Author: Dose

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Jonathan Drouin and Patrick Roy: the unlikely prolific duo

The Canadiens arrived in Salt Lake City late yesterday afternoon. A very big challenge awaits them this week, as they cross swords with Utah, Vegas and Colorado. Three games in four nights, in three different cities, with several players on the sidelines and NOT the last change..

But above all: three games against Western teams capable of creating offensively, defending en bloc and hitting that would make the playoffs if they started today.

Jakub Dobes and Samuel Montembeault had better be fit.

Meanwhile, the Islanders feel right at home in the team-of-the-hour seat in the East. Patrick Roy’s men are 7-3-0 in their last ten games.

There are several (individual) things going well for the Isles..

1. Patrick Roy may be in the running for Head Coach of the Year. #JackAdams

Remember that he won the Jack-Adams Trophy in 2013-14, when he was in charge of the Avalanche.

2. Bo Horvat has 14 goals and 11 assists in 23 games this season. He also has a plus-13 rating. He is the third-highest scorer and 18th-highest scorer in the entire circuit.

3. Matthew Schaeffer (15 points in 23 games) is one of the favorite candidates for the Calder Trophy (along with Ivan Demidov). It’s easy to see why Mathieu Darche agreed to part with the services of Noah Dobson last June.

4. While we’re on the subject of Noah Dobson, it’s worth noting that Emil Heineman has nine goals and six assists so far this campaign. Mathieu Darche was desperate for Emil Heineman, and he was right on target with a player who had already been traded twice since his draft.

5. Jonathan Drouin (14 points in 22 games) is one of the best Québécois players in 2025. Who would have thought that Drouin and Roy would become a working duo in the NHL?

Drouin plays more than 18 minutes per game, often alongside Mathew Barzal. In particular, he gets several minutes per game on the first power play.

6. Ilya Sorokin and David Rittich are doing what Jakub Dobes and Samuel Montembeault are failing to do in Montreal this season: being consistent and giving their team a chance to win night after night.

I know, the Islanders and the Canadiens both have similar records (.609 vs.595). However, the Islanders are showing character, especially behind the bench; Patrick Roy sent a message to his players when he flipped a switch after Mikko Rantanen.

Romanov will be out for five to six months, and the coach showed his players that he just wouldn’t take it. It helps to make your players want to work their butts off for you afterwards.

As the Habs head west, the Islanders are preparing for five games at home, four of them against association rivals.

If you’d asked me to bet on which team was going to be ranked higher at the American Thanksgiving, between the CH and the Isles, I’d have put all my money on the CH… but I guess Patrick Roy still has a few tricks (acquired through experience) that Martin St-Louis hasn’t yet inserted into his coaching.

It’ll come.

In the meantime, I can only rejoice for Patrick and his boss, Mathieu Darche. Here’s hoping their injury list (Alexander Romanov and Jean-Gabriel Pageau) doesn’t get any longer in the coming weeks..

Only one Canadian team in the playoffs?
We’re just a few days away from Thanksgiving in the U.S., and historically, the teams in the top eight of each association have a very high probability of making the NHL spring playoffs.

Of the seven Canadian teams, how many would make the playoffs if they started tonight? Only one: the Ottawa Senators.

Senators: 3rd in the Atlantic Division
Canadiens: 10th in the East
Maple Leafs: last in the East

Oilers: 10th in the West
Jets: 11th in the West
Canucks: 14th in the West
Flames: 15th in the West

In short, 2025-26 isn’t looking good for the teams north of the Canada-U.S. border. Why not? Probably because the weaker appeal of Canada vs. the U.S. markets – for 1001 reasons – is still at work.

Let’s wait and see if the Canadiens, Oilers and Jets can get back on track in the coming weeks, but for now, there’s plenty to worry about..

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“Jonathan Marchessault could have joined the Canadiens if the club had wanted him to.”

About 18 months ago, the Canadiens and Jonathan Marchessault talked about the possibility of him coming to town.

As everyone knows, it didn’t work out. The Québécois followed Steven Stamkos and Brady Skjei to Nashville to play for a club that was then on the rise.

Things change quickly, don’t they?

All this to say that, at the moment, the Québécois’ contract of $5.5 million per year until 2029 seems to be a reason why the Preds can’t easily trade him.

