Author: Dose

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David Savard skates with the players who will not play tonight.

NEWARK, NJ - NOVEMBER 07: David Savard #58 of the Montreal Canadiens skates during the game against the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center on November 7, 2024 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Rich Graessle/NHLI via Getty Images)

Today, the Canadiens are in Winnipeg to face the Jets in the evening. After the crushing defeat on Thursday night against the Penguins, the team will want to try to get back on the right track.

And above all, to avoid imploding in the third period as they did on Thursday.

On the sidelines of the game, the CH did not hold a proper morning skate… but it was known that the extras were going to skate this morning.

Among the guys who skated was David Savard, who missed his team’s last game due to an upper-body injury.

So we can assume he will miss a second consecutive game.

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In the images captured by Renaud Lavoie (TVA Sports), we see the defender in discussion with a man who appears to be Stéphane Robidas, the team’s assistant. We can think that he was on the ice with Savard to be able to see how #58 is doing.

They probably don’t want to play him if he is still affected by the ailment he is carrying, after all.

More details to come…

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Cam Fowler traded to the St. Louis Blues

The Ducks are missing their #1 defenseman, Cam Fowler.

Earlier this morning, I was talking to you about the fact that there have been developments in the National Hockey League regarding trades over the past few weeks.

We’ve passed the quarter mark of the season, and the holiday trade freeze period is fast approaching.

Teams are rushing to make trades before the end of the year.

We’ve just learned that Anaheim Ducks defenseman Cam Fowler has just been traded to the St. Louis Blues.

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Fowler and a fourth-round pick are heading to St. Louis in exchange for a second-round pick and a minor-league prospect.

It should be noted that the Ducks are retaining 38.5% of Fowler’s salary, which is $6.5 million for one more season after the current 2024-2025 season.

Details to come

In Brief

– To read.

– This will be worth following.

– No one is talking about it, but the Trois-Rivières Lions are having an excellent start to the season.

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Eight thawed games with six goals or more: a first in CH history after 29 matches

Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images

Practically everyone bought into the reconstruction plan of the duo Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton a few years ago.

We all agreed to be patient and suffer through a few more seasons to eventually have a competitive team in the long run.

The problem, however, is that currently, this patience is turning into disinterest and frustration among many CH fans who do not see any progress this season.

Indeed, the Tricolore is not showing any real improvement this season, as it still languishes at the bottom of the NHL while watching some of its promising young players greatly disappoint.

Of course, there are positives this season, like the special teams that are functioning very well and the offensive play that is clearly better, but in the end, what stands out are the defensive woes and the lack of character.

It is absolutely not normal for the club to be completely blown out so many times in such a few games.

When the floodgates open, they open far too wide, as the players seem to give up and are already thinking about what they will do when they get back to the hotel or home.

It’s so pathetic that you have to say it’s the first time in CH history that the club has given up six goals or more in eight of its first 29 games of the season.

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Indeed, this is the statistic reported by Martin Leclerc during the last episode of Tellement Hockey.

The CH is logically leading the way this season in the entire NHL for this statistic.

The Pittsburgh Penguins, who beat the CH 9-2, are in second place with six games where they have given up six goals or more, while the New York Rangers and the Philadelphia Flyers are in third place with four games.

In short, the CH looks very bad with this statistic, and what is even more serious in all of this is that four of these games ended with a margin of four goals or more against the opponent.

  • October 22: Loss 7-2 against the New York Rangers
  • October 29: Loss 8-2 against the Seattle Kraken
  • November 23: Loss 6-2 against the Vegas Golden Knights
  • December 12: Loss 9-2 against the Pittsburgh Penguins

And the worst part is that these blowouts all took place at the Bell Centre at home in front of the CH fans.

It’s sad to think that the club has often given up in front of its own fans.

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There is clearly a blatant lack of character in the Tricolore this season, which is concerning for the future, as it really seems like the guys have become accustomed to and comfortable with losing and getting blown out by many goals.

The players are giving up and seem to simply be waiting for the final buzzer without putting in any effort.

Yet, character is one of the main elements sought by Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes when they draft and acquire different players.

This is clearly not showing this season.

We all thought things had changed in the last weeks and days with the return of Patrik Laine, but Thursday’s game just proved the opposite.

The CH stopped playing in the third period, leaving its goaltenders completely alone.

