Author: Dose

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4 Nations Tournament : Finland officials eye Joel Armia (according to Pierre LeBrun)

Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images

Will any of the Canadiens’ players be taking part in the 4 Nations Tournament next February?

The question is pertinent, because there could be a few “logical” candidates.

Obviously, Cole Caufield (USA), Mike Matheson (Canada), Samuel Montembeault (Canada), Nick Suzuki (Canada) come to mind… But in this group, we could also add the name of Joel Armia (Finland).

Basically, it’s easy to forget Armia in all this, because we’re not talking about an NHL star.

But as Pierre LeBrun pointed out in a recent article, Finnish officials are watching him to see if he can help the team at the tournament.

He’s good at puck protection and can be useful on the ice:

Last July, the NHL published a list of players who could be part of the Finnish team.

Forwards include Sebastian Aho, Aleksander Barkov, Mikael Granlund, Erik Haula, Roope Hintz, Artturi Lehkonen, Anton Lundell, Eetu Luostarinen, Matias Maccelli, Mikko Rantanen, Teuvo Terevainen and Eeli Tolvanen.

But you also have to think about players like Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Kaapo Kakko, Patrik Laine…

There are some guys who already have a secure place on the team, but the others will have to fight to make a place for themselves.

And that’s where Armia could come in, even if he’s not off to the greatest start of his career.

And what about Caufield?

Since the start of the campaign, Cole Caufield has been scoring goals at an impressive rate.

He’s hit the back of the net eight times in just nine games, and he’s catching the eye of Team USA management.

But his place in the line-up is far from guaranteed, according to Elliotte Friedman in the latest episode of his podcast.

And the reason is simple: the Americans have talent, talent… and more talent.

Does he have what it takes to dethrone one of these players?

  • Kyle Connor
  • Jack Eichel
  • Jake Guentzel
  • Jack Hughes
  • Clayton Keller
  • Dylan Larkin
  • Auston Matthews
  • J.T. Miller
  • Jason Robertson
  • Brady Tkachuk
  • Matthew Tkachuk
  • Vincent Trocheck
  • Trevor Zegras
  • Alex DeBrincat
  • Troy Terry
  • Patrick Kane
  • Matty Beniers
  • Brock Boeser

You’ll notice that the list is long, and we’re only talking about players who play in the forward position.

To put it another way, Caufield is going to have to score more goals if he really wants to earn his place in the American line-up.

In closing…

The more things go on, the more I get the impression that Nick Suzuki and Samuel Montembeault have a chance of playing in the tournament for Team Canada.

The captain’s stats are off to a good start, and Monty is one of Canada’s most outstanding goalkeepers so far this season.

All this remains to be seen, in the end. But it’s worth mentioning because the countries have until early December (just over a month away) to send in their official line-ups for the event.

Overtime

– Alexander Romanov sends love to Habs fans.

– Nice gesture.

– Wow!

See this post on Instagram

A post shared by B/R Open Ice (@br_openice)

– Nice.

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Juraj Slafkovsky… at center?

Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images

In the weeks leading up to his 2022 draft, Juraj Slafkovsky was asked by a few teams if he thought he could play center in the NHL.

You can bet $20 that members of the Habs management team were among those who broached the subject with him, as they eventually drafted him first overall.

Of course, it was out of the question for him to start his NHL career at 18 with a tryout at center, when in fact he had played very little at that position in the two or three years preceding his selection by the Habs.

But after a very conclusive second season in which he showed us that he could play with his head up, quickly spot his teammates, score his share of goals and play well defensively, trying him out at center might not be a bad idea.

If Slaf ‘s shoulder holds up and there’s nothing too serious with it, I’ll be giving it a try soon this season.

There’s no rush!

The first obvious reason could be this: the organization’s left-handed centers are very thin!

If we assume that D-Vo ‘s days in Montreal are coming to an end, that Newhook can’t hold that role for long in a top-6, and that Alex Barré-Boulet isn’t really a solution, then there are no other options for a left-handed center at the top of the lineup right now.

And even the most optimistic fans of Kapanen, Beck and Hage won’t be able to get them to switch sides: they’ll always be right-handed! At some point, it’s handy to have a (big) left-handed center capable of playing on your top-6!

Well, looking ahead, Demidov might be a candidate. Demidov has already played in this position in Russia and shows obvious qualities for playing center, but he’s not playing in this position again this year and I highly doubt he’ll start his career in Montreal as a pivot next year.

Who would have thought – except Grant McCagg! – that Oliver Kapanen would be piloting a second NHL line before the end of the decade?

