Author: Dose

When Jacob Trouba hit Justin Barron, it was the talk of the town.

Trouba, known for his hitting, tackled Justin Barron, who really looked like he’d hit his head. Some blamed the Rangers player, others the Habs player.

Here’s the hit.

My goodness this Jacob Trouba hit on Justin Barron pic.twitter.com/iVApHXBMy2

– Brady Trettenero (@BradyTrett) October 23, 2024

What you need to know is that the main man, who spoke to the media for the first time since the hit on the heels of his return to action tonight, believes he misplaced himself to protect himself.

So, in his eyes, he’s in the wrong. Jonathan Bernier reports.

He should have been “more vigilant” https://t.co/6GWzNEguHX

– TVA Sports (@TVASports) October 31, 2024

What the main man is saying is that it’s a move he could have prevented. He tried to force the game and therefore put himself in a disadvantageous position to help his club.

It didn’t work… and the Habs, we’ll remember, lost that game by a lot.

What’s crazy is that he says he felt better the very next day. He says the Habs played it safe in his case, which explains his three-game absence from the lineup.

That said, I don’t see him in the habs Halloween photo, which was taken the day after the NY game. Is he one of the astronauts? Spider-Man? Absent for another reason?

The Habs at their Halloween party pic.twitter.com/kwD4Tgemuw

– /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) October 24, 2024

Did the Habs try to cover up the fact that he was left out by not bringing him back from injury? It’s not impossible, but I don’t think so.

After all, Logan Mailloux was easy to get out of the lineup.

I can’t wait to see how he reacts tonight. But if he’s back in the game, it’s probably because the club’s doctors feel he’s fit to play and that his injury (concussion?) is behind him.

To be continued.

Overtime

– Logical.

So the World Series won’t have changed plans. https://t.co/58bFW6Md7e

– Passion MLB (@passion_mlb) October 31, 2024

– Makes sense.

Canadian League | Jason Maas is a finalist for Coach of the Year https://t.co/80XXL3mtMn

– La Presse Sports (@LaPresse_Sports) October 31, 2024

– Caps happy with Pierre-Luc Dubois for now.

EARLY TRADING – @PierreVLeBrun on the moves this week that saw Olli Maatta to Utah and Timothy Liljegren to SJ, and assessing the Dubois/Kuemper trade so far:

And watch an expanded Insider Trading later today on SportsCentre & https://t.co/BQGeAnElqf: https://t.co/meyLhD17Hn pic.twitter.com/vQB66AMsoB

– TSN Hockey (@TSNHockey) October 31, 2024

At the start of the season, Samuel Montembeault was shining. His games against Toronto and Ottawa were excellent, but also encouraging for the future.

After all, we’re still trying to figure out if he’s a #1 goalie in the NHL.

But since then, things have gone downhill. I don’t know if the workload isn’t adequate or if the pressure is too great, but the chain has come off in the case of the Bécancour goaltender.

Yes, there was that good start against St. Louis. But the fact remains that four of his last five outings have been difficult. He didn’t complete two of them.

In his last five games, he has one win and 18 goals. Yesterday, he let in one shot out of two.

He has a 3.67 GAA this year and his efficiency rate is .891. Yet he stopped 72 of the first 73 pucks he received in his first two games of the season.

And it’s worth mentioning that he’s only played at home this year. Theoretically, it’s easier than on the road. #LastChange

This isn’t to say that Montembeault isn’t good, because he isn’t. But let’s call a spade a spade: he hasn’t had it at all since the game against the Penguins on October 14.

He’s not in his zone right now. A goalie in his zone doesn’t break his stick after a bad outing.

Maybe he just wasn’t in the right zone? https://t.co/gYQW4LDYFi

– Maxime Truman (@MaximeTruman) October 30, 2024

Because the Habs don’t have any other realistic options (Cayden Primeau isn’t a #1 goalie and Jakub Dobes, as promising as he is, still needs mileage down low), I don’t expect any big changes. And besides, the season is still young.

But the fact remains that Monty, who knows what he has to work on, has to rise to the occasion.

