Author: Dose

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At 18, Ivan Demidov is just three points behind the KHL’s top scorer

SAINT PETERSBURG, RUSSIA - 2024/09/15: Ivan Demidov (91) SKA Hockey Club seen in action during the Hockey match, Kontinental Hockey League 2024/2025 between SKA Saint Petersburg and Lada Togliatti at the Ice Sports Palace. (Final score; SKA Saint Petersburg 4:3 Lada Togliatti). (Photo by Maksim Konstantinov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Watching the Canadiens’ games of late, it’s easy to see that there’s a distinct lack of talent in the lineup.

There are guys who can create things and make plays on the ice, but there just aren’t enough of them.

Which brings me to Ivan Demidov. It seems to me that the Canadiens could use an electrifying player like him right now…

The prospect, who was selected 5th overall in the last draft, is dominating the KHL.

He picked up two points today(with a magic goal) and is one of the league’s most productive players, even though he’s only 18.

With today’s two points, Demidov is now tied for 7th in the KHL scoring charts:

There’s pressure on the kid’s shoulders because in Russia, everyone knows he has what it takes to become the new face of hockey there.

That said, everyone knows that his plan is to leave the KHL at the end of the season and move to North America, and that’s nothing to sneeze at either.

But where his performance really impresses is when you see what he’s able to do with reduced playing time.

Among the league’s top scorers, Demidov plays by far the least with his regular playing time of 11:05 :

(Credit: Screenshot)

He’s 18 years old…

He’s one of the league’s most productive players per 60 minutes…

He’s only three shy of the league leader even though he doesn’t play on the powerplay….

What I’m trying to say is that it’s hard to ask for more from Ivan Demidov. He’s living up to expectations, and then some!

Overtime

– Oh?

– An interesting collaboration, to say the least?

– Bromance.

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Pierre LeBrun: “The Canadiens would make a deal today if they could”.

Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images

Over the past few days, we’ve been hearing a lot about the Habs in transaction rumours. We’re not necessarily talking about specific names, but we hear that the club is looking for reinforcements.

A top-4 right-handed defenseman, a forward with flair: the doctor’s insiders are prescribing a bit of everything to the Canadiens at the moment.

We can sense that the loss to the Rangers last Tuesday has set things on fire… and last night’s humiliating loss to the Kraken may just set things off again.

On the Radar podcast (BPM Sports), Pierre LeBrun talked a bit about the Habs’ situation regarding the trade market… and according to him, the club isn’t ruling out any solution: it’s doing its homework without limiting itself to any particular type of player.

What’s particularly interesting, though, is this sentence:

The Canadiens would make a deal today if they could. – Pierre LeBrun

What LeBrun explains, however, is that the Habs’ salary picture changes things. Unlike the off-season, when it becomes easier to play with salaries, it’s much harder to navigate all that during the season.

It’s harder for the Habs, but it’s harder for other teams too.

But clearly, listening to the insider, you can sense that Kent Hughes would like to get his hands on some reinforcements… but not at any price. The recent heavy defeats haven’t changed the management’s plan, and they don’t want to sacrifice their long-term plan for a temporary solution.

Although, given the number of picks the Canadiens have at their disposal, trading one or two of them wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing, in my opinion. Without being all-in, there are some gaping holes in this team right now, and giving away a few picks to plug the gaps is a defensible avenue.

Will it be a forward? A defenseman? A goalie? The Habs don’t seem to have a clear answer at the moment. That said, they’re doing their homework… and they’ll be ready if an opportunity presents itself.

We’ll see if he finds his dance partner soon.

Overtime

– We told you about it several weeks ago.

– Nice read.

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Jake Evans wants to stay in Montreal: Kent Hughes can’t let him go

MONTREAL, QC - APRIL 16: Montreal Canadiens center Jake Evans (71) plays the puck during the Detroit Red Wings versus the Montreal Canadiens game on April 16, 2024, at Bell Centre in Montreal, QC (Photo by David Kirouac/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

It’s often said that it takes time for a player to reach his full potential.

The perfect example is Jake Evans.

He’s (already) in his fifth full season in the NHL at 28, and we’ve noticed since the start of the season that he’s in his prime. After all, he’s one of the Habs’ best forwards…

There’s been a lot of talk about him lately, and that’s to be expected: Evans is one of the few players to show up night after night on the ice.

I’ve heard he takes the team’s success to heart, and I’ve heard he hates to lose.

That said, he plays an important role in the Habs line-up, and the timing is right for him, because at the end of the season, the center will be out of contract.

He’ll be entitled to complete autonomy and will – no doubt – be in line for a pay rise.

For the record, his current contract pays him $1.7 million per season.

