Author: Dose

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Kaiden Guhle back in the game tonight

The Habs will welcome back Kaiden Guhle to the game tonight against the Carolina Hurricanes.

This will be a more than welcome help for the Habs who are going through a sequence of 4 consecutive losses. For the occasion, the Habs will play with 11 forwards and 7 defensemen. Joshua Roy will be left out.

The Habs’ defenseman tore his quadriceps on January 28 in Montreal against the Winnipeg Jets. He had undergone surgery and the prospects of seeing him return in 2024-2025 were slim.

Martin St-Louis played it coy this morning by not wanting to reveal the details of his lineup. However, Joshua Roy was skating with the extra players, which put everyone on notice.

Guhle is unfortunately accustomed to serious injuries. He will have to find a way to stay healthy so that he can be part of the team’s core for the next few years.

He has undeniable talent and energy, and what it takes to become a rock on the Habs’ blue line for the next ten years. The #21 has 14 points in 44 games, but it’s his defensive solidity that sets him apart. He is capable.

Overtime

– A great prospect.

– The Rocket in action.

– Many unclear things.

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Only 44% of Newhook’s attempted shots have hit the net this season

From the start, I want to say this.

Alex Newhook has found his way lately. He’s been using his speed even more since he started playing center and it’s giving interesting results.

The habs forward scored a nice goal last night, by the way. He used his kick to free himself from the defenders and fooled the goalkeeper with a perfectly aimed shot:

But there’s a particular problem with him.

It seems like Newhook is not capable of shooting at the bottom of the net. He’s constantly looking for the perfect shot and he’s missing golden opportunities.

If he didn’t miss that many, he would definitely have more than 14 goals on the counter this season…

Since the start of the campaign, the habs forward has 230 shots attempted towards the opposing net. Only Cole Caufield (383), Mike Matheson (327), Nick Suzuki (295), Brendan Gallagher (256), Lane Hutson (247), and Juraj Slafkovsky (244) surpass him in this area.

But where it gets interesting is when we see that only 103 of his 230 attempts actually reached the net.

This gives a rate of 44%… And that’s not enough to score regularly.

Alex Newhook has the skills to become a 20-goal scorer per season in the NHL.

However, he has never exceeded the 15-goal mark in a single campaign… and he’s been missing the net more often since his arrival in Montreal in the summer of 2023:

  • 130 shots on target out of 203 attempted in 21-22 (Avalanche) – 55% rate
  • 116 shots on target out of 192 attempted in 22-23 (Avalanche) – 60% rate
  • 85 shots on target out of 181 attempted in 23-24 (Canadiens) – 46% rate

The good news is that this aspect of the game can be worked on.

Newhook needs to be able to hit the net more often to give himself more chances to score because he has a heavy shot.

If he can correct this flaw, the Canadiens will have a good offensive player on their hands.

Overtime

– I have the feeling that it doesn’t look good for tonight…

– To be continued.

– Jacob Fowler and Boston College won in the first round of the NCAA championship.

– Some news in the MLB:

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12 forwards of the Habs have scored at least 10 goals this season

The Canadiens did not have a great outing last night in Philadelphia.

The Montreal club was unable to beat the Flyers even though they scored four times in the game.

But in the loss, Christian Dvorak scored his 10th goal of the season. And that goal has some significance when looking at the statistics among the team’s forwards.

Dvorak’s goal has some significance because it allowed him to become the 12th forward on the Habs this season to score at least 10 goals.

In order: Cole Caufield (34), Nick Suzuki (22), Patrik Laine (18), Brendan Gallagher (17), Juraj Slafkovsky (16), Alex Newhook (14), Josh Anderson (12), Jake Evans (12), Joel Armia (11), Emil Heinemain (10), Christian Dvorak (10) and Kirby Dach (10) are on the list.

It’s an interesting statistic… because it shows that the four lines are capable of contributing when needed.

(Credit: HockeyDB)

In recent years, the Habs have always had trouble scoring goals.

There were often several gaps in the lineup, which meant that there wasn’t necessarily any depth within the team.

