Author: Dose

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Andrei Markov returns to the Bell Centre for the first time since 2017

A good little rumor, my Andrei.

It’s going to be a very special evening tonight at the Bell Centre.

Behind the scenes, a great will be returning to the amphitheatre in which he built his legend. Indeed, Andrei Markov will be there as a fan for the first time since April 20, 2017.

Guillaume Lefrançois met the Russian today at the Hobby festival at the Palais des Congrès. My colleague Michael Petit opened the door to a tribute a few days ago.

Unfortunately for fans, there won’t be a standing ovation or a presentation or anything. In fact, Markov doesn’t even know where he’s going to sit and is just hoping to find his seat. The defenseman is an extremely shy man, and Lefrançois’ headline on La Presse sums it up quite well: Le timide retour d’un grand timide.

He’s a man of few words, and fans were quick to notice this at the signing session a few hours before the game.

The 79 considers himself a lucky man to have made his mark on the city of Montreal. He doesn’t necessarily want a standing ovation, but if it happens, it happens. Good luck finding him in the stands.

I walk down the street and people still recognize me. It’s flattering. It means you’ve done something for the team, for the city. – Andrei Markov

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As much as he enjoyed his time in Montreal (990 games), he doesn’t hold on to his past any more than he should. Of all his former teammates, P.K. Subban is the only one he keeps in touch with on a regular basis.

I’m not really surprised.

In his interview with La Presse, the left-hander also talked about his future in hockey. He also says he doesn’t watch many KHL games and isn’t too aware of what Ivan Demidov is up to in the Russian league.

If the Canadiens drafted him this high, it’s because he’s good, he’s talented, and he needs to work on it. – Andrei Markov

He finished by praising another part of the team’s future: Lane Hutson.

Markov thinks he’s very good and can’t wait to see him live tonight.

Overtime

– The Rocket takes revenge against the Marlies.

– Bad news.

– Matthew Schaefer: a prospect to keep an eye on. [RG]

– Exclusive interview with Alexis Lafrenière.

– He certainly counts.

– He’s the Rookie of the Year.

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Five goals in seven games: Shane Wright is on fire in Seattle

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - APRIL 09: Shane Wright #51 of the Seattle Kraken skates during the third period of a game against the Arizona Coyotes at Climate Pledge Arena on April 9, 2024 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Christopher Mast/NHLI via Getty Images)

In Montreal, the names of Shane Wright and Matvei Michkov are two that will inevitably be the talk of the town for the rest of their careers. Both players were fan favorites to be the Canadiens’ draft picks, but in the end, other players were chosen.

Juraj Slafkovský was preferred to Wright, while David Reinbacher was chosen over Michkov.

Inevitably, then, we’re following the progress of both prospects… and right now, both Wright and Michkov are really starting to find their way to the NHL.

Wright’s case is particularly interesting. In fact, on November 17, Wright’s season was going nowhere, so Dan Bylsma passed on him.

Since then, the young forward seems to have had the knife between his teeth. Since his return to the line-up (on November 25), Wright has been scoring goals by the ton.

He now has five goals in his last seven games.

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It’s a solid comeback for the youngster, who has now scored six goals and nine points this season. That’s three times more goals than Slafkovský, even though the latter has five more points on his record this season.

Michkov is also on fire. The man who is competing with Lane Hutson (among others) for the Calder has clearly reached a new gear in recent games.

Today, he added two goals to his record… so that he now has seven points (including three goals) in his last three games. The Flyers, however, are 1-1-1 in those three games.

Mishkov became the first rookie to reach the 10-goal plateau in the NHL this season. The Flyers forward, whose offensive qualities have been widely praised, hasn’t disappointed so far at this level, with 11 goals and 24 points in 25 games.

Reinbacher, who is injured, unfortunately doesn’t have the chance to prove his worth at the moment, so it’s hard to compare the two choices. But at the moment, the Flyers must be very happy that Michkov was available on their draft board.

Let’s see how both youngsters’ seasons go, but things are going well for both the Kraken and Flyers forwards at the moment.

In Overtime

– Doggies in Laval and Trois-Rivières.

– 11.5 M per year: Igor Shesterkin left money on the table.

– The end for Brendan Lemieux in Carolina.

– A name to watch.

– Interesting.

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Jacob Trouba: “We’re told the Canadiens were interested”.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 22: Jacob Trouba #8 of the New York Rangers during the anthem prior to the game against the Florida Panthers in Game One of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Madison Square Garden on May 22, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Jared Silber/NHLI via Getty Images)

Yesterday, the Jacob Trouba saga finally came to an end, as the defenseman was traded to the Anaheim Ducks. The Rangers clearly wanted to get rid of their captain, but his partial no-trade clause complicated matters.

