Author: Dose

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Free agents: Max Pacioretty among the best players still available

There’s been a lot of action in the NHL since the beginning of July.

Some clubs have improved, others have seen important players leave via the free agent market…

But right now, there are still players without contracts for next season. Who are they?

In compiling a list of the top 15 guys still available, I realized that there aren’t necessarily a lot of attractive players out there right now. But there are some, like…

  • Max Pacioretty
  • Jack Roslovic
  • Matt Grzelcyk
  • Ilya Samsonov
  • Robby Fabbri
  • TJ Brodie
  • Daniel Sprong
  • Connor Sheary
  • Alexandar Georgiev
  • Victor Olofsson
  • Evgeny Kuznetsov
  • James Reimer
  • Joel Kirivanta
  • Jakub Vrana
  • Kevin Labanc

We all agree: this isn’t an exceptional list in the sense that any of these players can take a club all the way to the Stanley Cup.

What I’m wondering is whether any club will give a chance to Max Pacioretty, who is 36 years old and not (really) the same player he used to be…

The former Habs captain scored nine goals in his last two NHL seasons (one with the Capitals and one with the Leafs).

He must have missed some games in recent years, too, as he was injured more often than not. He’s only played 128 games since the 21-22 season…

On the other hand, Pacio was (really) good in the playoffs in Toronto (eight points, including three goals in 11 games) in a more limited role, and he’s found a way to bring energy to his club by playing more physically.

That’s why we thought his playoff performances would have allowed him to sign a new deal in the first few weeks of July, which didn’t happen.

But if teams continue to ignore him, we shouldn’t be surprised to see him hang up his skates. He did say at the Leafs’ post-season wrap-up that he missed his family last season and was looking forward to getting home to spend time with his kids…

We’ll have to keep an eye on that. But perhaps, seeing the list of players still available, a team will decide to offer him a new contract… because he’s still capable of making an impact on the ice, as we saw in the recent NHL playoffs.

Overtime

– Love this.

– Notice to interested parties.

– Looks promising for what’s to come.

– Oh.

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Lane Hutson has not yet signed his new contract

We know two things in particular about Lane Hutson’s next contract.

1. The Canadiens’ defenseman is likely to be expensive, very expensive…

2. The contract has not yet been signed, even though Hutson has been in a position to do so since July 1.

Is the Canadiens really in a hurry?

In the eyes of Marco D’Amico(TSN 690), not necessarily. The Habs can take as much time as they want to sit down with Hutson and figure out how much he’ll be able to get, and obviously the goal is to find a deal that works for both sides.

That’s going to happen eventually. Then again, it will be interesting to see how much money he earns annually…

Hutson has the arguments on his side to sign a monster contract.

The salary cap will rise in the next few years, he’s had one of the best rookie seasons in NHL history… And we know that several good young defensemen in the league have signed big deals in recent years (Brock Faber, Moritz Seider, Owen Power and Jake Sanderson come to mind).

But the way I see it, it would really be more ideal to offer Hutson a contract extension sometime soon-before the next season starts.

And my reasoning is simple: if Hutson has a better season than 24-25, it’s going to cost even more. He’ll be even better surrounded than he was in his first year in the National League, and he could see his production increase because of all that, too.

Kent Hughes isn’t afraid to offer big money to his youngsters because he did it with Juraj Slafkovsky in 2024 (July 1). We might have expected the same with Hutson, but it didn’t happen.

So it remains to be seen how this one will pan out. But it sounds like I’d like it to happen before the start of the next campaign… and I’m sure I’m not the only one who thinks so.

Overtime

– Of note.

– Nice list.

– (Another) new start for Ismaël Koné?

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Matvei Michkov doesn’t like dump and chase: he finds it “exhausting”

Matvei Michkov is hard to follow because he’s full of contradictions.

Remember the time he said he didn’t want to do Michigan in the NHL… only to suddenly change his mind a few days later.

Is this the Trevor Zegras effect?