But despite this, the Canadiens are still ranked 18th in the NHL for goals scored (213) this season.

The Habs average three goals per game… and if the goalies can’t do the job – as is often the case lately -, it’s more difficult to win regularly.

But this also means that the defensemen are not super productive in terms of goals either.

Mike Matheson leads the Habs in this category (six goals), Lane Hutson is close behind (five goals) and Kaiden Guhle has scored four times this season. But for Savard (one goal), Xhekaj (one goal), Struble (two goals) and Carrier (two goals), it’s thinner.

The Canadiens will need better production from their defensemen to move forward.

Overtime

– They are competitive, the Flames.

– Wow.

– Hehe.

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Ivan Demidov was (really) dumb with a journalist: a first “red flag”?

Ivan Demidov started the first game of the SKA St. Petersburg series as the 13th forward of his club.

He didn’t play much during the game (7:43) and his club lost with a score of 3-1.

But before the game, the prospect of the Canadiens gave an interview to a journalist during warm-ups… and let’s say he didn’t look super happy.

The SKA forward was visibly frustrated because he answered all the questions in a pretty stupid way.

His answers were short, dry… and you could really feel his discontent.

When you watch the interview in question, you can easily notice that he wasn’t in the mood to laugh:

Is this a first “red flag” in his case?

After all, every time we talk about him since the recent draft, it’s for good reasons.

But here, he’s frustrated with the turn of events because he’s not being used as he wants and that’s why we saw him being in a bad mood in front of a journalist.

On the other hand, it’s really hard to blame him because his behavior is understandable.

He wants to be able to help his club win games.

He wants to be able to contribute to his team’s successes and he wants to be able to progress, but this can’t happen if Roman Rotenberg doesn’t play him.

This is logical, we agree. And it’s normal to see him act like this when we know the story with his coach.

However, we knew that Ivan Demidov was a competitive guy by nature and to me, that’s what we can see in his interview yesterday before the game. I really have the impression that we won’t make a big deal out of it from the Canadiens’ management side because in Montreal, everyone knows that Demidov will be treated the right way.

But in all this, I also wonder what his teammates think about the decisions of the team’s head coach. Again, the club is in the playoffs and the guys want to win… but the coach isn’t playing the club’s best scorer for political reasons.

It must be frustrating, at least.

And seeing Demidov answer like that to a journalist who just wanted to chat with him before the game, it says a lot about the atmosphere that reigns there.

Overtime

– Uh…

– David Jiricek’s season is over.

– It’s going to be tough tonight.

– I love it.

– Okay…

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Justin Kingsley has agreed to answer all my questions about the «rebrand» of the Impact

Good grief. What a week it has been.

The Canadiens lost two big games while in the midst of a playoff run – also known as the mix -, but the biggest sports stories of the week in Montreal sports, they involve CF Montreal.

On Monday morning, the club fired Laurent Courtois and appointed Marco Donadel as interim head coach.

On Thursday, an interview given by Joey Saputo in Italian to a Montreal media outlet made the rounds of other Montreal media, both Francophone and Anglophone. The most pessimistic people see it as a prelude to a hasty sale of the club, while the most optimistic see it as an extended hand by the owner, both to the city of Montreal and to the club’s fans.

Decidedly, the timing of our interview with Justin Kingsley on Stanley25 – which had been booked for two or three weeks already – couldn’t be better. Do I need to remind you that he’s the one who led the rebrand of the Impact to CF Montreal?

Justin Kingsley, a brand and marketing strategist, obviously spoke to us about his three years with the Canadiens, pushing the 24CH series, launching the Club 1909, and promoting the The Hockey Club advertising campaign…

But he agreed to answer all my questions about the rebrand of CF Montreal.

Was it a mistake? Who decided? What was the mandate? Why him? How to deal with the dissatisfied fans? How does he see it in hindsight? What was it like working with Joey Saputo?

Justin didn’t dodge any questions; he answered everything. And his answers helped us understand a bit better what he was trying to do when he led the rebrand from the Impact to CF Montreal.

