Since Kent Hughes and his team visited Ivan Demidov in Russia, everything is going well in the best of worlds for the Canadiens’ prospect.
We knew that the young man was overflowing with talent, but in the past few weeks, he seems to have more space to express himself on the ice. With good playing time, he can dominate.
And now, today, the KHL announced that the young man has been invited to the league’s All-Star Game, which will take place on February 8 and 9.
Initially, he wasn’t necessarily supposed to be there. But he will replace Tony DeAngelo, his former teammate with SKA. DeAngelo packed his bags and returned to North America.
They don’t play the same position, but Demidov is still replacing DeAngelo.
At 19 years old, Demidov is one of the youngest players in the league. But despite that, in 43 games, he scored 14 times and got 18 assists, giving him a total of 32 points.
With highlights worthy of the best players in the world, we can’t say that the Canadiens’ prospect stole his spot.
The Canadiens must hope that he can finish his season strong to gain confidence before coming, if all goes as planned, to North America in the coming months.
It can be assumed that in Montreal, his impact will be quite immediate. But we shall see in due time.
Last Thursday, I dedicated almost my entire column to the show Laraque & Gonzalez featuring Lane Hutson.
Let’s just say that his three-point match and first star in Salt Lake City has only added weight to his exceptional resume since arriving in the NHL.
I still pinch myself every time I see Lane Hutson dance on the ice…
Incredible statistics
Hutson is the Canadiens’ best defenseman in 45 years…
He is the MVP of the first half of the CH season…
He is one of the biggest surprises in the entire NHL since the start of the season…
He is the third-highest scorer on the CH this season, after Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield…
He is the club’s leading passer so far in 2024-25…
Only Juraj Slafkovsky and Logan Cooley have more points than Hutson among the 2022 draft class, and Hutson is just three little points behind Cooley… in 80 fewer games! Not bad for a guy drafted at the end of the second round…
He was named the rookie of the month for December in the NHL and is on track to win this title again in January…
He is the top scorer among rookies this season, four points ahead of Michkov and Celebrini…
He has had nine games with more than one point already this year…
He is the sixth-highest scorer among all defensemen in the Bettman circuit, ahead of Victor Hedman, Adam Fox, Evan Bouchard, Erik Karlsson, Rasmus Dahlin, Roman Josi, Mikhail Sergachev, John Carlson, Moritz Seider, Mike Matheson, and many more…
He has recorded at least one point in each of his last five games. This is the third time this season he has gone on such a streak…
He is capable of playing simply, but also in more complicated ways. The fact that he is equally capable of collecting secondary assists on the power play, as well as a good number of spectacular primary assists five-on-five, proves it.
There was a game this year where Hutson had the puck on his stick for over four minutes. Michel Pezzetta doesn’t even play that long, four minutes, in a game…
He holds his own physically, in fact, he seems to be at his best when it gets rough…
We thought he would only be a power play specialist, but he is very good defensively and also produces at even strength…
Want more? Lane Hutson was good last year, in his two matches against the Red Wings. He also performed very well during the first 23 games of the current season (13 assists).
But the little American defenseman has truly reached a whole new cruising speed since November 27.
Only Mike Matheson (24:35) spends more time on the ice on average per game than Hutson (22:43). But Matheson is a veteran, and the fact that he ceded his spot on the team’s first power play unit to Hutson may lower his average ice time (and increase Hutson’s).
Hutson’s rapid emergence has caused everyone to reassess their positions, especially Mike Matheson.
Trophies to be won
Many believe that Lane Hutson will win the Calder Trophy this year, especially those who have watched his last 22 games.
“Many people”, however, does not include Kevin Weekes and Adnan Virk from the NHL Network.
Both P.K. Subban and Renaud Lavoie predict not just a probable Calder Trophy for Hutson; they even go so far as to predict him a Norris Trophy. Do I need to remind you that such a trophy is awarded to the best defenseman in the entire NHL?
Cr*ss! He is already top two in Montreal… and top 10 in the NHL!
