Author: Dose

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Alexander Zharovsky: his Russian team has big money problems

Alexander Zharovsky was the first player drafted by the Habs last draft. The Habs selected him 34th, but the club feels it was really lucky to be able to pick him so late.

After all, the Habs had him near the 16th spot on their list… and we know they held the 16th and 17th picks at the last draft before trading them to the Islanders for a certain Noah Dobson.

That said, the young forward isn’t likely to make the leap to America for a while yet. He’s under contract in Russia until the end of the 2026-27 season, so he should spend the next two years there.

Now, Russian media outlet Business Online has published a piece on Zharovsky’s team in the KHL. And what we learn in this text is that Salavat Yulaev (the KHL team in which Zharovsky is expected to play this year) has very serious financial problems.

And it’s already having a major impact.

The club, which had a great season last year, was forced to let go several big names who were in town last year. The players were too expensive, and the club is already drowning in debt.

Last year, for example, some of the team’s players almost refused to play a game because their salaries were late in arriving. It was the team coach who convinced the players to take part in the match.

What you need to know is that, according to Business Online, over the last few years, Salavat has lost a good part of the money it was paid. Worse still, the money it does receive is now in the form of loans, which means that the club no longer has many financial resources.

In short, we need to find revenue… and that’s where Zharovsky’s case becomes interesting.

This week, our colleague Charles-Alexis Brisebois wrote an article in which he recounted the words of Zharovsky’s coach, Viktor Kozlov, and this sentence caught our attention:

Let the Canadiens visit us, see how they see Zharovsky’s development, and when the time comes, we’ll think about the possibility of letting him go. – Viktor Kozlov

So it’s easy to make Habs connections here. Colleague Charles-Alexis was talking about a possible sweetener the Habs could offer to try to repatriate Zharovsky sooner rather than later, after all…

Remember that NHL teams can’t directly pay a KHL team to release a player, as this is illegal. However, a player can buy out his contract… or a team can release a player before the end of his contract (e.g. Ivan Demidov last April or Matvei Michkov last summer).

You have to think that in 2025-26, Zharovsky will be playing in Russia. That said, perhaps at the end of the year, if Salavat is drowning in debt, the Habs will be able to talk to the club to see if an arrangement can be made.

The kid will therefore focus on being ready for his arrival in North America (a bit like Demidov before him)… but his team’s financial woes in Russia could speed things up.

Overtime

– Wow.

– That’s extremely impressive.

– Whew.

– Big contract for Chiefs player.

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Noah Dobson: Alexander Romanov was not happy to see him leave

Noah Dobson and Alexander Romanov have spent the last three years as teammates on Long Island. Dobson was already in town when Romanov was acquired from the Habs… and three years later, Dobson went the other way.

Both were traded on draft day… and both signed contracts at the same time in 2022.

That said, the two guys also became good friends during their three years together with the Islanders. Dobson and Romanov were often paired together, and off the ice, the two guys were close.

Today, however, Dobson is in Montreal… and that didn’t make Romanov very happy at the time of the announcement. In an interview with Russian media Championat, Romanov said he was “not happy” to see Dobson leave.

The young Russian, who considers Dobson his “Canadian friend”, is happy that Dobson will have the chance to play for a Canadian team (something he’s wanted for a long time, says Romanov), but he’ll miss playing alongside Dobson, with whom he had a good relationship.

However, Dobson’s departure opens the door for a new defenseman to establish himself as the Islanders’ #1… and Romanov, who just signed an eight-year contract, wants to establish himself as that player.

It remains to be seen how Romanov will cope without a player like Dobson at his side. We know that the former Habs player has come on in leaps and bounds since leaving Montreal and is an important part of the Islanders’ brigade, but he’ll be under even more pressure this season following Dobson’s departure.

Will he be able to rise to the occasion? The answer in the coming months.

Overtime

– Kirill Kaprizov is going to be expensive.

– He was dominant.

– Alouettes news.

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In pictures: Juraj Slafkovský is back in practice in Slovakia

Juraj Slafkovský enters his fourth NHL season this fall. The first overall pick in 2022, who will also begin the first year of an eight-year contract that will pay him $60.8 million, now has a little more pressure on his shoulders.

He’s got the big contract, he’s got (young) veteran status and he’s one of the Habs’ offensive tenors.