That’s not to say he won’t ever be traded, of course. But his poor start to the season makes the whole thing… more complicated.

(Credit: Hockey DB)

On that subject, it’s worth mentioning that Renaud Lavoie, who is well connected in the hockey world, addressed the subject of Jonathan Marchessault in his column yesterday with Jean-Charles Lajoie.

What he had to say? The Canadiens could have gotten their hands on the Québécois forward if they’d wanted to. But with more than three years left at $5.5 million a year, and the Preds having no intention of holding back on salary, it’s a no-go.

Let’s not forget that the Québécois has control over his destiny, and that he chatted with the Canadiens last summer. Reading between the lines, we understand that playing in Montreal wouldn’t necessarily be a no-no for the player.

Especially if it gets him out of Nashville?

It’s logical to think that without a salary holdback, Hughes would say no. After all, he didn’t want to give the player a long contract to avoid dealing with his bad years at the end of his contract.

Why would he go after him at full price now, when he’s not rolling?

If Steven Stamkos signs on to stay in Nashville this season, maybe the Preds, as the market evolves (when sellers decide to do their job), will decide to withhold money from Marchessault’s contract.

When that happens, we’ll see what the Habs decide to do… even if the Québécois isn’t a center.

overtime

– What do you think?

– Wow.

– All is well in Vancouver.

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“The Canadiens still want to add”: scouts don’t go to Canadiens games by chance

These days, there are often plenty of scouts at Canadiens games. It’s sometimes the same in Laval.

In fact, it’s not surprising. Some big names may be there to spy on players with a view to Olympic selection… but others are there to analyze the club itself.

Quite normal, as I said.

You have to keep in mind that even though the Canadiens have added Alexandre Texier, he’s still a guy who can be there to plug a hole in the bottom of the club’s line-up.

He’s not a player who really raises the team’s ceiling. And he doesn’t play center!

On this subject, Marco D’Amico (RG media) reported on a member of a Western NHL team who said that, no, Kent Hughes isn’t done trying to move.

And so clearly, the scouts aren’t at the Habs games by chance….

“Montreal isn’t done, certainly. The club still wants to add a center or a top-6 player to its lineup.”

Several Western clubs(including the Canucks, Predators, Flames and Blues) could/should throw in the towel and liquidate elements for the future.

That could help the Habs.

We all agree that, right now, it’s really thin at center. Nick Suzuki, Jake Evans, Oliver Kapanen and Joe Veleno are pretty much the only options right now. #TheInjuriesHurt

Kent Hughes is doing what he can by looking at all his options. Will anything come of it? Who knows, given the state of the market, which is frozen.

overtime

– He has good tools.

– It’s easy to see why.

– To be continued.

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Goalkeepers: the Habs look in-house to solve their problems

The subject of goaltending has been a hot topic in Montreal over the past few weeks. The club is struggling in front of the net, which means they’re missing out on a lot of games despite a fairly potent offense.

And Martin St-Louis is clearly fed up with the subject coming up again and again.

Jakub Dobes had a good night’s work on Saturday, which calmed things down in the last few days. But in reality, the numbers don’t lie: the Habs rank last in the NHL for goaltending efficiency this season.

Sooner or later, then, we’re going to have to start thinking about solutions. And according to Elliotte Friedman, the club’s priority in this matter is not to complete a transaction to obtain a goaltender.

In fact, according to Friedman, the Habs want to start by trying to find solutions internally. And obviously, the easiest would be to get Dobes and Samuel Montembeault back in the game.

But if not, a recall from Laval seems the most likely scenario.

Obviously, Jacob Fowler’s name is getting a lot of attention. We know the young goalie has a lot of promise, and seeing him break it down in the AHL this season suggests he may be ready for a recall.

That said, it’s more likely that Kaapo Kahkonen will be the eventual recalled goaltender. He was signed to be the club’s third goaltender, and recalling him wouldn’t interfere with Fowler’s development.

In the short term, recalling Kahkonen makes more sense.

I get the impression that the Habs will be desperate to avoid recalling Fowler in order to let him play a full year in Laval. It is, after all, what will be most beneficial for his development.

