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The tickets available for tonight are not many… and above all very expensive

Then… do you have plans for tonight?

Personally, I have friends coming over to my place to watch Ivan Demidov’s first career game in the NHL. And I have the feeling that many people in Quebec will be gathering tonight for the event.

Because going to the Centre Bell, let’s say it’s… a fairly expensive project.

In fact, there are no more tickets available on the official Canadiens website.

Tickets are selling out like hotcakes – especially since we know Demidov is going to play – and on resale sites, the prices are still very high:

(Credit: Billets.ca)
(Credit: StubHub)

$900 for a ticket in section 113 on the Billets.ca site… that’s intense.

Prices are a bit less exuberant on the StubHub.ca site, but still.

Tickets are really not cheap and it shows how much hype there is for the game.

Because we must not forget one thing in all this: Demidov is going to play his first game in the NHL… but the Canadiens also have the opportunity to secure their playoff spot with a win.

This is the biggest game of the season and it’s the biggest game in recent years in Montreal.

It’s normal to see people tearing each other apart for tickets to attend the game.

I really can’t wait to see what the atmosphere will be like at the Centre Bell.

Obviously, we should expect it to be (very) loud… and we should expect the fans to be fired up like a hot stove as soon as Demidov touches the puck for the first time.

A bit like we saw with Patrik Laine in his first preseason game:

I’m especially looking forward to seeing the welcome that will be given to Ivan Demidov.

We know that the Canadiens fans already love him a lot. And we know that the Canadiens fans never hesitate to show their love for a player who arrives in Montreal.

It’s really exciting, at the very least. I wonder how Demidov feels right now…

Overtime

– He’s here!

– The guys seem ready.

– Logan Couture’s career is over.

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Ivan Demidov’s contract with Warrior is the largest in the brand’s history

Ivan Demidov has a big reputation.

He is seen as one of the next stars of the NHL and it’s for this reason that he was able to sign a contract with the Warrior brand – before even playing a single game in the NHL.

And according to the player’s agent, we’re not talking about a “small” contract. Far from it…

Dan Milstein, in an interview with RG Media, revealed that Demidov’s contract with Warrior is the biggest in the company’s history.

Again, this is special because Demidov has not yet played in the National League.

But with his potential, the company did not hesitate to associate with him… and they took big means to make it happen.

Yes, we have already signed an important sponsorship contract with Warrior Sports. It’s the most important in Warrior’s history.

They (the managers) said that Ivan would be their most important client. – Dan Milstein

Leon Draisaitl, Rasmus Dahlin, Sebastian Aho, Mark Scheifele, Jake Guentzel, Dylan Larkin, Drew Doughty, Erik Karlsson, Brad Marchand, Adrian Kempe…

These guys all have something in common. And you will have guessed: we are talking about athletes who are sponsored by Warrior.

That being said, it’s still crazy to know that Ivan Demidov’s contract with Warrior is more important than Leon Draisaitl’s or Rasmus Dahlin’s, who are among the best players in the National League in their respective positions.

Dahlin is in the top 10 of NHL defensemen and Draisaitl is in the top 5 of the best players on the planet. Despite this, the Warrior brand still wants Demidov to become the new face of the company…

Note that the three-year agreement between Demidov and Warrior will start next season only and that for now, he is playing with equipment from the Bauer brand.

But from next season, we will see Demidov play with Warrior gloves, a stick, and a helmet.

And according to colleague Maxime Truman’s information, there may be skates that will be added to the deal at some point:

Overtime

– Indeed.

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Lane Hutson is playing his rookie season this week

Lane Hutson’s chances of winning the Calder Trophy are good this season. He’s having a fantastic rookie campaign and is leading the league in points among rookies.

But is the trophy in the bag?

The fact that he’s a defenseman, his team is in the playoff race, and he’s leading in points are clearly elements in his favor. But that’s not everything.

If Lane Hutson were to be overtaken by someone in terms of points, it would be an aspect that could hurt his candidacy, naturally.

And on that topic, Macklin Celebrini is pushing.

Yes, they’re empty calories since his points aren’t helping the Sharks make the playoffs. But if Celebrini finishes at the top of the rookie scoring list at 18 years old (age is an important factor), he’ll get some votes.

Celebrini has picked up nine points since the beginning of April and is approaching Lane Hutson’s 64 points, who hasn’t recorded a point in his last three games.