If you’ve never watched a single episode of the Stanley25 podcast, I really recommend listening to this one:

Towards the end of our conversation, I asked him if four years later, he considered the rebrand a success or a failure. He couldn’t be more frank in his answer.

@9millions_ The “CF Montreal”, a failure? ⚽ The man behind the Impact rebrand speaks honestly 😳 An essential episode to listen to with Justin Kingsley 🚨 #montreal #quebec #qc #soccer #mls #cfmontreal #CFMTL #mls #fyp ♬ son original  – 9millions

« Is it really a success? That’s not the case anymore. So it can just be no. It’s been destroyed. » – Justin Kingsley

Good watching. Whether you like Justin Kingsley or not, you’ll come out more informed about the sports rebrand that generated the most buzz in the history of our country.

I would like to thank Justin Kingsley again for accepting to come and chat with openness and transparency about such a polarizing topic. #Class #Respect #GreatContent

Extension

– I re-listened to the podcast twice since recording and from what I understand, it was Kevin Gilmore who suggested to Joey Saputo to change the brand and when it was accepted, he called upon Justin Kingsley. That’s also how I see the chronology of events.

– Justin Kingsley threw jabs at several journalists during the interview. Jack Todd and Réjean Tremblay were not spared.

– Reminder: we have a Patreon with Stanley25 where we have fun dropping exclusive info, as well as our content a few hours/days in advance. This week, Jean Trudel released exclusive images of the rebrand of Daoust, led by Justin Kingsley, as well as accurate information (and before everyone else) about an incident that occurred between Cam York and John Tortorella on Tuesday evening after the game. [Patreon]

– Marco Donadel met with the media this morning at the Centre Nutrilait. Here’s what I took away from his first interview as the new head coach of the club.

– Fernando Alvarez and George Campbell agreed to talk to us about the 4-man defense used this week.

– There are still several injured players on the Montreal roster.

– I’ll say this to finish. If CF Montreal really wants to get closer to its fans, I have a suggestion: go back to the name of the Montreal Impact.

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Another indication pointing towards Kaiden Guhle’s return to the game tonight

This morning, we learned that there were good chances of seeing Kaiden Guhle play tonight, against the Hurricanes.

But now, on the heels of the Canadiens’ activities today, we can think, more than ever, that Guhle really has a chance to rejoin the lineup for tonight’s game.

We’re only talking about clues here… but when you add them up, it means something.

This morning, there was no practice after last night’s travel, which means only the extra players skated. Jakub Dobes, who will be on the bench tonight, and Michael Pezzetta took to the ice.

But with them, there was no Kaiden Guhle: there was Joshua Roy, who played yesterday.

It’s possible to believe that the Canadiens won’t play the three players who skated this morning. This possibility is really logical, when you think about it.

Bringing Guhle (if that’s the plan) back in a seven-defenseman format would allow him to return more “quietly” after weeks of absence in the playoff race.

If that’s the case, Roy (who plays in the top-6) would likely be left out. We don’t want to touch the bottom-6 of the club this season when possible, and Roy could be the one to take the hit.

To be continued in the next few hours.

Overtime

– Hmm…

– What do you think?

– Charles Hudon in Russia next season?

– Indeed.

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The Canadiens will need to go get a #2 goalie this summer

Logically, next year, Samuel Montembeault will be the habs’ #1 goalie. But after that?

We know Jakub Dobes will be either in Montreal or Laval. We can assume promising Jacob Fowler will also be in Quebec to play his first season as a pro.

And we’re not sure what’s next for Cayden Primeau, who will be a restricted free agent this summer.

For a while, it seemed simple to think that Dobes would back up Montembeault in Montreal and the habs would replace Connor Hughes (who should return to Europe, according to the latest news) with a veteran to back up Fowler in Laval.

But now, do you want to easily give Dobes the #2 spot next year?