And even Dobes, who was recalled rather quickly, had spent a year and a half in Laval before getting his first taste of the NHL, you know.

Overtime

– Joel Quenneville is probably ahead of him. Roy is an interesting candidate, though.

– That’s right.

– Interesting.

– Conor Garland could be traded.

– His comments today are not going down well.

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Canadiens: one less rival in the race for a center

For the past few months, what was the buzz in British Columbia? That the Vancouver Canucks were looking for reinforcements on their center line.

They had J.T. Miller in their ranks recently… but they needed to trade him.

Whenever there was a player available, we knew that the Canucks’ name would, at some point, come up in the conversation to acquire him.

However, you know as well as I do that the market never really opened up in 2025. There were too few centers available (both this summer and in recent weeks), and no-trade clauses made it difficult.

The result? The Canucks didn’t get the reinforcement they wanted, which means their start to the season is more complicated than expected in terms of their position in the standings.

(Credit: NHL.com)

The standings are starting to become significant as the American Thanksgiving is upon us, and the Canucks are well aware that they don’t have the club to wreak havoc in 2026.

And that’s why, according to tipster Elliotte Friedman, the Vancouver club is ready to listen to offers to let go of veterans whose contracts are about to expire.

Please note: this does not mean that Quinn Hughes will be traded to the Devils anytime soon. There’s no indication that the Canucks are at that point and that the player has asked to leave.

So, by necessity, this means that the hockey bosses in Vancouver will be more in the process of selling than looking for reinforcements at center. And that’s one less club for the Canadiens to worry about.

Unless we’re talking about a prospect. But as you know, the Canadiens aren’t there yet.

Yes, the Habs have picked up Alexandre Texier. However, he’s not the saviour in town… and he doesn’t play center. So if Kent Hughes can get himself a second center, he’ll certainly consider the idea.

Behind the scenes

– What already?

– Of note.

– Really?

– An imminent return.

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Top-5: Four-goal game for Logan Cooley

Last night in the NHL, there were several good duels.

Seven, to be exact.

Here are the results and highlights:

1. Four-goal game for Logan Cooley

The NHL is in good hands.

After the Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby generations, it’s now the turn of Macklin Celebrini, Connor Bedard and Logan Cooley. Yesterday, Cooley scored four goals.

This is the first time a franchise player has scored so many goals in a game.

In the NHL, only three players have two hat tricks: Cooley, Celebrini and Bedard.

Utah won 5-1 against the Knights.

In addition to his four goals, Cooley added an assist.

2. Eight-goal game for the Panthers

Last night, the Panthers showed the Predators no mercy.

Florida scored no less than eight goals to easily escape with the victory.

In the victory, Sam Reinhart scored three points.

He scored his 13th goal of the season.

It was reserve goalkeeper Daniil Tarasov in front of the Florida cage.

He stopped 36 of 39 shots.

He wanted to be part of the action, too.

Things aren’t going well in Nashville, and Barry Trotz recently sent a message to his team.

Clearly, that message didn’t get through. Florida broke the ice 11 seconds after the opening face-off and scored four goals in the first period.

3. Jacob Markstrom robs Patrick Kane with a Dominik Hasek save

In New Jersey, the Devils and Red Wings played a very close game.

Late in the game, Patrick Kane had the tying goal on the tip of his stick, but Jacob Markstrom had other plans.

A Dominik Hasek save.

The Devils held on to win 4-3.

It was the 1100th game of James van Riemsdyk’s career. He even scored in defeat.

As the match drew to a close, tempers flared.

A free-for-all broke out.

4. A heavyweight bout between Nicolas Deslauriers and Curtis Douglas

In Tampa Bay, a fight between Nicolas Deslauriers (218 lbs) and Curtis Douglas (242 lbs).

Two big men.

A fight won by the Québécois.

Douglas had the last word, however, as his team blanked the Flyers.

Final score: 3-0.

A 20-save shutout for Andrei Vasilevskiy, his 41st in his career.

In the victory, Brandon Hagel and Nikita Kucherov shone.

They were involved in all three of their team’s goals.

5. The Caps are unstoppable

The Caps are on fire these days.

We saw them recently at the Bell Centre, beating the Habs 8-4.

Yesterday, they won again, this time by a score of 5-1 against the Jackets. In their last six games, they have a 4-1-1 record.