So, in Montreal, we’re expecting him to turn the corner this year. He’s shown he’s capable of success, but now he has to do it over 82 games.

And the young Slovak is clearly well aware of this. In the last few days, images of him practicing on the ice in Slovakia have surfaced… and he looks like a hard worker.

In fact, he practices with Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak, who is also a native of Slovakia.

TVA Sports also reported the news earlier today.

Of course, we know there’s a lot to take in such images. After all, practicing with a handful of skaters on the ice is hardly representative of what you’d see in an NHL game setting… but we can see that the kid seems to be taking it all in stride.

He looks pretty explosive on his skates, and we can also see him practicing his dekes and his shot.

Last year, Slaf scored 18 goals and 51 points in 79 games. That said, his end-of-season performance was extremely encouraging… and if he can find his rhythm more quickly during the campaign, he has the potential to increase his personal bests.

Especially as, at the moment, he seems to be giving himself the means to achieve his ambitions.

We’ll see if it all pays off, but the Canadiens’ young forward is working hard right now. I can’t wait to see him this season.

Overtime

– No pressure, Bob, hehe.

– Probably, yes.

– Really?

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Kapanen as 2C: his excellent defensive game would lighten Ivan Demidov’s load

If nothing changes between now and the start of the season, Kirby Dach will most likely fill the second-line center role.

It’s the most likely option, and the one that would make the most sense, even if it’s far from the preference of many analysts and fans, who have given up on Dach.

The biggest problem is that giving Dach this role as he returns from a major injury is a plan that already failed last season.

Indeed, Dach started the 2024-2025 season as the second center, and it clearly didn’t work.

Trying it again would be a contradiction in terms, and it would once again push Dach to the wall, with the added pressure of getting Ivan Demidov to produce.

The Habs can’t afford another bad start like last season, if they want to aspire to the playoffs, so Dach may not be the best solution.

So now, if we want to allow Demidov to express himself offensively as much as possible, he’ll need a center who can protect center ice and get back on defense quickly when needed.

And in the spirit of a center who doesn’t think attack first, Grant McGagg once again reiterated Oliver Kapanen’s name as a great option for a second-line center.

Indeed, the former Habs scout took the time to explain his arguments in a very nice video analysis of Kapanen’s game, and what he does very well.

Obviously, McCagg isn’t saying that Kapanen is a perfect option, far from it, but he sincerely believes that giving him a chance to pilot the second line would be a very good idea.

Kapanen will turn 22 this summer, and he’s already had three full seasons in the pros (two in Finland and one in Sweden/NHL/HLL).

According to McCagg, the young Finn is almost perfect defensively, while his positioning is almost always impeccable.

In fact, Kapanen’s defensive game is the central element that leads McCagg to believe that he could do well at the center of Ivan Demidov and Zachary Bolduc.

It’s very rare for Kapanen to make a mistake, and McCagg proved it in his video by demonstrating that the Finn has never directly cost the Laval Rocket a goal in the playoffs.

For McCagg, it’s clear that putting Kapanen with Demidov would take an enormous amount of defensive pressure off the Russian prodigy, who would be able to express himself more freely offensively, with Kapanen covering his back.

And in the process, McCagg believes it would also take pressure off the shoulders of Patrik Laine and Kirby Dach, who could play on a third line with Alex Newhook, and thus have less of a defensive role, considering they’d be facing the opposition’s best players less often.

In short, I’m well aware that Kapanen is far from a sexy option for second center, and that the ideal situation would be for the Habs to get their hands on an impact player by practice, but it’s not crazy to think about giving the 22-year-old a chance.

After all, the Habs are all about the future and youth, so giving a young center a chance wouldn’t be a bad idea at all.

Imagine if it all worked out and Kapanen, Demidov and Bolduc had a great chemistry.

Keep this option in mind.

Overtime

– Worth noting.

– Bad news.

– With the retirement of Blake Wheeler, only two active players remain who played for the Atlanta Thrashers.

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If Jeff Gorton is anything to go by, Jakub Dobes has a job to lose

At the start of the off-season, in addition to a second center, it was known that the Canadiens were looking to acquire an auxiliary goaltender.

In the end, the Habs did just that, acquiring 28-year-old veteran Kaapo Kakhonen, who joins the Habs on a one-year contract worth $1.15 million.