And who would have thought that Lane Hutson would be tried out on the power play three weeks ago? And yet, the gifted Hutson immediately struck us as a highly effective defender in this situation: he’s got the brains for it!

Slaf, another gifted player in his own right, has shown us time and time again over the last 60 games that he almost always knows what he’s going to do with the puck before he even receives it. That makes him the fastest passer on the Canadiens, with an abnormally high number of touch passes, both five-on-five and on the powerplay.

There’s no doubt in my mind that Slaf, an excellent student and a player who wants to make a difference, has the sense of play and vision to play center.

A big left-handed center is worth its weight in gold!

We dreamed of this famous big left-handed center with Galchenyuk and Kotkaniemi, didn’t we? But they were lighter models and far less gifted. So why not at least give Slaf a try?

In Slafkovsky, the Habs could be looking at a prototype more akin to the Kopitars, Barkovs and Hintzs of this world; physically very heavy and capable of playing against anyone in the NHL.

The 190-pound-and-under guys who play or have played center in all kinds of leagues will recognize what I’m talking about. Talent has a lot to do with it too, but winning a face-off against monsters of this calibre is almost a feat. They’re so heavy on their sticks that sometimes you feel it’s not even worth trying if you’re lighter and weaker than they are!

Not for nothing that on the 30 face-offs Slaf has been able to take so far in his young career, he shows a success percentage of 50%!

IMAGINE if he practiced with them!

It’s the same thing when these behemoths go to help their defenders behind or in front of the net in the defensive zone – it’s not restful! And it’s something Slafkovsky does VERY often anyway, as he’s regularly the first to help his defenders and the last to leave his territory on his line.

What, you’re “afraid it’ll mix it up”?

But the Habs don’t have the luxury of not trying everything.

They don’t have the luxury of not exploiting the full talent of a top-ranked player like Slafkovsky.

They don’t have the luxury OF NOT KNOWING that they may already have a 6’4, 230-pound left-handed center in their lineup!

It’s up to the Habs to try him out for a few games after his return to action.

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Deadline: Forget the idea of veterans being traded if the Habs are still in the mix

MONTREAL, QC - JULY 07: Montreal Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes addresses the crowd during the first round of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft on July 07, 2022 at Bell Centre in Montreal, QC (Photo by David Kirouac/Icon Sportswire)

We don’t know if the Canadiens will sell any players at the next trade deadline.

You’ll tell me that it all depends on the club’s performance between now and then… And I’ll answer you by saying that you’re right.

After all, if the Habs are still in the mix, it would be surprising to see Kent Hughes make a fire sale, because his goal is to be in the mix as long as possible, until the end of the season.

But if the Canadiens find themselves in the bottom half of the standings in March, maybe we could see Kent Hughes make a move. Pierre LeBrun talked about all this on the radio (BPM Sports) and gave clear indications when discussing the matter.

It’s not complicated: if the Habs are still in the race and aren’t “really behind” the other clubs, Kent Hughes won’t trade his veterans unless there’s a surprise.

Still, there’s a chance… But the chances are very slim, according to the informer:

Among the Habs, there are a few players whose contracts will expire at the end of this season and who could help another club in the playoffs.

We’re talking about :

  • Christian Dvorak
  • Jake Evans
  • Joel Armia
  • David Savard

The contracts of Jayden Struble, Michael Pezzetta, Emil Heineman and Rafaël Harvey-Pinard will also expire at the end of the season… But logically, these players won’t necessarily be in demand in March 2025.

It’s different for the first four guys I named, because they have more experience in the National League and have all tasted the playoffs at least once.

Savard even won the Stanley Cup.

That said, if Dvorak, Evans, Armia and Savard finish the season in a Canadiens uniform, we’ll still have to wonder whether they’ll be back in Montreal for next season.

I’d like to see Evans and Savard back because they’re crucial to the team.

As for Dvorak, I don’t think he’s much use most of the time (especially when he hasn’t even won a face-off since the start of the season)… And although Armia has an interesting profile, I tend to think he’s not that hard to replace in the line-up.

So it remains to be seen. But one thing’s for sure: the Habs’ performance will affect Kent Hughes’ decisions between now and the next trade deadline.

Overtime

– A good game, too.

– Your prediction?

– It’s going to be beautiful at the Bell Centre.

– Great quote.

– Ah, yes.

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A 6th straight game with at least one point for Demidov (thanks to a magical pass)

Ivan Demidov has been on fire lately.

