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The Canadiens meet with Gerard Gallant

Ask @MaximeTruman, I told him… Ask him if it’s big if you don’t believe me!!!!

– Georges Laraque (@GeorgesLaraque) November 11, 2024

Georges mentioned around dinner time that he had some very interesting information about the Canadiens that he was going to reveal on his show the next day (today). And he linked me to it a few minutes later…

So, what was Georges’ news?

As just revealed on BPM Sports, Kent Hughes and Martin St-Louis met with Gerard Gallant in a Toronto café a few hours before the game against the Maple Leafs on Saturday.

Why were they there? We don’t know. A source witnessed the meeting in question – even though the principals involved tried to do so away from curious onlookers – but was unable to hear what was said.

But we can speculate…

1. Kent Hughes and Martin St-Louis may meet with experienced candidates to support Martin behind the bench.

The Canadiens have lost their last six games and sit alone in last place in the entire NHL… even though a month and a half ago, the organization was telling us we’d be in the mix.

Seeing the GM and head coach take part in the meeting, and not the president of hockey operations, fits with that possibility.

If this is the case, it will be interesting to see whether Gerard Gallant (or another experienced candidate) will be called upon to support Martin St-Louis behind the Habs bench.

No one has been brought in to replace Alex Burrows behind the bench…

2. Maybe Martin St-Louis wanted to listen to criticism from a guy he dared to ask for advice

I don’t need to remind you of the Martin St-Louis quote, you all still have it in your heads…

It would be wise, when your team is (really) going nowhere, to ask a coach of Gerard Gallant’s calibre what he thinks of your coaching, of your club…

And what he’d do if he were in your shoes.

If Martin St-Louis really felt he needed to ask a veteran like Gallant for advice, that’s very mature of him. Acknowledging weaknesses and mistakes – and asking for help – is commendable.

Itremains to be seen whether Gallant was an advisor for a day, or whether the option of hiring him as a coach-consultant is on the table.

Reminder: the Canadiens hired Roger Grillo as a consultant-coach back in September (and we’re not sure what he does, but hey).

3. Kent Hughes, Martin St-Louis and Gerard Gallant just felt like drinking coffee together on Saturday afternoon… talking about anything and everything.

Forget it! 0 chance!

Who is Gerard Gallant?
Gerard Gallant is a familiar name in Montreal; he was Michel Therrien’s assistant with the Canadiens from 2012 to 2014. And he doesn’t speak French, before you ask…

He played in the NHL from 1984 to 1995, before moving into coaching. And he’s been coaching for over 25 years!

He was head coach of the Panthers (from which he was fired on the road, before taking a cab), the Golden Knights and the Rangers. He also played in the QMJHL, where he won two championships with the St. John Sea Dogs.

In short, he’s got experience behind the bench… and that’s exactly what Montreal is lacking right now. How do you hard-coach without losing your dressing room? How do you adjust during a match? How do you out-coach your opponents?

It should be noted that Martin St-Louis never played under Gerard Gallant in the NHL, and that Jeff Gorton was no longer with the Rangers when Gerard Gallant was hired by them.

It’s also worth noting that Gallant is from the Maritimes, and that it was easy for him tofly in and out of Toronto on a Saturday afternoon.

In closing, Gallant had signed a four-year contract with the Rangers in 2021. He’s available now, but the Canadiens would still have to deal with the Rangers if they decided to take Gallant on.

Gallant, 61, would love to get back behind an NHL bench. But would he be happy to be behind Martin St-Louis? God knows…

Overtime

– I hope some of my colleagues on the Canadiens beat dare to ask Martin St-Louis about this one after today’s game…

– If they could make ONE move as Habs GM, fans would hire an experienced assistant coach. So I guess they’re happy with Georges’ information this afternoon…

– Sport is a show. It’s entertainment. And my buddy Georges has figured out how to put on a show and entertain. #Marketing

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The Habs are dead last in all these categories

Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images

The Sharks won last night against the New Jersey Devils thanks to a 44-save shutout by Mackenzie Blackwood.

The result?

As of this morning, the Canadiens find themselves in last place in the overall National League standings.

But it doesn’t stop there…

The Habs are dead last (32nd) in the standings, and when you look at the various statistical categories, you can see why things aren’t going well.

After all, the Habs are also the worst club in terms of differential (-23), they’re the worst club in terms of goals allowed so far this season (62) and they’ve also collected the fewest wins so far (4).

Even the Sharks have won more games… and that’s far from positive.

(Credit: NHL Screenshot)

The Habs’ goal for the 24-25 season: to be in the mix.

