Author: Dose

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It was against the Canadiens that Chris Kreider put the Rangers to shame

RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA - MAY 11: Chris Kreider #20 of the New York Rangers looks on before a face-off against the Carolina Hurricanes during the second period in Game Four of the Second Round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs at PNC Arena on May 11, 2024 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Josh Lavallee/NHLI via Getty Images)

Yesterday, we learned that the New York Rangers, in an effort to shake things up a bit, put the for-sale sign in front of the locker of two players: Chris Kreider and Jacob Trouba.

In Trouba’s case, it’s not surprising. The Rangers tried to trade him this summer, but failed. One suspects that his days in the Big Apple are numbered.

But he refused to leave. And at $8 million a year for two more years, he’s not the most sought-after player.

But Chris Kreider’s case comes a little more out of the blue. After all, he’s an important player in the Rangers’ identity, and there’s every reason to believe that he’s appreciated in the dressing room.

He earns $6.5m for just under three more years.

Why would the Rangers want to trade a player like him in a season when the club is aiming for the Stanley Cup? It’s probably not just to make room for Igor’s next contract, is it?

And it’s probably not just because the club disappoints.

(Credit: NHL.com)

According to what Renaud Lavoie told BPM Sports this morning, the break between the Rangers and the player happened a few months ago, during a game against the Canadiens.

And it’s an interesting story.

Basically, at a game against the Habs, Jim Ramsay (the Habs’ director of sports medicine and performance and head athletic therapist) was ignored by the Rangers, his employer of the past 30 years. There was no tribute to him during the game.

However, Chris Kreider took the time to chat with him after the game at MSG.

Renaud Lavoie notes that after the match, he was supposed to meet the media. He chose not to because he didn’t want to “represent the Rangers” due to the way Ramsay was treated.

Jacob Trouba then said that if Kreider didn’t talk, he wasn’t going to either. #Leadership101

This (among other things) is why the Rangers will try to trade Kreider – and Trouba – down the road. There are undoubtedly several reasons for this, but here’s a big one.

Clearly, a team that wants grit and talent can (indeed, must) call New York.

Overtime

– Oh.

– News from Noah Corson. He should be sentenced on January 29.

– Rocket: good crowds in Laval.

– Josh Anderson plays simpler, but he doesn’t break everything either. [JdeM]

– Ouch.

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Top-5: Miles Wood’s smashed stick hits his coach

The Canadiens weren’t playing last night, but it was an eventful night of hockey.

22 teams were in action.

Here are the results and highlights:

1. Miles Wood’s smashed stick hits his coach

An extremely frustrating evening for the Avalanche, who were never in the game against the Lightning.

Colorado allowed five goals in the first period. The game ended 8-2.

By the middle of the second period, Brandon Hagel already had five assists.

On Brayden Point’s goal, Alex Georgiev broke his stick on the post.

Miles Wood also broke his stick while retreating to the locker room…

And it’s going to cost him, because his paddle hit his coach Jared Bednar directly in the face.

Not strong, chief!

Both Avalanche goalies played half the game. Georgiev conceded three goals on 17 shots and Justus Annunen, five on 16.

2. Successful debut for Jim Montgomery

The Blues were in New York to take on the Rangers.

It was Jim Montgomery’s debut behind the Blues’ bench, and he made a successful entrance. 5-2 victory.

His first NHL goal came with the Blues against the Rangers. And his first Blues win came against the Rangers.

As for the game, Québécois Zachary Bolduc scored two goals.

He seems happy to have a coach who speaks his language.

On the Rangers’ side, Matt Rempe was in the news again…

For all the wrong reasons.

A completely useless shot…

3. Natural hat trick for Nico Hischier

Three consecutive goals: a feat that has its own NHL term.

It’s a natural hat trick, and a rare one at that. Yesterday, Nico Hischier pulled off the feat.

The captain scored his team’s second, third and fourth goals.

He now has 13 goals so far this season, three behind Sam Reinhart, Leon Draisaitl and the NHL’s top scorer.

The Devils easily disposed of the Nashville Predators 5-2.

The Preds’ disastrous season continues… Will David Jiricek save their season?

4. Matvei Michkov and Macklin Celebrini shine

The race for the Calder is shaping up to be an interesting one. In addition to Lane Hutson, Logan Stankoven, Matvei Michkov and Macklin Celebrini will all be contenders.

Yesterday, Michkov and Celebrini distinguished themselves.

The Russian scored a goal and, since being left out, has collected seven points in six games.

As for Celebrini, he collected three points, including two goals.

He may have missed a few games due to injury, but in the 12 games he played in, he scored 10 points.

