Author: Dose

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Marc-André Fleury receives a dose of love from the Bell Centre during the national anthem

This evening, Marc-André Fleury is making his final appearance at the Bell Centre in his career. The goaltender, who will retire at the end of the season, asked the Wild to play tonight’s game.

It’s understandable that for him, playing one last time in Montreal was important.

Of course, we know that the goaltender is loved in Montreal, and we expected to see the fans give him a dose of love…

And that’s what happened during the national anthem.

At the end of the Canadian anthem, Fleury was shown on the big screen… and the fans started to applaud and chant Fleury’s name. A beautiful moment.

It should be noted that the Canadiens did not necessarily prepare a small tribute video to be aired during the national anthem (as they had done for Patrick Roy, for example). That said, the cameras featured him on the big screen… and the fans understood the message.

Fleury did not react at the moment, but we can imagine it touched him.

In an interview with Renaud Lavoie before the game, Fleury’s agent, Allan Walsh, confirmed that no less than 100 people in the goaltender’s entourage are present at the Bell Centre tonight. I imagine those people must have been touched as well.

We expected to see Fleury honored during his last game at the Bell Centre… and the fans settled that before the game started.

Now we just have to see how the goaltender performs tonight.

Overtime

It is quite rare to see an opposing player honored in such a way at the Bell Centre. Usually, when a player from another team elicits a reaction from the crowd, it’s often boos…

But it clearly shows how much Montreal loves Fleury.

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Kaiden Guhle: if the CH replaces him, it will be with an “Alexandre Carrier-like” trade

On Tuesday night, the CH lost their game against the Jets… but they mostly lost Kaiden Guhle. The defender tore his quadriceps… and there are good reasons to believe that his season is over.

It’s a really, really unfortunate injury.

The big question now is how the Canadiens will replace their young general. It’s a heavy loss on the blue line, after all, and the guys are going to have to step it up.

In fact, we know that Jayden Struble has been called up immediately. That said, as reported by Dave Lévesque (Journal de Montréal), the main party involved is not particularly happy to be returning under these circumstances:

It’s more bitter than sweet because I would have come back anyway next week, I would have preferred to wait in Laval. – Jayden Struble

Basically, it’s worth noting that Struble, who was in the midst of a conditioning stint in Laval, was going to return to the big club regardless. And even though his call-up was expedited, it doesn’t make him exactly happy.

He would have preferred to return in a context where Guhle is still healthy, clearly.

That said, with #21 possibly missing the rest of the season, the question is whether this changes the Canadiens’ plans leading up to the trade deadline…

And Pierre LeBrun discussed this on TSN airwaves tonight.

In short, the informant claims that the injury doesn’t drastically change the club’s plans: Kent Hughes is not ready to pay the big price for a rental player. That said…

LeBrun notes that the CH might still try to replace Guhle, but by acquiring a player who could have an impact beyond this current season. A bit like the Alexandre Carrier trade, essentially.

The informant notes that the CH was already interested in completing a transaction of this kind before Guhle’s injury, and one can wonder if the club will be more inclined to pursue it as the trade deadline approaches.

Especially if the club is still in the mix in a few weeks…

In the immediate future, therefore, don’t expect to see the Canadiens going after a defenseman on an expiring contract to try to mitigate the impact of Guhle’s loss.

That said, if the opportunity arises to acquire another defenseman who, like Carrier, could contribute in the long term, that’s a different story.

In brief

– The last time the CH beat the Wild, Nick Suzuki scored his first career goal in the NHL.

– Good news for the Suzuki family.

– Still.

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Zdeno Chara returns to the Bruins

An interesting piece of news went unnoticed yesterday afternoon.

Zdeno Chara, who spent the majority of his career in Boston, is back with the Bruins organization.

He has accepted a role as a consultant and mentor to the players:

Obviously, it is known that Zdeno Chara is a well-liked guy over there.

He was the captain of the Bruins for almost 15 years (from 2006 to 2020), won a Stanley Cup with the Boston team, and he also ranks third among the organization’s top scorers among defensemen.

Chara really had great moments with the Bruins, to put it another way.

In all of this, one has to wonder if Chara plans to take on even more at some point.

Does he want to aspire to become a member of management and have control over team decisions?

Does he want to observe management to later take on a more significant role within the organization, a bit like Mathieu Darche does in Tampa Bay?

That remains to be seen.

However, seeing a legend of the organization interested in returning to the hockey world to offer his services is intriguing.

