The Canadiens’ fans who were hoping to see young and promising goalie Jacob Fowler in Laval or Montreal in 2025-2026 may be potentially disappointed, according to the latest information from Cam Robinson, of Elite Prospects.
Nothing is official, but Fowler would be leaning towards a return with Boston College, in the NCAA, for a third season as a junior.
Nothing official, but there is some decent smoke out there that Jacob Fowler (MTL) is leaning towards returning to Boston College for a junior season.
The 20 year old posted a 25-7-2 record with a .940 SV% this year.
I remember the moment the Canadiens went to get Sean Monahan in Calgary. I was working that afternoon on DLC and as soon as the news came out, I said to myself…
Huh? Why?
In the end, that trade turned out to be a real success for the Habs.
It turned out to be a success for several reasons.
1. The Canadiens were able to count on the services of a veteran – who had a significant injury history – for a while. Monahan helped with the young players, allowed some guys to develop, and played his role in the formation of the Canadiens.
He still collected 52 points in 74 games with the Habs.
2. To get rid of the player, the Flames had to give up a first-round pick to the Canadiens. And that pick could pay off big this season. I’ll get back to that.
3. Kent Hughes finally traded Monahan in February 2024, after acquiring him in August 2022. The GM of the Canadiens was able to squeeze out another first-round pick from the Jets, a pick that was used to move up in the draft to select Michael Hage.
Not bad.
But if we go back to the second reason, we need to know that the Flames are likely to finish the season between 16th and 18th in the NHL’s overall standings due to their current position (16th) and the fact that there are only nine games left in their season.
This would allow the Habs to pick up a mid-first-round pick – all because the Flames decided to get rid of Monahan.
And that’s notwithstanding the 2024 1st-rounder the Canadiens got for trading Monahan to Winnipeg (which led to a trade that landed Montreal… Michael Hage).
If the Flames finish 18th in the NHL’s overall standings, the Habs will (very likely) have the 14th pick in the next draft.
I say “very likely” because the team would still have a 1.5% chance of winning the lottery by finishing 18th in the overall standings. The teams that will finish 16th and 17th in the standings will have a 0.5% chance of winning the lottery.
All this to say that we can expect the Flames’ pick to be between 16th and 18th in the first round.
(Credit: Tankathon)
Kent Hughes pulled off a big move at the end of the summer of 2022 and it deserves attention.
Acquiring two first-round picks for a guy in whom few people believed due to his many injuries… that’s really something.
And it also shows that the Habs’ GM is not afraid to try certain things.
Overtime
– I love it.
The legend says that Beck did the entire practice with a fish on his helmet
Legend has it that Beck did the entire practice with a fish on his helmet pic.twitter.com/WobF2cjPYK
To quote Martin St-Louis, the habs are about to play their most important game of the season tonight.
It takes a win to improve the chances of participating in the playoffs and it takes a good effort from all players because the Panthers have a good team on paper.
The habs will have a great opportunity to take advantage of this… because they will be facing one of the worst goalies in the NHL tonight.
Paul Maurice will trust Vitek Vanecek for the game.
The goalkeeper will play his fourth game with the Panthers since the transaction that allowed him to leave San Jose.
But even if Vanecek has proven himself in the past, his numbers this season are really… awful.
And I’m not exaggerating.
Among the 72 NHL goalies who have played at least 10 games this season, Vanecek finds himself… :
In 62nd place for efficiency rate (.884)
In 70th place for average goals allowed (3.75)
In 64th place for wins (4)
In fact, he’s having a miserable season.
And the habs will have to find a way to take advantage of this situation. It would also allow the habs to sweep the series against the Panthers this season :
David Reinbacher’s last game with the Rocket was on March 21. He hasn’t played since then, and it will be a while before he returns.
At least, the Rocket announced that the defenseman did not accompany the team on their road trip this week. And no, it’s not because he was recalled by the Canadiens.
Note that the Rocket also says Reinbacher is being “evaluated daily”, which isn’t very clear.
Le défenseur David Reinbacher (évalué quotidiennement) n’est pas sur la route avec le Rocket.
Defenseman David Reinbacher (day-to-day) is not on the road with the Rocket.
The Rocket plays tonight in Manitoba and will play a second game in as many days tomorrow, again against the Moose.
There are also two games scheduled for the weekend (Saturday and Sunday) against the Abbotsford Canucks. Then, the Rocket will play on Friday, April 11 (in Rochester) and Saturday, April 12 (in Syracuse), but Reinbacher could possibly return to the game on April 11 because there are four days between the game against the Canucks and the one against the Americans.
This means the defenseman should miss at least the next four games of his team. Again, we know the Canadiens organization wants to be cautious in his case, but we don’t know what’s going on with him.
And it’s normal to worry about his health status. Did he aggravate his knee injury?
David Reinbacher n’accompagnera pas le Rocket pour un voyage dans l’Ouest canadien.