And now we have another example of how he likes to contradict himself. Good luck to his new coach (Rick Tocchet, who loves old-school hockey) with Michkov and Zegras…

The Russian likes to contradict himself because he keeps saying he wants to make the Flyers a playoff club, but he’s clearly not interested in doing what it takes to get there in the short term.

In an interview, Michkov said he didn’t like dump-and-chase, the action of pushing the puck deep into the opponent’s zone and fighting to get it back.

The Canadiens didn’t draft him for a reason, huh. #RedFlag

The Flyers player says he prefers to keep the puck and possession of the disc to enter the opposing zone via a deke instead of going for it behind the opposing net.

He finds it “exhausting” to do. #PoorPetitPit

On the one hand, we agree that it’s not the most exciting hockey. But on the other, no one said he couldn’t keep the disc if he saw an opening on the ice.

But on a rink smaller than the dimensions in Russia, and with NHL defenses that are excellent, he often has no choice.

If he doesn’t, loses the disc and doesn’t fall back, his new coach won’t be happy. And rightly so, since good teams use dump and chase when necessary.

If the Panthers didn’t use it, they wouldn’t have two rings. And if Michkov doesn’t want to use it, he’ll have May and June off for years to come.

overtime

– Can’t wait for hockey to come back.

Who else is going to the Habs Prospect Showdown game on Sept. 14? 🤔

[image or embed]

– /r/Habs(@habsonreddit.bsky.social) July 19, 2025 at 7:48 PM

– What to do with Patrik Laine? [TSN 690]

– Ah well, yes.

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Keith Tkachuk shows he knows how to throw a party at his son’s wedding

Ahh, the Tkachuk family…

For the past few years, the family has been the talk of the town. Matthew has two rings since joining the Panthers, and his brother Brady is also a major player in Ottawa.

The Four Nations Confrontation has also helped them become the talk of the town.

But we also know them because their father (Keith) was an excellent player in the National Hockey League. He put the Tkachuk family name on the hockey map.

And recently, we’ve had further proof that the brothers’ attitude doesn’t come from next door.

At Matthew’s wedding, Keith Tkachuk was seen being lifted by several people and dancing and banging his fists in the air. Pink Pony Club was the song playing.

Images of all this were taken and posted on social networks.

You can also see, with proper observation, that Brady is in the video. He’s not wearing a shirt (for some reason) and he’s dancing close to his dad, who’s in the air.

You can see that Keith is pretty massive. Hats off to the guys who lift him like that.

It’s safe to assume that Keith is currently less banged up than his son Matthew, who is not guaranteed to start next season due to injuries sustained in recent months.

It makes for good footage, anyway.

overtime

– A page turns.

– Up next.

– Wow.

– Logical.

– Good question.

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Alexander Zharovsky: the Habs have good reason to let him develop in Russia

Alexander Zharovsky’s name is becoming increasingly popular in Montreal. After all, even if he wasn’t drafted in the first round, we know he’s got first-round talent.

The Habs didn’t draft him in the first round in 2025 either, which changes expectations a little for the Russian.

Expectations aren’t the same for Owen Beck as they are for Alexander Zharovsky, let’s say. The pure talent isn’t the same, even though both were early second-round picks.

Recently, the Canadiens’ new top prospect has been the talk of the town – of necessity.

We learned that his club in Russia is having money problems, and it was easy to make the connection with his situation in Montreal. Will the Habs be in a position to get him out of Russia before the end of his contract, which runs until 2027? The question arises.

Marco D’Amico, who has a hand in the Zharovsky matter on the heels of his job at RG Media, was asked to comment on the situation on TSN 690.

Basically, nothing is decided in advance. It’ll be year by year.

What you also need to know is that his Russian club (Ufa) gave him ice time in the playoffs even though he’d never played in the KHL before. He’s earned it and he’s loved there.

D’Amico also mentions that a club in financial difficulty tends to play its youngsters because their salary doesn’t count against the cap. And since clubs have to play a player 21 and under, giving Zharovsky ice time makes sense.

And from the Habs’ point of view?