He will have the chance to help the younger players, and the kids will listen to him because Chara has practically achieved everything during his hockey career. He is bound to be a good role model for the young players, and it’s important to have someone in the organization who fulfills that role.

Francis Bouillon is good at what he does with the Canadiens, and Chara’s role will resemble his, at least for the time being.

The addition of Chara to the Bruins is a good one, in my eyes.

In brief

– News about CF Montreal:

– Well. It seems complicated all that…

– Makes sense.

– He is unique.

– Big move by the Jays!

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“You can forget Mathieu Olivier with the Canadiens.”

Mathieu Olivier is an appealing player.

Why? Because he is one of the good fighters in the NHL and because he knows his role on the ice.

He provides proud service to the Blue Jackets organization, and he has been talked about in Montreal because this summer, Olivier will be free as a bird.

But as time goes on, we realize that the chances of seeing him in Montreal next season are slim.

The Blue Jackets love him too much to let him go… And in the eyes of Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre, who discussed it on Georges Laraque and Stéphane Gonzalez’s show, Don Waddell (GM) will do everything to keep him in town.

You can forget about Mathieu Olivier with the Canadiens! – Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre

Mathieu Olivier is a valued player in Columbus.

He does things the right way on the ice, is always there to protect his teammates when needed, and can be used on the penalty kill because he is reliable in his zone… And on top of that, we see him scoring goals this season.

He already has 10 goals and also has eight assists to his name.

18 points in 50 games for a fighter like him… It’s fair to say it’s hard to ask for more!

Let’s remember that if Olivier doesn’t come to an agreement with the Blue Jackets by July 1st, he will be able to test the free agent market.

There will be a multitude of teams interested in his services if he ends up there… But with what we’ve been hearing lately, it’s hard to believe he will leave.

Unless Don Waddell receives an offer he simply cannot refuse by the deadline?

In Brief

– I love it.

– Interesting.

– Wow…

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Ivan Demidov helped his club win by scoring a magnificent goal in the shootout

Ivan Demidov and the SKA of Saint Petersburg were in action today in the KHL.

And… Guess what?

Yes, the Canadiens’ prospect stood out on the ice (again).

First of all, note that SKA was leading 3-0 before the third period started.

The HK Spartak Moscow scored not one, not two… But three goals in the last twenty to force overtime.

No goals were scored, leading to a shootout, and that’s where Demidov stepped up.

He secured the victory for his team by scoring the winning goal, and let’s just say he did it beautifully:

A little feint to the left, another to the right… And the goalie couldn’t understand what was happening in front of him.

Demidov managed to beat him while he was on the ground: the HK Spartak Moscow’s keeper had no chance on that sequence.

Well done!

In the game, Demidov was able to make an impact as he had respectable ice time.

In the end, it looks like this:

  • 5:30 (nine shifts) in the first period
  • 5:22 (seven shifts) in the second period
  • 4:31 (eight shifts) in the third period
  • 2:23 (three shifts) in overtime

In total, Demidov spent 17 minutes and 45 seconds on the ice. Not too shabby.

That said, the Canadiens’ prospect was the second most used player by Roman Rotenberg in overtime: the SKA head coach understood he must utilize his best players to win, and it was about time that sunk in.

For the first time in a while, Ivan Demidov was blanked on the scoresheet… But he still found a way to contribute to his team’s victory. Good news!

In brief

– Is it really a surprise?

– Nice photo.

– Oh, wow!

– He was so destined for a bright future…

– Of course.

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An arena named after Marc-André Fleury could be built in Sorel-Tracy

All eyes will be on Marc-André Fleury tonight at the Bell Centre.

The goaltender will play his final game of his career in Montreal, and it is likely to be a special moment for everyone.

It’s certain that Canadiens fans will give him a wonderful welcome!

Fleury has plans to make the most of it.

He will want to take the time to appreciate the moment as it should be:

Marc-André Fleury is a guy from Sorel-Tracy, and this morning, the mayor of Sorel-Tracy stopped by on BPM Sports to talk about the main interested party.

Patrick Péloquin revealed that tonight’s game will be shown in all the bars in the city… Because in Sorel-Tracy, everyone is proud of the goaltender.

It goes without saying.

But Patrick Péloquin also stated that in Sorel-Tracy, they are thinking of a way to honor Fleury to match the career he has had.