Good news, then! The Habs are in the mix… But for the race for the first pick in the next draft. #Oops

On a more serious note, the main goal was to see the club progress on the ice, and lately, it’s hard to believe that’s happening.

The club is struggling to score goals… They’re giving away a lot of goals because the goalies aren’t making the big saves… The players are mixed up in the defensive zone because they don’t understand how the system works… The effort is there one game out of three…

Watching the Canadiens play for two weeks is no fun. The guys have to look at the standings to motivate themselves, because in a way, it’s starting to get embarrassing.

That said, today is a great opportunity to put an end to the humiliating sequence of six consecutive defeats.

The Montreal team will be in Buffalo to face the Sabres (7-7-1), who are off to a decent start to the season.

It takes a good result (and effort on everyone’s part)… Otherwise, the mood in the dressing room – which isn’t great – will become even heavier than it is at the moment.

Overtime

– Good old Alex Galchenyuk.

– Bravo!

– He does look good.

– Coming up.

– What a football match!

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44-save shutout for Mackenzie Blackwood

Photo by Elsa/Getty Images

Only three games were played yesterday in the NHL.

But there were still a few things to take away from what turned out to be a rather quiet evening.

Let’s take a look together:

1: Blackwood is too good for the Devils

If you’d told me before the game that the Sharks would win 1-0 and that Mackenzie Blackwood would make 44 saves to earn the shutout, I probably wouldn’t have believed it.

But that’s exactly what happened.

The Sharks’ goalkeeper was simply dominant in front of his net, stopping the attacks of New Jersey’s powerful forward line.

A great performance he’ll remember for a long time:

Late in the game, with the score at 1-0, the Devils did everything they could to try and tie the game.

Except we almost witnessed a rather comical moment.

The Devils almost scored on themselves:

Note that it was Jake Allen who was guarding the cage for the Devils.

He finished the game with 26 saves on 27 shots. Nico Sturm was the lone scorer for the Sharks.

2: Big win for the Hawks

The Chicago Blackhawks hosted the Minnesota Wild, and like the Devils-Sharks game, there weren’t many goals in the game.

Jason Dickinson scored in the first period, but we had to wait until the end to see the Wild wake up.

The Minnesota team managed to tie the game thanks to a Matt Boldy goal:

The third period ended with the score tied 1-1.

Overtime was therefore necessary to determine a winner between the two clubs, and it was finally Philipp Kurashev who ended the debate with a good wrist shot :

Petr Mrazek was solid in his team’s 2-1 victory, making 32 saves on the 33 shots he faced.

Connor Bedard was quiet in the game, registering just two shots on goal.

He has four assists in his last seven games… And he’s on a quieter streak offensively.

3: A goal for Leo Carlsson in a Ducks victory

Is it just me, or… We haven’t heard much about Leo Carlsson since the start of the season?

It’s understandable that he’s playing in Anaheim and that the Ducks’ activities are somewhat under the radar, but still.

I’m telling you about him because the young forward played a key role in his team’s victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Carlsson scored his 5th goal of the season (in 14 games):

Cutter Gauthier also chipped in with an assist on the Ducks’ first goal.

Gauthier is still looking for his first NHL goal, with six assists in 15 games so far.

Carlsson’s goal gave the Ducks a 4-2 win over the Blue Jackets.

Overtime

– Nice save.

– He’s off to a great start.

– Love this.

– Top scorers of the night :

(Credit: NHL.com)

– Six games today, including the Canadiens against the Sabres :

(Credit: Google Screenshot)

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Demidov looks fearful in front of his coach

When he was selected by the Canadiens in the 5ᵉ spot at the last draft, Ivan Demidov looked like such a happy kid.

A little guy who had finally achieved his childhood dream.

He’s having trouble getting the absolute trust of his coach, Roman Rotenberg, even though he’s producing a lot for an 18-year-old.

Recently, SKA St. Petersburg held a press conference with Rotenberg, Demidov and another teammate.

And to be honest, Demidov doesn’t look too happy. At least, not the way he looked at the draft.

It’s normal to experience pressure as an 18-year-old player in the KHL, drafted 5ᵉ picks overall.

But listening to the press conference with English subtitles, you really get a sense of fear from the Habs prospect.

What’s more, after saying that Demidov is young and talented, he didn’t hesitate to say that he needs to work on some things and that he simply wants the best for his team.

“He’s young and talented, but there’s a lot to work on. I also try to improve my work every day and give more to the team than other coaches can give.” – Roman Rotenberg

Rotenberg is also seen looking at Demidov awaiting the latter’s approval after saying that the competitive spirit is present and you have to be competitive to win.