It’s a fine acquisition, but we all immediately wondered what it meant for Jakub Dobes, who had established himself as Samuel Montembeault’s second-choice goaltender last season.

At first glance, listening to Kent Hughes on July 1ᵉʳ, we understood that Kakhonen was ahead of Dobes, and that he was the favorite to second Montembeault.

But finally, when we take a step back from the situation, and now listen to Jeff Gorton, the Canadiens’ VP of hockey operations, we realize that Kakhonen was signed to push Dobes to the back.

Indeed, reading between the lines of Gorton’s comments in an interview with RG Media, it’s clear that Jakub Dobes has a job to lose.

When you read Jeff Gorton’s various responses in the interview, it’s clear that the Habs, or at least Gorton, likes Dobes a lot, and more importantly, is very grateful for the work he did last season.

“I think Dobes showed us a lot. He gave us several big points at the end of the season, and he came to hold the fort in the playoffs as well as getting a win in difficult circumstances.” – Jeff Gorton

However, from what we can tell, the Habs don’t want to do Dobes any favors, handing him Samuel Montembeault’s auxiliary position outright as a thank-you for the job he did in relief of Cayden Primeau last season.

We want to see Dobes win the job, and establish himself as the best available option on the table for the Habs.

And that, in my opinion, is why we signed Kaapo Kakhonen.

Because without this signing, Dobes would have had the job by default, which might not have been ideal, and which might have ended badly, especially without an insurance policy behind it.

We wouldn’t have wanted to find ourselves in a situation where we had to recall Jacob Fowler because of an injury or Dobes’ poor performance.

The Habs are looking to make the playoffs again, so they won’t have time to fool around with an auxiliary who’s going to tear it up like Primeau did last season.

All points will be important, and with so many back-to-backs, the auxiliary goalie will be very important, especially if we really want to lighten Samuel Montembeault’s load.

In short, I’ve come to the conclusion that Kaapo Kakhonen will be there to put pressure on Jakub Dobes, and to push him to give his all to win a position at training camp, something he hasn’t done yet.

We’ll keep an eye on that, but we’d obviously like to see Dobes perform well.

And if he does at some point, the Habs will have Kakhonen in the bank to take over.

Overtime

– Read on.

– Pavel Datsyuk turns 47 today.

– Please note.

– A must-see for those interested.

– Understandable.

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Expansion team: NHL to ask for $2 billion

There are currently 32 teams in the National Hockey League.

16 in the Eastern Conference and 16 in the Western Conference.

That’s a good number, and a nice spread, but you know as well as I do that the NHL is a business, and it’s all about money.

The NHL is always looking to attract new fans from new markets, in order to generate more money and therefore more profits.

And so, one or more expansion teams could end up in the NHL sooner than we think, except that it would be extremely expensive for the new owners.

Right now, the NHL is asking for $2 billion for a future expansion team.

Yes, yes, you read that right, Gary Bettman and his cronies are asking for $2 billion to accept a new team into the league.

That’s what Chris Johnston said on a recent episode of the Steve Dangle Podcast.

Two billion dollars is an absolutely staggering amount, especially when compared to what the two recent expansion teams paid to join the NHL.

In 2016, the Vegas Golden Knights paid $500 million, and five years later, in 2021, the Seattle Kraken paid $650 million, $150 million more than the Golden Knights.

Here we are four years later, and the price of entry into the NHL has more than tripled to two BILLION dollars.

That’s huge, and sets a very high bar for future owners who want to bring a team to their city.

Let’s just say that Quebec City and its returning Nordiques will have to wake up very early to compete with the various American markets thirsting for an NHL team.

We’re still talking about Atlanta, Houston, San Diego and Kansas City.

In short, let’s see which city will be the first to pay the big bucks to join the best hockey league in the world.

Overtime

– Read on the heels of her latest tournament in Montreal.

– Bravo.

– For those interested.

– Of note.

– Wow.

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Best goalkeepers of the last three seasons: Samuel Montembeault in the top-5

Ever since Carey Price was destined to remain on the long-term injured list until the end of his contract (#unofficialretirement), we’ve all been wondering who will be the next goalie to carry the team on his back.

