Author: Dose

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Connor Hughes: the star behind the Rocket’s incredible start to the season

The Laval Rocket are off to an incredible start to their AHL season.

Pascal Vincent’s troupe has a 9-1-0 record after ten games, and is first in its division, and also first in the entire AHL in terms of point percentage (.900).

It’s been an impressive start to the season for the Habs’ club team, which is at least a small consolation to Habs fans fed up with the Montreal Canadiens’ losing ways.

Behind the Rocket’s excellent start to the season, well, there are several key players, including head coach Pascal Vincent, of course, but also several first-rate players.

Alex Barré-Boulet (11 points in six games), Joshua Roy (12 points in ten games) and Logan Mailloux (10 points in five games, leading all AHL defensemen) have taken matters into their own hands, and are at the heart of the team’s current success.

However, we mustn’t forget the other key players behind this incredible start to the season, such as Owen Beck and Connor Hughes.

In the case of Hughes, in all seriousness, he’s a real surprise, while behind the scenes, he’s helping the Rocket string together wins with solid performances in front of the net.

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Indeed, he took on the role of number one goalkeeper due to Jakub Dobes’ minor injury, and let’s just say he delivered the goods in fine style.

Hughes, 28, is currently carrying the team on his shoulders, having played in the team’s last three games and won them all.

For a rather mundane signing this summer, let’s just say that Hughes makes Kent Hughes and the Habs staff look like geniuses.

The Rocket goalie currently has a record of five wins and one loss, with a goals-against average of 1.99 and a save percentage of .931.

In short, it’s a Habs signing who’s really paying off for the club-school, which can count on two VERY solid goaltenders.

And let’s not forget that Hughes is very well able to speak French.

If Cayden Primeau in Montreal ever becomes a problem, Hughes could very well come up and hold down the fort, allowing Dobes to continue to develop quietly in Laval.

Stay tuned.

Overtime

– Watch and re-watch Logan Mailloux’s goal in the shootout.

– Watch for it tonight.

– Two former Habs defensemen are still injured with the Islanders.

– Indeed.

– Of note.

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Patrik Laine: a return in November?

Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images

A few hours ago, Patrik Laine was spotted skating. It was the first time he had been seen on skates since injuring himself during the preparatory schedule.

Of course, the question is: when will he be back in action?

According to what Renaud Lavoie said this evening, if all continues to go well, it’s not impossible that Laine could be back in action by the end of November.

Because Laine hasn’t had surgery, the timetable for his return is different. After all, he began to heal more quickly, which explains his return to the ice a few weeks after his injury.

The Habs will rely on the player’s progress because there’s no hurry. It’s too lateto save the Habs’ season.

It’s also important to remember that when Laine returns, he won’t have played for nearly a year. He won’t be as dominant as he was when he was scoring 40 goals a year in Winnipeg.

He’ll need time. You can’t dominate in 2024 when, on November 9, you look like this.

But even if he won’t be perfect when he returns, his return will make his teammates more confident and he could be a (small) lifeline. He’ll put pressure on everyone to be in their seats and fight for playing time.

To be continued.

Extension

– If Patrik Laine returns in November, he could be an option for the Four Nations confrontation. Not necessarily as early as December 2, but as a replacement later on, perhaps?

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Friedman: Slafkovsky could score 30 goals this season

Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images

Juraj Slafkovsky had a great first full season last year.

He racked up 20 goals and 30 assists, and a lot was expected of him this year.

Without saying he’s not producing up to expectations, as he does have 8 points in 11 games this season, his one little goal raises a few questions.

Definitely, he’s not scoring enough for the fans, a bit like Cole Caufield last season.

But that doesn’t mean he’s having a bad season.

We know that Slafkovsky finished the season on fire and we expect him to score at a more frantic pace between now and April.

That’s what Elliotte Friedman thinks, after mentioning the young Slovak in his latest 32 Thoughts.

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The Insider recently caught up with Slafkovsky, and point #15 of his article relates to the Montreal Canadiens forward.

He asked him if he had a goal in mind for 2024-25.

To this, he replied that he always does. Friedman then asked if it was above or below 35 goals.

Slaf replied with a smile, “It’s around that.”

Mentioning that he’s only one goal away at the moment, Friedman predicts that he’ll “warm up” and could score 30 goals.

It’ll be tough for the Slovak, but we know he has the skills to do it.

In the first 11 games, it just wasn’t working out for Slafkovsky, but that can all change.

The Habs could very well benefit from a return to form for #20 if he starts scoring goals at a higher rate.