Corey, when you miss the mark as much as that, you do your mea culpa; you admit your mistake. Like The Snake dared to do this week in Processus…
Especially since you claim to be an expert on young players (as does The Snake and Pronman).
Corey Pronman says Lane Hutson could “still be a top-four defenseman.” I guess it’s possible he drops from being a top pairing D man but it seems unlikely.
We are lucky to have him Let’s take a few minutes on this day off for the Canadiens to appreciate how lucky we are to have a young player like Lane Hutson. With Hutsons, we are used to dreaming about them and watching them bloom elsewhere while thinking: “We never have players like that in Montreal.”
Or we trade them too early!
Man, he’s going to break the bank with his next contract, little Lane. If Slafkovsky was able to get nearly as much money as Nick Suzuki, Hutson will surpass the captain.
I expect an eight-season contract with an annual average salary between eight and nine million dollars.
Don’t forget that the salary cap will rise significantly over the next few years…
The name Shea Weber is becoming less and less present in Montreal. He still has an impact in the city (Nick Suzuki chats with him every now and then), but not as much as before.
After all, not only is he no longer playing, but he was traded a few years ago.
Even though we saw him back in the city during his induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame and his addition to the hockey ring of honor, let’s just say he is no longer at the heart of the news like he used to be.
Now, he spends his time moving from Vegas to Arizona to Salt Lake City with family in Western Canada.
Since the finals against Tampa, he has not been the most involved man in the hockey world. We know he has already jumped on the ice with the Golden Knights’ AHL team and has done scouting with Marc Bergevin, but nothing more.
“He is in scouting, he is with Marc. He has essentially retired.”
But it seems that this experience with Marc Bergevin, who left the Canadiens a few months before Weber, could be repeated one day, on a more regular basis…
Obviously, this won’t be for tomorrow. Weber is still under contract for a year and a half with Utah HC, which inherited his contract by buying the contracts of the defunct Arizona Coyotes.
But Barry Trotz, who was Weber’s coach for years and is now the GM of the Preds, opened the door in 2026 to see Weber take a role in his organization.
At the end of his contract, if he wants to be part of the organization, we will listen. – Barry Trotz
extension
Because Weber spent more time in Nashville and knows Trotz better than Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton, who traded him after a few months in office (it was the right thing to do), it makes sense to believe that if he works in hockey, it will be with the Preds.
Let’s remember that Pekka Rinne and David Poile are also on the payroll of the Preds. Both will be honored in Nashville at the same time as Weber this week, and perhaps this will motivate the former captain to join the club in a bit more than a year.
Nice ovation for Shea Weber, who is back in Nashville for Pekka Rinne’s number retirement pic.twitter.com/3js2eRwvbA
Yesterday, it was learned that forward Emil Heineman had been hit by a car in Salt Lake City. Naturally, this changes things in Montreal.
Because the club was in Utah (and is heading to Dallas afterwards) and still has 12 healthy forwards and seven healthy defensemen, Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton did not need to provide Martin St-Louis with another forward.
Yesterday, that did not happen.
And right now, we’re wondering if it will happen ahead of tomorrow’s game. If it doesn’t occur, we can assume that Michael Pezzetta will, once again, be in uniform.
According to Stu Cowan, however, a recall could be announced tomorrow.
I’m pretty certain they will. Imagine it will be announced tomorrow.
Unless the Canadiens play seven defensemen (thus dressing Jayden Struble) and 11 forwards if the club decides to wait until Saturday to make a recall?
That’s not impossible.
But regardless of what happens tomorrow night, we know that afterwards, the Canadiens will bring in a player from Laval. After all, the club may not roll with 14 forwards… but 12, including Pezz, is too few.
And according to Anthony Marcotte, it’s Jared Davidson who deserves to be recalled – whether it’s for tomorrow or for Saturday’s game. That’s what he said this morning on BPM Sports.
