Author: Dose

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John Beecher in the waivers: Kent Hughes must (absolutely) consider claiming him

The Canadiens don’t have the greatest depth at center.

Alex Newhook’s injury hurt there… and Kirby Dach’s too.

Even though the big right-hander had been playing mostly on the wing since the start of the season, losing him for at least four weeks isn’t ideal. That said, there may be one guy in particular who could help the club right now…

Today, the Bruins placed John Beecher on the waivers. We’re talking about a 24-year-old former first-round pick (2019) who never really blossomed in the National League. He’s known for his physical play and intensity on the ice.

At 6’3 and 220 lbs, he’s got the physicality to interest a club like the Habs, who are looking for solutions to reduce their churn.

And at 54.6% efficiency in the face-off circle this season, Beecher has what it takes to help the Habs in a depth role. Especially with all the injured centers out there right now…

Would Beecher arrive in Montreal as a true savior? Of course not.

We’re talking about a guy with just one goal (and one point) in six games this season, and a total of 22 points in 136 games in the National League.

But, the risk wouldn’t be huge because the player’s contract runs out at the end of the campaign… and his annual fee is $900,000. Again, this could be an interesting gamble if he doesn’t cost much and his contract doesn’t hurt in the long run.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see a move like this happen (even if it’s not exactly an Alexandre Carrier-style move).

Because the opportunity is still intriguing. That said, I also have a feeling that Bleecher might no longer be around for the Canadiens’ speaking rights…

Overtime

– Yes.

– Good.

– Things aren’t going well in Toronto.

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Flames’ interest in Kirby Dach: clues not to be overlooked

Did the Calgary Flames have any interest in Kirby Dach before he was injured in the last few days? Let’s say the question arises, given the circumstances.

What circumstances?

Nicolas Cloutier has written an excellent article (which I recommend you read on the TVA Sports website) on the impact of Dach’s injury on the player, but also on the club.

And in the “weak position” section of his text, there are several clues that lead us to believe that the journalist didn’t want to take the step of linking Kirby Dach to the Flames… but that there’s something to investigate.

What clues?

  • Cloutier mentions that Dach’s new lease on life gave his GM options.
  • The journalist recalled that Dach, an Albertan, played well on Saturday in front of the Flames’ chief scout.
  • He also says that Dach was an ace up Kent Hughes’ sleeve, before getting injured.
  • It also says that Dach, like Emil Heineman recently, could have been part of a jackpot for a team that operates a reset. Such is the case with the Flames.

Of course, we know that Kent Hughes was looking for a #2 center before he saw Kirby Dach injured. And the Flames employ a certain Nazem Kadri, who is linked to the Canadiens.

So we ask: could Dach’s injury (which sends the plan to think about trading him into limbo, as we understand from Nicolas Cloutier’s text) prevent the Habs from moving for Kadri in a buyer’s market?

Obviously, other options are potentially on the table when it comes to picking up Kadri. But clearly, Dach is a game-changer because he has an interesting profile. He won’t be an unrestricted free agent until 2028…

We knew that the Canadiens’ injuries had affected Kent Hughes’ work. But that’s obviously truer than ever.

overtime

– Yes.

– Read more.

– Charlie McAvoy injured again.

– Great news.

– Jet Greaves will face the Habs tonight.

– Drew Doughty: a few weeks out.

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RUMOR: four different subscriptions to watch the Canadiens next year

Next season, the new TV contract for NHL games in Canada comes into effect. It’s not yet known exactly how the Habs’ 84 games will be divided up in Quebec.

As for the Canadiens’ French-language rights, we already know that RDS will produce 45 of these games. There’s also every reason to believe that Crave (with the RDS broadcast team) will be entitled to 15 games.

Max Lalonde (BPM Sports) broke the news about Crave, saying that these 15 games would be in addition to the 45 already announced by RDS. However, nothing has been confirmed.

There are also 24 national matches yet to be announced. TVA Sports could well get these games, although nothing has been decided yet.