The question is, what would his role be if he were to potentially come to Quebec now? He wouldn’t be playing in Montreal, and the Rocket has a club full of players who can play in the top-9.

If the Habs are sure he’ll have a good role in Ufa and they know they’d have more or less room for him in North America, there’s no rush to get him across the ocean, is there? To me, that’s a good reason to let him develop in a top league.

I’m not saying the Habs wouldn’t love to have him here. But what’s the point of breaking his contract over there to bring him under these conditions?

overtime

– Oh yeah.

– We understand why he’s going.

– Joël Bouchard loves his role. [LP]

– He relaunches the debate.

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BPM Sports: no, Michel Villeneuve will not co-host the comeback show

“What’s up with BPM Sports, Max?”

If you only knew how many times I’ve been asked that question over the past few days. And when I say people, I’m talking as much about the station’s loyal listeners as I am about people from the Québécois sports and/or media scene.

So, what’s going on?

You’ll understand that I can’t write everything down. For 1,001 reasons.

But the departures of Tony Marinaro and Martin Lemay – who hosted two of the four shows on the weekday schedule – are the talk of the town. And rightly so!

What can we divulge on this July 21, 2025?

1. Tony Marinaro decided to leave the station several weeks ago. Tony brought freshness to the BPM Sports schedule in a difficult time slot for sports talk. He’s under contract for a few more weeks, and will announce in due course the new slot where he’ll be talking sports (among other things) in French. Because he’s not done with his Francophone adventure yet.

2. For his part, Martin Lemay learned last week that the station preferred to go in a different direction – that is, with a different voice – for its comeback show. No, it wasn’t Martin Lemay’s performance that prompted RNC Média’s bosses to do this.

Let’s just say that if you put your house up for sale and it’s costing you a lot to run/maintain, and you quickly get the price you want, but you’re not due to take possession until six months after the accepted offer to purchase, chances are you’ll cut back so you don’t lose too much money before going to the notary, right? #ReadBetweenLines

3. The morning show (Max Lalonde, Gilbert Delorme and Anthony Désaulniers) and Laraque – Gonzalez should return to a time slot and format similar to what they were in 2024-25. Laraque – Gonzalez achieved the station’s best ratings last spring, and the morning show has been on a strong upward trend for the past 18 months.

Expect fewer star contributors than last year, however.

4. I don’t think we’ll be trying to replace the inimitable Tony Marinaro. I’m repeating myself, but scoring between 10:00 and 11:00 in the morning has always been very difficult at 91.9 Sports/BPM Sports.

Remember the analogy of the house that’s already sold, but the deed is still pending..

5. Who will replace Martin Lemay when he returns? I’m told an announcement will be made in August. If I were forced to gamble (legally) a few hundred dollars, I’d be tempted to put it on “a voice that listeners already know and hear on the station.”

But I don’t like gambling. Money’s much too hard to earn to go out and lose it like that..

Oh yes, the rumour that Sylvain Chamberland (Arsenal Média), Réjean Tremblay, David Garel(Hockey30) and Michel Villeneuve will be accompanying us on our return home is false. Bertrand Girard(Hostile Offer) had some very good information about the morning and lunchtime schedules, but the rumours he was hearing about the return show were wrong.

I’m not saying these people won’t ever get a microphone on BPM, but it just won’t happen for four hours next September..

6. I don’t know if we’ll continue to broadcast a live show on weekends. If so, it will be a show where young people will continue to gain experience, but I have big doubts about that possibility.

7. I’m far from convinced that the station will continue to broadcast Rocket and CF Montreal games in 2026. We’ll respect our agreement with the Montreal CF, which expires at the end of this year. But everyone I spoke to told me that nothing had been signed for 2026. Neither with the Rocket nor with the Montreal CF.

It will be interesting to see what the people in place in the future decide to do with live sports broadcasting. Will it be part of their strategy?