It’s really unfortunate, because the CH was entering into a stretch with several winnable games against rather weak teams.

With a win against the Penguins on Thursday, the CH would have been five points out of the playoffs with a game in hand on the Philadelphia Flyers and could have continued this stretch with positive momentum.

Currently, it’s quite the opposite, as Martin St-Louis’ squad will try to bounce back against the best team in the NHL, the Winnipeg Jets, after suffering its biggest loss of the season.

In Brief

– The Rocket will be in action tonight.

– Very interesting.

– Wow.

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Rumor corner: the Canucks are looking to trade Vincent Desharnais

CALGARY, AB - SEPTEMBER 28: Vancouver Canucks Defenceman Vincent Desharnais (73) in action during the third period of an NHL preseason game between the Calgary Flames and the Vancouver Canucks on September 28, 2024, at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, AB. (Photo by Brett Holmes/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

With a quarter of the 2024-2025 season already behind us, things are starting to move in the National Hockey League.

Indeed, in recent days and weeks, Alexandar Georgiev, Mackenzie Blackwood, Jacob Trouba, and David Jiricek have all changed addresses.

And according to the latest rumors, this could continue.

It hasn’t worked out for Vincent Desharnais with the Canucks

This summer, during the free agency period in the NHL, one of the signings that caught attention in Quebec was Vincent Desharnais’s deal with Vancouver.

The 6-foot-7 Quebec defenseman made a name for himself with the Edmonton Oilers last season, establishing himself as a solid depth defenseman.

He signed a nice two-year contract worth $2 million per year with the Vancouver Canucks to pursue his NHL career.

However, so far, things haven’t really worked out for Desharnais with the Canucks, as he has played only 17 of his team’s 28 games.

He has been sidelined on several occasions, and as of the latest news, the Canucks are reportedly trying to find a better fit for Desharnais.

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This was recently reported by Elliotte Friedman.

Desharnais is therefore already on his way out of Vancouver, and if this is the case, several teams could be interested in such a tough 6-foot-7 defenseman.

Could the Montreal Canadiens be among those interested teams?

Why not, as Desharnais is a right-handed defenseman who could form a very dangerous pairing with Arber Xhekaj.

Desharnais is the kind of player you always prefer to have on your side.

Xhekaj would thus avoid getting injured again against the tough Quebecer.

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The Sabres receiving multiple calls for Dylan Cozens

Now, that’s an interesting case.

Again this season, the Buffalo Sabres look set to miss the playoffs, as they have only one more point than the Canadiens.

Several elements just aren’t fitting in Buffalo, including Dylan Cozens, who seems to have completely lost his touch.

Two seasons ago, the 23-year-old Canadian forward scored 31 goals and 68 points, but this season, he has only 13 points and six goals in 29 games.

As Elliotte Friedman reported, this situation has sparked several rumors, given that many teams are interested in the 6-foot-3 right-handed center.

The problem is that Cozens already has a hefty contract, with six seasons (including this one) remaining at $7.1 million per year.

His current production rate is really far from that value.

In short, it’s a situation to watch closely, and it brings to mind Kirby Dach with the Canadiens.

Dach (3rd overall) was drafted the same year as Cozens (7th overall) and is a 23-year-old center who is struggling significantly this season.

Could a potential “swap deal” be a possibility?

To be continued.

In Brief

– Read.

– Listen.

– Wow.

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The CH has not scored in its last ten outings.

Yesterday, the Tricolore suffered a drubbing in front of its fans, and the first-degree analysis shows us another match where the CH completely packed it in after allowing two quick goals in the third period.

Since the Canadiens have difficulty coming back this year, the team must find a way to equalize quickly and seize its opportunities when they arise.

The CH is not doing this at present, and the following statistic is very telling. The Tricolore has not scored a goal on its last 10 breakaways.

 

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It may seem trivial, but it may have cost two games to the CH, the last two lost.

Yesterday, Christian Dvorak had a golden opportunity to bring the Canadiens back into the game in the middle of the second period when he found himself alone in front of Tristan Jarry. He failed to beat him. The Tricolore let the game slip away.

Last Saturday against the Capitals, the CH squandered four breakaways in the third period while the score was tied 2-2. The Tricolore let the game slip away.

Yes, it is true that the CH has a lot to correct, including the level of confidence which seems so fragile. But one way to correct it is to take advantage of those opportunities that are rare in a game.