Max Lalonde asked him if the Colisée Cardin could be renamed in the goaltender’s honor, but Patrick Péloquin said he had other projects in mind for Fleury.

I think a tribute for Marc-André should be something for Marc-André. – Patrick Péloquin

Patrick Péloquin continued by saying that the city of Sorel-Tracy is exploring different scenarios to have a private arena in the region, and that Fleury is interested in getting involved in the project.

This is where it gets really interesting:

It could be a legacy or a heritage that we can work with Marc-André […] It will have its own flavor and color in it. – Patrick Péloquin

With his last statement, one can really think that the plan is to name the arena after Fleury, and that would be a really nice thought.

After all, Marc-André Fleury fully deserves to be honored in a beautiful way because he has not only had a great career in the NHL: he has always found a way to stay involved in his community throughout his career, and now is the right time to give back to him.

In Brief

– No surprises here.

– Well said!

– It’s official: John Klingberg will make his debut with the Oilers tonight. He has come a long way!

– Noted:

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Samuel Montembeault did not have a great month of January

In December, when Samuel Montembeault was named to the Canadian team for the Four Nations Clash, he rewarded the Canadian leaders by having a big month.

When we break down his performances month by month, we can easily see that in December, everything was going well for him.

His average of 2.53 and save percentage of .909 were good (it’s his only month of the season with an average below 2.82 and his only month with a rate over .900) and he was playing a lot, as we remember. Cayden Primeau was not an option.

(Credit: ESPN)

But in January, it’s not the same story.

In January, Montembeault didn’t have the same numbers. Instead of eight wins, he has three. And above all, his average (3.40) and save percentage (.889) are not up to par. He’s not terrible, but he’s not like he was in December.

(Credit: ESPN)

Obviously, to put things in perspective, we need to compare his stats to three other goalies.

The first is Adin Hill, one of his opponents at the Four Nations Clash. Hill doesn’t have exactly a perfect save percentage (.898) in 2025, but he has a much better average: 2.64.

(Credit: ESPN)

Jordan Binnington, what about him?

The other goalie for Team Canada has three wins in January like the other two netminders… and he has a save percentage of .898. But like Hill, his average for the month is not in the 3.00 range: it’s 2.86.

(Credit: ESPN)

If we think that Team Canada might lean towards the hottest goalie at the moment, we can’t say that Monty is helping himself 100%, but his opponents aren’t perfect either. Fortunately for them, Jakub Dobes will not play for Team Canada…

In January, Dobes has an average of 2.30 and a save percentage of .917, making him a more effective goalie than the three on Canada. And he has four wins in January.

(Credit: ESPN)

Does the competition with Dobes (who is playing better than Montembeault lately, according to Stéphane Waite) not bring out the best in Montembeault, unlike the competition against Cayden Primeau in December? Or is it circumstantial?

Hard to say. But what we know is that the Quebecer will need to give a little more for the CH, which must live without Kaiden Guhle for the foreseeable future, to stay in the playoff race.

In brief

– Yes.

– Maxime Talbot: proud of Marc-André Fleury. [JdeM]

– It’s just a fan’s idea, but…

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Rafaël Harvey-Pinard will play tonight (and Michael Pezzetta will skip his turn)

A few days ago, the Canadiens made the decision to recall Rafaël Harvey-Pinard. But since then, he had not yet had the chance to play a game at the top level.

But that is about to change tonight.

The Quebec native will be able to play in the NHL for the first time this season. This is what we understand after listening to Cole Caufield talk about how RHP will bring energy tonight. Martin St-Louis also confirmed this afterward, and Michael Pezzetta will therefore take his turn off.

Between his major injury suffered this summer and his reassignment to Laval, the Quebecer had not had the chance to play with the Canadiens this season. He must not miss his chance upon his return to the lineup.

Of course, at this point, no one expects to see the QMJHL product tear it up like when he played with Nick Suzuki on the first line. But he must, as Cole Caufield said, bring energy.

He needs to be responsible on the ice and help his team. And concretely, he must be better than Michael Pezzetta, the easiest guy to take out of the lineup if everyone is healthy.

Let’s not forget that defensively, there will also be changes. In goal, Jakub Dobes will face the Wild – and Marc-André Fleury, of course.

And on the blue line, Kaiden Guhle will come out of the lineup for obvious reasons. Jayden Struble is currently the sixth defenseman in town for the Canadiens.

Let’s see how it goes tonight.

In brief

– Stay tuned.