Let’s hope the Slovak can rediscover the form he showed at the end of last season.

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Matvei Michkov will be sidelined (again) tonight

Photo by Richard T Gagnon/Getty Images

In his team’s last game, Matvei Michkov was left out by his head coach.

John Tortorella said he made the decision to “help” his youngster.

The Flyers won… And good old Torts chose to keep the same line-up for the club’s game tonight against the Florida Panthers.

This means, therefore, that Michkov will be left out for a second game in a row.

The decision is causing quite a stir, especially among Philadelphia fans.

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It’s all the talk in Philly, because since the start of the season, Michkov has been playing relatively well.

He’s had a quieter streak, being blanked in four consecutive games… But still.

Still, Mishkov is his club’s second-highest scorer and one of the few who can create things offensively for the Flyers.

It’s as if Martin St-Louis decided to leave Lane Hutson out for two consecutive games.

Do you realize how catastrophic that would be in Montreal?

That said, John Tortorella has the reputation we all know, and it looks like it’s going to get even worse, given that the decision comes from him.

It makes sense…

Overtime

In 13 games this season, Michkov has scored a total of four goals and six assists.

He has ten points on the scoreboard… And he’s the second-highest scorer among rookies this season.

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Ivan Demidov: his coach says he plays “almost as well as Connor McDavid”.

SAINT PETERSBURG, RUSSIA - 2024/09/23: Ivan Demidov (91) SKA Hockey Club seen in action during the Hockey match, Kontinental Hockey League 2024/2025 between SKA Saint Petersburg and Avangard Omsk at the Ice Sports Palace. (Final score; SKA Saint Petersburg 4:1 Avangard Omsk). (Photo by Maksim Konstantinov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Ivan Demidov’s playing time in Russia has been the talk of the town since the start of the season. The youngster seems to be shunned more often than not by his coach, even though he plays great hockey when he’s on the ice.

This isn’t unusual in Russia, especially for youngsters who want to go to America, but it’s a shame all the same.

Over the last few games, Roman Rotenberg’s approach has changed. The coach is using Demidov more and more, to the point where the latter has played at least 14 minutes in five of his last six games.

On Thursday, he played almost 16 minutes… including time on the powerplay. That’s a drastic change.

And in a recent press briefing, Rotenberg was asked about this… which prompted him to go ahead with a rather, shall we say, peculiar statement:

Do you watch Oilers games? Do you watch McDavid’s and Draisaitl’s playing time? It’s about the same as Demidov’s. – Roman Rotenberg

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Good.

If we look at Draisaitl, he spends around 21 minutes on the ice per game. In McDavid’s case, we’re talking about 20 minutes.

In Demidov’s case, we’re celebrating the fact that he exceeds… 14 minutes. I’m willing to believe that KHL teams play with 13 forwards, but that doesn’t justify the difference.

Perhaps Rotenberg was referring to McDavid’s recent ice time… who missed a few games due to injury. That could be… just as he could have been mistaken and meant Jeff Skinner (14:33) and Viktor Arvidsson (15:55).

Seriously, though, there are two ways of looking at this. You could say that he’s still trying to silence the (many) critics of the kid‘s playing time… but you could also say that he sees Demidov as a guy who can influence the outcome of a game in the same way as the Oilers’ two stars.

It’s up to you to decide whether you prefer the more optimistic or the more pessimistic version.

Overtime

– I like to see this.

– Martin St-Louis had kind words for Shea Weber.

– The Habs prospect is off to a great start this season.

– Auston Matthews’ shot is praised by his counterparts.

– Rouge et Or crowned champions.

– He’s the story of the hour in MLB.

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Dante Fabbro in the waivers: an opportunity for Kent Hughes to improve his blue line

Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

Since the start of the season, the Habs’ performance at the blue line has been very disappointing. The club plays very poorly in its zone, and if it can’t count on a superhuman performance from its goaltender, it often finds itself giving up 4-5 goals a game.

And that’s no recipe for winning games.

As a result, Kent Hughes is looking for reinforcements to bolster his squad. The GM is keeping an eye on the transaction market, but nothing seems imminent.

But this afternoon, the Predators made a big decision: they placed Dante Fabbro, a 26-year-old right-handed defenseman (and former first-round pick), in the waivers.

And it’s a great opportunity for the Canadiens to improve their blue line.

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We sensed that Fabbro was no longer in Nashville’s good graces. He’s not a first-pair defenseman, but in a supporting role, he’s capable of pulling his weight.