Obviously, we’re all thinking directly of young prodigy Jacob Fowler, but it’ll be a few more years before he makes the jump to the NHL, and even longer before he’s potentially dominant.

It may seem like a long time to wait for a top-notch goaltender, but the Habs already have the potential for one.

Samuel Montembeault has made steady progress since arriving in Montreal, and has established himself as the Habs’ #1 goaltender.

Unfortunately, not everyone believes and trusts the Québécois yet, which just goes to show how underrated he is, if not the most underrated in the entire NHL.

Monty proved he was a #1 goaltender last season by taking the Habs to the playoffs, and when you look at his advanced stats over the last three seasons, it’s even more obvious.

In fact, over the last three seasons, Montembeault ranks in the top-5 of NHL goaltenders in terms of goals saved (GSAx).

As this chart shows, Montembeault is among the NHL’s elite in this statistic, and let’s just say he’s very well surrounded.

His 61.5 goals saved place him ahead of Andrei Vasilevskiy, Jake Oettinger and Sergei Bobrovsky (who doesn’t even appear in the top-10), among others.

That’s pretty impressive, and what it shows, given that it’s an aggregate of the last three seasons, is that Monty is consistent.

Even though he’s had his lesser and very poor performances in the past, he finds a way to compensate and save his team more often than not.

For those who don’t yet understand this statistic, basically what it tells us is that of the 487.5 goals expected against Montembeault, based on the quality of shots received and the danger of scoring chances, Monty allowed just 426.

That’s 61.5 goals the Québécois statistically could/should have scored, but instead stopped.

In short, this ranking is a tribute to Samuel Montembeault’s underrated performances in front of the Habs cage over the last three seasons.

It just goes to show how much lower the Habs would have finished in recent years without Monty.

Clearly, Montembeault can be trusted for the future, and we won’t have to wait impatiently for Fowler’s arrival to get a top-notch goalie in Montreal.

Let him take the time to develop properly, because in the meantime, Monty is doing an excellent job.

Overtime

– The American line-up is very strong.

– After four straight first-round losses to the Oilers, it’s understandable.

– CF Montreal’s troubles continue.

– Shapo arrives in Toronto with great confidence.

– Incredible.

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Play-in: don’t be surprised if it takes shape when Gary Bettman leaves

Should the NHL change its playoff formula?

Since the 1979-80 season, the Stanley Cup series has featured 16 teams invited to the spring ball.

Since then, the main change came with the 1986-87 campaign, when the first round went from a three-of-five to a four-of-seven.

Meanwhile, the League expanded from 21 to 32 teams.

From 76% of clubs participating in the playoffs, only half the teams now get a bye to the post-season tournament.

Now, according to Chris Johnston, who appeared on the Steve Dangle Podcast, there’s a lot of internal demand for the NHL to implement a Play-In tournament like the NBA has been doing since 2020.

For those less familiar with basketball, a play-in is a mini-tournament between the teams occupying positions seven to ten in each of the two conferences.

However, rather than being a two-of-three series like MLB, it’s a mini-tournament between the four teams with seventh and eighth positions at stake.

So far, the formula has appealed to fans, as it often leads to spectacular matches and is a source of additional revenue for the teams participating in the wild cards.

And with the arrival of potential expansion in a few years’ time, the NHL will have to find a way to include more teams in the post-season.

On the other hand, any major changes to the current formula will probably have to wait until after Gary Bettman’s departure.

According to Johnston, the Commissioner of the National League doesn’t want to change a winning recipe, and he believes that the current format is the best there is.

What’s more, the television networks aren’t very interested in this type of tournament.

As the saying goes: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

And let’s not forget that the regular-season schedule will go from 82 to 84 games in a few years’ time, and it’s questionable whether players will want to play even more hockey if the League adopts play-in tournaments.

On the other hand, if the owners really want a change to the current format, it’s quite possible that Bettman’s successor will be more open to the idea, but for the time being there’s no sign that the current commissioner is ready to retire.

In Overtime

– Another night to forget for Montreal CF.

– Fans’ patience has limits.

– American’s best at home.

– What passes to Messi and from Messi.

– Pete Crow-Armstrong is on fire!

– Wow!

– What a catch!

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Second center: the Habs could get him in an Alexandre Carrier-style deal

Kent Hughes and the Habs have had a relatively busy summer so far.