If all 24 games were to be broadcast on TVA Sports, this would mean that RDS, Crave and TVA Sports would be the three platforms to have to watch all Canadiens games. There would be a good majority of games on cable.

But if Quebecor were to pick up 24 games AND Crave were to confirm the presentation of some 15 games, Pierre-Karl Péladeau’s company could retaliate in turn.

But how? By also offering matches exclusively on one platform, Club Illico+.

Nothing has been confirmed, since Crave hasn’t announced anything and because TVA Sports hasn’t confirmed that it’s got its hands on the TV rights for the next few years either. These are two big factors that make the situation uncertain.

But at the moment, we can confirm that seeing games on Club Illico+ is a scenario that is being discussed internally.

If this idea were to become official, it would be the consumer who would suffer. After all, not only would they have to have access to RDS and TVA Sports, they’d also have to subscribe to two platforms to listen to all 84 Habs games in French.

Yes, platforms (including Crave and Club Illico+) are clearly part of the future of sports. But the fact remains that seeing such a scenario come to fruition (because I remind you that nothing is official for streaming) would not make everyone happy.

And with good reason. Consumers could end up paying the price for the battles between two big companies, should Quebecor refuse to leave all French-language streaming to Bell in the world of hockey.

I say that, but if TSN were to end up with 50 Habs games and the other 34 were on Sportsnet, hockey could be less listened to in French than ever next season. Especially during the habs’ ugly sequences like last week’s…

extension

To answer a question many of you may have right now: yes, it is possible to subscribe to Club Illico+ if you’re a Bell customer.

But in any case, such a situation would undoubtedly mean that, more than ever, some people would pirate the Canadiens’ games to listen to them illegally.

If the Canadiens were to end 2025-2026 badly, and the games shown on broadcast platforms were not to be interesting duels, I can’t imagine the ratings that would follow.

If it comes to that, I imagine our colleague Maxime Truman will find a way to dig up the ratings…

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Marc Del Gaizo recalled by the Canadiens

Since the Canadiens are going on the road, the club chose to arrive in Columbus with at least one healthy extra.

The result? As on previous trips, Marc Del Gaizo has been recalled by the Canadiens. The defenseman will join the club on the road, as announced by the club.

No surprises here.

Logically, if everyone’s healthy, you’d think Del Gaizo wouldn’t play. But since Jayden Struble didn’t practice (injury) yesterday… we wonder.

Details to come…

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Arber Xhekaj has lost his mojo

Things are going badly at ‘shop. The Canadiens are coming off five losses in their last six games, five of which were played in their fortress, the Bell Centre.

In total, the Montrealers have scored 16 goals during this sequence, but have allowed no less than 24 (and another in a shootout against the Flyers). Clearly, the defense and goaltending haven’t been up to the task for the past two weeks.

What’s more, the infirmary is already full and it’s only mid-November: Kaiden Guhle, Patrik Laine, Kirby Dach and Alex Newhook are all out for an extended period. Admittedly, the identity of the injured is not surprising..

But there’s another player – a healthy player – who’s been bothering me a bit over the last few games: Arber Xhekaj. He seems to have lost his mojo at the same time as I lost electricity with the first autumn winds…

The Sheriff has built a reputation as a tough, respected guy across the league by winning his fights, often against very good pugilists. He justifies his presence in the lineup with his shoulder strikes, punches and the imaginary thumbs he supposedly “grafts” onto his teammates simply by being in the lineup.

He keeps on giving hits… but when it comes to fists, things haven’t been going well for the eldest of the Xhekaj brothers since the beginning of November. And I’m not sure his teammates feel a few inches taller when they jump on the ice. Why is that? Because Xhekaj has just lost his last three fights.

On Saturday, his fight with Tanner Jeannot didn’t last long. He received three blows and fell to the ground.

My buddy Georges Laraque called me a few minutes after Xhekaj’s fight to tell me that the Habs defender wasn’t gripping his opponent’s shirt properly before getting into the “dance” and that, as a result, he wasn’t getting into the fight properly.

