Author: Dose

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Rangers: Adam Fox (who hasn’t scored since April) also sees his name circulated

Photo by Elsa/Getty Images

Ever since we learned that Jacob Trouba and Chris Kreider could be traded by the Rangers, nothing has gone right.

The club is no longer capable of winning hockey games (and that was difficult enough before) and the dressing room is truly more disorganized than ever since the rumors began.

And that’s normal: the guys are put in impossible situations.

Using the threat of waivers to get rid of Barclay Goodrow and using the same threat with Jacob Trouba (when everyone had agreed to wait until the summer of 2025 to make a move) has left its mark on the dressing room.

Trouba, the former captain, was beloved, and the fact that he was cavalierly traded in this way doesn’t exactly buy sympathy from the players to Rangers management.

According to Renaud Lavoie on TVA Sports yesterday, there’s a kind of rebellion brewing in the dressing room against manager Chris Drury. We don’t accept that Trouba was treated this way.

And with everything that’s going on in New York right now, emotions are running high.

It’s one of the best soap operas in the National Hockey League right now. – Renaud Lavoie

But there’s more to come. While Brady Tkachuk’s name will continue to circulate in New York and the owner is caught up in stories of poaching, several other Rangers players are being publicly targeted for all sorts of things.

Mika Zibanejad comes to mind , deemed too sensitive for the New York market…

But there’s also Adam Fox. After all, the defenseman (who hasn’t scored since April 15, i.e. before the 2024 playoffs) has seen his name brought into the discussion by Larry Brooks.

I repeat, for those who misread: Adam Fox hasn’t scored in his last 43 games. So can we stop worrying about Lane Hutson?

As Renaud Lavoie told BPM Sports this morning, Brooks is suggesting the Rangers store the defenseman before his no-trade clause kicks in in a few months.

He’s not saying to trade him, but to see what his value is. And if Brooks says so, no matter what happened last week, listen to him.

Right now, the Rangers are questioning everything. After all, just a few months ago, thinking about trashing everything and thinking about trading guys who didn’t have to be traded – like Fox – didn’t make sense.

But here we are.

Overtime

– Enjoy.

– NHL: end the season early?[BPM Sports]

– What’s that?

– To be continued.

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Top-5: Five-point night for MacKinnon and Rantanen

PITTSBURGH, PA - DECEMBER 10: Mikko Rantanen #96 of the Colorado Avalanche celebrates his gat-trick goal during the third period against the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG PAINTS Arena on December 10, 2024 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images)

There was a lot of action last night in the NHL.

Goals, saves, big checks…

Let’s take a look at what happened in the eleven games played around the league:

1: Five-point night for MacKinnon and Rantanen

When Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen are in form… they’re hard to stop.

The Penguins got some wicked proof of that last night.

The duo had a great time against a poor Pittsburgh outfit, with both players collecting five points apiece.

A goal and four assists for MacKinnon… And three goals and two assists for Rantanen, who completed his hat trick:

Sidney Crosby and his gang didn’t stand a chance in the game.

The Avalanche finally prevailed by a score of 6-2… And let’s note that Scott Wedgewood was again solid in front of his net, stopping 25 of the 27 shots directed at him.

2: Yes, again…

I’ve seen enough.

Matvei Michkov is already one of the NHL’s top players.

The Flyers player took advantage of his club’s visit to Columbus to add two assists to his record, so that he now has 27 points in as many games.

That pass on Morgan Frost’s goal is sick:

This is (already) the 9th time this season we’ve seen Michkov have a game of two points or more.

We’ll be hearing his name a lot in Montreal over the next few years…

The Flyers won the game 5-3.

Sean Monahan (a goal) and Kent Johnson (a goal and an assist) stood out for Columbus.

3: Holy McDavid

Connor McDavid is no stranger to crazy highlights.

We’ve seen him score goals in every possible way… And he added one to his collection last night.

The Oilers’ captain carved a path through the Lightning’s defense and then outwitted the goalie.

Andrei Vasilevskiy and the Tampa Bay defenders looked a little crazy on the sequence:

Leon Draisaitl scored the Oilers’ other goal of the game, and it was enough to beat the Lightning 2-1.

