Author: Dose

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There’s a toxic atmosphere in Nashville (and not just in the locker room)

The Nashville Predators are unrecognizable.

We’re talking about an organization that has, after all, enjoyed tremendous success in recent years. For a long time, the Preds were seen as one of the National League’s powerhouses because they were good year after year.

But today, it’s a different story. Ryan O’Reilly isn’t doing well, the Preds finished last season in 30th place overall in the National League… and as of today, they sit in second-to-last place overall in the NHL. It’s not going well, to put it another way.

Why is that?

According to Frank Seravalli(Bleacher Report), there seems to be a toxic atmosphere in Nashville. It seems to be difficult in the locker room on many levels because the players don’t give it their all on the ice.

Emma Lingen (The Hockey News), on the other hand, says it’s the fans who aren’t helping, because they want change within the organization. But the point is the same: things are tough in Nashville right now.

And not just on the ice…

When defeats and failures pile up, it makes for unhappy people.

And right now, that’s what’s happening in Nashville. Barry Trotz allowed everyone to believe that the organization was going to be competitive with the signings of Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault and Brady Skjei in the summer of 2024… and the result of that experiment is proving to be a disaster on the ice.

What’s hard, though, is to believe that the situation can (or will) be resolved quickly over there.

The Preds don’t have the best bank of prospects in the National League, the players there are getting old… and nobody seems to be happy with the way things are going at the moment.

And it’s likely to continue to be difficult over the next few years, too. Unless Trotz decides to sell off some of his players and start a major rebuild…

Overtime

– Great story.

– That’s right.

– Wow…

– To be continued.

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Ivan Demidov paid (out of his own pocket) for ice time this summer

Ivan Demidov’s love of the game is well known.

After all, it’s easy to see that he loves the game when he spends so much time on the ice. He’s always one of the first on the ice for the Canadiens’ practices… and he’s always one of the last off the ice, too.

He always wants to improve, and he works hard to make it happen. But… his level of dedication is even bigger than that.

Tony Marinaro, on the Stanley25 podcast, talked to JT about this: this summer, Demidov was taking money out of his own pocket to practice as much as possible.

He paid for ice time to skate, and that just shows how much he wants to be better. The kid knows he’s got talent… but he also knows that it’s through hard work that he’ll reach his full potential.

And if I were a member of the Canadiens organization, I’d be really pleased to see the kid’s work ethic.

In his comments, Tony recalls that Demidov decided not to return to Russia this summer because it might have forced him to complete his military service.

But we knew that.

What’s special is to learn that the Russian made the decision to pour money out of his own pocket to be able to practice even more. Remember: Ivan Demidov doesn’t earn $92 million a season. And God knows, ice time in Quebec arenas is expensive…

It’s always nice to see a youngster with the right mentality. And it’s even more pleasing to see a talented youngster like Ivan Demidov doing everything he can to spend as much time as possible on the ice… because it shows that he wants to push himself to improve.

It’s hard not to like him, we agree. Especially when you hear stories like this…

Overtime

– I can’t wait.

– He’s special, him (hehe).

– There’s action in the waivers.

– Good point.

– I’m impressed.

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Logan Mailloux beats the Rocket in his first AHL game this season

Remember Logan Mailloux? That Canadiens prospect who…

OK. I’ll stop.

The man who was traded for Zachary Bolduc this summer (and is back in the AHL after starting the season with the Blues) was facing the Rocket in a matinee game. He didn’t contribute to his team’s victory on the score sheet… but he did win against his former club. The Thunderbirds won 3-1.

It’s ironic, but this was Mailloux’s first game with the Blues’ club-school. He was sent packing earlier this week after an awful start to the NHL campaign, and he must be thinking revenge is sweet right now after beating the Rocket.

He must be feeling pretty good, in fact. Beating your former organization is always special…

Nikita Alexandrov stood out for the Thunderbirds.

He opened the scoring with a goal that was simply… spectacular. Hard to ask for a better effort:

But Alexandrov was also in the news for all the wrong reasons at the end of the match.

And the reason is simple: the Thunderbirds’ forward missed a completely empty net as the Rocket ran out of goaltenders late in the game. A real Patrik Stefan sequence…

Luke Tuch was the Rocket’s only scorer of the game.