Jakob Chychrun is having a great time. Yesterday, he scored two goals

That’s 21 points in 23 games this season.

11 points in his last eight games.

Washington stunned Columbus all night long.

In front of the cage, Logan Thompson stopped 22 pucks on 23 shots.

Overtime

– But what was he doing?

– He’s on fire.

– Cooley leads the charge.

(Credit: NHL.com)

– Only one game on the bill tonight.

(Credit: Google)
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Alexandre Texier isn’t the bravest: that’s why Jim Montgomery didn’t like him

Alexandre Texier doesn’t arrive in Montreal as the man who’s going to save the Canadiens.

We’re talking about a player who has his qualities and who is well known within the organization: Josh Anderson, Martin St-Louis and Pascal Vincent worked with him in Columbus, while Zachary Bolduc played with him in St-Louis. They know what kind of guy he is on and off the ice.

That probably helped Kent Hughes make his decision, by the way. We know that the GM of the Canadiens doesn’t hesitate to talk to his people to find out more about a player…

That said, the Canadiens have a “problem” of late, and we saw it last week against the Capitals. There’s a bit of sandpaper missing from the line-up if Florian Xhekaj is removed… and Texier isn’t going to help there either.

Renaud Lavoie said it this morning on BPM Sports: Texier isn’t known for being the “bravest” player on the ice. He’s not the one who’s going to hit the opposition in the corner, and you can’t expect the Frenchman to become a physical player overnight.

This explains why Jim Montgomery didn’t like him much in St. Louis, according to Renaud Lavoie. Montgomery likes a player who’s a dog… and Texier doesn’t fit into that category.

Personally, I can’t wait to see what role the former Blue Jackets and Blues forward will play.

Will he be given a place on one of the two shorthanded waves? Texier has speed, and even if he’s seen as more of an offensive player, he could use his speed to create things…

It also makes you wonder when we’ll see him play his first game with the Canadiens. Reminder: Jared Davidson hurt himself in the third period on Saturday night… and that may open the door to attack.

But if Davidson is able to play on Wednesday, we can expect the lineup to remain intact against the Mammoth. I find it hard to see Martin St-Louis changing his line-up after the club’s fine win over the Leafs, and I can’t see Florian Xhekaj or Davidson coming out of the line-up if they’re healthy.

Because there’s really no rush for Texier. The Habs might want to give him a few practices to help him acclimatize to his new environment, and that would make sense in a way.

Especially since he’s only played eight games this season with the Blues…

(Credit: Screenshot / HockeyDB)

There are questions to be asked, then, with the arrival of Alexandre Texier.

The forward will be at team practice this morning(Renaud Lavoie confirmed it yesterday on X) and we’ll have more answers to our questions soon.

Will he play short-handed? Will he be used on the Canadiens’ top-9? When will he play his first game in the blue, white and red? Will Martin St-Louis be able to trust him in certain situations?

I’ll be curious to hear what the players have to say about the Frenchman’s arrival. Because sometimes, it says a lot about how they see the player in question…

Overtime

– Happy Birthday!

– Ouch.

– Happy reading.

– He’d be proud.

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Alexandre Texier: “I haven’t seen his offensive side in the NHL yet”

Yesterday, the Canadiens signed Alexandre Texier.

Although not a saviour, the 26-year-old Frenchman has come at the right time for the Habs, who have been hit by a number of injuries.

Although Texier has just one assist in eight games this season, one comment that has come up a lot over the past 24 hours is his great talent.

As my colleague Félix Forget reported earlier, many of his former teammates and his former coach spoke of his talent, but that the forward never really found his niche with the Blues.

Then Antoine Roussel, who was on Sortie de Zone, added another layer, saying that Texier hasn’t yet reached maturity.

According to the host, we haven’t yet seen his offensive side in the NHL.

Roussel played with Texier on the international scene with the French team.

So he’s had a front-row seat to observe the Habs’ new forward. And in his opinion, Texier’s offensive potential is there.

It’s still interesting for Montreal.

The forward has 30 points in 78 games in 2023-24 and 20 points in 36 games in 2021-2022.

It’s really since his arrival with the Blues last year that his offensive production has plummeted, with just 11 points in 31 games.