Prior to today’s game, he had picked up at least one point in his last five outings, and the Habs prospect is clearly still hungry.

He was on the score sheet again today.

The first period was quieter, but Demidov came into his own in the second.

He found himself on a breakaway, beat the goalie with a beautiful feint… But the puck wouldn’t cooperate.

The disc hit both posts:

After the second period, the score was tied (1-1).

But it was really in the final twenty minutes that things started to happen.

SKA scored four times and Demidov was an accomplice on a goal scored by good old Evgeny Kuznetsov.

Demidov’s pass was masterful, by the way.

He found Kuznetsov and served him a pass without even looking at him, which made for a superb sequence :

SKA St. Petersburg finally won their match 6-3 against Sibir Novosibirsk.

Once again, the Canadiens’ prospect was used to his full potential: he spent a total of 16:26 on the ice.

It’s also worth noting that, with today’s win, SKA now have a seven-game winning streak.

Everything’s going like clockwork… Especially now that Demidov’s not playing anymore. It’s hard to believe that this is just a coincidence!

Extension

Earlier today, we learned thatIvan Demidov was named KHL Player of the Week.

With a point in today’s game, Demidov now has five goals and 12 assists in 21 games this season.

Good for him!

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Players who have yet to score for the Canadiens this season

Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images

Jasons de la Flanelle.

Now that just over 10% of the hockey season is behind us, we’re going to ask ourselves a question we couldn’t necessarily do before the weekend games.

Who hasn’t scored yet?

Since the start of the season, 13 players have found the back of the net. 12 of them have between one and three goals… and then there’s Cole Caufield. His eight goals place him among the NHL’s elite.

Here are the 13 guys in question. In addition to Caufield, Brendan Gallagher and Nick Suzuki scored three goals.

(Credit: Hockey DB)

But among the others? There are 11 players who played at least one game for the Canadiens and didn’t find the back of the net. And of the lot, there are nine skaters and two goalies.

I’m not worried about Michael Pezzetta and Jayden Struble: they haven’t played much, and that’s not their mandate. I’m not going to criticize Arber Xhekaj and David Savard on this one either… nor Alex Barré-Boulet.

(Credit: Hockey DB)

So that brings us to the four players who could have scored at this point, but didn’t: Oliver Kapanen, Christian Dvorak, Lane Hutson and Mike Matheson.

The first is a rookie player and was not placed in obvious positions. The second has really been limited to defensive duties since the start of practice camp.

But the other two, though defensemen, are theoretically the offensive engines of the Flanelle blue line. So it’s more surprising that they haven’t yet found the back of the net.

That said, Matheson still has eight points and helps keep the powerplay rolling. As for Hutson, he generates something on the ice when he touches the puck.

Hutson will have to improve his shot, but his first career goal will come.

In my eyes, the player who needs to get off the list as quickly as possible is Matheson. But at the same time, it’s not a matter of life and death either, you know.

Overtime

– Good question.

– To keep him off the free agent market, he had to have a HUGE offer on the table.

– He should be playing in Pittsburgh, right? Shouldn’t he?

– The Panthers player is back in the game.

– Interesting.

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Canadiens among the NHL’s elite on special units

This summer, Martin St-Louis took advantage of Alex Burrows’ departure to take control of the powerplay.

Over the past nine regular-season games, the Canadiens have scored on the powerplay in virtually every game.

That’s something really noteworthy.

  • October 9, Maple Leafs: 1/5, Cole Caufield
  • October 10, Bruins: 1/6, Brendan Gallagher
  • October 12, Senators: 1/4, Emil Heineman
  • October 14, Penguins: 1/2, Juraj Slafkovsky
  • October 17, Kings: 0/5
  • October 19, Islanders: 1/1, Cole Caufield
  • October 22, Rangers: 1/3, Nick Suzuki
  • October 26, Blues: 1/3, Alex Newhook
  • October 27, Flyers: 1/2, Cole Caufield
  • Total: 8/31

With a success rate of 25.8%, the Canadiens are in an excellent position. We’re talking about eighth in the league as of this morning, which is no mean feat. It’s really good to see that the club has scored in eight of its nine games on the powerplay.

Six different scorers have found the back of the net, including some guys from the second wave. But of course, the king remains Cole Caufield, who has three powerplay goals.

And the PK? Here again, the Canadiens have been dominant since the start of the season. Only the Rangers, Islanders and Bruins have scored a goal this season against the Canadiens’ power play. The Habs gave nothing away this weekend.