He hit the target with just over eight minutes left in the game… but his club was unable to get back into the game to tie the score, which is a shame in a way.

All that to say, then, that Logan Mailloux managed to win in his first game against the Laval Rocket. I imagine he’ll have a great afternoon… and may disgust a few of his former teammates if he gets the chance.

Overtime

– Here it is.

– I love it.

– She knows how to make new friends.

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Jakub Dobes explains why he started crying last week

The scene was memorable last week, when Jakub Dobes wept in front of the media after losing his first game of the season to the Devils.

It caused quite a stir.

But this lunchtime, Dobes went before the media for the first time since the Devils game. And he explained what happened.

The goalkeeper said that when he got on the plane, shortly after talking to the media, he was okay. He doesn’t want us to worry about him: he’s just more emotional than other guys.

His teammates made fun of him (amicably, of course) and everyone moved on.

Dobes recounts that last season he lost a match in similar circumstances. He didn’t want it to happen again… but it did.

He says that, in hindsight, he should have taken a few minutes for himself before showing up in front of the media.

It’s important to note that Dobes will be playing tomorrow against the Stars. This was to be expected because logically, it was his turn to play a game.

The plan hasn’t changed because of Samuel Montembeault’s game yesterday.

Speaking of Monty, he has no choice but to try and recalibrate by cutting himself off from comments about him on social networks.

Dobes said that the Canadiens players in the dressing room trust him because he’s a good goalie. He wasn’t going to say the opposite publicly, but it’s good to hear.

overtime

– Nice.

– Of note.

– Interesting.

– Reminder: the Rocket played early this morning.

– Really?

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Juraj Slafkovsky: his punishment goes no further

You can tell me that you don’t see it the way I do, but the fact that Ivan Demidov took a few reps on the first line last night is a punishment for Juraj Slafkovsky.

Is it a huge punishment? No. After all, it didn’t last long, and Martin St-Louis said after the game that he just wanted to do a little test.

But Slaf had a bad game yesterday. So it was a message to him.

I didn’t expect to see Slaf scooped this morning, on the heels of the Canadiens’ practice in Brossard. And sure enough, he was back on the first line.

He was with Cole Caufield and… Alex Newhook.

Obviously, in the absence of Nick Suzuki, who again missed his team’s practice to undergo treatment on his foot, Slaf couldn’t practice with the captain.

Newhook was on his line and on the top line, given that there were only 11 healthy forwards for today’s Habs practice.

For the rest of the practice, it should be noted that forwards and defensemen were separated. This is not normally the house custom.

Nor was it the most intense practice.

It’s also worth noting that before practice started, the club’s face-off specialist, Marc Bureau, was on the ice to help the guys who are called upon to take face-offs.

Alex Newhook, Kirby Dach, Joe Veleno, Jake Evans, Oliver Kapanen and Zachary Bolduc were on hand.

extension

– We needed to practice certain aspects that were lacking yesterday against the Kings.

– Interesting.

– Work along the ramp was on the menu this morning.

– He must have finished his treatments, I imagine.

– Of note regarding Samuel Montembeault.

– Well done.

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The Canadiens’ success: Corey Perry is (really) not surprised

Corey Perry is just passing through Montreal. The veteran, who spent only one season in town, quickly won the hearts of fans with his on-ice grit.

A little pest, that’s the kind of player you like… when he’s on your team, hehe.

What’s interesting, though, is that Perry still had time to rub shoulders with some of the club’s youngsters, including Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield.

And the 40-year-old forward, who spoke to Anthony Martineau(TVA Sports) about all this, was clear: he never doubted the club’s eventual success.

So he’s not surprised to see the Habs off to a strong start.

Perry, who also saw this core up close during his years in Tampa Bay (a division rival), saw just how talented the guys were at a young age. So he never doubted that, sooner or later, they’d start winning games.

And that’s exactly what’s happening.

Perry also took advantage of his interview with Martineau to give some love to the Montreal fans, saying that it doesn’t make sense how much energy this crowd gives you when you jump on the ice.

And that’s even though he’s never played in front of a full Bell Centre as a member of the Habs. That’s saying a lot.