And right now, the Habs need guys like that.

The fact that he’s right-handed makes him extremely interesting for the Habs, who more often than not play with only David Savard as a right-hander in their brigade. Justin Barron is with the big club too, but he’s often on the bridge these days.

Fabbro’s contract expires at the end of the season. His $2.5 million salary is a bit steep, but the Habs can afford to take on such a contract right now. In fact, short-term money really isn’t a problem in Montreal.

In the best-case scenario, he becomes a new Johnathan Kovacevic (which the Canadiens could use this year) and the club can consider giving him a new contract. In the worst-case scenario, however, he could leave the project at the end of the season at the latest.

With David Reinbacher sidelined, Logan Mailloux still struggling in the NHL and Justin Barron not ready to be a regular just yet… it makes sense to take a chance on Fabbro, doesn’t it?

Extension

At the moment, only the Predators and the Sharks have priority over the Canadiens in the waivers.

And since the Preds obviously aren’t going to claim their own player, that means the Habs would simply need the Sharks to turn up their nose at Fabbro for the opportunity to get him by claiming him.

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Patrik Laine skated in Brossard this morning

Today, the Canadiens practiced in Toronto, as they face the Maple Leafs tonight. That means we’ve been keeping a close eye on what’s happening on the ice.

It’s worth noting that the line-up won’t be changing for tonight’s game.

And yet, something important happened in Brossard this morning: Patrik Laine skated (alone) on the ice this morning. An Internet user captured the video.

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More details to come…

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Another top-5 pick for the Habs and a tip for Martin St-Louis

So it looks like the Habs will (again) be in the mix for a top-5 pick. It’s a virtual certainty.

After 14 games, the Habs have the3rd worst record in the NHL. Fourteen games is almost 20% of the season…

With 10 points in 14 games, he has a .357 scoring percentage, a nice average… in baseball.

He ranks 24th in goals for and 31st (or2nd, depending) in goals allowed.

The goalkeepers are no miracle workers, and the team’s overall style of play is often pitiful.

In short, look at it any way you like, all the indicators are in the red.

So it’s clearly shaping up to be a fourth consecutive season of misery.

Not convinced yet? No need to panic? Nerves, Patoine?

Okay.

Which teams have a real chance of finishing with a worse record than our very, very secular Habs?

On the face of it, we can anticipate that only a tiny handful will be battling with the Habs for the very first overall pick at the next auction: San Jose, Philadelphia, Chicago and Anaheim.

The Sabres, Islanders, Predators, Avalanche, Penguins – all clubs that are off to a poor start this season – will logically end up in the bottom three.

Once again, the Habs are clearly among the five worst clubs in the NHL.

It would take quite a turnaround for the Habs to position themselves “in the mix” for a playoff spot or a draft pick outside the top-10 as many were anticipating, at least before Patrik Laine’s injury.

Of course, if that same Laine comes back in good enough shape in December, stays in the lineup until April and puts up 20-odd goals in 50 games, the Habs could start playing for .500, or thereabouts.

But we’d be here in an ideal world, without another injury to this same Laine or any of the team’s other impact players.

Don’t bet a dime on that!

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Heavy losses…

The truth is, the Habs really don’t have a better club on the ice than they did this time last year.

Sean Monahan and Johnathan Kovacevic brought a lot of stability to the forwards and defence.

Monny, 35 points in 49 games with the Habs, a very respectable 59-point pace over an 82-game season, was the very definition of a good second-line center, which Kirby Dach, nor anyone else, is at the moment. I’ve got my own ideas about what might be worth a try, but…

The much underrated Kovy III, the team’s great leader on the differential side (+11), and a much-loved player in the locker room, wasn’t committing the kind of repeated blunders and misreads that virtually every defender on the team is doing this season.

Quite simply, apart from Lane Hutson, no player in the current edition is bringing anything better to the team when compared to last April.

In 33 games following the Monahan trade on February 2, the Habs maintained a record of 10 wins, 15 regular-season losses and 8 overtime losses for a total of 28 points out of a possible 66, a point-per-game percentage of 0.424. He was playing for .490 before February 2.

Again, the team is currently at .357, even with Dach back in action.

Even following a theoretical .500 improvement from Laine’s return with, say, 50 games to go, the Habs’ season will go “sul yab’”!

Without their Finnish scorer, the Habs are on course for 23 points in 32 games.

If we VERY POSITIVELY add 50 points in 50 games after his return, that would still only be 73 points at the end of the season.