The general manager has improved his team by acquiring Noah Dobson and Zachary Bolduc via trade, in addition to signing several depth players.

However, one glaring need has yet to be filled: that of a second center capable of complementing and assisting Ivan Demidov.

There’s still plenty of time before the start of the season, and perhaps management could pull a rabbit out of its hat.

It could come in the form of another trade or a hostile offer sheet to a restricted free agent.

However, it’s also possible that the Canadiens have finished their summer shopping.

So, no first-rate second center to start the season?

Yes, but that’s not necessarily a problem.

First of all, even without a second center, the Habs have improved and should be better next season.

Secondly, it’s possible that the solution lies internally.

The Canadiens have several players who could potentially fill this role, such as Bolduc, but also Kirby Dach and Alex Newhook, who could benefit from Demidov’s talent to reach their full potential.

And finally, a season is a long time, and some teams with a disappointing start to the campaign could quickly find themselves on the selling side.

Especially since the presence of Gavin McKenna at the next draft, who is seen as a very good prospect, could encourage teams to tank in order to get the first pick or acquire first-round picks.

According to Marco D’Amico, in an article published on RG, the McKenna lottery could well influence the transaction market, which is likely to become more active after the American Thanksgiving.

By then, we’ll have a good picture of who will make, fight for or miss the playoffs at the end of the season.

This was notably the case for the Canadiens, who last December were able to acquire Alexandre Carrier from the Nashville Predators, who were having a very disappointing season.

His arrival helped solidify the Habs’ defensive brigade for the remainder of the season.

It’s possible that a team in a similar situation might be willing to part with a top-notch center at the end of his contract in return for picks or prospects, and that the Montreal club might get some reinforcements over the course of the next campaign.

As I said earlier, one season is a long time and a lot can happen.

Overtime

– Tonight’s line-up.

– A little reminder of the Habs

– Interesting.

– That’s a lot of money!

– Read more.

– Eric Lauer helps the Jays rotation a lot.

– Solid slam!

– Reinforcement for the Lakers.

– Congratulations to the champion!

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Olympic Games: Alex Ovechkin wants the Russians to return

Sport and politics, though often linked, don’t always mix.

Particularly when politics influences international tournaments, as is currently the case with the suspension of Russia (and Belarus) from most sporting competitions since 2022 in connection with the invasion of Ukraine.

The problem is that the first to be punished are usually the athletes who can’t take part in these championships, even though they generally have no say in their home country’s policies.

And if the 4 Nations Confrontation has shown us anything, it’s that hockey players really do take it to heart to represent their homeland.

Today, we learn from an article published on RDS that Alex Ovechkin would like to see Russians allowed to take part in international competitions such as the Olympic Games and World Championships.

It’s a frustrating situation indeed for the NHL’s all-time leading scorer, who has never made a secret of his pride in being Russian and would like to have more opportunities to defend his country’s colors before retiring.

In fact, while there were many signs that next season could be Ovy’s last, the player himself denied the rumours.

However, even if he does decide to continue his career, be it in the NHL or KHL, there may not yet be tons of seasons left to give for the 39-year-old.

As the Russians won’t be at the Olympic Games this winter, it’s quite possible that we won’t see Ovechkin playing Olympic hockey again until he retires.

That may leave him with the World Championships if Russia’s ban ends by then.

It’s all the more frustrating for Ovechkin because, at the moment, the Russians have a very strong team on paper that could claim top honors.

We know that some Russian athletes have been able to take part in international competitions under a neutral banner, notably at the Paris Olympics in 2024.

But these are mostly, if not exclusively, exceptions in individual sports.

Let’s just say it’s more complicated to have 20 Russian field hockey players play under a neutral banner and really give an impression of neutrality.

What’s more, the invited athletes must not have shown their support for the Russian offensive in Ukraine.

And that could be a problem for Ovechkin, who is close to Vladimir Putin, regularly appearing with him in public before and after the start of the war.

Although Ovechkin has never publicly spoken out in support of or against the conflict, his support for the Russian president could well hurt him if the Russian national hockey team gets special permission in the near future.

Overtime

– Read more.

– And in your opinion?

– Retirement for Blake Wheeler.

– Jays win.

– What a shot from Tyler Heineman!

– Canada in the final!