Author: Dose

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Cries of pain and a blue foot: do not hope to see Kaiden Guhle again this season

Kaiden Guhle will not be returning to the Canadiens in the short term. His severe cut should keep him out of action for a considerable amount of time.

Why do I say this? Because… it’s evident. But more importantly, I say this in light of what Tony Marinaro (who was among the first to talk about a cut) reported on TVA Sports.

In short, he reported that Kaiden Guhle was bleeding so much at the scene that there was blood everywhere on the stretcher used to transport him to the hospital. He also had a tourniquet on his knee and his foot was blue.

There was a lot of blood and his foot was blue. He was screaming in pain and a tourniquet was applied [to his knee]. There was blood everywhere on the stretcher. — Tony Marinaro

I don’t think I need to draw you a picture to understand that it’s not tomorrow that the defender will be back on the ice. Marinaro has also been told that Guhle’s season is over.

And I’m not surprised.

Even though it would be unfair to say that Guhle cut himself due to being injury-prone, it remains that in three years in the National Hockey League, he has only played 158 games so far.

If he doesn’t return to play, he will have played only 64% of the games in his entry-level contract… before his $5.55 million per year deal for six years comes into play. That’s not many games.

We must wonder to what extent the Canadiens, who have often seen Guhle leave a game for a few minutes after a hit from an opponent, are concerned about his injury history.

This question can be raised, in any case.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that all is certainly lost for the Canadiens since there exists a world in which Guhle returns to play. Dr. Pierre Ranger, on the airwaves of BPM Sports, analyzed the possibility, indeed.

But in a realistic world, Martin St-Louis must still understand that the playoff race will happen without one of the most reliable defenders in the organization. This is definitely a tough blow.

At the time of writing these lines, the Canadiens have six defensemen up. We can expect a call-up before the departure to California… but for tonight’s game, here’s what I would do if I were in Martin St-Louis and Stéphane Robidas’ shoes.

What do you think?

Hutson – Matheson
Xhekaj – Carrier
Struble – Savard

Hutson and Matheson have been successful together, and this would allow Xhekaj and Struble to play with a more experienced and reliable defenseman. I don’t mean to knock Savard and Wi-Fi, but I don’t see Struble on a top-4.

This demonstrates that the Canadiens did well not to wait until they were in trouble to acquire Alexandre Carrier.

But more importantly, as colleague Marc-Olivier Cook wrote yesterday, the Canadiens simply can no longer consider trading David Savard – unless they find a replacement in the same mold.

That would be a very poor decision.

After all, aside from the fact that the CH wants to make the playoffs and aside from Savard’s positive influence on others, if Savard is traded and Mike Matheson or Alexandre Carrier gets injured, it would put too much pressure on the young defensemen.

That wouldn’t be serving them well, and I’m sure Kent Hughes knows it.

In brief

– It won’t be easy, that.

– Four Nations confrontation: who will be the captains?

– Yes.

– Pascal Vincent is having fun. [98.5 FM]

– Martin Necas says goodbye to the Hurricanes.

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Top-5: Third shutout of the season for Jake Allen

Last night in the NHL, there were only five games on the schedule.

However, there was no lack of action.

Here are the results and highlights:

1. Third shutout of the season for Jake Allen

In New Jersey, the Devils easily dealt with the Flyers thanks to a 5-0 victory.

Shutout with 24 saves for Jake Allen and it was already his third of the season.

What I also noted from this game was a sequence where Luke Hughes completely ignored his brother during a two-on-one play.

However, it paid off as he found the back of the net.

The better of the Hughes brothers didn’t have a bad game either.

He finished with one goal and one assist.

As for Brandon Dillon, he solidly checked Owen Tippett and John Tortorella was not happy.

2. 30th victory for the Wild before heading to Montreal

The Canadiens will face Marc-André Fleury and the Wild tonight, but yesterday Minnesota was in action.

The team faced the Maple Leafs and with a 3-1 victory, they reached the 30-win mark this season.

No player from either team recorded more than one point in the game, but Filip Gustavsson was outstanding.

He stopped 31 of 32 shots directed at him.

In any case, opposing rinks do not scare him.

3. An assist for Dmitry Kulikov in his 1000th NHL game

The Kings faced the Panthers and it was Dmitry Kulikov’s 1000th NHL game.

The defenseman didn’t waste any time making his mark on the game as he recorded an assist on the first goal.