He’s been getting beaten up a lot by veiled shots lately. First exercise = veiled shots from the enclave. pic.twitter.com/Irr6bSldXj

– Marc-Olivier Cook (@Cook_Marco) October 30, 2024

He needs to do it to keep the Canadiens #InTheMix for as long as possible, but also because Team Canada is a few weeks away from finalizing its lineup for the Four Nations Tournament in February.

And right now, the way he’s playing, the Québécois is probably getting out of the race more than anything else.

Obviously, the sample is still small in this month of October, but the fact remains that I wanted to check out the stats of his opponents in the race in question.

Here’s how it looks.

• Adin Hill, Golden Knights: 4-2, 3.20, .878
• Jordan Binnington, Blues: 2-4, 3.12, .895
• Stuart Skinner, Oilers: 2-4-1, 3.51, .872
• Logan Thompson, Capitals: 4-0, 3.21, .876
• Darcy Kuemper, Kings: 2-0-2, 3.20, .897
• Marc-André Fleury, Wild: 2-0-1, 2.93, .899

I put Fleury here because, at this point, he can’t be dismissed too quickly. And when you consider that no goalie is stopping nine out of ten shots, it’s not necessarily too late for Monty (3-4, 3.67, .891) with Team Canada… which says a lot about the state of goaltending in this country.

We’re a long way from the days when Canada (and Quebec) had the best goalies.

Even if the eye test isn’t conclusive at the moment, if he bounces back and management remembers his world championship in 2023, it could work in his favour.

But for that to happen, he has to stand up.

The Islanders have fewer points than the Canadiens.

I’ve been trying to figure out how to illustrate just how tough a start the Islanders are having, and I feel I’ve probably found the most effective way to do it by putting it this way.

Although New York has a game in hand on the Canadiens, the club is playing for .444 (eight points in nine games) and the Flanelle are playing for .450 (nine points in ten games) this season.

The difference between the two teams? Expectations.

Lou Lamoriello didn’t get Patrick Roy just to be #InTheMix : he got him to make the playoffs and win games. Even with an ugly lineup on his hands.

Inevitably, Lamoriello is in solution-seeking mode. That’s what led to the return of Pierre Engvall (a drastic personnel move, I’m sure you’ll agree) to New York and the public rift between Roy and Lamoriello.

And even if Roy had tried to downplay the story, when a coach publicly calls out his GM, it’s not a good sign.

#Isles HC Patrick Roy on the narrative that he and GM Lou Lamoriello aren’t on the same page: pic.twitter.com/hG2H7YO8oX

– Stefen Rosner (@stefen_rosner) October 28, 2024

But clearly, without us being able to put our finger on the boo-boo, it’s clear that right now, something is broken in New York. It shows on the ice.

Roy is the first to say it: you can’t buy confidence at Walmart. That’s because his club lacks it.

With all this in mind, a tweet from David Pagnotta caught my eye. Basically, he says it’s early, but if the Islanders don’t bounce back soon, something will have to change.

He added that frustration is mounting in Long Island.

Game 10 tonight for the #Isles. It’s still early, but if they can’t get it together soon, something’s gotta give. Can’t keep making coaching changes. Frustration is picking up across the board on the Island.

– David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) October 30, 2024

Lou Lamoriello is renowned for not being afraid to change coaches. If he feels Roy isn’t the answer, might he not wait too long before changing?

I don’t think anything is imminent, but let’s keep that in mind anyway.

Overtime

– Interesting.

Sports ratings:

Nearly 425,000 people (average per minute) watched the @CanadiensMTL get washed out on RDS. I’m impressed.

Over 160,000 people also watched game #4 of the World Series on RDS2.

– Maxime Truman (@MaximeTruman) October 30, 2024

– Ouch.

#Avs coach Jared Bednar says …

– Ross Colton is out 6-8 weeks with a broken foot
– Miles Wood is out 7-10 days with an upper-body injury that he’s been playing through but can’t now.
– Artturi Lehkonen met with the doc, will likely still need some contact before playing.

– Corey Masisak (@cmasisak22) October 30, 2024

Watching the Canadiens’ games of late, it’s easy to see that there’s a distinct lack of talent in the lineup.

There are guys who can create things and make plays on the ice, but there just aren’t enough of them.