It looks as if Rotenberg wants to point the finger at Demidov’s lack of competitiveness and fighting spirit.

With so few clips of SKA games, it’s hard to get a good overall idea of the player, given little details like competitiveness.

Still, the stats are there and the Habs prospect dominates when he plays and the team wins when he produces.

One plus one makes two, doesn’t it?

If Demidov gets reasonable playing time, he produces and his team’s record is much better when he’s on the scoresheet.

Lack of consistency in his use can prepare him for the worst, but it can also affect his confidence.

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The Canadiens’ prospect, Sam Harris, is the NCAA’s leading scorer

DENVER, CO - APRIL 15: Forward Carter King (15) of the Denver Pioneers commemorates the moment with teammates forward Sam Harris (12), goaltender Paxton Geisel (30) and forward Tristan Broz (16) during a celebration of the Pioneers' record setting 10th NCAA national championship at Magness Arena on the DU campus on Monday, April 15, 2024. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)

If we can’t be satisfied with the Canadiens’ performance so far, we can at least look at our prospects.

Our feeder club, the Laval Rocket, is firing on all cylinders with nine wins in eleven games, and several of our prospects are doing very well in their respective leagues.

These include our two first-round picks this year, Ivan Demidov and Michael Hage, as well as goalie Jacob Fowler, who picked up his third shutout today.

However, a much less talked-about Canadiens prospect currently leads the NCAA in scoring with nine goals in nine games. That’s Sam Harris, a fifth-round pick, 133rd overall, in the 2023 draft.

He moved into the scoring lead with a three-goal performance over the weekend in his University of Denver team’s double win over Lindenwood University.

In addition to leading the scoring charts, his thirteen points put him seventh in the American college circuit. All this while playing on his team’s second line. No worse for wear!

By the way, Denver is currently the highest-ranked team in the NCAA and is still undefeated after ten games.

And for those wondering why Harris is playing on the second line with stats like that, it’s simply that his teammates on the first line, Jack Devine and Aidan Thompson, both lead the scoring charts with seventeen points apiece.

The Pioneers have five players among the top twelve scorers this season and are currently the team to beat in the NCAA.

This is a more than interesting start to the season for Sam Harris after a rather ordinary debut campaign of 21 points, including 14 goals, in 42 games.

But whether this is a real breakthrough for the Canadiens prospect, or just a good sequence, is open to question. In the latter case, it could be an incredible steal for a fifth-round pick, should he continue to perform like this.

But only time will tell.

However, with three Canadiens prospects – Sam Harris, Jacob Fowler and Michael Hage – performing well with their teams ranked first, second and seventh respectively in the NCAA, it’s a great time to start looking at college hockey.

Overtime

– It’s time to start thinking about it.

– Serial reinforcement for the Rocket?

– It’s hard to swallow!

– Not easy for the Cowboys…

– Big win for the Cards.

– Sixth win for the Chargers.

– Moncton emerges victorious.

– A third title for Joey Logano.

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A third shutout in eight starts for Jacob Fowler

While the Canadiens’ goalkeepers have been struggling since the start of the season, our prospects in front of the net have been doing just fine.

Connor Hughes and Jakub Dobes(lower-body injury for eight to ten weeks) have helped the Rocket to their best ever start to a season, with a record of nine wins and two losses.

However, another young goalie off to a great start with his college team, Boston College, is Jacob Fowler, who earned his third shutout in just eight games earlier this afternoon.

He’s already equalled his total from last season, when he played 39 games, 31 games less. His stats are unbelievable, like something out of a video game!

Fowler boasts a 1.26 goals-against average, just ten goals in eight games and a .950 save percentage. He already has seven wins, including three shutouts, in just eight starts. It’s insane!

It has to be said that Fowler also plays for a very good NCAA team, Boston College was ranked second in college hockey’s top 20 last week. With its two wins over the weekend, the team should remain in the same position. However, Fowler’s performances are an important part of the team’s success.

Since being selected 69th overall in the 2023 draft by the Canadiens, Fowler has been burning up the NCAA, and the team may have made a steal with this selection. His first-season stats (2.14, .926, 32-6-1) were already more than respectable, but this year he’s taken it to a whole new level.

That said, Jacob Fowler isn’t the solution in front of the net for the Canadiens, either in the short or medium term.

There’s no way the team will recall him before the end of the current season, especially since Boston College has a good chance of participating in the Frozen Four tournament and will want the presence of its goaltender.