The other assist was earned by Matthew Tkachuk, and he finished the game with a goal and two assists.

In addition to making plays, the American is also very good at bothering the opponent.

29 save shutout for Sergei Bobrovsky in the victory.

4. The Canucks in a playoff position

With a 3-1 victory over the Preds in Nashville, the Canucks are currently in the playoffs.

At the time of writing this, five of the seven Canadian teams are in the playoffs. The only ones that are not: the Canadiens (who are two points out) and the Flames (who are one point out).

So far, things are looking good in Canada.

Filip Forsberg killed his team’s chances of coming back in the match late with that stupid penalty.

Thatcher Demko was solid, stopping 31 shots on 32.

Linus Karlsson scored his first NHL goal. It was even the game-winning goal.

5. Vintage Sidney Crosby in Utah

In Utah, the Penguins were making their first visit and Sidney Crosby showed the new hockey fans why he is considered one of the greatest players of all time.

In overtime, he demonstrated the extent of his talent with a superb goal.

It was his 23rd game-winning goal in overtime.

But without Erik Karlsson, the overtime wouldn’t even have happened.

What a shot to create the equalizer.

In the victory, Quebecer Bokondji Imama shone by dropping the gloves.

Liam O’Brien was his opponent.

Overtime

– Great goal in the QMJHL.

– Very funny.

– A strong game for Tkachuk.

(Credit: NHL.com)

– 10 games on the schedule tonight.

(Credit: Google)
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The Hurricanes were interested in Mitch Marner before acquiring Mikko Rantanen

If there is one trade that has shocked many, it is that of Mikko Rantanen.

Seeing that the Colorado Avalanche received not only Martin Necas, but also Jack Drury, Taylor Hall, and a few draft picks must please the club.

The Avalanche did not seem close to an agreement with Rantanen for a contract extension, and the return is more than respectable.

However, while listening to the podcast DFO Rundown from Daily Faceoff, with Frank Seravalli among others, we learn that the Hurricanes were targeting another franchise player before acquiring Rantanen.

According to what Seravalli reported, the Canes were interested in none other than Mitch Marner, who will also become an unrestricted free agent on July 1 (unless a contract extension is reached).

You can listen to the episode on YouTube, among other places, at the 42:00 mark where the segment on Marner begins.

“I believe the Hurricanes at least inquired about Marner during the process with Mikko Rantanen. I don’t know how far they got (in discussions) and I don’t know if it’s a possibility that the Canes weren’t a team Marner wanted to play for.”

It should also be understood that Marner has a full no-movement clause with the Leafs, making it more difficult to trade him.

Max Lalonde actually added a very interesting comment about Marner following this news: the softest player in the league.

When you think about it, he isn’t wrong, because we know that when the playoffs come, Marner is not the same.

He is not known for his competitiveness, and we remember last year’s playoffs when William Nylander was not afraid to express his thoughts on his teammate who only complained:

If you only complain in the NHL, it won’t lead you to anything good. In fact, it’s the same for life in general: you have to get up and lead by example.

Nonetheless, Marner is overflowing with talent, as his 68 points and 53 assists in 51 games show (statistics updated with the Leafs’ loss tonight against the Wild).

He is one of the best playmakers in the NHL, but he needs to be more competitive if he wants to aspire to great honors.

In a nutshell

– The G.O.A.T. simply.

– A nice accomplishment for Jesper Bratt, who is only 26 years old.

– The Raptors’ winning streak continues.

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Carey Price open to the possibility of being involved in hockey

Carey Price has been an idol for many in Montreal. He is undoubtedly one of the greatest goaltenders in the history of the Montreal Canadiens and the NHL.

His forced departure due to the condition of his knee has saddened many.

We all love to hear updates about #31, and the Antichambre team has provided us with insights on how he is doing currently, having conducted an interview with the goaltender.

The interview will actually be aired at 9:30 PM tonight (Wednesday) on the Antichambre show, but it was recently published on RDS’s YouTube page.

I strongly encourage you to listen to the full interview, which features some good comments from the main subject.

What stood out the most in this interview is the fact that he would be open to the possibility of being involved in hockey again in the future.

He prefers to enjoy time with his three children, all under eight years old, but eventually, he would like to return to the scene.

Imagine if he could come back to Montreal in some role. I’m convinced that many would be very happy.

However, we will have to wait until his children are all at least teenagers.