Obviously, many people will wonder why it’s not Joshua Roy (who will be at the AHL All-Star Game… and who missed his chance earlier this season in the NHL), Alex Barré-Boulet, Rafaël Harvey-Pinard, or Owen Beck who stand out the most among the current possibilities.
But as I wrote yesterday, we must not forget who needs to be replaced. Heineman was an effective fourth-line player, not a middle-6 guy.
À moyen terme, le CH ne doit pas rappeler Joshua Roy pour le faire jouer sur la 4 → https://t.co/Q1KlfTJWXl
Because he is good along the boards, has an excellent shot, is a young player the Canadiens might want to test, and would fit well in the spot left vacant by Heineman alongside Jake Evans and Joel Armia, he’s the choice of the Rocket’s voice.
We will see in due time what the Canadiens will announce. To be continued…
in brief
– Noted.
C’est à ce moment qu’aura lieu le premier entraînement complet de l’équipe. https://t.co/dImFo2G4xm
– Soon, the Canadiens will be a real threat every year. [RDS]
– He continues to improve.
Lane Hutson’s version of figuring out the NHL:
Over Games 1-23: 0 G, 13 A, -15
Over Games 24-45: 3 G, 21 A, +9
Anyone care to guess what he’ll do from 46 to 84 of his career?
I’m just assuming there will be nothing average about it…
For several months now, there has been a trend in the sports world: some star players are being burglarized.
Basically, this happens during a game. The thieves know that the homeowner is not at home, and they take advantage of this to steal equipment from the house.
And since athletes are often wealthy…
Unfortunately, this happened to Evgeni Malkin. The Penguins star fell victim to the phenomenon when thieves showed up at his house to steal his equipment.
According to Jennifer Borrasso, who reported the story, the three Stanley Cup rings (2009, 2016, and 2017) of #71 are missing.
The Penguins confirmed the news, while mentioning that additional details will not be communicated to the public by the club in order to respect the Russian’s privacy.
According to reports, this occurred on Saturday during the game against Ottawa.
Evgeni Malkin’s home was reportedly burglarized, and his three Stanley Cup rings were among the missing items. This reportedly took place on Saturday while the Penguins were competing against the Senators.
With the wave of burglaries involving renowned athletes, I wonder how many players (and families) are considering strengthening the security of their homes, so as not to fall victim to this trend as well.
Let’s hope Malkin can recover his rings… but don’t hold your breath.
In Brief
– He is strong.
My column on how defenceman Alexandre Carrier has been an outstanding addition to the Canadiens. He picked up two assists in last night’s 5-3 win over Utah and the Canadiens have a 9-2-1 record since acquiring him from the Nashville Predators #Habs#HabsIOhttps://t.co/YEv5lxYJwd
– Last power-play goal by the Islanders: Juan Soto was still free as a bird.
Juan Soto was still a free agent the last time the #Isles scored a power-play goal. Granted, the news broke of the signing later that night… but still, it’s been five weeks since they’ve scored a power-play goal.
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH - JANUARY 14: Logan Cooley #92 of the Utah Hockey Club and Lane Hutson #48 of the Montreal Canadiens battle for position as they skate after a loose puck during the first period of a game on January 14, 2025 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/NHLI via Getty Images)
Last night, the Canadiens Hockey Club was in Salt Lake City to face the Utah Hockey Club. And even without Emil Heineman, who was hit by a car on Monday and will miss a few weeks of action, the Habs found a way to win.
In a 5-3 victory, not everything was perfect, of course. However, Lane Hutson proved that he could be more than just an average player.
In fact, aside from the ranking (which is special in itself, but still), it’s mainly the fact that his puck skills were described as above average and that his competitive nature was labeled as “average” that caused such a notable reaction.
It wasn’t the analyst’s best take, let’s say.
And yesterday, on the ice, Lane Hutson demonstrated just how strong he is. Getting three assists in a 5-3 game is one thing, but we also have to mention his two blocked shots, his plus-3 differential, and his excellent defensive play.
He faces the best opposing players and he plays a lot, Hutson… in addition to racking up points.