Which brings me to Ivan Demidov. It seems to me that the Canadiens could use an electrifying player like him right now…

The prospect, who was selected 5th overall in the last draft, is dominating the KHL.

He picked up two points today(with a magic goal) and is one of the league’s most productive players, even though he’s only 18.

With today’s two points, Demidov is now tied for 7th in the KHL scoring charts:

With his goal and assist in the first period, Ivan Demidov is now tied for seventh in KHL scoring, two points behind the league leader.

– Grant McCagg (@grantmccagg) October 30, 2024

There’s pressure on the kid’s shoulders because in Russia, everyone knows he has what it takes to become the new face of hockey there.

That said, everyone knows that his plan is to leave the KHL at the end of the season and move to North America, and that’s nothing to sneeze at either.

But where his performance really impresses is when you see what he’s able to do with reduced playing time.

Among the league’s top scorers, Demidov plays by far the least with his regular playing time of 11:05 :

He’s 18 years old…

He’s one of the league’s most productive players per 60 minutes…

He’s only three shy of the league leader even though he doesn’t play on the powerplay….

What I’m trying to say is that it’s hard to ask for more from Ivan Demidov. He’s living up to expectations, and then some!

Overtime

– Oh?

The Habs’ next rivals are fine, but very banged up.https://t.co/pmNMTmg6pM

– TVA Sports (@TVASports) October 30, 2024

– An interesting collaboration, to say the least?

Hockey fans can’t get enough of the NHL x lululemon collection. pic.twitter.com/EoVhFOJhBM

– NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) October 30, 2024

– Bromance.

The latest edition of the “Hughes bowl” goes down tonight when Quinn’s @Canucks host Jack and Luke’s @NJDevils at 10:30 p.m. ET on @Sportsnet.

Here’s what Jack had to say about his older brother.

Full story: https://t.co/wUvyGG0zHW #NHLStats pic.twitter.com/kmsOayMo9g

– NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) October 30, 2024

Over the past few days, we’ve been hearing a lot about the Habs in transaction rumours. We’re not necessarily talking about specific names, but we hear that the club is looking for reinforcements.

A top-4 right-handed defenseman, a forward with flair: the doctor’s insiders are prescribing a bit of everything to the Canadiens at the moment.

We can sense that the loss to the Rangers last Tuesday has set things on fire… and last night’s humiliating loss to the Kraken may just set things off again.

On the Radar podcast (BPM Sports), Pierre LeBrun talked a bit about the Habs’ situation regarding the trade market… and according to him, the club isn’t ruling out any solution: it’s doing its homework without limiting itself to any particular type of player.

What’s particularly interesting, though, is this sentence:

The Canadiens would make a deal today if they could. – Pierre LeBrun

What is Kent Hughes currently looking for on the trade market? A little bit of everything, says @PierreVLeBrun!
The new episode of Radar is available right here https://t.co/3GdkfzE5s7@Anthodezo #RADAR #CH pic.twitter.com/fc4f9R4DN5

– commissionathletique (@Commissionathl) October 30, 2024

What LeBrun explains, however, is that the Habs’ salary picture changes things. Unlike the off-season, when it becomes easier to play with salaries, it’s much harder to navigate all that during the season.

It’s harder for the Habs, but it’s harder for other teams too.

But clearly, listening to the insider, you can sense that Kent Hughes would like to get his hands on some reinforcements… but not at any price. The recent heavy defeats haven’t changed the management’s plan, and they don’t want to sacrifice their long-term plan for a temporary solution.

Although, given the number of picks the Canadiens have at their disposal, trading one or two of them wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing, in my opinion. Without being all-in, there are some gaping holes in this team right now, and giving away a few picks to plug the gaps is a defensible avenue.

Will it be a forward? A defenseman? A goalie? The Habs don’t seem to have a clear answer at the moment. That said, they’re doing their homework… and they’ll be ready if an opportunity presents itself.

We’ll see if he finds his dance partner soon.

Overtime

– We told you about it several weeks ago.

The decision to keep Kapanen in Montreal doesn’t have the consequences you think https://t.co/yw1xJrgI3N

– TVA Sports (@TVASports) October 30, 2024

– Nice read.