But even though his contract is about to expire, Evans prefers not to think about it… Because in his head, it’s pretty clear.

He wants to play in Montreal, as stated in an article by Richard Labbé (La Presse):

I’ve been part of this team for a while now, I’ve lived through the highs and lows, and now there are several lows this season… but I want to help this team get back on its feet. – Jake Evans

When Phillip Danault left, the Canadiens found themselves with a major hole at center.

Even worse: the departure of the Québécois had a direct impact on the club’s defensive play because he was doing his job the right way.

That said, I think Jake Evans is the Canadiens’ Phillip Danault right now.

He’s playing on the top-9, he’s being used for almost everything, he’s excellent on the power play, he’s capable of producing offensively when needed… And he’s playing for the logo up front, not the name on the back.

We don’t know what Jake Evans’ demands will be, but I wouldn’t hesitate to offer him a contract at $3.5 – $4M per season. Christian Dvorak earns more than that annually and we all know how useful he is in the lineup…

All this to say that Jake Evans is too important to Montreal for the Canadiens to see him leave for free in the summer of 2025. Kent Hughes shouldn’t trade him unless the Habs are “really behind” the other clubs at the trade deadline, and if Evans finishes the season in Montreal, he needs to be there for the start of the next one too.

Overtime

– He dominates.

– To be continued…

– Love it.

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Habs: Another loss and it was Juraj Slafkovsky’s turn to show arrogance towards the media

MONTREAL, QC - OCTOBER 29: Montreal Canadiens left wing Juraj Slafkovsky (20) reacts by kneeling on the ice after Seattle Kraken eight goal of the game during the Seattle Kraken versus the Montreal Canadiens game on October 29, 2024, at Bell Centre in Montreal, QC (Photo by David Kirouac/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Let’s talk about what happened after yesterday’s game. We’ll come back to the game a little later.

After the Canadiens’ 8-2 loss to the Kraken, several members of the Canadiens were in front of the media. Coach Martin St-Louis was obviously among them.

And it quickly became apparent that his sense of humor didn’t seem to have the same effect as 2022.

St-Louis didn’t look like himself after yesterday’s game. He often repeated (sometimes after long pauses) that he needed to see the game again before assessing it in front of the media.

That’s nothing to bring back those who wanted his head last week.

A few days after saying he doesn’t take criticism from people he wouldn’t turn to for advice, St-Louis nonetheless lost another high-scoring game… once again “forgetting” to call a time-out at 3-0.

I guess no one important told him to do that last week. And I guess he forgot that he’s not talking to the media, he’s talking to the fans of the Montreal Canadiens.

By the way, Jean-Nicolas Blanchet is right: if Patrick Roy or Dominique Ducharme had said something like that (about criticism and advice) last week, it wouldn’t have gone over so well.

And maybe it showed, last night, in the way people perceived the Habs coach’s post-game comments. Because even if he says he understands the fans’ frustration, his popularity is still fading publicly.

I also wonder how inspired Juraj Slafkovsky was by this way of responding to the media. After all, after the game, he imitated his coach (and Cole Caufield) by being arrogant.

When asked what was preventing the club from keeping its momentum, Slaf replied that he wasn’t in a position to say… before adding that journalists will find out and write it down.

Slaf, who hasn’t shied away from criticizing Hockey Slovakia in recent weeks, was arrogant.

But you know what, Slaf? Let’s get the ball rolling and take a look at what went wrong yesterday. You got it!

1. Let’s even be honest and start with a positive: Slaf has seven points in seven games this season. Yesterday, he picked up his sixth assist on Cole Caufield’s goal #9 (!).

The Slovak didn’t start the game on the first line. But as soon as he got his foot in the door, the Habs were able to score. Clearly, he had more impact than Shane Wright… even if his club lost.

2. Samuel Montembeault gave away five goals on ten shots. It’s easy to point the finger at him, as he’s really making us forget his good start to the season in recent weeks.

He didn’t make all the saves he needed to keep his club in the game and become a true #1 in the NHL. And it was his stick that paid the price, in the end.

Cayden Primeau (three goals on thirteen shots) was “better” than Monty, who was supposedly in his zone before the game, but… for what it’s worth.

Montembeault, at least, was accountable: he went before the media after the game. And unsurprisingly, he wasn’t exactly smiling. But at least he wasn’t arrogant.

That’s going straight in the garbage can. – Samuel Montembeault on his game

3. Surprise: the fans didn’t like the show.

You really have to consider the fact that anyone who buys a ticket to a Canadiens game is likely to see a crap game. And there are no refunds in such cases.

4. Slaf needs to know why the club can’t build momentum or show consistency? You’d think there’d be some overconfidence, in all this.

Is it possible that the guys thought they’d “turned the corner” after the weekend’s two good games?