(Credit: NHL.com)

Note that if Dustin Wolf brings the Flames to the playoffs, he’ll also get some votes.

All this to say that Hutson will have to help himself this week if he wants to get the Calder. By getting points, he’ll help himself… and his team will qualify for the playoffs. But that, he’s understood for a long time, he who puts in the effort on the ice.

Let’s remember that Lane Hutson’s next point would allow him to surpass Chris Chelios for the most points by a defenseman in his rookie season in the history of the Canadiens.

If all goes well, he’ll get there.

Overtime

– Interesting.

– Note:

– Beautiful goal!

– Well done, Vlad.

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Ivan Demidov travels with Lane Hutson

Moving from one end of the continent to the other at 19 years old is not easy for anyone.

This is what Ivan Demidov had to do in recent days: the SKA let him go to North America and the Canadiens’ prospect arrived in Canada last week.

He made the trip from Russia with his girlfriend, but still: the habs had to find a way to surround him well upon his arrival. And the club may have found its man…

I say this because Demidov was spotted this morning in the same car as Lane Hutson. The two guys decided to make the trip together to go to or leave the Centre Bell after the morning skate and apparently, they are developing a certain chemistry.

Let’s also recall that yesterday, Hutson insisted on going to practice in Brossard even though he had a day off. The reason? He wanted to go skating with Demidov…

Usually, it’s the veterans of a club who ensure the transition of a young player arriving in the NHL.

Probably Savard, Matheson, and Suzuki are doing their best to make Demidov feel comfortable… but we can really sense that Lane Hutson wants to be part of this group.

Lane, at just 21 years old, is playing the role of a veteran right now.

He was eager to see Demidov arrive since he watched his games this season in the KHL and he made sure to keep a close eye on his performance with SKA St. Petersburg.

The two guys already seemed to have a good connection after the player’s selection in the last NHL draft and it might get even better:

I like the fact that Lane Hutson is there for Demidov because he had to navigate through adversity to get where he is today.

There were many doubtful comments about Lane due to his size and build… but he put the noise aside, he stayed himself and now we’re talking (already) about him as one of the good offensive defensemen in the NHL.

All this to say that Ivan Demidov is well surrounded at the moment and that’s good news. He is placed next to Nick Suzuki in the locker room and the guys (including Hutson) are there to help him get used to his new environment.

It remains to be seen how the Canadiens’ prospect will respond to all this pressure, as he will play his first career game in the show tonight. It promises to be…

Overtime

– Obviously.

– Beautiful goal.

– Good point.

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Emil Heineman is still injured: he is not an option tonight

In recent days, we learned that Emil Heineman was injured. But we didn’t know if he was upset with the habs (if he was just being left out) or simply upset about being injured.

Yesterday, we got a clue: Patrick Friolet was talking about symptoms of a concussion for the European.

And now, today, the Canadiens announced that Heineman is not an option to play in the last few days – not even tonight. We already knew he wouldn’t play tonight, but now we know he’s day-to-day. #HautDuCorps

Since Ivan Demidov is able to play tonight and Heineman won’t, it’s only Michael Pezzetta who will be sitting out. No surprise here.

Here is the lineup for the habs today, for those who haven’t seen it.

(Credit: Canadiens)

The question I ask myself is whether Heineman will be able to play on Wednesday, in the 82nd game of the season. If he can play and the habs are qualified, he could get back into the rhythm before the playoffs and give a veteran a chance to rest.

We also wonder if Pezz will play on Wednesday (if the habs are qualified, again)… and what will happen to Joshua Roy.

If Wednesday’s game doesn’t mean anything, we can think that Arber Xhekaj will play too. And we can even wonder if the habs will decide to use their last chance to call up someone from Laval to rest another veteran.

But we’ll see in due time.

in Overtime

– That’s something to talk about.

 

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– My column of the day with Tony Marinaro. [BPM Sports]

– Worth noting.

– Tough break for Edmonton.

– Worth reading.

– Good choice.

– Interesting.

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David Reinbacher could return to the game on Wednesday

It’s been a while since we’ve seen David Reinbacher play a game with the Rocket.

And at that level, Kent Hughes provided an update on his defender during his press conference, earlier today.

Basically, what needs to be known is that there’s nothing structural regarding his injury. The Canadiens organization is being cautious because Reinbacher is young and one of the team’s top prospects. The Habs don’t want to see him get injured again.

But even if the organization is being cautious, it’s also agreed that Reinbacher needs to play if he wants to improve.