There was even talk of placing him on the waivers to try to get around this clause. Not a smart move.

In the end, it was Anaheim, but we know that the Rangers tried to send him to several teams. And obviously, several teams were interested.

And according to Bruce Garrioch (Ottawa Citizen), one of those teams… was the Canadiens.

TVA Sports picked up the story in an article published this afternoon.

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The connection isn’t particularly hard to make: we know that the Habs are looking for reinforcements on the blue line (especially right-handers), they had room on their payroll… and most importantly, Jeff Gorton is in the organization’s hockey department.

Remember that Gorton was at the helm of the Rangers when the club acquired Trouba in 2019.

On the other hand, it was a lose-lose situation for the Canadiens: Trouba wanted absolutely nothing to do with a return to Canada. We know he’s left Winnipeg in the past, and with his wife unable to practice medicine in Canada, he doesn’t want to leave the States.

That said, it just goes to show that the Canadiens are willing to get creative to solve their blue-line woes. They want to add some reinforcements, and in Trouba, the club would have gotten their hands on an experienced right-hander.

It might have been peculiar in the dressing room with Justin Barron (whom he knocked out earlier this year and would probably have stolen the spot from) and with Josh Anderson (who gave him a beating last Saturday), but hey.

Extension

We’ve known since the start of the season that the Habs would like to add some physical players to their squad.

We agree that Trouba would have been part of the solution… but I wonder if fans would have appreciated the deal. He’s not the most popular player in town, after all.

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Rocket: Vincent Arseneau (team heavyweight) to face Cédric Paré and the Marlies

Cédric Paré’s name has become popular in Montreal for all the wrong reasons in recent months. The Québécois forward, who faced the Habs in a warm-up game, pulled his knee out in front of Patrik Laine, injuring the Canadiens’ forward.

He didn’t exactly make many friends in town that night.

And yesterday, on his return to Laval, he was loudly booed all evening… but he finally had the last laugh, scoring the winning goal in the shootout. And he took the opportunity to taunt the crowd.

During the game, the Rocket guys invited him to dance, but Paré refused. But seeing him taunt the crowd must have pissed off the Rocket… who responded in kind.

Today, the club will be dressing Vincent Arseneau, the team’s heavyweight. And it’s safe to assume that it’s not just because Sean Farrell had a tough night last night.

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For those less familiar with him, Arseneau is no soft touch. He’s a real heavyweight… and last season, he proved it against a certain Matt Rempe.

It was quite a fight.

We’re also talking about a guy who, without fighting, brings a physical element that helps the club. He’ll be playing alongside Luke Tuch and Florian Xhekaj, which will make for a very physical line-up at Pascal Vincent’s disposal.

Obviously, the Rocket mustn’t get out of his game just to send a message to Paré. That said, it’s logical to think that the Marlies’ forward should receive a visit from one of the three forwards in this line.

Let’s see what happens.

Overtime

– Speaking of the Rocket.

– Connor Bedard thinks he can make football investments.

– Owen Beck’s former GM isn’t surprised to see him succeed.

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Morning practice: all signs point to Kaiden Guhle’s return to action this evening

The Montreal Canadiens play their third straight home game this week tonight, while the Washington Capitals are in town.

Ovi’s team, WITHOUT Ovi, will be looking for their ninth straight win away from home tonight, after defeating the Toronto Maple Leafs last night.

As for the Habs, they’ll be going for their third win in a row for the first time this season, and especially for the first time since March.

In preparation for this game, the Habs practiced this morning at the Bell Centre, and quickly got some good news.

Kaiden Guhle was on the ice, and everything points to him playing tonight against the Capitals.

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Guhle missed the last game at the last minute due to illness.

Justin Barron took his place just before warm-up.

And if logic is anything to go by, it’s Barron who should bail out tonight, leaving his place to allow Guhle to re-enter the line-up.

So it wasn’t too serious for Guhle, who missed just one game.

In net, unsurprisingly, it’s Samuel Montembeault who will be the starter for a third straight game this week.

He’s been excellent in his last two games, and will need to be again tonight against the mighty Capitals.

What’s more, he’ll be up against Logan Thompson, one of the goaltenders with whom he competed in the four-mation tournament with Team Canada.

So, it’s going to be a big goaltending duel, with Thompson clearly out to prove that he would have earned his place ahead of Montembeault.

Overtime

– Happy Birthday Georges Laraque!

– Read more.

– Here’s the starting grid for the final grand prix of the season.

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Jacob Trouba will join the Ducks in Montreal: Josh Anderson must be ready

The National Hockey League was abuzz yesterday.

Everyone was shocked and surprised by the Jacob Perreault Trouba, as the New York Rangers captain packed his bags to join the Anaheim Ducks.