5. Josh Anderson scored late in the game. I’ve never seen a player celebrate a goal so poorly in the NHL – and Christian Dvorak has been with the Canadiens since 2021.

But I’m okay with that. There was nothing to celebrate.

6. Once again, Lane Hutson played a lot (only Cayden Primeau played more than him): the defender was used for 23 minutes and 27 seconds. And he was good.

He sometimes makes mistakes, but that’s part of the game. It’s a good thing he’s here… but we can’t wait for Kaiden Guhle’s return.

7. Marc De Foy wrote this morning that the Habs lacked grit or will. There are still a lot of things to correct before becoming a good team… or even a #InTheMix team .

But hey: at least the club is light on X.

Overtime

This morning, the Canadiens practice in Brossard at 11am. I wonder what the Canadiens’ coach is going to put his emphasis on, given that everything seems to need work. Other than the Caufield shot, that is.

But speaking of shooting: tomorrow, Alex Ovechkin’ s Pierre-Luc Dubois Capitals are on the menu. If he’s badly watched, he could beat the Flannel single-handedly.

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The Canadiens are worth almost three billion dollars

MONTREAL, QC - NOVEMBER 29: Montreal Canadiens owner and president Geoff Molson listens to a question from the media on November 29, 2021 at Bell Sports Complex in Brossard, QC (Photo by David Kirouac/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

In the last few days, we’ve learned that three NHL clubs are approaching (or worth) at least three billion dollars. The Maple Leafs, Rangers and Canadiens came to mind.

And clearly, without saying that the Habs have hit the three-billion-dollar mark, they’ve come close.

According to Sportico, which published the most recent data, the Canadiens are worth $2.93 billion (in U.S. currency, of course) in October 2024. That’s an increase of 29% in one year.

That’s obviously a lot of money.

Toronto and New York (3.66 and 3.25) are the only two franchises worth more than $3 billion. They’re up 38% and 33%, respectively. Still.

Geoff Molson, who saw property taxes drop at the Bell Centre, made a good deal when he bought the Canadiens for over $500 million in 2009. Clearly, he got his money’s worth.

To think that in 2001, George Gillett bought over 80% of the Canadiens, the Bell Centre and Molson’s entertainment division for $275 million. Times change, eh?

I note that the Boston Bruins are ranked #4 at $2.67 billion. But more importantly, their increase over the past year is 50%, which is still pretty intense. No?

The Oilers ($2.4 billion, 51% increase) are also worth noting… as is the Utah HC. The situation is different, of course, but the increase over last year is 78%.

Clearly, the Coyotes aren’t considered an “inactive” franchise and the Salt Lake City club isn’t considered a new club, from what we can understand of the situation.

These are big bucks.

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Kyle Dubas’ grandmother criticized the Penguins’ on Twitter

Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

After leaving him out (a few times) even though he was healthy, the Penguins decided to send Tristan Jarry to the AHL for conditioning purposes.

And the decision got people talking.

Even Kyle Dubas’ grandmother got involved…

Underneath the Penguins’ post, in which we read that Jarry has been sent to Wilkes-Barre in the AHL, Dubas’ grandmother wrote that the Penguins “need to get their act together” and that it’s “time to realize we need to move on to another call” in the goalie’s case.

That’s really… special. TVA Sports also has an article on the subject.

The story doesn’t say whether Kyle Dubas saw this comment under the original Penguins post.

But if he did, I find it hard to believe that he was very happy to know that his grandmother was getting involved… And criticizing his work directly on social networks.

It’s not the first time, though, that Kyle Dubas’s grandmother has been in the news.

She fought with Leafs fans on Twitter after seeing Kyle Dubas leave the Toronto organization, and it made headlines at the time too.

She’s involved in her grandson’s activities, at least!

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Four picks in the top-50 of the next draft: that would be incredible (and possible)!

The Canadiens won’t be desperate to trade current players for draft picks.

Nick Suzuki recently said that the Habs had enough picks and that he didn’t want to see players leave for picks. And from the looks of it, the captain is probably right.

It looks like this right now.

(Credit: Cap Wages)

When you take the time to analyze things properly, you see that the Flames’ first pick of 2025 is the one obtained with Sean Monahan. As for the Penguins’ 2025 second-round pick, it was received when Jeff Petry (briefly) returned in 2023.

But by necessity, given that both the Penguins and the Habs are not playoff teams (I won’t be fooled into thinking otherwise this lunchtime), the picks could really be high.

It seems like no one had really raised the flag recently about how good the Penguins pick could be, but that’s what Marc-Olivier Beaudoin did this morning.

And without saying that it will necessarily be a top-40 pick, it’s clear that the pick obtained could be in the top-50 if the Penguins ever narrowly miss the playoffs, for example.