Draisaitl’s goal was his 20th of the season, making him the first NHL player to reach the 20-goal plateau since the start of the campaign.

He’s not slowing down.

4: The action in Winnipeg

There was emotion on the ice at the Bruins-Jets game.

Visibly frustrated at being washed out in Winnipeg, the Bruins lost it in the third period, and it made for a pretty special moment.

Back-to-back fights, coaches yelling at each other, referees at a loss for words…

It all added up:

There was clearly frustration on the Bruins’ side, who were never in the game in the end.

The Boston team lost by a score of 8-1 (!!!) and the Jets, with the victory, regain 2nd place in the overall NHL standings.

Mark Scheifele (two goals, one assist) and Kyle Connor (one goal, two assists) were the most productive players for the Jets in the win.

5: Boom!

Max Pacioretty isn’t known as a super-physical player.

But he’s enjoying his new supporting role in Toronto, and yesterday he did what he could to help his club.

The former Habs captain served up a borderline check to Jack Hughes, who never saw it coming :

Both clubs played tight hockey throughout the game.

The Devils and Leafs are both offensive teams, after all… But it was 1-1 at the end of the third period and overtime was needed to determine a winner.

Leafs captain Auston Matthews put an end to the debate: A

Anthony Stolarz had a good game, stopping 38 of the Devils’ 39 shots.

It was a little more complicated for Jacob Markström (14 saves on 16 shots)…

Overtime

– Wow.

– Nice goal.

– Coming up.

– Let’s see!

– He’s a good one.

– It takes talent!

– Top scorers of the night :

(Credit: NHL.com Screenshot)

– Two games only tonight :

(Credit: Google screenshot)
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Chris Nilan doesn’t see the Habs in the playoffs until 2027

Rebuilding requires patience.

For some teams, the rebuilding process goes fairly quickly, with a bit of luck on their side.

For others, it takes longer, and impatience is quickly felt on all sides.

In the case of the Montreal Canadiens, things are going pretty well so far, but we all know Montreal fans: they’re intense, and we’re already feeling a little impatience at this level.

The Habs are in the Atlantic Division, which is probably the best-endowed division on paper. This makes it more difficult for less competitive teams to get into the playoffs.

The Habs don’t have to worry about that this season, but sooner or later they’ll have to face this dilemma.

With the Habs’ young core doing very well, and several other very interesting prospects arriving soon, we can expect a playoff spot fairly quickly.

However, former Habs pugilist Chris Nilan isn’t too optimistic about the club’s playoff chances.

He believes the Habs won’t make the playoffs until 2027.

That’s what he said in the latest episode of The Sick Podcast – Raw Knuckles.

And he sounded very serious in his statement, and it could even be later than the spring of 2027…

On the one hand, he has a point.

As I mentioned earlier, the Atlantic division is very fierce and is likely to be just as fierce, if not more so, in the coming years.

On the other hand, it’s not logical to exclude the Habs from the playoffs in three years’ time, when the club will also be able to count on Ivan Demidov, Michael Hage, Jacob Fowler, David Reinbacher, Owen Beck and co.

The Habs have one of the best banks of prospects in the league, and the Montreal club should also add a high draft pick this summer.

The current core is young and inexperienced, but in three years, they’ll be more mature and better surrounded.

Add all these guys to Porter Martone, and it’s hard not to see the Habs as a major contender.

Overtime

– P.K. Subban was in a great position to see Auston Matthews’ winning goal.

– Read Nicolas Cloutier’s excellent article on Matthew Schaefer’s career.

– Another Connor McDavid highlight.

– A perfect nickname for Valeri Nichushkin on this sequence.

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If the Habs don’t draft top-2, Simon Boisvert thinks the club should back off

Fans of the Montreal Canadiens are increasingly warming to the idea that the club is likely to get a top pick in the next draft, possibly in the top-3.

So far, we’ve heard a lot about American James Hagens, who plays with Jacob Fowler for the Boston College Eagles.

Porter Martone is also a serious candidate, but one name that is starting to circulate more and more is defenseman Matthew Schaefer.

A 6-foot-2 defenseman who stands out for his skating, who can do it all (a true “two-way”) and who is so dominant offensively, that’s rare.