The Tricolore should perhaps ask Paul Byron to conduct a clinic on how to score on breakaways, as it was his specialty when he played. If the CH has already held a clinic on face-offs, why not one for breakaways?

When a team lacks raw talent, it must find a way to be opportunistic, and at this moment, the CH is not.

In brief

– Crazy the talent left aside.

– Vincent Desharnais on the market.

Michael Hage is back.

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Ivan Demidov is not behaving properly, according to Alex Kovalev.

Ivan Demidov has been making Canadiens fans salivate since being selected 5th overall in this year’s draft. He gets limited playing time in the KHL (thanks to his coach), but still manages to get on the score sheet regularly.

While almost everyone in Montreal agrees that the young man can do nothing and must be patient, Alex Kovalev does not share the same opinion.

The former NHL player spoke with Responsible Gambling and did not hold back.

«He is not acting the right way. It’s not good to just sit there and play six minutes a game, with the plan to leave in six months to play in the NHL» – Alex Kovalev

He added that Demidov needs to do everything possible to get ice time.

Let’s put things into context. Everyone knows that Demidov wants to make the jump to North America, and it is known that when such a situation arises, it does not please coaches in Russia.

As a result, the young player is often benched despite good performances when he is on the ice.

What more can he do? Kovalev suggests that he have a discussion with his coach, but there’s no telling whether that has already been done. It’s not like Demidov looks bad on the ice when he gets playing time.

At the same time, Kovalev has coaching experience in the KHL, but it is still hard to understand his viewpoint regarding his young compatriot.

In a nutshell

– Quite a fight.

– A lot of talent in this team.

– Quite special.

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Ivan Demidov is not behaving properly, according to Alex Kovalev.

SAINT PETERSBURG, RUSSIA - 2024/09/23: Ivan Demidov (91) of SKA Hockey Club is seen in action during the hockey match in the 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 has been making Canadiens fans salivate since being selected 5th overall in this year’s draft. He gets limited playing time in the KHL (thanks to his coach), but still manages to get on the score sheet regularly.

While almost everyone in Montreal agrees that the young man can do nothing and must be patient, Alex Kovalev does not share the same opinion.

The former NHL player spoke with Responsible Gambling and did not hold back.

«He is not acting the right way. It’s not good to just sit there and play six minutes a game, with the plan to leave in six months to play in the NHL» – Alex Kovalev

He added that Demidov needs to do everything possible to get ice time.

Let’s put things into context. Everyone knows that Demidov wants to make the jump to North America, and it is known that when such a situation arises, it does not please coaches in Russia.

As a result, the young player is often benched despite good performances when he is on the ice.

What more can he do? Kovalev suggests that he have a discussion with his coach, but there’s no telling whether that has already been done. It’s not like Demidov looks bad on the ice when he gets playing time.

At the same time, Kovalev has coaching experience in the KHL, but it is still hard to understand his viewpoint regarding his young compatriot.

In a nutshell

– Quite a fight.

– A lot of talent in this team.

– Quite special.

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CMJ: Ethan Gauthier and Mathieu Cataford make the team

It’s done: the official lineup for Canada for the upcoming Junior World Championship has been released.

And there are some nice surprises.

First, the only two Quebecers invited (Ethan Gauthier and Mathieu Cataford) have been selected for the team.

Here is the complete final lineup:

The team is very well-equipped on paper, but there are a few surprising names that have been cut.

First, the 3rd overall pick from the last draft, Beckett Sennecke, did not make the team.

A total of three top-10 picks from the last draft, including Sennecke, failed to secure a spot.

The other two are defensemen Carter Yakemchuk (7th) and Zayne Parekh (9th).

Three very big surprises, just like Andrew Cristall and Matthew Wood (who made the team last year).

Before criticizing some decisions, it is important to understand that Parekh and Yakemchuk are two very offensive right-handed defensemen, and a defensive brigade cannot consist solely of that.

We must balance everything and not just take the most talented players, as there needs to be good cohesion.

Also, experience is important, and that’s where the 19-year-olds come into play.

Players who are 18 years old and just drafted rarely become a priority when building a Canadian team for the WJC, unless the player is sensational.

Speaking of exceptional players, young prodigy Gavin McKenna (16, soon 17) has been selected, along with defenseman Matthew Schaefer and goalie Jack Ivankovic.