Perry has never been forgotten in Montreal, but what’s clear is that he’s never forgotten Montreal either. And at 40, he’s still playing great hockey in the NHL.

That’s very, very impressive.

Overtime

– Speaking of Perry.

– Things are going well for the Habs prospect.

– Wow.

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The Canadiens aren’t a playoff team (yet?)

The Canadiens played perhaps their worst game of the season last night against the Kings… at the Bell Centre! The few hundred fans who couldn’t make it to the amphitheatre despite having a ticket – because of the snow, Hydro-Québec and the STM strike – clearly didn’t miss much..

The Los Angeles Kings won their ninth game in a row against the Montrealers, and Marc Bergevin must be laughing into his beard (which he has thankfully trimmed since his heyday in Montreal).

We could talk for a long time about Samuel Montembeault, who isn’t squared up in front of his net, who gives the puck to guys on the other team, who doesn’t inspire confidence in his teammates, who puts in a string of poor performances in front of Team Canada executives, etc. But my only words on the subject will be to say a few words about his performance.

But my only words to that effect will be these this morning: you have one goalie with a 6-0-1 record and another with a 4-4-1 record. Why do you keep coming back to the one who loses more games than he wins, rather than the one who (almost) never loses?

If Samuel Montembeault (who loses) were Mike Miller and Jakub Dobes (who wins) were Lou-Adriane Cassidy, there’d be a revolt in Quebec right now..

But I want to talk about the collective this morning, not about any one individual, because for the past few games, it’s the cohesion of the whole group that seems to be lacking, not just the play of one guy or two.

The Canadiens may still be at the top of their division, but they’ve just lost three of their last four games. Istheir lack of shots on goal starting to take its toll?

Maybe… but yesterday, something even more obvious jumped out at all of us: the 2025-26 version of the Habs is still struggling to compete against big, experienced teams that have made the playoffs recently.

Marc Bergevin’s Kings (in part) are built at the opposite end of the spectrum from Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton’s Canadiens: the Kings have the oldest (average age 29.74), tallest (average 6’2) and second “heaviest ” (205 lbs.) team in the entire NHL. And we saw last night that the experience and size of the Kings’ players made life difficult for Montreal’s younger, smaller players.

Remember that the Habs are the youngest team in the NHL (average age 25.32), as well as one of the smallest.

Another telling statistic: the Habs have won just one of their five games played against a team that made the playoffs last year, so far this season. Unfortunately, eight of its next 11 opponents made the playoffs last year… and if the Canadiens manage to make the playoffs again this year, it will inevitably face a team (or teams) that will make the playoffs in the spring. #LOL

In short, the Habs need to be better against the big teams, the experienced teams and the playoff teams. Otherwise, its excellent start to the season will be quickly forgotten.

Extension

The more time goes by, the more I realize that the Canadiens aren’t yet built for playoff success; they lack experience and toughness. That’s why the names Sidney Crosby, Tage Thompson and Nazem Kadri refuse to die in Montreal..

Beating the Capitals, the Panthers, the Bruins or the best team in the West this spring is never easy.

It’s not normal to see Josh Anderson, who’s having a tough start to the season, be your club’s best forward against the Kings. The Habs still need to make some adjustments. Adjustments that Jeff Gorton wasn’t able to make at the end of his reign in New York.

Let’s hope he’s learned and will be able to make/apply them in Montreal.

For the moment, the Canadiens are a good early-season team. It’s up to him to prove he’s more than that.

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Team Canada bosses on hand to see Samuel Montembeault and the Habs play poorly

Let’s talk about Team Canada and the Olympics.

We all agree that even if guys like Noah Dobson or Mike Matheson do their utmost to make a place for themselves, the chances of them breaking into the Olympic line-up are slimmer.

Nothing is impossible, especially for Dobson, but…

In fact, if Julien BriseBois, Don Sweeney and Doug Armstrong were at the Bell Centre yesterday, it was more to see players like Nick Suzuki and Samuel Montembeault.

And Kings guys, of course.

Can Nick Suzuki and Macklin Celebrini (who’s on fire and confirming more and more his place in the sun) make the club at the same time: that seems to be the question on the table.

Craig Button seems to believe it, at least.