Il devrait donc rater au moins les 4 prochains matchs de l’équipe, qui joue ce soir et mercredi à Winnipeg ainsi que samedi et dimanche à Abbotsford.
David Reinbacher returned to the game on February 19 and has played eight games this season with the Rocket.
And since his return, the Canadiens’ affiliate team has played 16 games.
This means the defenseman has only participated in 50% of his team’s games since he was given the green light by the doctors to start playing again.
What’s unclear is that neither the Rocket nor the Canadiens are sharing concrete news about Reinbacher.
The organization wants to respect “the protocol” in his case, but still: it’s really unclear right now when it comes to Reinbacher.
Le Rocket annonce que David Reinbacher n’est pas du voyage dans l’Ouest. Il est évalué de façon quotidienne. C’est motus et bouche cousue à chaque fois qu’on pose des questions à son sujet alors qu’on s’en remet au protocole.
Oliver Kapanen is not the big name to watch among the Canadiens’ prospects right now: it’s Jacob Fowler. We wonder if he will sign his entry-level contract soon.
But Kapanen is still worth watching.
With the end of his season in Sweden, the Canadiens’ prospect is free to finish the season in Quebec, either with the Laval Rocket or the Montreal Canadiens.
What will this bring?
Kapanen, who could switch between the two teams, was a strong candidate to go to Laval. But with what’s happening in Montreal and the 12th forward spot, Kapanen becomes a serious option in town.
In addition, he already knows the guys, considering he started the season in town.
Kapanen’s agent will chat with GM Kent Hughes today, according to Nicolas Cloutier, to see where his client might finish the season. They won’t be discussing a contract since he already has one, but rather what’s best for the Habs and the young player.
Could Oliver Kapanen join the Habs in Montreal and then report to the Rocket for the playoffs?
“From what I understand, yes [it would be allowed by his contract/convention],” his agent told me, who will discuss with the organization later today. @TVASports
As long as Joshua Roy (who would be useful in Laval) is doing nothing in town, Kapanen could bring depth to the center and rejoin his group from the start of the season.
Aside from Alexandre Carrier and Jakub Dobes, he has played with the others.
Let’s remember that today, Michael Pezzetta will still be in uniform. This shows, more than ever, that the Canadiens need help for the playoff run.
We’ll see what happens.
Overtime
– It’s really good.
ANNOUNCEMENT
John Tortorella becomes the new head coach of the Tigres!
Tony Marinaro always does things more intensely than others. Calling Boston, calling funeral homes, calling mothers, calling… everyone.
And there, on this April 1st, he has the April fool of the year.
During his show, he talked about his future at the professional level. We saw him become emotional and leave the studio saying that it wasn’t working and that he had done what he could to make it work.
Of course, since it’s April 1st, there were doubts.
However, the fact that it lasted a long time (about 30 minutes), that Alexandre Lanctôt started hosting the show, and that almost no one inside knew what was happening made it quite believable.
But finally, he returned and announced it was a joke. Alexandre Lanctôt, who was hosting in the meantime, described the scene of his return live to everyone who was listening.
I imagine that the fact that almost no one in the box knew about it made a lot of people nervous internally. After all, there’s a good chance we’ll see him elsewhere next season.
Last year, when Lane Hutson was eliminated in the NCAA, it took less than 24 hours for him to sign with the Habs.
This year, when Ryan Leonard and Gabriel Perreault were eliminated in the NCAA, they also needed less than 24 hours to sign with Washington and New York.
These cases happen quickly. After all, we know that these guys are going to burn a year of their contract in the NHL.
But Jacob Fowler’s case is different. We’re not sure if the goalie, who’s moving on to the pros, will finish his season in Laval or Montreal, in the National League.
And he may not be able to switch from one league to another this season: it’s one or the other.
In an ideal world, Fowler would go to Laval. He would have more playing time (the level is less strong and the Rocket is already assured of making the playoffs) and the Rocket’s season should last longer than the Canadiens.
The Canadiens wouldn’t have to deal with a goalie who is excellent, but still green in the pros.
It’s not said that he wouldn’t have playing time in Montreal, but we know that Fowler, who should start next season in Laval, would have more playing time in the minors in the coming weeks.
And as Marc Antoine Godin reminded us, a goalie always takes more time to develop.
However, there is a path where Fowler, who is a top prospect, could ask to burn a year of his contract directly by signing his entry-level contract so that it can be activated immediately.
He wouldn’t even need to play for the first year of the contract to be burned… but Vincent Damphousse would still play him.
Vincent Damphousse on RDS L’Antichambre says that if the Habs sign Jacob Fowler this week, they should give him the start on Sunday vs the Nashville Predators:
“All of his life, he’s wanted to reach the NHL. He’s always performed well under pressure. Why wouldn’t he be able to… pic.twitter.com/OWgmpwORwy
All this to say that if Fowler insists on burning a year of his contract, it could explain why nothing has been announced yet – but maybe it has nothing to do with it.