– Well done.

– Kaiden Guhle supported in the locker room.

– What will he do today?

– It’s true that he moves around a lot.

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Ivan Demidov is eager to play for the Montreal Canadiens

Ivan Demidov is the best prospect for the Canadiens in a long time.

Canadiens fans are eagerly awaiting him as he has the potential to make a difference in Montreal. This will happen at the beginning of the next season, barring any changes.

On this subject, Bob Hartley, who has his contacts in Russia, stated that people close to the prospect reported this to him: Ivan Demidov is looking forward to joining the NHL and playing for the Canadiens.

This was mentioned on L’Antichambre yesterday.

Obviously, it’s not exactly surprising since we know that the main interested party has always been very open to the possibility of joining the NHL – primarily with the Canadiens, who drafted him.

But it’s good to be reminded of this in light of his recent successes in the KHL.

For the past few weeks, since the Canadiens executives visited Russia, there has been a sense that the Russian is on another level in terms of results. He has taken off and it’s working.

We don’t know if Kent Hughes found the words to convince SKA to give him more playing time or if he simply restored Demidov’s confidence, but the results are there.

This shows, in any case, that Hughes’ impact on Demidov is indeed real.

Let’s remember that it would be very surprising for the stars to align to allow Demidov to finish the season in Montreal. But be that as it may, he will arrive next season and that will be perfectly fine.

And from there, watch out. With Lane Hutson on the power play, it could cause some damage…

In brief

– Not surprising.

– Death of Shawn Simpson, known in the hockey world in Ottawa. Sad news.

– The sports world supports those involved in the tragedy in Washington.

– It’s Arber Xhekaj’s birthday.

– Well done.

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If Logan Mailloux is recalled, he must play

For now, alongside the major injury to Kaiden Guhle and the call-up of Jayden Struble, the Canadiens have six healthy defensemen. And until proven otherwise, those are the six guys who will play tonight.

The Canadiens had to recall Struble in the coming days, and before Guhle got injured, it wasn’t hard to predict that the American would be recalled before the trip to California.

Expect the Montreal team to depart tomorrow for Martin St-Louis’s men.

But for the trip, it seems obvious to me that the CH will need to call up one more guy. After all, the club can’t have just six healthy defensemen while playing at the other end of the continent.

Yes, Logan Mailloux will also be in California during the AHL All-Star Game… but you understand what I mean: it’s easier to recall a guy when the club is at home.

So who will the extra defenseman be?

The answer on everyone’s lips is Logan Mailloux. He is regaining his form in Laval with important goals, he is right-handed, he is a first-round pick, etc.

But be careful before assuming it will be Mailloux. After all, we must ask ourselves: what role does the CH want to assign to the player who will be recalled? Will it be an on-ice role at the expense of Jayden Struble? Will it be a role as a spectator?

Because that changes the game.

Obviously, the player who will be recalled will be part of a group aimed at replacing Guhle since no one can do it alone. Each must have his specific role.

And that’s why I say we need to know what the CH is looking for to determine the player the club needs.

Mailloux is not playing at the same level as Guhle (even if they are trying to make him a defensive player in Laval) and it’s possible that the Canadiens are looking for a more reliable player defensively.

And it’s also possible that Martin St-Louis wants to play Struble. He will, however, need to have a strong game tonight to demonstrate that he can be counted on.

If that is the case, the name of Gustav Lindstrom should be kept in mind – as I mentioned yesterday and as Anthony Marcotte mentioned this morning on the radio. The defenseman could very well be recalled to go watch the games in all the arenas in California without changing the future of the organization.

No, I am not suggesting Lindstrom for his innate scoring talent, you’ll understand.

Because even if the CH has been winning more than before for two months, the goal remains the same: we must develop young players properly. We need to think about what is best for them.

If the best for Mailloux is recalling Lindstrom (who is also better defensively than Mailloux in the NHL, as noted) to keep hope alive in the AHL, so be it because he really should not be warming a bench in the press box.

But if the CH determines that it’s better to promote Mailloux (whether to develop him, to get minutes, or to showcase him), that’s what must be done.

Will the answer come in the next few days? Clearly, yes.

In Brief

– Happy listening.

– Excellent choice for captain.

– Depth is needed in Toronto.

– The CH will practice at 10:30 this morning.

– David Reinbacher: a crucial return. [BPM Sports]

– The CH is still just two points away from the playoffs.

(Credit: NHL.com)