior year at 19, Joshua Roy could have played with the Rocket, where he would have developed much more. A guy like Shane Wright wouldn’t have needed the special clauses to play in the AHL at 19 like he did.

If this change went into effect as early as 2025-2026, it wouldn’t have made any difference to the Habs, who don’t have any top prospects who have capped out in the CHL.

But players like Beckett Sennecke (Ducks), Cayden Lindstrom (Blue Jackets), Tij Iginla (Mammoth) and Berkley Catton (Kraken) could benefit greatly from this new rule. Simon Boisvert will be happy with the change, in any case.

A victory for the NHL, (another) defeat for the CHL, which will continue to lose its stars a year early…

Overtime

– Great read on Noah Dobson.

– It’s got the merit of being clear.

– To be continued.

– I don’t believe in Anthony Volpe.

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RHP: several teams were interested in its services

Rafaël Harvey-Pinard did not qualify for the Canadiens.

He finally became an unrestricted free agent and decided to join the Pittsburgh Penguins. It’s a good decision for the forward, as there’s less depth at forward than before, and he’ll have a much better chance of becoming an NHL regular.

That said, he wanted to stay in North America, where several teams were interested in his services. We learn this in a text by Roby St-Gelais on the Radio-Canada Sports website.

Pittsburgh had good things to say about RHP, and the love was mutual.

The man who knew his time in Montreal was coming to an end can’t wait to start practicing with legends like Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.

I’m excited to have a fresh start on a new foundation. There are players like Sidney Crosby who I watched growing up, and now I’ll be able to watch him from the rink. – Rafaël Harvey-Pinard

The Québécois, who signed a one-year contract worth $775,000, will spend most of the summer in Québec, but will soon head to Pittsburgh to familiarize himself with the facilities and environment of the Pennsylvania Penguins.

In an interview with Radio-Canada, RHP also opened up about the mysterious injury that caused him to miss the start of last season. Until today, we knew it was a leg injury sustained during a charity event. In his interview, he confessed that, during a softball game, one of his friends ran into his leg in the field.

I got hit in the side of the leg by one of my friends and the leg gave out, let’s say, it was a pretty tough moment with four months off. You never know when it’s going to happen and when it does, you’re disappointed. – RHP

Injuries have really slowed him down in recent years. It’s a shame, because in 2022-2023, he finished the season with 20 points in 34 games.

Overtime

– I hope so.

– Absolument.

– Read more.

– Nearly a billion for three players.

– Toronto has some nice depth.