That’s three points less than last year, when the Habs finished 28th in the NHL…

So, more convinced that we can dream of a top-5 or even top-3 pick?

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Another season for draft buffs!

It’s going to be another season in which we’ll have to start eyeing the top-20 early for the next draft, because yes, we’ll also have to keep an eye on the Flames’ pick, which should logically end up between 12th and 20th.

Don’t think the Flames will maintain their current .571% rate, which currently places them 20th in the draft, but who knows…

So podcasts like Processus, Recrutes and company will continue to thrive as all “prospects”-literally all prospects! – will once again be allowed for the Habs.

I, for one, will be resuming my pre-draft analyses in the coming weeks…

In other words, after the selection of an exceptional talent like Demidov and a possible 21st-ranked home run in Michael Hage in 2024, the Habs will potentially add two more top prospects to their already rather well-stocked bank.

Martone, Hagens, Schaefer, Misa, Frondell, Ryabkin and Desnoyers are all names we’ll be hearing a lot about in the coming months…

However, we’re not talking about an exceptional year at the top – no Bedard, no Celebrini – but most likely a top line of Hagens, Martone and Schaefer, followed by a solid top-5, or even a very good top-10.

We’ll see in due course whether there’s reason to get excited about the top-20, but there are still some good players between 15th and 20th place…

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A word of advice for Martin St-Louis!

You simply have to be patient with the 2nd youngest team in the NHL.

Four of the organization’s six top prospects aren’t even in the NHL yet: Demidov, Reinbacher, Hage and Fowler.

The other two, Slafkovsky and Hutson, are doing quite well, thanks to the fact that they’re just 20 years old. Twenty years old!

Even with Suzuki and Caufield entering their prime, the Habs core is still a long way from reaching maturity.

So, for the here and now, I’m convinced, you can’t make water come out of a rock or, as Martin Leclerc’s beautiful image illustrates, “it’s not by pulling on the flower that it will grow faster”…

So I have a great deal of sympathy for Martin St-Louis.

But, even though he’ll never ask my opinion as a simple sports columnist, beer-league player and professional philosopher, I’d like to offer him this humble piece of advice in conclusion: apply yourself what you preach to your players.

If you tell them that they “must constantly play the game in front of them”, you must do the same in your role behind the bench.

If you tell them that “the game speaks to you”, it speaks to the coach too!

So – without even getting into the thorny subject of the defensive system – if you see the game in front of you and you notice, as you did against the Devils on Thursday night, that :

1) your first powerplay unit isn’t doing anything, adjust accordingly and play your second unit more, or put your most creative player, Hutson, on the first unit.

In short, change the recipe for the game in front of you.

2) If you find that nothing works with Dach on the right of Caufield and Suzuki, and Gallagher is on fire or Slaf or Newhook has a solid one in his legs, like in New Jersey, don’t wait!

Make changes in the game ahead of you!

Practice what you preach!

And as for defensive play, maybe we should stop trying to fit squares into circles…

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Anthony Stolarz makes a bare-handed save

Yesterday, on this Friday night, there were only four games in the National Hockey League.

Despite the small number of games, there was plenty of action and highlights.

Here’s a rundown.

1. Anthony Stolarz makes a magnificent bare-handed save

The Toronto Maple Leafs took on division rivals last night, as the Detroit Red Wings visited Toronto.

It was an important duel, as the Red Wings tried to close to within a point of the Maple Leafs.

But in the end, Detroit failed to surprise Toronto, as the Leafs prevailed 3-1, thanks in large part to their goaltender, Anthony Stolarz.

Indeed, Stolarz was once again solid in front of the Leafs’ cage, but what really caught the eye was his bare-handed save.

Yes, yes, Stolarz stopped the play by grabbing the puck with his bare hand.

It’s a truly epic scene for the Leafs goalie, who can be seen proudly showing everyone that he does indeed have the puck frozen in his right hand.

In short, it’s an impressive save from Stolarz, who has established himself as an excellent number-one goalie for the Maple Leafs since the start of the season.

Have the Leafs finally found their goalie?

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2. Kirill Kaprizov is simply too good for the NHL

Since the start of the season, just like last year, Nathan MacKinnon and Nikita Kucherov are at the top of the NHL in the points column.

They’re among the NHL’s best players, and it’s not for nothing that they fought to the very end for the Art Ross Trophy, awarded to the season’s top scorer.

However, neither of them is currently at the top of the NHL, and it’s not Connor McDavid either, who’s off to a rocky start to the season.