And with Hughes and Dobes showing good promise since the start of the season (and practice camp), they’d be more logical candidates should the Canadiens want to recall a goaltender this season.

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However, a recall is probably not the solution for the Habs, because while the team’s goalies are bad, the defense is just as bad, and that’s absolutely not an ideal context for a young goalie.

So we’ll have to be patient before we see Jacob Fowler’s arrival in the professional ranks, but it’s nice to see another prospect performing well on his own.

No word yet on whether the Canadiens will offer him a contract this summer or whether he’ll play another year in the university ranks, but we could perhaps see a duel between Jakub and Jacob for the number-two spot (or starter in Laval) at the next training camp.

In short, something to keep an eye on!

Overtime

– To be continued!

– The Chiefs win thanks to a blocked kick.

– Pittsburgh wins a tight duel.

– Five in a row for the Bills.

– He’s costing the Penguins dearly.

– Force yourself a bit!

– Ouch!

– Psyche XD!

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David Savard admits it: It’s heavy in the Habs locker room right now

OTTAWA, CANADA - JANUARY 18: David Savard #58 of the Montreal Canadiens skates against the Ottawa Senators during the second period at Canadian Tire Centre on January 18, 2024 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by André Ringuette/NHLI via Getty Images)

The Canadiens have lost their last six games.

But it goes even further than that.

The Canadiens have lost their last six games because not a single player (with a few exceptions) is putting in the effort to win. And it’s starting to get heavy in the Habs dressing room.

At least, that’s what David Savard said after yesterday’s loss to the Toronto Leafs.

Josh Anderson may say that the guys are trying to stay positive… but when you hear Savard, you realize that something isn’t quite right at the moment.

The following sentence, found in an article by Jonathan Bernier, makes perfect sense:

It’s getting heavy. It’s extremely frustrating. We can’t get out of our slump, we’re having trouble generating scoring chances.

It’s frustrating. – David Savard

He didn’t beat around the bush to tell the truth…

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When veterans are ready to admit that things aren’t going well, it’s because there’s a reason.

They’re the ones who have the job of standing up in tough times like these, and they’re the ones who have to set the example.

On the other hand, it’s all very well to say that the mood in the room is heavy… But if the players aren’t prepared to play the right way, the bad results will continue to pile up one on top of the other.

And that seems to be the problem of late.

That said, I like to see David Savard send a message to his teammates because he knows he’s one of the most important voices in the dressing room.

He’s doing his job to try and wake up his troops.

Now, that message has to be heard by everyone… And the players have to understand that victories will come if all the guys are on the same page.

Overtime

– Wow…

– Reminder: only three games will be played tonight in the NHL.

– Yikes.

– Love this.

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Suzuki and Caufield were still separated at today’s practice

Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images

The Canadiens had a practice session this afternoon after last night’s embarrassing loss in Toronto.

And right off the bat, we noticed one thing in particular.

Suzuki and Caufield weren’t playing on the same line.

Martin St-Louis stirred his soup yesterday in the third period and kept his trios intact today.

That’s not a bad thing, because there’s been nothing working offensively for the Habs for several games.

The Dach – Slaf combination is interesting because at practice in 2023, they were excellent together. It remains to be seen whether it will carry over to this season… With Dach playing on the wing (and not at center).

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Caufield – Evans – Newhook, that’s a fast line… But it’s also a very small line.

Against the Sabres tomorrow, it could be OK. On the other hand, the Canadiens can’t have a second line like that against big teams…

There are guys in that lineup who don’t even deserve to play, and everyone knows it.

But at the same time, Martin St-Louis is making do with what he has on hand at the moment. Would inserting a Michael Pezzetta into the line-up change everything? Maybe not… But the way things have been going lately, he deserves at least the chance to shine, because we know he’s going to show up. It’s part of his nature.

Let’s wait until tomorrow to see if there will be any changes in the coach’s line-up. But knowing that the trios looked like that today, I have a feeling that’s the formation we’ll see tomorrow against the Sabres.

Extension

Today’s practice took place in Toronto.

The players will then travel to Buffalo for tomorrow’s game.

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Ivan Demidov: his coach says he would be less well looked after in Montreal

With the Canadiens’ current miserable season, excitement and prospects are already turning to the arrival of Ivan Demidov next season.

There’s nothing exciting about the Habs after 15 games, apart from Lane Hutson, so fans are already talking about next season with Ivan Demidov in mind.

The young Russian is the light at the end of the tunnel right now, and fans are eagerly awaiting his arrival in Montreal.

Of course, Demidov is unlikely to join the Habs this season.