It’s logical: he won’t get better by watching games from the sidelines.

And even if Kent Hughes didn’t want to confirm it 100%, we can expect to see the defender return to the game on Wednesday.

Reinbacher hasn’t played in over three weeks, since March 21.

It’s too bad we’ve seen him miss so much time because Reinbacher was playing really well before getting injured.

Pascal Vincent said he was very impressed by the young defender’s performance, who collected four points (two goals) in eight games, and he said he liked his overall game on the ice.

That being said, it’s also why I’m looking forward to seeing him return to the game.

There might be an adjustment period since he’ll have missed almost a month if he returns on Wednesday… and I wonder what level he’ll be at on the ice.

But what can help him is the fact that Ivan Demidov will make his debut with the Canadiens this week.

The Habs prospect will play tonight and on Wednesday: this takes pressure off Reinbacher’s shoulders because all eyes will be on the Russian, who has been making headlines since his arrival in Canada last week.

Just knowing that Reinbacher could play on Wednesday is good news. And it’s even better if he’s able to find his rhythm quickly.

Overtime

Note that there are only three games left in the Rocket’s regular season.

The Canadiens’ farm team will play at home on Wednesday and Friday against the Belleville Senators… and will then travel to Belleville on Saturday.

So, there will be two games in two days over the weekend, on Friday and Saturday.

If Reinbacher is able to play two of these three games, it will be encouraging for the future. Because we also need to remember this: the Rocket has the elements to make a good run in the playoffs.

They will face either the Marlies (Toronto) or the Monsters (Cleveland) in the first round if the standings don’t change. Syracuse and Belleville are also possibilities.

A healthy David Reinbacher could help even more… and it would also allow the kid to play important games in the playoffs for his development.

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Kent Hughes on the airport: “It’s what makes Montreal the best hockey city in the world”

In recent days, DansLesCoulisses committed a nameless crime: filming in a public place.

Obviously, I’m joking here, referring to the images of Ivan Demidov at Toronto’s airport last Thursday. We were on site and it made several fans happy who are hungry for this type of content. The images were seen and shared by many people. #TheNumbersDontLie

And as we can see, Demidov himself didn’t play the offended party either.

Several people (including Darren Dreger) don’t understand the buzz, but don’t expect Kent Hughes to scold people for showing up to see him at Toronto’s airport.

On the contrary.

In fact, during his press conference today, the GM of the Canadiens was questioned on the subject and let’s just say he didn’t exactly look unhappy about what happened.

On the contrary.

The GM spoke about the passion of the fans and the fact that it’s more proof that Montreal is the best hockey city in the world. The passion of the fans is important.

He also said that it’s visible in the soccer culture and he thinks Demidov felt welcome in the city. So, in short, the GM (who addressed the media today) mostly understood everything, if we believe his public statements.

Montreal has many disadvantages for players. But seeing how Demidov was received on Thursday (and Sunday, when dozens of fans went to see him practice in Brossard), it’s an advantage.

And a big one… for players who thrive on that.

Overtime

– Interesting.

– Good point.

– The guys keep pushing.

– Official. He’s Lane’s brother.

– Interesting.

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Kent Hughes: the two factors that contributed to bringing in Ivan Demidov now

It’s official: the Canadiens will play Ivan Demidov tonight. He will play with Joel Armia and Alex Newhook. Additionally, he will have ice time on the second powerplay unit.

And as you know, expectations are high right now for Demidov.

Russian Demidov will speak to the media after the game, but Kent Hughes, the GM of the Habs, took the time to speak to the media before tonight’s game. Here’s what that looks like.

First, we note that the GM mentions that he did not pay the SKA to get Demidov out of Russia (he is not allowed to do so), but that certain aspects have made it possible for him to have him this year instead of next year.

For example?

  • The SKA being eliminated more quickly than expected.
  • The Habs lining up to make the playoffs, which was unexpected.

These are elements (and there are probably others that he cannot or will not disclose) that have made it possible for Demidov to be here now and to help the Habs push for the playoffs.

Because yes, making the playoffs tonight is still the goal. Hughes says he doesn’t have specific expectations for the Russian player tonight, as expectations are more focused on the team and victory.

Among the important points to note, there is also the fact that Kent Hughes affirms that yes, he can see Demidov’s arrival as a “reward” for the guys in the locker room – like Patrik Laine.

Wow.