Instead, it’s Kirll Kaprizov who sits atop the NHL with 27 points (nine goals, 18 assists) in 14 games.

The Minnesota Wild’s Russian winger is simply too good for the NHL right now, while yesterday, in a 5-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks, he has already recorded a 6ᵉ three-point game this season.

In 14 games alone, Kaprizov has already scored at least three points in a game SIX TIMES.

That’s 18 points in six games. And in the other eight games, he’s got nine points, which is also impressive.

With two goals and an assist last night, Kaprizov is quickly becoming the best player in Minnesota Wild history.

The Russian is a true star player, and let’s hope Ivan Demidov can follow in his footsteps and do the same with the Montreal Canadiens.

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3. Sidney Crosby’s gang gets the better of Alex Ovechkin’s

It was a classic duel last night, as the Pittsburgh Penguins visited the Washington Capitals.

Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin faced off for the umpteenth time in their careers, and this time it was Crosby’s team that came out on top.

The Penguins won 4-2 with a goal in an empty net.

Ovechkin was cleared from the scoresheet, while Crosby picked up an assist on Erik Karlsson’s first goal of the game.

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4. Jared McCann gives the Kraken victory in overtime

Finally, in the night’s latest match-up, we were treated to a duel between the last two expansion teams, as the Vegas Golden Knights were in Seattle to take on the Kraken.

It was a very close game, requiring overtime to decide between the two teams.

In the end, it was Jared McCann who gave the Kraken a 4-3 victory with a beautiful deke on a breakaway.

In defeat, Jack Eichel notched three assists to reach the 20-point plateau this season, when he now has 22 points in 14 games.

I’d also like to note the incredible start to the season by a certain Pavel Dorofeyev, who already has eight goals and 11 points in 14 games.

The 24-year-old Russian winger is just five goals away from matching his personal best of 13 from last season.

Overtime

– Here are yesterday’s four results.

– Here are the night’s top scorers.

(Credit: NHL.com)

– Today’s NHL schedule: 12 games.

(Credit: Google/NHL)
(Credit: Google/NHL)

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Jacob Fowler: 30 saves last night, 6th win in 7 games

Since the start of the season, one thing has become clear about the Canadiens’ goaltenders: they’re not good enough to save the team’s defensive woes.

Indeed, apart from a few solid performances from Samuel Montembeault in the curtain-raiser, it’s been a real struggle for him and Cayden Primeau.

Both Habs goalies have been shaky since the start of the season, and haven’t consistently given the team a chance to win.

Here are the stats for the Habs’ two goalies in 2024-2025:

  • Samuel Montembeault: 3-6-1 record in ten games, 3.46 goals-against average and .892 save percentage.
  • Cayden Primeau: 1-2-1 record in four games, 4.38 goals-against average and .861 save percentage.

In short, I don’t think I need to go on and on to prove to you that the Habs’ goaltenders aren’t giving enough this season.

It’s a worrying situation for the future in the short term, but at least, in the long term, the Canadiens can continue to pin their hopes on Jacob Fowler.

The 19-year-old American sensation, drafted by the Habs in 2023 in the third round (69ᵉ overall), continues to shine impressively in the NCAA.

Last night, Fowler recorded his sixth win of the season in his seventh game, as he turned aside 30 of 32 shots in a 3-2 Boston College victory over the University of Maine.

Indeed, Fowler was excellent again in this game, as he made key saves at important moments in the game, including this one, when his team mishandled an opponent’s exit from the penalty box.

And in overtime, Fowler once again held down the fort, allowing James Hagens to serve the winning goal to Ryan Leonard on a silver platter.

It’s a connection that could have been possible in the NHL under the colors of the Blue, White and Red, considering that the Habs are headed for a battle for the first overall pick (Hagens), but the Habs preferred to draft David Reinbacher rather than Ryan Leonard.

In short, Fowler is unstoppable this season, and so far he’s posting better stats than last season.

(Credit: EliteProspects.com)

He’s dominant, and at just 19 years of age. He turns 20 this month, on November 24.

All in all, it’s encouraging to see Fowler performing so well, as it gives hope to Canadiens fans that the team has found its number-one goaltender of the future, and that all he has to do is be patient.

The young American is likely to play another season in the NCAA, before turning pro, most likely with the Laval Rocket.

There’s still a long way to go for Fowler, but his development is going wonderfully well so far.

Overtime

– Not to be missed today!

– A virtually perfect start to the season.

– Very solid start to the season for Jack Roslovic.

– To be continued.

– Nice win for Canada.

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