You also have to understand that Xhekaj had just spent 1:15 on the ice, unlike Jeannot, who was only 36 seconds in. But then again…

Against the Stars, Xhekaj was ejected for five minutes for fighting, but even if HockeyFight gives the win to Ilya Lyubushkin, we agree that the Stars player won more of a wrestling match than a typical ice hockey brawl. However, once again, Xhekaj didn’t get into the fight as he should have..

And against the Flyers two weeks ago, Xhekaj took a severe beating from Nicolas Deslauriers, once again in front of the Montreal fans.

In short, instead of giving momentum to his team, Xhekaj’s fights of late have been giving momentum to his opponents.

Even if Martin St-Louis tries to tell us otherwise, Arber Xhekaj is useful in a defensive top-six if he can command respect from the opposition. That’s how he instills an extra dose of confidence in his club’s players. Right now, Xhekaj isn’t doing that. If he’s not tough, what good is Arber Xhekaj? #HisRole

His meager assists in 17 games and negative cumulative differential don’t justify his use, you’ll agree.

Has Arber Xhekaj’s shoulder surgery made him less of a pugilist?

Right now, the Habs‘ best fighter is Jayden Struble. Perhaps he could give Arber Xhekaj a few tricks (until Big Georges has the opportunity to do so)?

Even Florian Xhekaj seems to be fighting better than his brother Arber at the moment..

It will be interesting to see if Arber Xhekaj dares to take on Mathieu Olivier tonight in Columbus. If I were him, I think I’d avoid doing it; going after Olivier (like Nicolas Deslauriers) when your confidence is shot is certainly not a good idea.

Xhekaj used to be feared, but I don’t think he will be tonight in Columbus. He needs to get his mojo back if he’s to maintain the reputation he’s built up in recent years. Otherwise, what’s the point?

Another pertinent suggestion: the Montrealers had better be quick in their defensive transitions tonight, and Jakub Dobes, lit up like a stovepipe.

And why is that? Because if they don’t, Ohio’scannon bone is going to get nasty as f***.

Extension

It’s been a tough few days for Montreal sports.

The Alouettes made a series of mistakes and dropped the Grey Cup last night in Winnipeg. The Roses were eliminated (all too easily) by Toronto last Monday. The Canadiens suffered three losses last week. And Montreal CF has learned that it will have to play in winter from now on…

After the rain, comes the good weather, they say..

So we should have plenty of sunshine this week. Good news for Hydro Québécois sports fans!

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Carter Hart applauded in the LAH: the people of Nevada are happy to see him

Carter Hart is the only player from the Team Canada junior scandal to have found an NHL-related job. He is currently with the Vegas Golden Knights.

Before playing for the Golden Knights at the end of his suspension, he has the right to get back into shape in the AHL. And yesterday, he played his first game for the Golden Knights academy club.

Against the Flames, he won 5-2, giving up two goals on 14 shots.

The match was held in Nevada, in Henderson (so home for the Silver Knights) yesterday. And clearly, the fans on hand were really happy to see the goalie.

In particular, Hart was seen receiving the support of the fans as he entered the rink.

Then, when it came time to introduce the starting lineup, fans gave a warm welcome to the man who has faced justice in recent months.

There may have been some disgruntled folks… but if so, they were in the minority in the arena.

Looking at this, it’s easy to see why Hart and his colleagues (who haven’t signed in the NHL and may never do so) haven’t signed with a club in Canada.

After all, it’s easy to think that if Hart had played for a Canadian club yesterday, the reaction would have been different.

Does it make you uneasy to see the reaction to Hart? Would you have reacted in the same way as the people there if you’d had a ticket for yesterday’s game?

Remember that in a few weeks, he’ll be eligible to play in Vegas. How will the Vegas crowd react? How will the crowd on the road react to the man who was just happy to play hockey yesterday?

overtime

– What’s in store for him?

– Interesting.

– Read more.