These three players are the only ones in the final roster born in 2007.

In short, despite the overlooked players (who would also make an excellent team), Canada will once again be able to count on an excellent team.

We simply need to see effort and heart at work, and everything should go well for the Canadians.

I can’t wait to see this edition of the WJC.

In Brief

– This contradicts a lot of what Nick Suzuki said yesterday after the game.

– This will never top the time Pavel Datsyuk embarrassed Logan Couture by sending him to the ground with his masterful dekes.

– Too bad…

– Interesting.

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Several supporters of other teams are mocking Lane Hutson.

Ah, how we love little Lane Hutson in Montreal.

It’s normal to be this excited to have such an electrifying player on a team that is currently struggling.

Even though he hasn’t scored any goals yet and has some defensive shortcomings, he frequently creates scoring chances and regularly makes the highlights.

However, reading this article from TVA Sports, we understand that fans from other teams do not understand at all the intense enthusiasm surrounding the little defenseman.

In fact, many of them greatly mock his little “step backs” that never lead to a goal.

In this TVA Sports article, there are many inserted tweets showing the hatred towards the rookie.

You can even see it for yourself by searching “Lane Hutson ” in the Twitter/X search bar, or by clicking right here.

It’s ridiculous the amount of hateful comments about #48 of the Habs.

Here are a few others that caught my attention. Sarcasm is often present in these tweets/retweets.

There’s even an internet user suggesting sending Lane Hutson to the American League.

And it’s not necessarily because they don’t like the style of player he is, it’s pure hatred.

Obviously, these tweets should be taken with a grain of salt, as most of them seem to be fans of the Maple Leafs, the Bruins, or simple “haters of the Habs.

To return to the tweet above, it’s true that his -14 performance is far from good, but we have to keep in mind that he is playing with several players who are struggling.

We all know that he is not a defensive pillar and will make mistakes. He’s a 20-year-old rookie defenseman, we have to give him time to learn.

As we can see in the next tweet, these haters do not seem to understand that there aren’t many players on the team who have the hockey IQ to keep up with him.

“Every highlight of Lane Hutson is just him dancing around with the puck without a precise goal. His highlights never result in a goal or an assist.”

No, Hutson has no goals yet, but that’s coming and to say it never results in an assist is crazy.

He still has 19 assists this season, with a mediocre team, in his rookie season a third of the way through the season.

Moreover, in the sequence of the last tweet, we see the beautiful pass he made to Christian Dvorak, who then zipped through the air…

You can’t expect much more from Hutson when you see what Dvorak is doing on the ice… Hutson has created several opportunities; he did everything for Dvo, but the result summarizes the overall season of the Habs.

Wait until the little defenseman is better surrounded, with the imminent arrivals of Ivan Demidov (who was recently named MVP of a 3 on 3 tournament today) and Michael Hage, among others.

Then it will be even more interesting, but much less pleasant for rival Habs fans.

In Brief

– Ethan Gauthier and Mathieu Cataford made the team. Matthew Wood (who was there last year) and Zayne Parekh, among others, were cut.

– Bedard is still the 3rd youngest player in the NHL and leads his team in points.

– Well.

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Ivan Demidov is named MVP of a 3 vs. 3 tournament in Russia.

The “Channel One Cup” tournament continues in Russia.

Today, no matches were scheduled to make way for a small three-on-three competition held between representatives from Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and the rest of the world. A bit like what we see at the NHL All-Star Game, really.

Demidov wore the “C” on his jersey:

The hope of CH stood out during the mini competition.

His team secured their spot in the finals, and Demidov scored a goal (penalty shot) and provided an assist during the match.

His highlights can be found right here:

His team won the mini tournament, and Demidov played an important role during the “competition.”

He was even named MVP of the mini tournament:

Recently, things have been tough for Demidov with SKA.

And the reason is simple: his coach, Roman Rotenberg, is not utilizing him effectively.

But perhaps seeing him win the MVP title during the mini tournament will help him gain confidence.

Lastly, let’s remember that the matches of the “Channel One Cup” tournament are set to resume tomorrow.

At this level, I’m looking forward to seeing if Rotenberg (who is the coach of Russia) will trust Demidov after watching him perform well today.

Stay tuned.

In Brief

– Oh.

– Sick.

– Well then. I hope…

– Oh really?