Besides this interesting information, he also took the opportunity to give advice to Samuel Montembeault in view of the Four Nations Tournament, as well as to Jakub Dobes.

Living in the present moment, focusing on the game ahead of them, and not worrying too much about the rest.

He also praised Dobes’ work so far, mentioning that his body language and level of competitiveness stand out the most in his game.

Price believes that his body language gives his team confidence, and it’s crucial to have the club’s trust.

P.J. Stock also asked Price which moment in his career still plays on loop in his head to this day.

In response, #31 said that one of his greatest moments in Montreal was when he witnessed the jersey retirement of Patrick Roy, being right next to him.

Price also mentioned in the interview that Roy and Martin Brodeur were inspirations for him growing up, but that it was mainly his father, his greatest idol.

When stepping away from hockey, he thought he would have more free time as a full-time parent, but he was mistaken.

Another point that caught my attention was when Stéphane Waite, his former goaltending coach, asked him if he had any regrets.

Price obviously talked about how he would have really liked to win a Stanley Cup, but besides that, he believes he accomplished everything he could in his career.

He indeed had a glorious career.

I invite you again to listen to the interview: it’s always good to hear Carey Price sounding very well.

In Brief

– To listen: this week’s episode of the Passion MLB podcast.

– MPP demonstrating again that she is one of the greatest in women’s hockey, if not the greatest.

– What a sublime goal.

– Magnificent.

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Brandon Saad will leave $5 million on the table to leave St. Louis

Brandon Saad has made quite an impact with the Chicago Blackhawks and the Columbus Blue Jackets.

He won two Stanley Cups in Chicago before being traded to the Jackets, only to eventually return to Chicago.

He performed well upon his return with the Blackhawks, but since then, it has become more difficult for the 32-year-old veteran.

In the summer of 2021, he signed a five-year contract for $4.5 million per year, but his statistics this season are quite disappointing (16 points, -14 in 43 games).

Yesterday, it was reported that the St. Louis Blues placed him on waivers, and no team claimed him.

Normally, a player who is not claimed is sent to the AHL, but for Saad, it’s different.

In fact, the Blues and he reached a mutual agreement to terminate his contract.

He will thus leave a little over $5 million on the table to become an unrestricted free agent and thus exit St. Louis, according to Chris Johnston’s report.

It’s not easy… that’s the least we can say.

On the other hand, this will allow him to join the team he wants (depending on the offers he receives) and continue playing in the NHL at a low salary.

Because at $4.5 million, it’s understandable that the other 31 teams turned up their noses at the veteran.

He will thus have the chance to help a team looking towards the playoffs, as he can still bring depth to a team in need.

The idea of seeing him join the Edmonton Oilers has recently circulated and it would make a lot of sense.

On a fourth line, he will be able to play a more defensive role and also bring experience.

Two Stanley Cups in three years is worth something.

In Brief

— Dimitri Kulikov records an assist in his 1,000th career game.

— Always there for his fans, that Marc-André.

— To be continued…

— It’s incredible that he has the audacity to ask to serve his sentence at home…

— The Raptors are thirsty for victory, having won their last four games in a disappointing season (14-32). Cohesion seems to suddenly be present: look at this beautiful passing play.

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Hoping that Guhle’s situation does not become like Landeskog’s

Gabriel Landeskog has not played since June 26, 2022.

It has been almost three years, to put it another way.

The captain of the Avalanche had to undergo knee surgery after leading his team to the Stanley Cup, and we are still waiting for his return to play.

The knee required a cartilage transplant at the beginning of 2023… And where it gets concerning is when you think about the fact that he suffered a similar injury to that of Kaiden Guhle.

Landeskog – like Guhle – was cut by a skate, and his injury became complicated afterwards.

That said, we have to hope that Guhle’s situation does not become like Landeskog’s.

That would really be the end of it all… And it would slow down the rebuilding process for the Canadiens.

We know it could be a while before we see him fully recovered:

To lose Guhle for such a long time… It feels like I don’t even want to think about it.

It would force the Canadiens to find a replacement for him (internally or elsewhere) because obviously, the Canadiens will want to keep moving forward despite everything.

Internally, Jayden Struble and Arber Xhekaj can fill in… But only in the short term.

If Guhle is out for a while, none of those guys can be as effective as #21 defensively, and that hurts especially with the loss of the defenseman.