In an environment where everything is settled by millions of dollars, it’s refreshing to hear Hendrix Lapierre talk about his down-to-earth choices. From Washington, meet the Capitals’ young forwardhttps://t.co/Kr2T85OMUx

– Guillaume Lefrançois (@glefrancoisLP) October 30, 2024

Raptors: Scottie Barnes out at least three weeks https://t.co/xCUa8MaCm2

– Radio-Canada Sports (@RC_Sports) October 30, 2024

Let’s talk about what happened after yesterday’s game. We’ll come back to the game a little later.

After the Canadiens’ 8-2 loss to the Kraken, several members of the Canadiens were in front of the media. Coach Martin St-Louis was obviously among them.

And it quickly became apparent that his sense of humor didn’t seem to have the same effect as 2022.

“We’re having trouble with Tuesdays”.

-Martin St-Louis@Antichambre pic.twitter.com/ZTdFOUrfvk

– RDS (@RDSca) October 30, 2024

St-Louis didn’t look like himself after yesterday’s game. He often repeated (sometimes after long pauses) that he needed to see the game again before assessing it in front of the media.

That’s nothing to bring back those who wanted his head last week.

A few days after saying he doesn’t take criticism from people he wouldn’t turn to for advice, St-Louis nonetheless lost another high-scoring game… once again “forgetting” to call a time-out at 3-0.

I guess no one important told him to do that last week. And I guess he forgot that he’s not talking to the media, he’s talking to the fans of the Montreal Canadiens.

By the way, Jean-Nicolas Blanchet is right: if Patrick Roy or Dominique Ducharme had said something like that (about criticism and advice) last week, it wouldn’t have gone over so well.

And maybe it showed, last night, in the way people perceived the Habs coach’s post-game comments. Because even if he says he understands the fans’ frustration, his popularity is still fading publicly.

I’ve seen enough. pic.twitter.com/u9eJvWw1Je

– Talk_canadiens (@talk_canadiens) October 30, 2024

I also wonder how inspired Juraj Slafkovsky was by this way of responding to the media. After all, after the game, he imitated his coach (and Cole Caufield) by being arrogant.

When asked what was preventing the club from keeping its momentum, Slaf replied that he wasn’t in a position to say… before adding that journalists will find out and write it down.

Reporter: “Is there something you can identify why you’re unable to kinda maintain momentum sometimes?”

Juraj Slafkovsky: “No but I’m sure you guys will figure it out & will write about it, (about) what’s wrong. Right now, the wrong thing is that they scored 8 times on us & we… pic.twitter.com/TpUhGmHBtK

– /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) October 30, 2024

Slaf, who hasn’t shied away from criticizing Hockey Slovakia in recent weeks, was arrogant.

But you know what, Slaf? Let’s get the ball rolling and take a look at what went wrong yesterday. You got it!

1. Let’s even be honest and start with a positive: Slaf has seven points in seven games this season. Yesterday, he picked up his sixth assist on Cole Caufield’s goal #9 (!).

The Slovak didn’t start the game on the first line. But as soon as he got his foot in the door, the Habs were able to score. Clearly, he had more impact than Shane Wright… even if his club lost.

2. Samuel Montembeault gave away five goals on ten shots. It’s easy to point the finger at him, as he’s really making us forget his good start to the season in recent weeks.

He didn’t make all the saves he needed to keep his club in the game and become a true #1 in the NHL. And it was his stick that paid the price, in the end.

Montembeault was pulled from the game and the stick paid the price…

: RDS pic.twitter.com/BMHSnpAAPf

– RDS (@RDSca) October 30, 2024

Cayden Primeau (three goals on thirteen shots) was “better” than Monty, who was supposedly in his zone before the game, but… for what it’s worth.

Montembeault, at least, was accountable: he went before the media after the game. And unsurprisingly, he wasn’t exactly smiling. But at least he wasn’t arrogant.

That’s going straight in the garbage can. – Samuel Montembeault on his game

3. Surprise: the fans didn’t like the show.

You really have to consider the fact that anyone who buys a ticket to a Canadiens game is likely to see a crap game. And there are no refunds in such cases.