We’re even talking about the best defensive prospect since Cale Makar, which is no mean feat.

In short, even if the draft is still a long way off, the Habs should have a good chance of drafting one of these players.

NHL prospects expert Simon “Snake” Boisvert rates Schaefer highly. He even ranks him ahead of James Hagens, who has 20 points in 16 NCAA games.

He even says that Schaefer will be the defenseman who can guarantee you a Stanley Cup in the next six years.

In the latest episode of the Processus podcast, the Snake added an interesting fact about the Habs and the draft.

If the Habs don’t draft in the top-2, he believes the club should back off to get something more.

In fact, if it’s not for James Hagens or Matthew Schaefer, it’s not worth it for the Habs to use a high draft pick to select someone else.

Even Porter Martone…

If I were the Habs at the 2025 draft and ended up with the 3rd overall pick, I can guarantee you I’d at least pick one of Schaefer, Hagens or Martone.

All three are in a class of their own in my opinion, unlike Snake who only sees Schaefer and Hagens in that category.

Obviously, he’s the expert and his two protégés really do seem to stand out, but my point remains that Martone at #3 really isn’t a bad choice.

After all, he has 54 points, including 21 goals, in just 26 games, in addition to measuring 6 feet 3 inches and weighing close to 210 pounds.

One thing’s for sure: the Habs will have plenty to sink their teeth into in this draft.

Overtime

– Mikko Rantanen is as dominant as ever, having already surpassed the 40-point mark.

– A shot Scott Wedgewood would like to see again.

– Listen now.

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Footage of Paul Bissonnette’s attack released

About two weeks ago, former NHL tough guy Paul Bissonnette was attacked by several people.

Seven, to be exact.

At the time, it was understood that Biz Nasty had fared rather well, if this text message from the main character is anything to go by.

However, on this Tuesday, December 10, videos from surveillance cameras and police officers involved in the event were released.

Incredible, though.

Imagine putting seven of us together to forward someone who simply wanted to defend hard-working restaurant employees, but not come out on top….

Just goes to show you how Biz Nasty still knows how to defend himself.

We also have audio of Bissonnette’s call to Scottsdale police describing the situation.

You can see how out of breath he was after managing to escape from his assailants.

He also had every reason to be out of breath.

Fortunately, six suspects have been arrested in connection with this assault on the former NHL player, and we know their identities.

As mentioned in the tweet above, if it hadn’t been Biz Nasty, anyone else who isn’t as tough as the latter wouldn’t have been in good shape, or even worse…

Vic also reposted some tweets from that event with a few comments, including this one where he mentioned knocking out William Carroll, one of the guys arrested.

He also added that he’d do the same thing again today, but that it was in this clip where he received the majority of the blows, including kicks to the head…

I don’t need to tell you what I think of these thugs, to remain polite…

Internet users who wanted to learn more about this forward were served today, as we even have bodycam footage of the police officers on the scene.

At the time of the video, the suspects were being questioned about the event, and let’s just say that Carroll looked like a burnt-out light.

Another of the muggers, Henry Mesker, who appears to be Carroll’s nephew, was also asked about Bissonnette’s appearance and it made for a very hilarious moment.

“He doesn’t have an ounce of fat, he’s shirtless, he has a huge armadillo. He’s built like Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson.” – Henry Mesker

Knowing that Biz Nasty is doing well despite what happened, it’s best to laugh at the fact that the muggers were REALLY no match for him, and that it resulted in this little gem above.

Let’s hope these videos will enlighten the next sans-génies who want to forward an innocent human.

Overtime

– Read on.

– Indeed, it’s pretty empty.

– Not too many surprises with this announcement.

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Andrew Brunette: “I could probably leave out all the players in my club”.

Who’d have thought?

This summer, the Preds made some big moves. In particular, they were able to lure Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault and Brady Skjei to Nashville, three guys who were seen as big fish on the free agent market.

But after watching the Preds play 28 games so far this season, it’s safe to say that their summer acquisitions aren’t helping the club on the ice.

In fact, it’s worse: right now, the Preds are dead last in the overall NHL standings.