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The Canadiens must recreate the Alexandre Carrier effect, as in 2024

The Canadiens are in a bad way. You know it, I know it, Kent Hughes knows it, Jeff Gorton knows it – everyone knows it

The job of Martin St-Louis and the players, at this point, will be to organize themselves to win hockey games with the resources available to the coach.

Will that be enough? For the moment, he doesn’t have much choice but to go with what he’s got.

And Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton’s job, in the meantime, will be to see which players can be added to the active line-up to help the guys on the floor.

Logically, there are two solutions:

  • Look internally (i.e., to Laval)
  • Look externally (via a transaction, for example)

Internally, the Habs aren’t overflowing with solutions. Jared Davidson and Joshua Roy have already been recalled to replace the fallen Alex Newhook and Kirby Dach.

As much as the Habs want to roll with only 20 healthy guys, it’s still questionable whether another recall would make sense.

Adam Engstrom, Jacob Fowler, Alex Belzile, Owen Beck, Florian Xhekaj: the club can go in many directions… but I don’t know if any of them would really change the game.

Actually, no: the Unicorn could be a game-changer. I can feel it.

Logically, it’s by going outside that the Canadiens could try to recreate the magic of Alexandre Carrier’s arrival in town 11 months ago.

The Québécois proved that it doesn’t always take the arrival of a star to change everything. His arrival from Nashville changed many things in December 2024.

Will Kent Hughes again be able to pick up a player who could have a similar effect? Whether it’s a defenseman or a center, a breath of fresh air couldn’t hurt.

The answer… eventually.

overtime

– Turnovers have sunk the club.

– Are the Maple Leafs missing him?

– Great news in Seattle.

– Calder: no runs at the moment.

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Nick Suzuki is right: it smells more like caramel than Cup

I was listening to the TV as I was trying to think of something to say about the Canadiens’ dream weekend. And that’s when it hit me hard.

Seeing Nick Suzuki, in his Tim Hortons ad, imply that it smells like the Cup before saying that it smells like… fudge, I thought the metaphor was a good one to sum up the Habs’ start to the season.

And it’s not just about the Stanley Cup, it’s about hockey too… #Alouettes

Already, before the hecatomb of injuries, the consensus was that it wasn’t a good week for the Habs. The club was playing less and less well on the ice and eating volleys on the ice.

It seems that the guys are afraid to shoot at the net – especially on the powerplay. Why is that? No idea… but it almost makes you miss Patrik Laine with an extra man.

Because morale in town wasn’t high to begin with, and the last few days have been tough, it’s almost starting to feel like the lottery and Gavin McKenna are the talk of the town. #EnBasPourMcKenna

Ups and downs may be part of sports, and they may be even truer for a young team rebuilding, but this one has been hurting for the past few days.

Alex Newhook, Kaiden Guhle and Kirby Dach are all going to miss out on big game time, and that’s not good news. This wasn’t necessarily planned.

But injuries are part of sport. Nick Suzuki and Jayden Struble, to name but a few, are also (somewhat) injured as we speak. I’m sure there are others.

The league isn’t going to feel sorry for the Canadiens, of course. The club will have to find ways to get back on its feet.

Will that mean recalling more guys from Laval? Will it involve a transaction? In the short term, it’s easier to recall someone from Laval.

Obviously, right now, we’re mourning the club’s great start to the season, when good contracts (Lane Hutson, Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes) were multiplying and the club was playing inspiringly. The vibe has changed.

And the remaining guys will have to find solutions to stay in the playoff hunt.

(Credit: NHL.com)

extension

The bad news: the Canadiens will be playing more on the road than at home over the next two weeks. Four of the next six games will be away from the Bell Centre – and that includes a trip out West.

And in every case, it’ll be against opponents who shouldn’t be taken lightly. And I’m including the Columbus Cannon in that…

(Credit: NHL.com)
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Top-5: Spectacular free-for-all at MSG

Yesterday in the NHL, there were five games.

One was even played in Sweden (Preds-Penguins).

Here are the results and highlights:

1. Spectacular finish at MSG

The Red Wings were in New York to take on the Rangers.

Both clubs wore centennial jerseys. It’s rare that neither team wears white for an NHL hockey game. It was a sight to behold.