8. Several star contributors will not be returning. Bob Hartley, André Tourigny, Mathias Brunet, Simon “Snake” Boisvert, Alain Crête, Éric Bélanger, Renaud Lavoie, Martin Leclerc, Pierre Dorion, Anthony Marcotte… many of them will be leaving. It remains to be seen who will stay.

9. It will also be interesting to see whether the Athletic Commission will remain a priority for the brand. Its creator, Alexandre Panneton, is now VP at CF Montréal, and a few big podcasts could be leaving for other climes, I’m told.

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Marc-André Fleury has been linked to the Oilers

Connor McDavid is a year away from the end of his contract. And I wonder what he’s thinking.

The Edmonton Oilers’ star forward has never seemed like someone who wanted to leave at any cost. But it does make you wonder how he sees the club’s future.

Yes, Leon Draisaitl is here to stay. But what about depth? Defensively? In front of the net?

If the Oilers don’t improve in front of the net, the club will always struggle to get to the next level. And so far, the club has done nothing to improve that aspect of the game this summer.

Can the club improve this late in the summer? Yes… but it won’t be easy.

Allan Mitchell (The Athletic ) suggested that the Oilers look to Marc-André Fleury to find an assistant to Stuart Skinner for next season.

We know that he’s retired and that other teams have already tried to bring him back to the NHL – without success, obviously.

Maybe this could work and Flower could be the solution in Alberta. Maybe he’ll agree to leave his family in Minnesota (and his opportunity to learn on the Wild’s second floor once in a while) to play in Edmonton.

I don’t believe it, but I’m not saying it’s completely impossible.

Would Skinner be well surrounded by Fleury? In season, yes. But you know as well as I do that the Oilers’ problem in front of the net is in the playoffs, not in the season.

And Flower is notorious for giving up a few goals in important moments.

In any case, if the Québécois were in Edmonton, Skinner would still be the #1 goalie in the playoffs, which wouldn’t solve the problem. The problem is that the Oilers need another #1 goalie in his prime.

So while it would be nice to see the Québécois back in the league, I don’t see him as a solution in Alberta. He certainly couldn’t hurt (if he really wants to come back, which he doesn’t until proven otherwise), but he wouldn’t solve the club’s problems.

overtime

– The MLB trade deadline is approaching, and the clubs are in action.

– Pascal Dupuis would like to take his career to the next level: working in the NHL on player development. [LP]

– Ivan Demidov spends time in New York.

Ivan Demidov & his GF Katya in NYC

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– /r/Habs(@habsonreddit.bsky.social) July 20, 2025 at 5:10 PM

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Brendan Gallagher back on the D.N.: Grant McCagg doesn’t rule it out

The Canadiens made a number of changes over the summer, and the team’s bottom six has changed significantly.

In particular, the team let go of forwards Christian Dvorak and Joel Armia, who signed contracts with the Philadelphia Flyers and Los Angeles Kings respectively.

These two forwards played regularly on the short-handed and formed an effective penalty-killing duo.

They helped the Habs finish ninth in the NHL last season with an 80.9% efficiency rate short-handed.

Add in the loss of David Savard, who retired at the end of last campaign, and it quickly becomes apparent that the Canadiens have several positions to fill at the disadvantage.

One wonders who will replace them next season.

And in an ideal world, Nick Suzuki should play four-on-five as little as possible (if at all).

The Habs’ latest acquisition, center Joe Veleno, could be part of the answer.

The Montreal native says he’s up for the challenge if that’s the role the Canadiens want him to play.

Grant McCagg discussed the situation on the Recrutes Draftcast podcast and believes that two players could replace Dvorak and Armia: Brendan Gallagher and Alex Newhook.

In Gallagher’s case, he’s already played on the power play in the past.

What’s more, he’s the kind of player who’s not afraid to be physical and sacrifice himself, for example by blocking a shot – useful assets when it comes to killing penalties.

As for Newhook, McCagg believes it’s his speed that could be his main quality in smothering the opposing team’s massive attack.

On the other hand, the forward will have to improve in the face-off circle, because with a 42.8% rate last season, he’s likely to often use his speed to chase the puck.