However, that hasn’t stopped some fans from dreaming of seeing the Russian prospect arrive this year and play alongside Nick Suzuki and/or Cole Caufield, and even more importantly, Lane Hutson.

In fact, Ivan Demidov himself recently stated in an interview with Rumble Gambling(which you can find in full here) that he likes Lane Hutson a lot, and that he follows his performances closely in Canadiens games.

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In short, Demidov would be well looked after in Montreal, where he’d clearly get more playing time and play with better players than at SKA St. Petersburg.

At least, that’s what they think in Montreal.

But on the St. Petersburg side, well, they don’t think so at all.

Indeed, SKA coach Roman Rotenberg stated in an interview included in the Responsible Gaming article that, in his humble opinion, Demidov wouldn’t have partners on the level of those he currently has in the KHL.

“I’m going to tell you honestly that there are no partners in Montreal comparable to those Ivan (Demidov) currently has with the SKA. There are no center players or wingers like here in Montreal.” – Roman Rotenberg

Really?

If Rotenberg had spoken of a more beneficial atmosphere and mood with the SKA given that the team is winning compared to Montreal, I would have understood his point of view more, even if Demidov seems unhappy in spite of everything.

But to say that SKA has better players to surround Demidov, that one I understand less.

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In terms of experience, maybe it helps Demidov to play with veterans like Evgeny Kuznetsov, but the fact remains that in terms of talent, Suzuki, Caufield and company would surround Demidov much better.

Kuznetsov is a veteran who has played in the NHL, which certainly helps, but let’s just say that the former Washington Capitals player isn’t necessarily the best off-ice influence when you remember all his stories…

In short, we don’t know if Rotenberg was comparing the SKA and Montreal players in terms of talent or experience, but in any case, the St. Petersburg head coach says that Demidov is developing much more and much better as a player AND as a person with them.

That’s a big statement on Rotenberg’s part, and let’s just say it adds fuel to the fire that already exists between Montreal and the SKA head coach.

Overtime

– Yes, it does. This is serious.

– Whew. That says a lot about how important it was.

– It’s clear, but he clearly has a share of the blame to take.

– Wow.

– Incredible.

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The Habs find themselves in last place in the NHL

Honestly, even if the Canadiens are still rebuilding, and we have to think about the positive things to come in the future, the CH’s current start to the season is really depressing.

Indeed, the defeats aren’t even/no longer somewhat exciting to watch for the individual performances of the club’s young players, because nobody is performing consistently.

Seriously, aside from Lane Hutson, I can’t think of any other reason to watch the Habs games.

This may well be another season of the famous rebuild for Martin St-Louis’ troupe, but we should still be seeing progress, or at least seeing the young players improve and become more consistent.

Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case so far, with 15 games played.

The Habs aren’t progressing compared to last season, and even seem to be regressing, which is painful every game for Martin St-Louis’s men.

Some saw the Canadiens as being in the mix or at least in “No Man’s Land” this season, but in the end, after 15 games, the Canadiens aren’t even close to such expectations, as they find themselves in last place in the NHL.

(Credit: NHL.com)

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The Habs are currently tied for last place with the vaunted San Jose Sharks, which is clearly not ideal, even if you look at it with the draft in mind.

At a certain point, yes, it’s nice to have excellent draft picks, but the Habs need to progress and improve, because right now, it really seems like the players seem to accept defeat and live with it as if it were something normal.

Of course, at the moment, apart from the Nashville Predators and Philadelphia Flyers, the NHL’s bottom-7 includes the five teams that drafted in the top-5 last season.

No team has really progressed, which may seem like a relief for the Habs, but all the same, in the end, I think seeing the team be worse than last season is a bad thing.

Not convinced that the Habs are worse than last season?

Well, to give you an idea, with yesterday’s 4-1 loss to the Maple Leafs (who were playing their second game in two nights without Auston Matthews in the line-up), the Habs have now lost six in a row, a sequence Martin St-Louis’ team never suffered last season.

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In short, there’s clearly something wrong with the Habs right now, especially over the past six games.

Cole Caufield (despite a good start to the season), Nick Suzuki, Juraj Slafkovsky and Kirby Dach all seem to be in neutral every time they appear, and we don’t see them involved.

Only Lane Hutson and Brendan Gallagher have been positive and exciting for the Habs in recent games.

Gallagher is on a 38-goal streak, with seven goals in 15 games. Last season, he reached the seven-goal plateau after 41 games.

Overtime

– With good reason.

– Of note.

– It would be phenomenal if he broke Gretzky’s record while scoring 50 goals this season.

– Incroyable.

– Indeed.

– Wow. Very cool.

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