But I think the comment that triggered the most reaction was Pronman’s statement that if Lane Hutson continues on this path, he could be a top-4 player one day in his career.
That was really good.
I’m not saying he would be on the top pair of every team right now, but he is playing on the top-2 of the Habs. He faces big opponents and holds his own defensively while also producing when he has the puck.
He leads all rookies in points, and only five defensemen in the NHL have more than his 35 points: Werenski, Makar, Hughes, Morrissey, and Theodore. That’s not exactly a bunch of slouches…
But this morning, while no one forced him to reshare his new article, Corey Pronman shared a piece about the players with the biggest rise in his rankings since the start of the season. And Hutson is among them.
We notice that there is a copy-paste of the segment on Hutson from yesterday (including the part about the top-4 and his competitiveness level) in a piece published this morning, right after the rookie’s excellent game yesterday. He doesn’t look any better this morning, Pronman.
Which under 23 NHL players and prospects trended up the most in the first half https://t.co/4JjHX9nfxb
But still. Those who watch the Habs games know what Hutson can bring to the ice. And once again yesterday, he was able to prove it to everyone in a Habs victory.
However, he wasn’t the only player who helped the Habs win. What do I take away from yesterday’s game?
1. The best were the best. We’re talking about Hutson and his three assists, but Mike Matheson (two points, including a beautiful goal) and Alexandre Carrier (two assists) were also solid on the blue line.
On offense? Patrik Laine, Kirby Dach (twice), and Cole Caufield found the back of the net. They took advantage of an opponent who wasn’t at their best defensively.
2. The Canadiens possibly played their worst 20 minutes in the first period in weeks. Good thing Samuel Montembeault, who deserves his win yesterday, was there to keep his team and teammates in the game.
But in the second period, it was much better. Especially in terms of penalties…
The Canadiens corrected their issues, and as Martin St-Louis said after the game, he didn’t need to intervene between the first two periods. This means the guys self-evaluated and corrected what needed to be corrected.
That’s a sign of maturity. And it reminds us that unlike many moments since the fall of 2021, the Canadiens are capable of regaining momentum and coming back in games.
#gohabsgo reset themselves on Tuesday. That’s what Martin St. Louis told reporters at Delta Center. He said he didn’t need intervene after their awful start.
It tells you this team has come very far over the last 6 weeks. The identity it’s formed can take it even further over the… https://t.co/HwK4QgwJEO
3. In his last nine games, Kirby Dach has six goals. We’re talking about a stretch of nine games since returning from the holidays… and that brings his total for the season to eight. Clearly, he is regaining his legs.
And that’s a good thing.
4. Emil Heineman is the only injured player for the Canadiens at the moment. That wasn’t the case for André Tourigny’s men, who currently have several injured players (6-7 guys, including Shea Weber).
Result? The Canadiens dressed Michael Pezzetta for the game. Clearly, recalling someone to bring him to Utah wasn’t realistic.
The longer this goes on, the clearer it becomes that Pezz, both for himself and for the Habs, needs to be put on waivers – for his own good. He either doesn’t play, or he doesn’t play… well.
We know what he can bring, but it’s tough to do so while playing so little (3:50 yesterday, less than an hour since the beginning of the season) and it’s hard to make an impact when taking bad penalties. Get him out of his misery, for his own good.
5. At one point, in terms of shots, it was 12-1 for Utah. It ended 26-25 for the Habs, who really tightened their defense starting in the second period. It took a long time for the home team to shoot in the second period.
6. Seeing the Canadiens use the term “hit-and-run” on X made me laugh.
Let’s remember that the Habs will play in Texas tomorrow before returning home for two games at the Bell Centre this weekend. The Maple Leafs and the Rangers are on the agenda.
(Credit: NHL.com)
As we can see, after tomorrow’s game against the Stars, it will mostly be at home for the rest of the month. Aside from a little trip to Detroit, the guys will mostly play at the Bell Centre from now on in January.
But don’t forget that the trip to California is coming up… #BeginningFebruary
David Pastrnak, on the other hand, is a bit more accustomed to scoring goals.