Team Canada executives rack up Air Miles to see a lot of hockey, and it’s clear that this isn’t the only Samuel Montembeault game they’re going to see.

But the Canadiens’ netminder had a bad game at the wrong time. And I’m not just saying that because the third goal awarded could easily have been avoided…

I say that because on the other side, in front of the net, Darcy Kuemper was excellent.

Clearly, one swallow doesn’t make a spring. But this game reflected the season of both goalies: things are going relatively well for the Kings’ veteran, but not for the Canadiens’ Québécois.

We know that Jordan Binnington, the starter at the Four Nations Confrontation, will undoubtedly have his place if he’s healthy. And right now, I like the chances of Logan Thompson and Darcy Kuemper.

In any case, there’s still plenty to talk about.

overtime

– Ouch.

– Of note.

– Love it.

– Sad news.

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Nothing goes right in Toronto (and Max Domi wants to fight giant Nikita Zadorov)

Things aren’t going well in Toronto.

I don’t know if the club misses Mitch Marner (it wasn’t November when people were bitching about him), but right now, Craig Berube’s men have lost their bearings.

To what extent? To the point where only the Sabres are behind the Maple Leafs in the Eastern standings.

(Credit: NHL.com)

Yesterday, the Maple Leafs lost (yet another) game – their third in a row. Not only did they lose 5-3 to the Bruins, but they also lost the services of Anthony Stolarz and Auston Matthews.

All’s well, Madame la Marquise.

Toronto seems to be facing more and more difficult situations these days(including the David Kampf situation and the coach ‘s criticism of his boys’ defensive play). And clearly, Max Domi wanted to do something about it.

So he went toe-to-toe with Nikita Zadorov, who is nine inches taller than Domi, according to Hockey DB. Zadorov was the one who injured Matthews during the game.

On the one hand, hats off to Domi (5’10) for his courage. But on the other, your club has to be in trouble and you have to be crazy to think you can get away with it against a player the size of Zadorov. The latter is 6’7.

It’s also worth noting that Zadorov knows Domi well, having won together in London’s OHL. The defenseman didn’t want to fight a friend.

And since Domi is much smaller, he didn’t want to hurt him… or lose the fight. In his eyes, fighting Domi was a no-win situation.

I don’t know if the Maple Leafs will get back on track (it’s very possible), but it’s going to take something big to turn the tide. Because right now, the vibes aren’t good.

overtime

– Good question.

– Bill Belichick with the Giants? [JdeM]

– Interesting.

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Tage Thompson: the Canadiens have called the Sabres

History repeats itself in Buffalo.

The Sabres have an ugly hockey club, and it’s becoming increasingly clear that 2025-2026 isn’t going to be the year the team finds its way back to respectability.

The club isn’t playing well, there are injuries… and Rasmus Dahlin isn’t with the club to deal with a personal situation.

The result? If the club feels it makes more sense to give itself an early chance to take advantage of the seller’s market and position itself well for the 2026 draft lottery, it could eventually have an impact on the market.

And other teams know this.

Marco D’Amico reports that the Sabres aren’t ready to throw in the towel just yet. But that’s not stopping some clubs from calling to see if Tage Thompson might be available.

Of the lot? Kent Hughes and the Canadiens have called. So have the Canucks… #NoSurprise

I don’t know if Thompson could be traded within the division – as was the case in recent months when Dylan Cozens was traded to Ottawa.

But what we do know is that the Sabres aren’t ready to sell their great player just yet. And that’s even if they’re in last place in the East right now.

Buffalo doesn’t want to panic, then. But D’Amico is talking about February as a potential date to watch, should the Sabres make a move.

Remember, Kent Hughes is a patient guy… even if the Habs have lost three of their last four games.

In 2022-2023, the Sabres’ 6’6 center had 47 goals and as many assists. He’s scored 29 and 44 times in the last two years – and has 12 points, including six goals, in 15 games this year.

What would it cost to get Thompson (and his $7.142 M per year contract until 2030) out of Buffalo? Would the American, who can say no to five teams via his partial no-trade clause, like to come to Montreal? Who knows.

overtime

– Really?

– Good question.

– The Bell Centre: Anze Kopitar’s favourite arena.

– Absolutely.