Here’s a look at the Calder race :

(Credit: poolexpert)

5. Two players score their first NHL goal

Last night was probably the best day ever for two players.

Both players scored their first goal in the Bettman circuit. In Ottawa, Cole Reinhardt found the back of the net.

In Philadelphia, Emil Andrae did the same.

In 12 games this season, Andrae has one goal and three assists. He’s a Flyers second-round pick in 2020.

As for Reinhardt, he was also selected in 2020, but much further back (sixth round, 181st overall).

In three games with the Sens in 2024-2025, he already has two points. Since 2020-2021, he’s been looking good in Belleville.

Extension

– Claim him in your pools.

– Great defensive sequence!

– Finally.

– Superb save!

– Hagel obviously leads the charge.

(Credit: )

– Four teams, including the Habs, in action tonight.

(Credit: Google)
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Paul Bissonnette was attacked by six men in an Arizona restaurant

Former NHL player and co-host of the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast Paul Bissonnette was allegedly assaulted by six men in an Arizona restaurant on Sunday night.

This was reported by Jessica Johnson of FOX 10 Phoenix on Monday evening.

The events took place at a Houston’s restaurant in Scottsdale, Arizona, around 7:30pm on Sunday evening.

According to a Scottsdale Police representative, there was an altercation between six men and the restaurant’s management. It was then that Bissonnette allegedly tried to calm the six men and invite them to leave the premises.

Instead of responding calmly, the six men decided to physically assault Bissonnette inside and outside the restaurant, causing him injuries.

The good news is that all six men were arrested by the police. However, they have not been identified by police.

The nature of Bissonnette’s injuries has not been specified, but they are not believed to be life-threatening. He was, however, taken to hospital for evaluation.

It’s pretty crazy to hear stories like this, especially when all Bissonnette wanted to do was help the restaurant employees.

Bissonnette was a tough guy in the NHL and got into plenty of fights, but faced with six men, it’s understandable that the situation was completely different.

We should therefore expect him to take a few days off from his post on TNT and the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast.

We wish Bissonnette all the best for a speedy recovery.

Overtime

– This could be a good idea.

– A first game behind the Blues bench for Jim Montgomery.

– That’s right!

– The Lions receiver is doing well.

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Lucas Condotta loaned to Laval

This morning, the Canadiens recalled Joshua Roy from the Rocket.

But the club wasn’t finished moving.

This afternoon, we learned that Lucas Condotta is leaving for Laval:

More details to come…

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Tony DeAngelo: Ivan Demidov should never have slipped to 5th place

SAINT PETERSBURG, RUSSIA - 2024/10/28: Sergei Plotnikov (L), Ivan Demidov (C), Tony Deangelo, known as Anthony DeAngelo (R) SKA Hockey Club seen in action during the Hockey match, Kontinental Hockey League 2024/2025 between SKA Saint Petersburg and Sibir Novosibirsk at the Ice Sports Palace. (Final score; SKA Saint Petersburg 6:3 Sibir Novosibirsk). (Photo by Maksim Konstantinov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

In Montreal, we love Ivan Demidov.

Yes, we do… even though he hasn’t played a single career game in a Canadiens uniform.

It’s just like Lane Hutson and Cole Caufield, really. We were all looking forward to seeing them arrive in Montreal…

The excitement is there when we talk about the Canadiens’ prospects, because since his selection at No. 5 in the draft, positive comments have been coming from everywhere when he’s in the news.

Speaking of the draft, Tony DeAngelo believes that Demidov should never have slipped to the Canadiens.

He doesn’t understand why other teams ignored him, because according to the former NHL defenseman who now plays with Demidov in Russia, the latter is a “world-class” talent.

DeAngelo was on the Morning Cuppa Hockey podcast and he really wanted to give his teammate a shout-out:

During his appearance on the podcast, DeAngelo also stated that he sees Demidov becoming a 30-goal-per-season top-6 winger… In the worst-case scenario.

If – and I mean if – Demidov progresses as DeAngelo predicts, the Canadiens will have one of the best players in the National League on their hands.

But that’s what makes the defender’s comments so interesting: he’s around Demidov every day or so, and he’s in the best possible situation to see him progress… And you can’t discount the fact that DeAngelo knows the National League.

After all, he played eight seasons in the NHL, which is no mean feat. He knows what he’s talking about.

But we have to be careful here.

Obviously, as much as everyone wants DeAngelo to be right, chances are it won’t work out too. And I’m not saying that to denigrate Ivan Demidov’s talent: it can happen to any talented prospect who makes the jump to the NHL. There have been examples in the past, and it’s not to be dismissed.