If Texier can get back to producing around 30 points a year, he could provide an interesting element of depth on the team’s third line when the injured return to action.

And if, as Roussel says, the forward has offensive potential that can stand out with the Habs, he could cause a nice surprise in Montreal.

Let’s just say it’s an interesting gamble for the Habs, and one that costs them absolutely nothing.

Overtime

– What a save!

– The end of the game.

– Heavy loss for Columbus.

– Many David Pagnotta rumors.

– Eight in a row for the Raptors.

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Michael Hage could (really) see himself playing with Ivan Demidov

The Canadiens are still looking for a second center to play alongside Ivan Demidov.

Although the Russian is having a good rookie season with 17 points in 21 games, it seems he could score even more with the right player to pivot his line.

Let’s just say that, with a center capable of complementing him, Demidov would probably currently be in first place for the Calder race [Atl link].

Currently, that task falls to another rookie, Oliver Kapanen, and while he’s doing well with 11 points including 7 goals in 21 games, it’s not an ideal situation.

The solution to the Habs’ center problem, at least in the medium term, may well be Michael Hage.

In an article by Nicolas Cloutier published today on TVA Sports, we learn that the University of Michigan player would like to play alongside Demidov.

Hage loves watching the Russian forward and often thinks, with great enthusiasm, about the possibility of playing with him.

So far, the Ontario native is enjoying a very good second season in the NCAA with 20 points, including nine goals, in 16 games.

What’s more, Hage puts a lot of effort into improving the lesser facets of his arsenal, such as his play without the puck, his one-on-one battles and his face-offs. These are all important elements in being a good NHL center.

In particular, the CH prospect works closely with Paul Byron, who analyzes the young player’s performances and communicates with him regularly.

In fact, we could see Hage arrive in Montreal as early as this season.

Once he’s finished his season with Michigan, he could join either the Canadiens or the Rocket, but only one of the two teams (due to the collective agreement). The Habs will then have to decide whether he’ll play the rest of the season (and the playoffs) in Montreal or Laval.

What’s more, the Wolverines could play for a long time as one of the favorite teams to win the national title, and their season could run until April 11.

Bringing in a young player so late in the season isn’t ideal, and Demidov’s case last year was exceptional.

However, if Michigan’s season ends quickly and the context is right in Montreal, the Demidov-Hage combination could be just what we’re looking for this year.

Overtime

– Indeed.

– An option for the Habs?

– Back soon?

– What a game!

– He knows the situation.

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Goalkeepers: the Habs look in-house to solve their problems

The subject of goaltending has been a hot topic in Montreal over the past few weeks. The club is struggling in front of the net, which means they’re missing out on a lot of games despite a fairly potent offense.

And Martin St-Louis is clearly fed up with the subject coming up again and again.

Jakub Dobes had a good night’s work on Saturday, which calmed things down in the last few days. But in reality, the numbers don’t lie: the Habs rank last in the NHL for goaltending efficiency this season.

Sooner or later, then, we’re going to have to start thinking about solutions. And according to Elliotte Friedman, the club’s priority in this matter is not to complete a transaction to obtain a goaltender.

In fact, according to Friedman, the Habs want to start by trying to find solutions internally. And obviously, the easiest would be to get Dobes and Samuel Montembeault back in the game.

But if not, a recall from Laval seems the most likely scenario.

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Obviously, Jacob Fowler’s name is getting a lot of attention. We know the young goalie has a lot of promise, and seeing him break it down in the AHL this season suggests he may be ready for a recall.

That said, it’s more likely that Kaapo Kahkonen will be the eventual recalled goaltender. He was signed to be the club’s third goaltender, and recalling him wouldn’t interfere with Fowler’s development.

In the short term, recalling Kahkonen makes more sense.

I get the impression that the Habs will be desperate to avoid recalling Fowler in order to let him play a full year in Laval. After all, that’s what will be most beneficial for his development.

And even Dobes, who was recalled rather quickly, had spent a year and a half in Laval before getting his first taste of the NHL, you know.

Overtime

– Joel Quenneville is probably ahead of him. Roy is an interesting candidate, though.

– That’s right.

– Interesting.

– Conor Garland could be traded.

– His comments today are not going down well.