Unless we see Adam Engström explode in Laval by then, but we agree that we shouldn’t necessarily rely on that project.

There’s nothing ideal about Guhle’s injury, really. But oh well.

It’s unfortunate because things were going well before the Heineman incident regarding injuries with the Canadiens…

In brief

– To add insult to injury…

– Well done.

– That’s not ideal either.

– Oh boy.

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Kaiden Guhle’s injury: The Canadiens can no longer trade David Savard

No. No. No… Seriously?

That was my reaction in front of my television last night when I saw Kaiden Guhle retreating to the locker room, unable to put any weight on his leg.

Guhle was hurt quite seriously: earlier today, the Canadiens announced that the defenseman suffered a quadriceps muscle laceration. He went under the knife, and we don’t know when he will return to play.

Guhle’s absence will directly impact the team’s performance in the coming weeks.

We are talking about the general on the blue line in Montreal… And when a team loses its best defensive defender, it’s understood that it’s never a good sign for what’s to come.

Other guys will need to step up to make us forget his absence, and here we need to think about David Savard.

The veteran will have to play significant minutes until Guhle returns (if he is able to come back this season), and it makes us realize that right now… the Canadiens no longer have the luxury of considering trading Savard.

We need to forget that idea for now. Because there’s no chance the Canadiens will progress without Savard AND Guhle in the lineup…

(Credit: GettyImages)

This removes options from Kent Hughes’ table.

If the GM was perhaps interested in the idea of trading Savard for some reason, let’s just say his plans have just been shaken up a bit…

The timing of the injury is truly unfortunate because it was the worst moment for this to happen.

The Canadiens are two points away from a playoff spot and now they will have to navigate without Guhle for some time.

We know the importance of #21 in the lineup, after all.

That said, thank goodness the Canadiens traded Justin Barron to Nashville in exchange for Alexandre Carrier more than a month ago.

Without Guhle or Carrier in the lineup, it would have been more than difficult in the defensive zone until the lefty returned…

In Brief

– It’s going to be a special night.

– Enjoy the listen.

– Max Pacioretty is ready to return to play.

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Martin Leclerc brings to the forefront the topic of cannabis use in the NHL

It’s well known: some professional athletes consume cannabis.

I’m thinking of Kevin Durant or Michael Phelps, for example, who have never hidden this fact.

In fact, Durant – who has been playing in the NBA since 2007 – stated in an interview with David Letterman in 2022 that he consumes it regularly.

Martin Leclerc talked about this topic this morning on the airwaves of BPM Sports… But referencing the National Hockey League.

He reminded that currently, the trend among players is no longer to go out to bars: the guys prefer to stay at home to consume cannabis and mind their own business.

Players are going less and less to bars to socialize with teammates to drink alcohol. Instead, they spend much more time in their rooms playing video games and instead of consuming alcohol, they prefer to consume cannabis. – Martin Leclerc

This might come as a surprise to some, but we are talking about a trend that is not only related to hockey.

In fact, Arnaud Gascon-Nadon discussed it during his appearance on the Stanley25 podcast: cannabis can be found in hockey, football, basketball, name it…

It’s more popular than we think:

Athletes consume cannabis for various reasons.

Many of them stand behind the fact that it can help with muscle/mental relaxation, and for others, it helps with stress or anxiety.

In the football world, some guys even smoke beforehand so that the pain of contact is less intense during games!

That said, it would still be interesting to see what percentage of players use it in Montreal and across the NHL.

Arnaud Gascon-Nadon mentioned that about 80% of the locker room in the CFL (and even in the NFL) consume cannabis for X reasons before and after games… Is the percentage as high in the National League?

In brief

– That would be amazing!

– To be continued.

– Cha-ching!

– A few news in the MLB:

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Make thousands of dollars with old vests from Jonathan Drouin

I apologize – as a podcaster behind the Stanley25 podcast – for not being a bit more like David Reinbacher.

Like our first-round pick in 2023, Jean Trudel and I have the unfortunate habit of disappearing for several weeks (or even months) between our happy and active segments.

Let’s say that doing seasons of 10 episodes doesn’t appeal to everyone who listens/watches… and it doesn’t please our quieter third partner, Serge Fortin.

Why the comparison with David Reinbacher? Because he is on the way to returning to play sooner than expected, while JT and I have kept you waiting a week or two longer than anticipated.