On the other hand, when you see an 18-year-old succeed in the KHL because he’s got skills, because his skating is on point and because he has undeniable offensive qualities, that’s a good sign for the future.

And that’s obviously what DeAngelo focuses on when he sees his teammate on the ice.

Overtime

– Interesting.

– Artem Zub is out with a long-term injury.

– The three NHL stars of the week.

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Rangers and Senators ready to make big moves

RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA - MAY 11: Chris Kreider #20 of the New York Rangers looks on before a face-off against the Carolina Hurricanes during the second period in Game Four of the Second Round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs at PNC Arena on May 11, 2024 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Josh Lavallee/NHLI via Getty Images)

The Senators and Rangers are in the same boat.

On paper, both clubs have what it takes to be among the best in the National League.

But in both Ottawa and New York, the team’s performance is disappointing. And now there’s a lot of noise…

Let’s start with the Rangers.

The New York outfit has lost its last two games, and it looks like panic is setting in within the organization.

The Rangers got washed out 6-2 by the Oilers at home on Saturday night… And that’s got the executives over there wanting to get moving right now to send a message to the rest of the group.

In a tweet, Elliotte Friedman mentions the names of Chris Kreider and Jacob Trouba. Not a coincidence:

Is this a bit premeditated on the Rangers’ side?

After all, the club has a 12-6-1 record so far this season…

But there are two ways of looking at this. One: the team’s record is quite satisfactory. We’re keeping things on track to see if recent rough patches can be repaired.

The second: the Rangers have one of the league’s best forwards (Panarin), one of the league’s best defensemen (Fox) and possibly the league’s best goalie (Shesterkin).

It’s supposed to get better…

I can’t wait to see what they do. And I especially wonder what the value of a player like Trouba or Kreider would be…

It’s misery again in Ottawa

Still, still, still…

In Ottawa, it’s always the same thing. No matter how hard we try, the same disappointing result comes up again and again.

That said, knowing that “everything is on the line” with the Senators may not be such a bad thing.

In a text from Responsible Gambling, we learn that Ottawa executives are considering the idea of making a big deal:

Could Brady Tkachuk find himself at the heart of some rumours?

If the Sens want to make a big splash… Maybe by trading the captain, the Senators would be able to shake things up a bit.

Because I don’t see Tim Stützle and his potential changing addresses just yet.

On the other hand, Tkachuk is in his fourth season as Sens captain, and since his appointment, his club has been in dire straits.

Is it time to trade Tkachuk, despite his qualities on the ice?

Would it be enough to see the other players get the message and rise up to rock the boat?

That’s what we have to ask ourselves here.

Overtime

– Meanwhile, we wonder what the Penguins will do with Sidney Crosby.

– A returner for the Ducks.

– Wow.

– Really?

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Patrik Laine practices with a regular jersey

Great news in practice.

Patrik Laine, who resumed practice with the group in the last few days, no longer wears a jersey prohibiting him from receiving contact. He now has a regular jersey.

It’s another step towards a return to the game. We don’t know when that will be, but it confirms that it’s coming.

What my colleague Marc-Olivier Cook is reporting is that Laine is wearing a red sweater. It’s the same color as Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield and Alex Newhook, among others.

Will Laine play with the captain and #13 when he returns? The question arises.

Joshua Roy was also wearing a white jersey. Jake Evans, Kirby Dach and Juraj Slafkovsky also wore the same color.

Would Martin St-Louis want to try Roy at some point with Slaf and Dach in the middle? Who knows.

Details to come…

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Joshua Roy takes “quite a bit more control” than Logan Mailloux

The Canadiens are in a bad way. How do you get over it?

One solution that could be on the table, if the Canadiens wanted to do it, is to recall some of the Laval guys. But there are several aspects to consider when talking about recalls.

Firstly, the Habs like to see their youngsters win at the bottom rather than lose at the top.

Secondly, there has to be room. If we take the forwards, for example, we need to remember that Rafaël Harvey-Pinard and Patrik Laine are about to return to the game. So calling someone back isn’t on the table, for better or for worse.

But thirdly, the Laval boys have to earn it.

And on that subject, in his morning column on BPM Sports today, Anthony Marcotte said something that struck me when talking about the Laval Rocket’s last few days.

The voice of the Pickle Bowl Rocket believes that Joshua Roy is very involved and takes things in hand, and that he does so “quite a bit more” than a guy like Logan Mailloux, for example.

Even if Roy and Mailloux don’t play the same position, comparing them is interesting. After all, both wanted to make their mark in Montreal after camp, and both started the season in Laval.

Both obviously have the potential to help the Habs in the long term.