It’s a big deal that allowed the Rangers to make room under their salary cap to put their number-one goaltender, Igor Shesterkin, on a long-term contract.

In the end, it was a very good deal for the Rangers, even if they did end up disrespecting their captain.

In short, Trouba now returns to the Western Conference, but he won’t have a huge first trip to make, as he’ll be joining the Anaheim Ducks in Montreal.

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Indeed, Trouba will meet his new teammates in Montreal, when the Ducks take on the Habs at the Bell Centre on Monday evening, starting at 7:30pm.

This means that Trouba is likely to play his first game in a Ducks uniform against the Canadiens.

That’s big news in itself, but it’s even bigger considering Trouba’s recent history with the Habs.

Barely a week ago, on November 30, Trouba threw down the gloves against Josh Anderson at Madison Square Garden.

Anderson won the fight handily, having called it off in response to Trouba’s hard body check on Justin Barron at the Bell Centre on October 22.

So it’s quite possible that next Monday, Jacob Trouba will be looking for a rematch with Josh Anderson, especially considering that he looked a bit crazy in that fight and will want to make a good impression with his new team.

What better way to make a name for himself with his new team than with a big fight?

In short, we’ll be watching closely next Monday.

Overtime

– Trouba will wear #65 with the Ducks.

– Radko Gudas and Jacob Trouba on the same team… sounds promising!

– She is excellent!

– Trevor Zegras is likely to be away for a long time.

– Read more.

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Top-5: Beckett Sennecke scores one of the finest goals of the year ahead of Sam Dickinson

There were six games in the National Hockey League yesterday, with only 12 of the 32 teams in action.

There were a number of highlights, but it was a non-NHL goal that stole the show.

Here’s a summary of all last night’s action.

1. Beckett Sennecke scores one of the finest goals of the year

It’s very rare that a highlight from outside the NHL makes the top-5, but this time, with a rather quiet night in the NHL, there was no doubt that Beckett Sennecke would be front and center.

Indeed, the Anaheim Ducks prospect, drafted 3ᵉth overall in the last draft, scored a superb goal yesterday in the OHL worthy of a Goal of the Year candidate.

He pulled off an incredible deke in front of none other than Sam Dickinson, the OHL’s top defenseman, using his skate.

In short, Sennecke had fun on the sequence and made Dickinson look bad, giving his team, the Oshawa Generals, the insurance goal in a 5-3 win over the London Knights.

Note that Sennecke has not even received an invitation to the Team Canada Junior camp in preparation for the World Junior Championship, to be held in Ottawa from December 26 to January 5.

It’s completely ridiculous that such a talented player wasn’t invited, when he’s currently leading the OHL with 44 points (21 goals and 23 assists) in 25 games.

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2. Capitals record 8ᵉ straight road win

The Montreal Canadiens’ Saturday night opponent was in Toronto last night to take on the Maple Leafs, and once again, the Capitals emerged victorious from a road game.

With last night’s 3-1 win over the Leafs, the Capitals earned an 8ᵉ straight road victory, which also brings their record to 10-2-0 away from home.

It’s a franchise record, which the Caps will be looking to improve even further with a win at the Bell Centre tonight against the Montreal Canadiens.

Connor McMichael will obviously be one to watch, having already scored his 15ᵉ goal of the season last night.

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3. Kirill Kaprizov takes over as top scorer

The Minnesota Wild have been rolling along at a hellish pace since the start of the season, while they’ve been at the top of the NHL since the Winnipeg Jets went cold.

The Wild are dominant in every aspect of the game, and proved it again last night with a 5-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks.

In the win, Kirill Kaprizov picked up three points, putting him back at the top of the all-NHL scoring charts with 42 points (17 goals and 25 assists) in 25 games.

His 40ᵉ point was, incidentally, a simply splendid pass to Marco Rossi.

Speaking of Rossi, he’s really having quite a season too with his 23 points, including nine goals, in 26 games.

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4. Luke Hughes scores his first goal of the season in fine style

We’re off to New Jersey, where the Devils won 3-2 against the Seattle Kraken.

In this victory, defenseman Luke Hughes finally scored his first goal of the season, and in brilliant fashion.

First, he accepted a pass from his older brother, Jack Hughes, before finding the top corner from an impossible angle.

Note that in defeat, Shane Wright scored his 6ᵉ goal of the season. That gives him nine points from 25 games.

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5. A first victory without a captain for the Rangers

It was a completely crazy day yesterday for the Rangers, as they traded captain Jacob Trouba to the Anaheim Ducks, after literally threatening him.

In short, Trouba is no longer a member of the Rangers, so they were without a captain for their first game last night.

And it worked out well for the Rangers, who won 4-2 against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck both stood out with three points apiece.