In 2025-2026, the habs will be more than ever a team that needs to aim for the playoffs. And right now, we can see that Dobes lacks the experience to help the habs in the NHL. To what extent will the offseason change everything for Dobes…

For a few weeks, Dobes hasn’t been the most reliable in front of his net. It’s not all his fault, but he doesn’t inspire confidence.

He’s not the only story of this loss in Philadelphia. But at the risk of repeating myself, Jakub Dobes, since the end of his undefeated streak in January, is struggling.

Current stats:

Before January 25: 5-0-0 / 1.55 / .941

Since January 25: 1-4-2 / 4.04 / .871

— Simon-Olivier Lorange (@so-lorange.bsky.social) March 27, 2025, at 10:06 PM

This is why the habs will have to think about getting a #2 goalie who can back up Samuel Montembeault for next season. If we want to prioritize the habs, it’s a necessity in my opinion.

After all, right now, in the organization, there’s only one healthy NHL goalie: Monty.

As I said, this must be the priority since Dobes has shown he’s not ready to play in the NHL. The habs might have thought they could keep Dobes in the NHL for 2025-2026 after his first games in town, but…

But right now, it’s not working.

We should never forget that the development of a young goalie is not linear. I’ve already written, when things were going well for Dobes, to fear that we might ruin Dobes’ development by bringing him to the NHL too quickly.

And Primeau even said, this week in an interview (Radio-Canada) with Marc Antoine Godin, that he would have liked to stay in the minors in 2022 to develop. For me, that’s a good reason to think about sending Dobes to the minors in 2025-2026, which makes the insurance policy necessary.

I would have liked to be left alone and let things develop on their own, instead of rushing them. — Cayden Primeau on the winter of 2022, when he was rushed into the NHL

Met Cayden Primeau today.
Having spent some time with him, he exuded confidence that I hadn’t felt before. It’s worth what it’s worth, but when he says (positively) that he’s not the same, I have no trouble believing him.
ici.radio-canada.ca/sports/21509…

[image or embed]

— Marc Antoine Godin (@magodin.bsky.social) March 26, 2025, at 8:28 PM

But if Kent Hughes signs a #2 goalie in Montreal and sends Jakub Dobes to the minors, we might see a problem on the horizon: Jakub Dobes and Jacob Fowler would likely have to share the net in Laval.

Is it ideal? No. But if neither of them is ready for the NHL and the habs don’t want to send Fowler back to Boston for a third year in the NCAA, it might be a necessary evil.

overtime

Of course, nothing is set in stone yet. But we can see that it was simpler when Dobes was playing well and had a chance to stay as Montembeault’s assistant for 2025-2026.

But life is not simple, sometimes.

It’s not said that Dobes won’t win a spot at the next camp… but it’s not a scenario we should count on. It takes a plan B, and I imagine the habs know that.

However, note that finding a goalie who wants to play in an organization that has Montembeault, Dobes, and potentially Fowler in the NHL/AHL could be tough to find.

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Without Lane Hutson on the ice, the Canadiens play like a last-place club

Lane Hutson is going to break the bank the day he signs a long-term contract. It’s not bad, it’s certain.

And we’ll say it: he deserves it. He’s the best rookie in terms of points in the NHL – even though he plays on the blue line – and he’s the seventh-best scorer among defensemen in general.

His five goals and 56 points put him behind only Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield on the Habs.

Yesterday, he once again picked up two assists, bringing his total to 51 for the season – and 53 assists in 73 career games. He stepped up when the Habs needed him.

Did we mention he played 28:40, by the way?

What’s crazy is that the 50-assist plateau for a rookie allowed him to join a select group. Among active players in the NHL, only seven have had at least 50 assists as a rookie: Kane, Malkin, Ovechkin, Backstrom, Crosby, Barzal…

And him.

In history, among defensemen, only five players (including him) have had 50 assists as a rookie. The names of the other guys? Larry Murphy, Chris Chelios, Stefan Persson, and Gary Suter.

That’s it.

But it goes further than the numbers, as you know. After all, he plays a lot during games and he doesn’t put his club in trouble. In fact, it’s quite the opposite.