Godin, in his article on the Radio-Canada website, reminds us that a skater can benefit from burning a year of contract (like Lane Hutson), but a goalie needs more time to develop.
In the past, goalies who have been patient have been rewarded and goalies who have burned a year of contract have signed smaller second contracts than expected. The extra year helps the goalie to get more money and develop better on their entry-level contract.
Would Fowler be in a good situation by joining the Canadiens now? Who knows.
As the season won’t end tomorrow morning, there’s still time. But I imagine Kent Hughes would like to see him finish the season with the Rocket and not with the Canadiens.
To be continued, then.
in Overtime
– A machine on the road.
Most points by NHL defensemen on the road this season:
1) Quinn Hughes (25 yrs old): 40 points in 34 games, +1
2) Cale Makar (26 yrs old): 38 points in 36 games, +11
3) Lane Hutson (21 yrs old): 34 points in 38 games, +13 pic.twitter.com/RNvOSqFc8P
Marc Bergevin has spoken little to the media since he lost his job as GM of the Canadiens in November 2021.
He spoke to a few English-language media outlets last year in what was seen as an attempt to get his name out there for a potential GM position across the National Hockey League.
But he hasn’t spoken to French-language media here.
And now, for only the second time since he left Montreal, Bergevin has spoken publicly – without really knowing why he said yes this time. This time, he did it on the podcast of Cam Janssen and Andy Strickland, namely the Cam and Strick Podcast.
This is what it gives.
For nearly an hour, the former GM of the Canadiens and current employee of the Los Angeles Kings generously discussed his work, his years as a player, and his time as GM of the Canadiens.
What do I take away from all this?
1. On several occasions, we felt that the GM job in Montreal weighed heavily on Bergevin. Nobody here is surprised, but clearly, we feel that he really thinks what he says when he claims that being a GM in Montreal is harder than elsewhere due to media pressure.
Throughout the interview, the role of the media kept coming back. He clearly doesn’t seem to miss that right now as an assistant in L.A.
2. Bergevin said he had a good relationship with his players (without often interfering in their locker room), including Brendan Gallagher and Shea Weber, but we clearly feel that the Price family has a special place in his heart.
I say this because Price, after he retired, gave Bergevin the helmet he wore in the Stanley Cup final in 2021. He told him that this one was for him.
This is not nothing, considering he only went to the finals once and a helmet like that doesn’t exist in 18,261 different copies.
Let’s recall that it was Bergevin who gave him his big contract (which is not yet over) and that Angela Price, after Bergevin’s departure, said she felt like her family had lost a big ally.
Est-ce qu’on sent que la famille Price a de plus en plus de raisons de vouloir quitter Montréal? → https://t.co/MAWR0tSSXp
3. Still on the theme of the Stanley Cup final, we have to mention that the GM of the team obviously knew that Shea Weber was injured during the playoffs, but he didn’t know to what extent. Weber wasn’t the type to complain during the playoffs.
Bergevin really believes that Weber changed the culture of the Canadiens.
4. The former head of the Canadiens claims to be passionate about hockey and didn’t make transactions based on emotions. It’s rather the passion that sometimes came into play – in addition to his rational side, of course.
And he didn’t want to answer precisely what transaction he regrets. Good call from his point of view.
5. In his interview where anecdotes from his past came up, Bergevin opened the door to becoming a GM again. He would like that to happen, but if not, he’s doing well in L.A. with Luc Robitaille and Rob Blake.
We’ll see if he gets the chance to go for an interview soon.
Last night, the Preds were visiting Philadelphia to face the Flyers, who were still undefeated under their new interim head coach.
And with a 2-1 win, Philly remained undefeated (3-0-0). In the win, Matvei Michkov was brilliant again, collecting two assists.
In three games under the orders of Brad Shaw, he has seven points. But his successes date back to well before Shaw’s arrival. In his last six games, he has 11 points.
He also became the first player this season to reach the 110-point plateau.
3. Despite Matthew Boldy’s goal in the last minutes, the Devils hold on
In New Jersey, the Devils and the Wild faced off, and like the Flames-Avalanche game, a shootout was needed.
New Jersey, who should have won the game several times, finally held on. When the game was 2-1 in favor of the locals, Matthew Boldy sent everyone into overtime.
The Seattle Kraken are already eliminated and let’s just say it wasn’t the expected season there.
Last night, in a desperate move, a fan of the team even tried to give money to the Stars to let their team win. Obviously, this move didn’t work: the Stars won 3-1.
Tough season in Seattle calls for fans trying to bribe the other team to let the Kraken win? pic.twitter.com/KIsIUBfA6v
Luke Hughes opened the scoring in his 150th career game (17-72—89 in 150 GP). He passed Joe Cirella (24-64—88 in 212 GP) for the third-most points by a defenseman in franchise history, age 21 or younger.#NHLStats: https://t.co/GSkrBQZSQ7https://t.co/20NYgLnEhr
WOOHOO
NEW EPISODE OF PROCESSUS
: 
to ending it in overtime 