Panarin scored a superb goal late in the second period.

Overtime

– Wow!

– Here are all the results from the previous day.

– On the schedule today: 11 games.

(Credit: Google/NHL)
(Credit: Google/NHL)
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Cédric Paré gives Marlies victory (and taunts Rocket crowd)

Cédric Paré, who had injured Patrik Laine in a pre-game warm-up, was booed off the ice as he made his return to Quebec for a hockey game.

Fans were eagerly awaiting his return, and he was booed throughout the game. However, it was Paré who had the last laugh, scoring the winning goal in the shootout.

He took the liberty of taunting the Place Bell crowd after his goal.

The Rocket not only lost the game, but also lost Jakub Dobes, who had to leave the game due to injury.

Alex Steeves escaped on a short-handed play and beat him to the mitt. In his attempt to make the save, he was injured and had to leave the game.

As RDS analyst Stéphane Leroux points out, after a very difficult start to the season last year, Dobes has not only recovered well, he’s been dominant in front of the net.

I’m one of those who would give him a chance to play a game with the Habs between now and the end of the season, even if it means sending him back to the AHL right afterwards. He’s earned a chance to prove himself, and the sample size doesn’t have to be large.

Owen Beck takes off

Another prospect who’s getting comfortable in Laval is Owen Beck. After scoring the winning goal the other day in Rochester, he did it again tonight with another fine goal. He came out of nowhere to surprise the Toronto defense and tie the game 1-1.

There’s a lot of talk that Jake Evans could sign a contract extension with the Habs, but Beck’s performance could make it difficult for the team to take his place.

In Overtime

– Victory for Victory.

– Big soccer will be played.

– What a goal!

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Jacob Trouba: “It’s a rite of passage to become a member of MSG”.

Jacob Trouba is now a member of the Anaheim Ducks, and there was certainly a lot of movement before the deal was finalized in the afternoon today.

There were threats of waivers from the Rangers and Trouba’s decision not to go to Columbus.

In the end, he chose Anaheim as his way out of New York, and emptied his heart before joining his new team.

It’s a rite of passage to get fired from MSG. – Jacob Trouba.

He really didn’t like the way things were handled by Rangers upper management, especially the way it was made public. He explained that he was firmly threatened with being put in the waivers and that he did what he considered best for the family.

I’m happy to move forward, but I didn’t like the way it turned out. – Jacob Trouba

His situation had been precarious since the summer, and he admitted that it was difficult to exercise leadership in these circumstances, even though he was very open with his teammates about the situation.

It’s not the first time, nor the last, that a team has managed a player in this way. Trouba had a list of teams in his contract he didn’t want to be traded to, and the Rangers wanted to get rid of him. Waivers were the only threat that could work.

The debate is sure to come up in the next round of contract renewal talks. The team doesn’t look good, and neither does the NHL, but that’s the reality of things.

A no-movement clause would have helped Trouba in his situation, but teams don’t often give this type of contract.

You also have to wonder if guys will think twice about signing Chris Drury, considering Barclay Goodrow received the same treatment recently.

Overtime

– An interesting opinion.

– Let’s just say the Sabres situation isn’t getting any better.

– Laine is really appreciated.

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Jonathan Marchessault explained just how mixed up his coach is

Jonathan Marchessault opted for the Predators when the free agent market opened on July1.

Nashville also picked up Steven Stamkos, which suggested a good season and a playoff berth with the minutiae to go all the way.

Although the latter scenario is still possible, the chances are diminishing with a difficult start to the season for both the team and Marchessault. He has just 5 goals in 27 games, and yesterday after the game against the Habs, he expressed his frustration with his usage to reporters.

“Every time I’m there, I wonder who I’m jumping on the ice with. I had a line during warm-up and I started the game with other guys. I changed lines about three times tonight.” – Jonathan Marchessault

It’s an arrow sent straight to his coach Andrew Brunette, who must already be feeling the heat. The frustration was palpable in his voice, especially after last night’s defeat. This isn’t the first time Brunette has surprised with questionable management. He’s already sent the wrong starting line-up onto the ice this year.

However, the Québécois player was also careful to take the blame and said he had to look in the mirror to perform better.

It has to be said that with the Golden Knights, he was one of the team’s headliners and regularly played on the first line. The performances went hand in hand and Vegas was very successful.

The transition to his new team isn’t easy, and he’s not the first player to go through it. However, the Predators look like a lost team on the ice. Despite all the talent at the coach’s disposal, the team finds ways to lose game after game. It’s going to take a big change to whip the players into shape, and it’s likely to involve a Brunette congealment.

Overtime

– The Rocket in action tonight.

– CH prospects also in action.

– He’s in great shape.