It’s going to be fun in front of the Bell Centre after the game…

Cheer up, guys!

(2 times in 8 days) https://t.co/yGeFDmWOo9

– Maxime Truman (@MaximeTruman) October 30, 2024

4. Slaf needs to know why the club can’t build momentum or show consistency? You’d think there’d be some overconfidence, in all this.

Is it possible that the guys thought they’d “turned the corner” after the weekend’s two good games?

5. Josh Anderson scored late in the game. I’ve never seen a player celebrate a goal so poorly in the NHL – and Christian Dvorak has been with the Canadiens since 2021.

But I’m okay with that. There was nothing to celebrate.

6. Once again, Lane Hutson played a lot (only Cayden Primeau played more than him): the defender was used for 23 minutes and 27 seconds. And he was good.

He sometimes makes mistakes, but that’s part of the game. It’s a good thing he’s here… but we can’t wait for Kaiden Guhle’s return.

Every Habs player on the ice will be giving Lane Hutson a pat on the back after his turnaround at the blue line.

On his return to the bench, the young man sits down, then is joined by Martin St-Louis, who speaks to him for 10-15 seconds.

Lane nods in agreement…

– Anthony Martineau (@Antho_Martineau) October 30, 2024

7. Marc De Foy wrote this morning that the Habs lacked grit or will. There are still a lot of things to correct before becoming a good team… or even a #InTheMix team .

But hey: at least the club is light on X.

Allow me a brief positive aside – I don’t know how recent it is or isn’t, but the touch of levity in the tone of the CH’s social platforms is really spot on and refreshing. #GoHabsGo https://t.co/pzgyekNFSn

– Arcadio Marcuzzi (@_marcuzzi) October 30, 2024

Overtime

This morning, the Canadiens practice in Brossard at 11am. I wonder what the Canadiens’ coach is going to put his emphasis on, given that everything seems to need work. Other than the Caufield shot, that is.

But speaking of shooting: tomorrow, Alex Ovechkin’ s Pierre-Luc Dubois Capitals are on the menu. If he’s badly watched, he could beat the Flannel single-handedly.

The Habs next play the Washington Capitals.

Alex Ovechkin has scored 38 goals in 58 games vs the MTL Canadiens. https://t. co/dPsBr4CMn5

– /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) October 30, 2024

In the last few days, we’ve learned that three NHL clubs are approaching (or worth) at least three billion dollars. The Maple Leafs, Rangers and Canadiens came to mind.

And clearly, without saying that the Habs have hit the three-billion-dollar mark, they’ve come close.

According to Sportico, which published the most recent data, the Canadiens are worth $2.93 billion (in U.S. currency, of course) in October 2024. That’s an increase of 29% in one year.

**Breaking News**
The 2024 @NHL Franchise Valuations are here courtesy of @Sportico. Check them out here ; https://t.co/JKxQH078JH. What’s your biggest surprise? Where does your team rank? #Hockey #Sportsbiz pic.twitter.com/fQE9gBXCBj

– Kevin Weekes (@KevinWeekes) October 30, 2024

That’s obviously a lot of money.

Toronto and New York (3.66 and 3.25) are the only two franchises worth more than $3 billion. They’re up 38% and 33%, respectively. Still.

Geoff Molson, who saw property taxes drop at the Bell Centre, made a good deal when he bought the Canadiens for over $500 million in 2009. Clearly, he got his money’s worth.

To think that in 2001, George Gillett bought over 80% of the Canadiens, the Bell Centre and Molson’s entertainment division for $275 million. Times change, eh?

I note that the Boston Bruins are ranked #4 at $2.67 billion. But more importantly, their increase over the past year is 50%, which is still pretty intense. No?

The Oilers ($2.4 billion, 51% increase) are also worth noting… as is the Utah HC. The situation is different, of course, but the increase over last year is 78%.

Hockey is the sport I never knew I needed. Utah HC up 4-1! pic.twitter.com/2mV7nt2dmb

– Jeremy Olsen (@JeremyOlsen41) October 29, 2024

Clearly, the Coyotes aren’t considered an “inactive” franchise and the Salt Lake City club isn’t considered a new club, from what we can understand of the situation.

These are big bucks.