With all the talent on this team, this really shouldn’t be happening.

What’s happening now is that everyone is pointing the finger at someone else for the club’s failings.

For example?

Andrew Brunette – who clearly has something to be ashamed of – says he could leave any player out.

Sounds like a guy who’s at the end of his rope…

Eille. Imagine if Martin St-Louis said that in Montreal:

We saw just how disorganized the Preds were on the ice when they visited the Bell Centre last week.

And logically, it’s not just the players who are to blame. Brunette isn’t the one who has to play, but he has to be the one who prepares his team in the right way, and he’s obviously not capable of doing so.

We’re also talking about the same team coach who was given a penalty a few weeks ago for sending out the wrong line-up at the start of the game. And it was Brunette who made that mistake…

It’s true that the players have to take some of the blame. But Andrew Brunette talks like a guy who has nothing to reproach himself for, and that’s where there’s a problem.

And since the guys already don’t seem to want to play for Brunette, let’s just say he’s dug himself into a pretty deep hole.

It also makes you realize that the Preds really missed the opportunity to pounce on Jim Montgomery two weeks ago when he became available.

The Blues did just that, and now the St. Louis outfit has a 4-1-1 record since he took over.

Overtime

– It’s pretty rare.

– He had a great career.

– To be continued…

– Seen the same.

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All signs point to the Panthers playing an away game in Miami

Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images

Do you remember the game between the Ducks and Kings at the Los Angeles Dodgers’ home in 2014?

I remember it like it was yesterday because I’d never seen it in my life, a hockey game played in sunny California.

And the event was a success, with 54,099 fans turning out for the game:

Otherwise, it’s like 2020, when the Stars hosted the Preds for an away game in Texas for the Winter Classic.

It was 20 degrees (Celsius) that day and once again, the NHL looked good: 85,630 people attended the game at Cotton Bowl Stadium.

That’s huge:

Why am I telling you about these two games?

Simple: this morning, we learned that the Panthers are on track to host a game at the Marlins’ home in Miami.

And God knows it’s hot (even in winter) in Miami!

According to the Miami Herald newspaper, the event could take place in December 2025 or January 2026:

Of course, the first thing that comes to mind is the temperature.

It’s complicated in the context where you have to find a solution to keep the ice well frozen so as not to risk injury, and at that level, you have to make sure that the stadium’s infrastructure is efficient enough.

But if the project is already in the planning stages, it’s safe to assume that visits have already been made to evaluate the Marlins’ stadium. What’s interesting is that the stadium is only 12 years old (and has a capacity of 37,000)… And there’s also a resealable roof to control the temperature in the stadium.

All this to say that there’s nothing official yet, but we won’t have to fall off our chairs if we learn shortly that there will be an away game in Florida, even if it’s pretty special.

It remains to be seen which team could face the Panthers… And it remains to be seen when the NHL will give the Canadiens their moment of glory.

In Overtime

– He has two points (two goals) in eight games in Laval.

– The real thing.

– Yep.

– Good news.

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Larry Brooks says Mika Zibanejad is “very sensitive”.

Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

Right now, all eyes are on the Rangers.

The team that traded Jacob Trouba last week is having a terrible time: the Rangers have lost eight of their last ten games, and now it’s not working.

In a high-pressure market like New York, that’s not acceptable. What’s more, the Rangers have everything they need to be dominant…

The problem that’s becoming frequent is the lack of effort on the part of the players.

The club’s stars are being blamed for the club’s failings because they haven’t always been there to win lately, and of the lot, there’s Mika Zibanejad who’s being crucified in the public square.

The Swede, who is known as a good goal scorer, has scored five goals in 27 games so far this season.

But there may be a reason for the maverick’s lack of success in the eyes of Larry Brooks, who covers the team’s activities for the New York Post.

The journalist was on the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast… And he said that Zibanejad is “very sensitive”.

I think a lot of the criticism has gone to Zibanejad’s head. He’s very sensitive.

Far too sensitive to what other people say about him. – Larry Brooks

For sure, if Mika Zibanejad is playing the victim right now, it can’t help.