Mailloux, in his audition with the Habs this season, showed that he lacked a little something to become a full-time NHL player. And to hear Anthony Marcotte say that he doesn’t take things into his own hands enough, that’s not a good thing.

If he did, he’d be right up there. There’s no doubt in my mind.

Roy is still at the bottom because the Habs aren’t making room for him at the top (when it would have been possible to do so in the last few weeks) and that must be some kind of message. But at least hearing that he’s doing well down there is good news: he understands things.

Now it’s Logan Mailloux’s turn to do the same.

Overtime

– Only one game on the schedule yesterday: the Maple Leafs won 3-2 against Salt Lake City.

(Credit: NHL.com)

– 14 games today in the NHL… two on Tuesday… 15 on Wednesday… none on Thursday (for American Thanksgiving)… and 14 on Friday: it’s a strange week.

(Credit: Sportsnet)

– Lucas Beckman: a local goalie to watch. [TVA Sports]

– Don’t forget the 1960s: Serge Savard’s message.

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Players forced to walk to NHL games (in Toronto and Calgary)

“To get to the arena, I had to walk through a snowstorm”.

Maybe it’s your grandfather reminding us of the hardships of the past, but that’s also how Travis Boyd will be able to describe his first game with the Minnesota Wild.

The Minnesota native, who played his college hockey with Minnesota State University, signed a deal with the Wild this summer. However, he had yet to play a game with the team so far this season.

Boyd was finally recalled by his team to face the Flames in Calgary last night.

Caught in a traffic jam around the Scotiabank Saddledome, notably due to a snowstorm, Boyd had to park his vehicle and then run to the amphitheatre in running shoes in the snow.

A first game with his childhood team that Boyd will long remember. Unfortunately, the forward was blanked from the scoresheet.

But it’s not just in Calgary that players have to walk to their games.

Earlier in the day, the entire HC Utah team had to take a walk through downtown Toronto before their game against the Maple Leafs. The bus was unable to move in the city’s heavy traffic, and the players disembarked to walk to Scotiabank Arena.

At least the weather in the Queen City was milder on the march than in Calgary.

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Could the inexperience of the Utah organization explain the delay of the team bus? I imagine traffic in Toronto is a little more complicated than in Salt Lake City, but hey, they’ll find out next time!

By the way, tonight’s game between HC Utah and the Toronto Maple Leafs will also be an opportunity for the Nylander brothers, William and Alex, to play their first NHL game together with the same team.

Alex Nylander signed a one-year contract this summer as a free agent with the Toronto Marlies, but the Leafs’ numerous injuries forced his recall last Friday and the team offered him an entry-level contract.

This is the first opportunity for the two brothers, who have played against each other on numerous occasions in the past, to finally play a professional game with the same team.

Overtime

– Toronto wins the match.

– Big save!

– It’s tight at the half.

– Out for the season.

– Time to retire.

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The Canadiens need Sean Monahan’s production this season

Photo by Jason Mowry/Getty Images

Sean Monahan is off to a good start with the Columbus Blue Jackets. The forward already has twenty points, including seven goals in twenty games so far this year.

In particular, he’s on a seven-game point streak (1 goal, 6 assists) that coincides with his team’s three-game winning streak.

This winning streak gives the Jackets a respectable first quarter of the season, playing for .500 with a 9-9-2 record, three points out of the final playoff spot.

Sean Monahan’s production also allowed him to make Columbus club history by becoming the third player to score at least twenty points in their first twenty games with the team. He joins Andrew Cassels and Johnny Gaudreau.

Although unintentionally, the former Canadiens player found another way to honor the memory of his good friend Johnny Hockey.

In fact, Monahan’s good start to the campaign could have helped the Habs perform better this season. His production of one point per game would make him the team’s leading scorer so far this season.

His presence would also make for a more balanced attack, while Monahan could have helped the contribution of our second line.

I understand why trading Monahan made sense from a rebuilding point of view, but it really felt like the organization sacrificed the present for the future.

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Yes, we got a good return with a first-round pick from the Jets who we then traded to the Kings to pick up excellent prospect Michael Hage, but who’s going to be able to help the team in what? One year, two years, maybe more?

However, Monahan is the kind of veteran you want on your team, who will lead by example and bring a good ethic to the youngsters.

This is really the first move in the rebuild where I’ve felt the team regress and start to fall in the standings following the Monahan trade. And you have to wonder if it’s the same regression we’re feeling so far this season.

In short, let’s hope Sean Monahan can keep up the momentum and have a good season with the Blue Jackets.

Overtime

– The solution?

– Ouch…

– It doesn’t stay that way for long.

– Big win for the Packers.

– The Broncos are to be taken seriously.

– Duel of birds.

– Silver for Canada.