When we look at the Habs’ advanced stats for a little over a month (since the return of the Four Nations Tournament), we see that with Hutson on the ice, the Habs dominate. And without him? They play like a last-place team.

That’s a player who deserves to win the Calder. The other guys in the running deserve it too, but Hutson’s historic pace in a playoff run is noteworthy.

We’ll see if he’ll win.

Overtime

– He should play tonight.

– No David Reinbacher either.

– Yeah.

– No Canadiens logo on his kids’ jacket because he never played in Montreal. It’s logical, but it brings back bad memories.

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John Tortorella : a firing linked to Cam York (who was penalized against the Canadiens)

Tuesday evening, John Tortorella drew attention by saying he didn’t want to learn how to manage a club like the Flyers, a team at the bottom of the Eastern conference standings.

That’s what was remembered from the game, which ultimately was his last at the helm of the Flyers – and perhaps in the NHL.

Daniel Brière, yesterday, confirmed that it wasn’t necessarily those comments that led him to feel the need to show his former coach the exit.

And now, another event that occurred on Tuesday, against Toronto, is at the heart of Tortorella’s dismissal.

We don’t know exactly what happened… but we do know that Cam York, during the game, only got 3:50 of playing time. That’s less than Michael Pezzetta usually gets.

And apparently, there’s a link between Tortorella’s departure, just a few weeks before the end of the season, and the situation with York.

According to journalist Kevin Kurz, it’s “fair to say” that something happened between the two men in Toronto, which contributed to the coach’s dismissal. Both men allegedly “crossed the line” according to what was reported by the journalist.

Not only was York benched in Toronto, but yesterday, against the Canadiens, he was dressed but didn’t play at all. It was a disciplinary measure, and he’s expected to play tomorrow, as usual.

But that means that interim coach Brad Shaw punished his player… and it wasn’t an order from Tortorella, who’s no longer there. What happened for both men to be punished, to different degrees, this week? Who knows.

It’s all quite curious.

Maybe someday, someone will shed light on what happened. But for now, we understand that something big happened in that locker room this week.

Overtime

– Cayden Lindstrom will apparently play in the NCAA in 2025-2026. He didn’t play a single game this year in the WHL due to injury.

– What does that mean, exactly?

– What do you think?

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Kaiden Guhle has “good chances” of playing tonight

Defensively, the Canadiens are struggling. And clearly, we’re wondering when Kaiden Guhle will be ready to return to the game.

Because when Guhle returns (it’s no longer a question of if, but when) to the game for the Canadiens, it will help stabilize the blue line of Stéphane Robidas.

This will not be a luxury in this playoff race.

So the question everyone is asking is when he will be ready to return to the game to participate in the team’s playoff race.

We know he’s on the road, but Martin St-Louis has never confirmed that he’s expecting his defenseman this week.

But according to Eric Engels on Twitter, Kaiden Guhle has a “good chance” of playing in tonight’s game against the Hurricanes in Carolina.

Martin St-Louis will speak to the media at 11:45 am. We may learn more.

Obviously, the next question is who will give up their spot to Guhle if the defenseman is indeed able to play tonight.

Lane Hutson, Alexandre Carrier, and Mike Matheson won’t give up their turn if they’re healthy. That’s understood.

Jayden Struble is not playing like a player who deserves to lose his spot, not only in the lineup but also alongside Lane Hutson. I don’t see him being scratched.

And even if David Savard (a right-handed defenseman) could potentially give up his turn for tonight’s game, I think it’s the Sheriff who is in danger. The defensemen’s ice time last night is a good indication.

(Credit: NHL.com)

Is it possible that Arber Xhekaj will give up his spot? Yes. And then, we wonder who will play with whom.

Will Jayden Struble give up his spot in the top 4 to play with Savard, which would break up his duo with Hutson? Will Mike Matheson play with Savard to recreate the Guhle/Carrier duo? We’ll see.

Overtime

– Big day in the MLB yesterday.

– Ryan Lindgren is indeed in Colorado. [RG media]

– To watch.

– Same here.

– There’s movement in David Reinbacher’s former team.