At 90.3%, the Habs rank third in the league. Only the Stars and Predators are doing better. #JakeEvansEffect

We know that teams like to add up the percentage of the two special units and have a result of at least 100 to tell themselves that their special units are good. I know it’s funny to add up percentages like that, but we understand what we’re trying to do.

The Habs’ figure is 116. That’s excellent.

Even though the club hasn’t had a good start to the season (although it hasn’t been as bad over the last few days, of course), the special units really haven’t been a problem over the last nine games.

Overtime

– That’s a good one.

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Top-5: A horrible Auston Matthews turnover gives the Bruins victory in overtime

There were 14 games on the schedule last night across the National Hockey League, with only four teams off.

As a result, there were a number of excellent highlights across the board.

Here’s what caught our eye the most.

1. Auston Matthews: from hero to zero in minutes

It was a classic last night, as the Toronto Maple Leafs traveled to Boston to take on the Bruins at TD Garden.

And let’s just say, it didn’t disappoint.

With the game headed for a Bruins victory over the Leafs (yet again), Auston Matthews was the hero, tying the game with just over a minute to go.

So we headed into overtime with the momentum clearly on the Maple Leafs’ side.

But, true to form, the Leafs choked.

And more precisely, it was the captain himself who was responsible for the defeat.

After tying the game, Matthews committed a horrible turnover in overtime, feeding a perfect pass to David Pastrnak who picked out Brad Marchand for the winning goal.

In short, from hero to zero for Matthews in the space of a few minutes, as the Bruins won 4-3 in overtime.

The Leafs are 4-4-1 this season and don’t seem like a different team than the one that loses in the first round every year.

2. Matvei Michkov continues to impress

The Montreal Canadiens’ young Russian prospect from the Philadelphia Flyers has been nothing short of sensational since his arrival in the NHL.

He’s scoring points in virtually every game, and looks a clear candidate to win the Calder Trophy at the end of the season.

Yesterday, as the Flyers hosted the Minnesota Wild, Michkov took the opportunity to score his first Philadelphia goal in front of his home fans.

A magnificent shot worthy of the major lines.

In this 7-5 victory, Michkov also picked up an assist, making it nine points in his first eight career NHL games.

He’s exceptional, and the more the days go by, the more he hurts the Habs fans.

It’s also worth noting that in this game, Sean Couturier, playing his 500th career game, collected five points, including a hat trick.

His first goal of the game was his first in 33 games.

3. Matthew Tkachuk: the league’s biggest goaltending pest

Last night, in the Florida Panthers’ 6-3 win over the New York Islanders, we had the perfect example of why Matthew Tkachuk has such a reputation as a pest.

I’ll let you watch the following sequence, which leads to a Tkachuk goal.

For those who didn’t make it to the video replay, here it is.

In short, Tkachuk can be seen disturbing Semyon Varlamov as best he can by checking him, taking his stick from him and giving him one last poke to finally score on the throwback.

A real pest, that Tkachuk.

Mackie Samoskevich scored his first NHL goal of the game.

4. Jonathan Marchessault gives the Preds the win with a magnificent goal

The Nashville Predators got off to a VERY poor start to their season with five consecutive losses, but they’ve been quietly bouncing back ever since.

Last night, they scored a 3ᵉ straight win, this time 4-3 in overtime against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

It was Jonathan Marchessault who scored the winning goal in overtime, as he went for a magnificent individual effort, breaking the ankles of a Blue Jackets player in the process.

5. The Jets are simply unbeatable

For several days now, the Winnipeg Jets have been the only unbeaten team in the entire NHL, and that remained the case last night with their 5-3 victory over the Calgary Flames.

Things are looking up for the Jets, and even their luck is smiling on them at the moment, as evidenced by Dylan Samberg’s goal.

That now makes eight straight wins to start the season, which is a record in NHL history for Scott Arniel as a new team head coach.

Also note that the Jets are 42-11-2 when Gabriel Vilardi, obtained in the Pierre-Luc Dubois trade, is in uniform.

Prolongation

– Connor Bedard scores his 3ᵉ goal of the season, and his 9ᵉ point in as many games. What a blistering shot.

– Connor Geekie scored his first NHL goal last night.

– In Vancouver, Arshdeep Bains achieved the same feat as Geekie.

– Here are all the results from the previous day.

– Here are yesterday’s top scorers.

(Credit: NHL.com)

– Today’s NHL schedule: four games.