We all have our own way of reacting when we’re criticized/insulted, and that’s why social networks can become dangerous for an athlete who isn’t performing up to his talent… But Zibanejad and the Rangers won’t move forward if they continue to keep their heads down.

I mentioned this at the start of the article, but you can’t dismiss the fact that there’s a lot of pressure in New York.

Expectations are high year after year because the club has the resources to win, and it’s only natural that people get impatient when they see the club’s disappointing performance of late.

Just as in Montreal, the fans in New York are passionate.

That said, it’s up to Zibanejad to raise his head and put in the necessary effort as one of the Rangers’ big leaders.

His talent hasn’t disappeared now that he’s 31: he’s in a bad way and he needs to change something in his approach. If he doesn’t, he’ll continue to sink, and the fans will continue to make life difficult for him.

Overtime

– How many wins?

– Happy Christmas!

– Promising.

– Still:

– Yep. It makes a difference!

– Love the energy.

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Brady Tkachuk: “Honestly, I wasn’t even aware of the rumours”.

Photo by Chris Tanouye/Freestyle Photography/Getty Images

It’s been a busy few days in Ottawa.

It all started with a rumour shared by Larry Brooks (New York Post) involving Brady Tkachuk and Alexis Lafrenière… And since last week, we’ve been hearing Tkachuk’s name in certain conversations about a possible trade.

What does the Sens captain think?

Tkachuk spoke to the media today to address the situation, and he said right off the bat that the rumours don’t bother him.

Because, according to the American, it “comes from a place where it’s obviously not true”.

But Brady goes on to say that he wasn’t aware of the rumors, and that it was Steve Staios (Sens GM) who called him with the “news”.

I find that hard to believe.

I would have been surprised to see Tkachuk say openly that he wants to leave (if that’s what he really wants) or that he doesn’t believe in his team’s future.

But to say that he wasn’t aware of the rumours and that it was his GM who had to call him to tell him about them is a lot of laughing.

Ultimately, there are two ways of looking at this.

Either Tkachuk decided to play the good game to protect himself, not to sully his reputation and so that it wouldn’t bother the rest of his teammates… Or Tkachuk shared the truth, saying that he’s happy in Ottawa and decided to sign a seven-year contract because he sees the club’s potential.

But one thing’s for sure: this story is starting to make a lot of noise.

And you know the saying: where there’s smoke, there’s fire… Especially in the context of his brother leaving Calgary because he wanted to play in the United States.

Overtime

– I love his reaction.

– Absolutely!

– Finally.

– They don’t call him “P’tit Cole” for nothing!

– Well done.

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Jeff Gorton identifies five key players coming to Montreal

The Canadiens need help on the ice. Everyone knows it.

Kent Hughes, on the other hand, is on the phone. In particular, he’s trying to find a right-handed defenseman who will help solidify the club’s defensive top-4in the short and long term.

There’s also the upcoming draft, which will add a good prospect.

(Credit: Tankathon)

But within the organization, there are several players who aren’t currently playing in Montreal, but who have a bright future ahead of them. So they’re part of the equation.

Who are they?

Jeff Gorton, the club’s VP, took advantage of a TV appearance on Prime, which was broadcasting the Canadiens game, to talk about these players who will be helping the Canadiens in the future.

He named five: Ivan Demidov, Michael Hage, David Reinbacher, Logan Mailloux and Jacob Fowler.

Of course, seeing Demidov on the list isn’t exactly a surprise. After all, he named all the Canadiens’ non-NHL first-round picks…

Except Filip Mesar. And it’s not just because he’s injured right now, since Reinbacher’s injury is worse than Mesar’s, who just started skating again today.

Nor is it surprising to see Jacob Fowler on the list. He dominates and the Habs have room for a goalie of the future.

Note that the players who weren’t named (Joshua Roy, Owen Beck, Adam Engstrom, etc.) aren’t necessarily rotten. But they weren’t named by the VP, which is… notable.

In brief

– 6.6 billion dollars in NHL revenues this season: that’s the projection.

– What does the future hold for Connor McDavid?

– Collective agreement: how will it affect the salary cap?

– Rob Manfred doesn’t like the Golden Rule. [MLB Passion]

– His number looked too much like Sidney Crosby’s.

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