Demidov was expected, as players would sometimes go see him to ask if the Russian player would arrive. The guy will be very clearly well received in the Habs locker room.

And he will be placed alongside the captain in the locker room, precisely…

Finally, note that the GM is convinced that Demidov has the potential to be an impact player. It’s no surprise to see him say that, but it’s still worth noting.

Are you looking forward to tonight?

Overtime

– Beautiful comparison.

– Speaking of the wolf.

– Sick.

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Martin St-Louis had no choice but to insert Ivan Demidov into his lineup

It’s confirmed: Ivan Demidov will play his first game with the Canadiens tonight at the Centre Bell, against Artyom Levshunov and Connor Bedard.

He will play with guys and use Bauer sticks because his new agreement with Warrior Hockey was signed a few weeks ago, but it will only come into effect in 2025-26. Whatever.

Demidov took part in the morning skate this morning at the Centre Bell with his new teammates and we now know that he will play alongside Alex Newhook and Joel Armia tonight (according to the Canadiens themselves, on the third line). Patrik Laine will play with Jake Evans and Oliver Kapanen on the fourth line. #SpecialistOfThePowerplay

Joshua Roy, Emil Heineman, and Michael Pezzetta will be the healthy scratches.

Martin St-Louis had no choice but to play him
About two years ago, Martin St-Louis had to play Sean Farrell at the end of the season, probably because there was a deal between his agent and Kent Hughes. We could sense in his answers to journalists that not dressing Farrell was not an option for MSL.

“Ask the other guy upstairs.” – Martin St-Louis on Sean Farrell two years ago, kind of…

Except that in Demidov’s case, it’s not for the same reasons that the coach has no choice but to use him tonight. It’s the talent of the guy that doesn’t give Martin St-Louis a choice. Regardless of whether there was an agreement with Demidov’s agent or not…

The Canadiens have just played four games in which the offense has struggled. Imagine if the team, which needs to get two points tonight to confirm its place in the playoffs, had a fifth anemic game offensively… and Demidov was watching from the press gallery at the Centre Bell! The Canadiens cannot afford to lose this game tonight.

“But Max, Demidov could be a distraction. He could hurt, more than help!”

I’ll tell you that if there is a distraction, it’s already there since his arrival in Canada on Thursday evening. And the Canadiens have just played two games of poor quality where no one seemed up to par (except maybe Jakub Dobes)…

Given this, you’re just as well off trying to turn the “distraction” into motivation and extra talent. The crowd at the Centre Bell will be behind the team like never before tonight, and that could allow the team to clinch their playoff spot against a team that will have several absent players tonight. #BiggestGameOfTheYear

Anyway, it’s not like Michael Pezzetta and Joshua Roy are very useful on the ice right now…

You know what? If Martin St-Louis and Kent Hughes are capable of having important discussions with their captain to gauge the mood of the locker room regarding the trade deadline, I’m pretty sure they did the same thing regarding Demidov’s integration.

The Habs have been a team of streaks this season. Several wins, followed by several losses, followed by several wins, followed by several losses…

Since Demidov can help his new team avoid a long slump, the coach couldn’t afford to deprive himself of him. That’s it. Especially since the team has been struggling to score the first goal for weeks…

Go Habs Go!

Overtime

– I’m looking forward to seeing the coach use Arber Xhekaj too, but that’s another story…

– The Canadiens will play their most important game in four years tonight. No pressure, Ivan…

– I was thinking about this… and I wonder if Lane Hutson will be able to have a playoff beard, if the team manages to qualify for the playoffs.

– I was told that Lane Hutson spent the season showing highlights of Ivan Demidov to his teammates in the locker room. He’s the player who’s happiest about Demidov’s arrival, from what I’m told. He thinks he has a new teammate who sees the game at the same level as him (and Martin St-Louis, notably).

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Ivan Demidov practices with Alex Newhook and Joel Armia

It’s D-Day.

After taking his first strides on Quebec soil yesterday, Ivan Demidov was present at the Habs’ practice in Montreal, ahead of tonight’s game against the Blackhawks.

And once again, he was expected.

Naturally, we were wondering which players the Russian would practice with. Alex Newhook was at the center, which is not exactly a surprise…

But it was Joel Armia who was with them.

As the first trio is untouched and Christian Dvorak’s is not either, this means that Patrik Laine practiced with Jake Evans at center – and Oliver Kapanen.

I wonder how Laine finds this…

More details to come…