(Credit: Google/NHL)

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The Canadiens end four-game winless streak

After losing to the Rangers on Tuesday night, the Canadiens were back in action tonight against the St. Louis Blues.

Samuel Montembeault was tasked with ending the team’s four-game losing streak.

Here are the line-ups:

In the first period, after killing off a penalty, Jake Evans took advantage of fine passes from David Savard and Joel Armia to score his first goal of the campaign.

His hard work of late has finally paid off.

In the second period, goals came from all sides.

First, Kirby Dach scored his first goal in 593 days. And finally!

But seconds later, the Blues closed the gap.

And 2:29 minutes later, they tied it.

At the end of the period, the Habs took advantage of the first seconds of a powerplay to score a beautiful goal.

3-2 after 40 minutes of play.

Montreal has scored a powerplay goal in seven of eight games this season.

Early in the third period, Cole Caufield scored a true marker.

With a powerful, precise shot, he foiled Jordan Binnington.

Final score: 5-2 Montreal. Armia scored his first goal of the season in an empty net.

Martin St-Louis’ team won’t be idle for too long. They’ll be in Philadelphia tomorrow night.

Cayden Primeau will be in net.

Prolongation

– Rocket win.

– Lions lose.

– He never returned to the game. Renaud Lavoie says he expects a recall.

– Just a reminder.

– I can imagine.

– Especially not for a fourth-line guy…

– He had a strong game.

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First goal since March 23, 2023 for Kirby Dach

The Canadiens were looking to end a four-game losing streak.

To get back on track, Kirby Dach decided to take matters into his own hands.

He doubled his team’s lead and scored his first goal of the season, but more importantly, his first goal since March 23, 2023 (593 days).

Obviously, Dach didn’t find the back of the net last year, as he was injured in the second game.

The 77 has not had the best start to the season, so this goal will do him a lot of good.

He’s added a little style to his game by finding the back of the net. Nick Suzuki and Mike Matheson picked up the assists on Dach’s goal, who plays on the first line in the absence of Juraj Slafkovsky.

Overtime

The two-goal lead lasted only a few seconds. 21 seconds later, Colton Parayko reduced the gap to one goal.

Québécois Mathieu Joseph picked up an assist on the sequence.

And 2:29 minutes later, St. Louis tied the game.

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Harris and Kovacevic: completely different beginnings with their new outfit

OTTAWA, ON - OCTOBER 17: New Jersey Devils Defenceman Johnathan Kovacevic (8) keeps eyes on the play during first period National Hockey League action between the New Jersey Devils and Ottawa Senators on October 17, 2024, at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, ON, Canada. (Photo by Richard A. Whittaker/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Johnathan Kovacevic and Jordan Harris were both traded by the Canadiens in recent months.

The right-hander was sent to New Jersey for a 4th-round pick in the 2026 draft, while the left-hander was part of the deal that brought Patrik Laine to Montreal.

That said, both guys are in a completely different situation with their new training.

Jordan Harris hasn’t impressed Blue Jackets management enough to play regularly.

He has played just four games (no points) so far this season in Columbus, and finds himself in a depth role, as he was in Montreal at times.

But for Kovy, everything’s running like clockwork: he’s played in all 11 Devils games this season (five points, including a goal) and plays an important role in the defensive brigade in New Jersey.

The proof?

Tonight, Kovacevic (as has often been the case since the start of the season) will play on the second defensive pair alongside Jonas Siegenthaler.

He’s used on the top-4 and there’s a reason: Sheldon Keefe appreciates the defenseman’s contribution to the line-up.

When Jordan Harris was in Montreal, it was said that he may have plateaued in terms of his progression.

Without saying he’s a bad defenseman, Harris is a player who doesn’t stand out much on the ice because his style of play is relatively “flat”… Exactly like it is with Kovacevic.

But Kovacevic has found a way to make his mark, and some are wondering if the Canadiens made a mistake in trading him for so little.

A fourth-round pick for a top-4 defenseman… We agree that’s not much.

On the other hand, like Jordan Harris, many thought that Kovacevic wasn’t capable of bringing more to the Habs organization. It’s the opposite that’s happening right now, and it makes you realize that sometimes, it’s the environment that can be favourable to a player’s progression.

That said, you have to be happy for Kovacevic. He’s playing because he deserves to, and Jordan Harris needs to look at what his former teammate is doing right to follow in his footsteps.

Overtime

– We need another big performance tonight.

– Reminder: Lane Hutson is good at hockey.

– Shane Pinto is injured again.

– Makes sense. We’re talking about Shohei Ohtani, though…

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