A well-filled first episode
Yesterday afternoon, after attending the CF Montreal training session at the Marie-Victorin Sports Complex on my part, we finally recorded the first episode of our third season.

We made it available to Patreon subscribers around dinner time and it has just been posted online on the YouTube page of 9millions. Here it is now on DLC:

We talked about Mikko Rantanen, Cole Caufield’s #22 jerseys, the visit of the Sens to Quebec, the movement of boycott from USA in the Quebec media, Juraj Slafkovsky, Kent Hughes who is not panicking, Jakub Dobes, the accident of Emil Heineman, disappointing ratings on Amazon (NHL), a minor hockey coach who adds assists to his son, a mega big sports star, and several other interesting topics.

Among these other interesting topics, there is an anecdote about Patrik Laine’s jerseys shared by Jean.

On August 19, the Canadiens acquired the services of Patrik Laine (along with a second-round pick, in exchange for Jordan Harris).

Many fans tried to get their hands on CH jerseys with Laine’s name and number on the back, but it always takes a little time to prepare and then sell such specific items.

However, luck smiled upon Peter Alper, owner of the company Hockey Jerseyz, which specializes in selling official jerseys, old or new.

The day before the trade that brought Laine to Montreal, Alper saw a batch of Jonathan Drouin jerseys (#92) being put up for sale for official distributors. He bought several at $85 thinking he would eventually sell them over time. Drouin is still a talented Quebecer who played for the Montreal Canadiens…

But fate was on his side: the next day, Laine – who wears #92 – was arriving in Montreal.

Alper was thus one of the first to be able to sell official Laine jerseys…

And he probably made a big sum. Jerseys bought for $85 that you only have to change the name on top, on the back, and then sell for $300, make for a hell of a profit!

Especially when you know how to promote your jerseys on social media!

Since we’re talking about official jerseys, many retailers had difficulty obtaining their Cole Caufield jerseys with the #13 at the start of the season. Johnny Gaudreau passed away on August 29, and Caufield decided on September 3 that he would change his number to honor the memory of his friend.

Generally, a player who decides to change their number this late has to bear the costs this incurs for the NHL and its partners. And we’re talking about several hundred thousand dollars in the case of a popular guy like Caufield.

However, here, it’s very likely that the NHL charged nothing to the Canadiens forward.

Nonetheless, in the end, many retailers and sellers didn’t have jerseys to meet the (strong) demand.

I imagine they also arranged something with them on the NHL side…

It should be noted that there are a few spicy excerpts in this week’s podcast, but that you will have to watch the episode to hear them. Taken out of context, they could have stirred up controversy. That’s why I preferred to leave them in their context and not use them to attract readers. I wouldn’t want Mario in Trois-Pistoles to accuse me of clickbait.

But still, I could have titled it: Disaster for Monday hockey on Amazon; will the NHL be rejected by Jeff Bezos?

Happy listening. Or happy viewing!

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The CH was offered a second-round pick for Jake Evans in the last draft

With the season he is having, it is logical to think that Jake Evans has a good value on the market.

We are talking about a useful player because he is ultra-reliable on the ice and excels on the penalty kill.

He is not the one who wins games by himself… But he is certainly capable of contributing to the success of an NHL team.

Evans is likely to become an interesting target for Stanley Cup-contending teams, but interest in his services is not new.

In fact, what Frank Seravalli reports in a recent article is that the Canadiens were offered a second-round pick for Evans at the last draft.

The informant “believes” that the Capitals were the ones who called:

I believe the Caps are the team that tried to acquire Evans last summer during the draft in exchange for a second-round pick. – Frank Seravalli

If Evans was worth a second-round pick last summer in the eyes of the Capitals… What is his value today?

In his article, Seravalli mentions the names of five teams that could be in the race to acquire Evans by March 7.

He talks about the Capitals, Leafs, Flames, Devils, and Blue Jackets.

Interesting…

However, it should be noted that Evans could sign an extension with the Canadiens.

The CH likes him a lot and we know that the player himself wants to stay in town.

But we also know that Kent Hughes might be interested in the idea of sending him elsewhere to get good assets in return if he feels that contract discussions are not progressing to his liking.

There is still a possibility of seeing Evans leave for free in a few months, and it is certain that the organization does not want that.

After all, if he leaves, the CH will want to get something in return…

In Brief

– Note:

– I love the style!

– Yeah. Me too…

– It’s falling like flies.

– Surprising!