It’s a little better for Veleno, who won 46.9% of his face-offs, but that’s a far cry from Dvorak’s 55.8%.

In short, it’ll be interesting to see who will play on the Habs’ power play this fall, and don’t forget that the club must also replace Savard on defense.

In Overtime

– Some free agents still available.

– The two survivors.

– What a night for Tarik Skubal!

– Ridiculous…

– A comeback at 46?

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Goals Michigan: Matvei Michkov wants to learn from the master Trevor Zegras

As the saying goes, only fools change their minds.

I reported last week that Matvei Michkov wanted to stop trying to score a goal in Michigan.

In an interview on the RG website, the Russian player claimed that one season was enough to try to score using the spectacular maneuver.

Well, plot twist!

We learn that Michkov hasn’t ruled out the idea of scoring a Lacrosse goal in the NHL after all.

After his failed attempts last season, he’s calmed down to the idea of trying to score a goal this way, but he hasn’t given up on the project just yet.

If possible, as early as next season.

What’s more, the Russian wants to take advantage of the arrival of Trevor Zegras, who scored a Michigan goal two years ago, to perfect his technique.

However, Michkov may not need a mentor, as he recently pulled off the maneuver at a charity game in Russia pitting NHL players against KHL players.

It’s really beautiful!

Let’s just say I was still surprised to see the Russian forward say he wouldn’t try for a Michigan goal again if he’d tried with John Tortorella as coach.

Tortorella must have had an ulcer every time Michkov tried.

Rick Tocchet, his new coach, is demanding and requires a lot of commitment from his players, but I’m still sure who’s going to handle this kind of fantasy from the young Russian better.

Tocchet’s arrival will undoubtedly give Mishkov more freedom in the attacking zone, but also more responsibility next season.

The forward will undoubtedly want to improve on his personal marks of 63 points and 26 goals in his second campaign in the National Hockey League.

In short, we can start taking bets on when Michkov will score his Michigan goal.

Overtime

– Montreal CF on the move.

– Reinforcement for the Phillies.

– Ten straight wins for the Brewers.

– The Astros forward explodes.

– Congratulations to both athletes!

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The Canadiens have resumed their three salary withholding periods

Last season, the Canadiens paid part of the salary of Jake Allen and Jeff Petry.

Kent Hughes traded these two guys to make room on his payroll – but he was forced to withhold money from both guys’ respective contracts to facilitate a trade.

The good news? Allen and Petry are off the Habs books.

What’s important to know here is what’s coming next.

Last season, the Canadiens used two of their three salary cap space.

They could have used another by trading Joel Armia, David Savard or Christian Dvorak… but they didn’t, because those guys stayed in town past the trade deadline.

Today, the Habs have more freedom in this area.

What’s my point here?

If Kent Hughes wants to trade Mike Matheson, Brendan Gallagher, Josh Anderson, Patrik Laine… He has room – and the option – to pay part of the salary of one of these players to facilitate a transaction.

(Credit): Getty Images

But it could also help Kent Hughes get his hands on another piece if he wants to get involved in a three-team deal.

How about this?

By withholding part of a player’s salary, the Canadiens GM could acquire a draft pick. And therein lies the interesting idea: if a club wants to make a move, and there are salary-related problems to help the said transaction… Hughes can get involved to gobble up a little bonus.

Reminder: In 2023, the Habs found a way to get a fifth-round pick and a prospect by withholding 25% of Nick Bonino’s salary to facilitate a trnsaction between the Sharks and Penguins.

It could happen again this year, as the team resumes its three salary withholding periods. But at the same time, teams have more money today than in recent seasons, thanks to the increase in the salary cap…

We know Kent Hughes: by doing this, he can get his hands on some interesting assets.

And we know that the Canadiens’ GM isn’t afraid of making moves like this… even if, today, holding out for a pick is only moderately useful, especially since the Canadiens are tight on cap space until Price is gone.

Overtime

– Good.

– To be continued.

– He’s going to be good.