And let’s just say the end of the game didn’t disappoint.

Mason Appleton “scored” into an empty net after the whistle, and Jonathan Quick didn’t like it.

The benches emptied after the match.

Lucas Raymond scored the winning goal late in the game.

What patience!

2. A shutout and a first NHL win for Sergey Murashov

Early in the morning, on Quebec time, the Penguins and Predators crossed swords in Sweden.

In the end, it was the Penguins who came out on top, 4-0.

A first shutout and, more importantly, a first NHL victory for goaltender Sergey Murashov. He stopped all 21 pucks sent his way.

In Penguins history, he’s the one who got his first shutout the fastest.

It took him two games.

The winning goal was scored by Parker Wotherspoon.

Erik Karlsson, in his native country, picked up an assist on the play.

Sidney Crosby delighted the fans and his parents with his third goal.

After the game, the guys caught up with Swedish star Peter Forsberg.

3. Four assists for Quinn Hughes on his return

The Canucks finally benefited from the return to action of Quinn Hughes, their best player, yesterday in Tampa Bay.

And let’s just say, Hughes was no slouch in his return to action. He collected four assists in a 6-2 Canucks victory.

Tampa Bay had taken an early 2-0 lead, but it disappeared quite quickly.

Three goals in 1:40.

In addition to the captain, Jake DeBrusk also stood out, scoring a goal.

He has four in his last five games.

4. Avalanche still only one loss on the regular season

The best team in the NHL is undoubtedly the Colorado Avalanche.

Yesterday, against the New York Islanders, the Colorado club won again (4-1). In 19 games, they’ve lost just once in regulation time.

On his return to Colorado, Patrick Roy received a standing ovation.

The Islanders’ only goal was scored by Emil Heineman.

It was also his birthday.

Brock Nelson scored the insurance goal against his former team.

It was a match between the NHL’s youngest player (Matthew Schaefer) and its oldest (Brent Burns).

5. Kirill Kaprizov gives the Wild the win with less than 10 seconds left in overtime

The Wild and Golden Knights played a very close game.

The game was so close that it went into overtime and Kirill Kaprizov sealed the win with less than 10 seconds left.

Reilly Smith had created the tie early in the third period to force this overtime.

Pavel Dorofeyev scored another goal on the power play.

He joins Max Pacioretty in fifth place in Knights history for man-advantage goals.

Extension

– Alexis Lafrenière played his 400th NHL game.

– Hughes obviously leads the charge.

(Credit: NHL.com)

– Six games tonight.

(Credit: Google)
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Dobes tomorrow against the Blue Jackets: Habs need him to pull out a big one

The Canadiens have lost five of their last six games.

But they don’t have much time to wonder… because the team will be in Columbus tomorrow night to face the Blue Jackets. The club has announced that Jakub Dobes will get the start.

One thing’s for sure: it would be nice to see a good performance from a Habs goaltender.

It’s been a long time, after all, since we’ve seen one of the two goalies get off to a fiery start. Dobes has been on fire in his last two games… And Monty is literally one of the worst goaltenders in the National League so far this season.

You can’t make that up. And now it’s up to Dobes to help the Canadiens get back to winning ways.

This would be a great opportunity for Dobes to pull out a big one.

The Blue Jackets aren’t seen as one of the strongest teams in the National League: they currently sit 12th in the East and 22nd overall in the NHL standings.

The game is doable, to put it another way. But Dobes has to make the big saves at the right times, and that’s the problem with the Canadiens’ goalies right now…

Because a big performance from a goalie could do a lot of good on several levels too.

It’s been tough for the Canadiens lately, with a lot of guys injured (Dach, Guhle, Newhook, Laine…) and the team’s confidence level really doesn’t seem to be at its peak. It would be nice to see the Habs regain the swagger they had at the start of the season… and maybe it can just go away with a great game from Dobes tomorrow.

To be continued.

Overtime

– Let’s go!

– The Kid is having fun.

– Well done.

– Great contest.