Pittsburgh is currently 30th in the NHL.

Four top-50 picks hardly ever happen. In the recent history of the Habs, the 2022 draft could be the closest we’ve come – even if, in 2025, you can’t expect to win the lottery.

  • 1st: Juraj Slafkovsky
  • 26th: Filip Mesar
  • 33rd: Owen Beck
  • 62nd: Lane Hutson

If ever the Habs were to have a draft like the one in 2022 (not counting Adam Engstrom and the others afterwards), it’s clear that this would help in the club’s rebuilding process.

But if not, these picks can also be a great trade chip…

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4 nations: Darnell Nurse is “in the conversation”

Photo by Derek Cain/Getty Images

During the last playoffs, Darnell Nurse was widely criticized. The defenseman, who wasn’t playing up to his contract ($9.25 per year), was the scapegoat whenever the Oilers were in trouble.

And considering that he was the scapegoat when the club got to Game 7 of the final, imagine what it would have been like if the Oilers had been eliminated early.

It’s not the first time he’s been the target of criticism, though. He’s not a bad defender, but with a contract like this comes high expectations.

As a result, he’s not necessarily being considered for Team Canada… but don’t jump to conclusions, as reported by Anthony DiMarco for OilersNation.

The reason for this is simple: Canada needs players who can fill thankless roles on the team. It will, after all, take players to play short-handed, and a guy like Nurse can take on such a contract.

To a certain extent, it’s for the same reasons that Tom Wilson is also in the discussion.

The question now is whether Nurse is the right man for the job. Ultimately, guys like Jakob Chychrun and Mackenzie Weegar could fill such a position, and the club could also opt for another, more offensive defenseman (Morgan Rielly, Thomas Chabot or Josh Morrissey, for example).

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Michkov and Demidov will be Russia’s new stars, says Sergei Zubov

SAINT PETERSBURG, RUSSIA - 2024/09/23: Ivan Demidov (91) SKA Hockey Club and Darren Dietz (4) Avangard 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)

Russia may not have been represented at major international tournaments for a few years now, but it was well represented at the last two NHL drafts.

Russia has many legendary players in its ranks, including Pavel Datsyuk, Alex Ovechkin and Sergei Zubov. The latter recently spoke to Sergey Demidov of RG.org about Russia’s two new gems: Ivan Demidov and Matvei Michkov.

For Zubov, the arrival of these two players at the next level signifies a kind of passing of the Russian torch. He compares these two players to Datsyuk and himself, making them the new faces of Russian hockey.

That’s quite a compliment for two players with so little NHL experience.

For Michkov, the comparison isn’t bad at all, who already has nine points after as many NHL games in his rookie season.

As for Demidov, Zubov is aware that there’s still work to be done since he hasn’t yet reached the NHL. However, he sees great similarities between his talent and that of Mishkov.

According to Zubov, the most important thing in Demidov’s case is to be able to remain consistent in every game. This is something he has the opportunity to learn by playing with experienced KHL players like Evgeny Kuznetsov.

A Stanley Cup champion like Kuznetsov not only has the talent to help Demidov’s progression, but also allows him to learn how to establish himself as a top player.

Michkov and Demidov still have a long way to go before they reach the level of Zubov and Datsyuk, but they’re on the right track.

.

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Filip Mesar out for eight to ten weeks

LAVAL, QC - OCTOBER 18: Laval Rocket right wing Filip Mesar (48) plays the puck during the game between the Rochester Americans versus the Laval Rocket on October 18, 2023 at Place Bell in Laval, QC (Photo by David Kirouac/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Everything was going well for Filip Mesar.

He had collected five points in his first five games of the season with the Canadiens’ AHL training camp… Before suffering an injury.

And said injury is still significant, according to what the Rocket announced in the final minutes.

Here’s what you need to know: Mesar is suffering from a lower-body injury that will force him to miss eight to ten weeks of activity.

This is a major blow for him and for the Rocket.

Vincent Arseneau, Laurent Dauphin and Brandon Gignac are on the sidelines, but are being evaluated on a daily basis.

We hardly talk about it, but the Laval Rocket is off to a blazing start.

Pascal Vincent’s team has won five of its first six games of the season and is in 2nd place in its division, behind the Toronto Marlies, who have a 6-0-0 record.

Getting back to Mesar, the injury is a shame because we felt he was playing with a lot of confidence after being cut by the Canadiens at practice camp.

In the five games he played, the forward was involved on the ice and his coach wasn’t afraid to use him because the Slovak was doing things the right way.

Let’s hope his confidence is still at 1000 when he’s able to return to action, because I get the impression that he’s winning points with management.