He found the back of the net for the seventh time in six games.
Tonight marks the 83rd time that Brad Marchand & David Pastrnak each score a goal in the same game.#NHLBruins are 71-6-5 in the previous 82 contests pic.twitter.com/V7KYBki2DA
In the victory, Nathan MacKinnon collected two assists and Cale Makar one.
Both stars reached important milestones. MacKinnon is the first player to reach the 70-point plateau and for the defender, he is the first at his position to reach 50.
The funniest part is that the goal is an identical copy of his typical power play goals. A blast from the left circle to beat the goalie.
Laine has thus reached the milestone of 10 goals with the Canadiens.
The Finn has become the sixth player of the Canadiens to reach this milestone this season. It took only 43 games for the Canadiens to have six 10-goal scorers.
It took about 20 fewer games for the Canadiens this season to have 6 10-goal scorers
Carey Price will never play in the National Hockey League again.
We know this… Because his body simply can’t keep up anymore.
The goaltender has not yet officially announced his retirement and until then, he is enjoying life with his family in British Columbia.
Richard Labbé spoke to him, and in an article published on La Presse’s website, it is mentioned that Price is still able to lace up his skates to have fun with his son at the local rink.
But it can also be read that the goaltender isn’t even considering putting his goalie gear back on, so much so that his body is worn out:
At 37 years old, he can still put on his skates for a stroll with his son at the local rink, but he can’t even imagine slipping on the pads again. – Richard Labbé
At the end of the text, we also learn that Price will be back at the Bell Centre by the end of the season:
“I miss the games, I miss the energy in the arena… I miss the necessary preparation, the intensity, but what I miss the most is being part of a team.”https://t.co/TsJzXKfNv5 via @lp_lapresse
Professional athletes are proud, and they all want to make the decision to retire when the time is right for them.
However, sometimes, some are forced to leave the sport much sooner than expected due to injuries, and that must be frustrating in a way.
Because it’s 100% certain that Price must be gritting his teeth watching the recent success of the Canadiens, and it’s also 100% certain that he would like to be there to help the team on the ice.
Unfortunately, that’s part of reality…
That said, Price still watches the CH games and he made sure to congratulate Jakub Dobes after his first victory (with a shutout, no less) in the National Hockey League.
It’s a way of staying close to the game in a sense!
In Brief
– Still.
Entering the 2nd half of the season, all seven Canadian teams are firmly in the playoff discussion. pic.twitter.com/MEkPbrKxII
Forward Evgeni Malkin has been activated from Injured Reserve and forward Jesse Puljujarvi has been re-assigned to @WBSPenguins (AHL). pic.twitter.com/oY6xP1r9R9
Jeff Gorton, Kent Hughes, and Martin St-Louis form an interesting trio within the Montreal Canadiens organization.
It will soon be 3 years (early February) since they began working together, and we are starting to see results over the past few weeks.
The Canadiens have been winning lately, after all.
Jean-Charles Lajoie (TVA Sports) had the opportunity to sit down with the Canadiens’ GM recently to conduct an interview, and there was one aspect in Hughes’ comments that caught my attention.
We know that Hughes, Gorton, and St-Louis are three guys who are competitive by nature… And perhaps that’s also the reason why the three often argue.
However, that’s not a bad thing because it allows them to push each other. They all have the same goal, which is to make the team win.
On the other hand, listening to Hughes, maybe Gorton should be more open about some ideas (hehe)… But the GM is right in saying that it’s beneficial for the club’s work environment:
Jeff Gorton says my middle name is “disagreement”. I don’t mind!
A good work environment encourages differing opinions. – Kent Hughes
Note that the Journal de Montréal has also written on the subject:
If everyone always agreed, there would be a problem.
No one would challenge whether it’s really the right decision… And it would limit the organization’s potential because the opinion of multiple leaders is (often) better than that of a single person.
This works in any job field.
Note that Kent Hughes also stated in the interview that he thinks his players look more “business-like” than before, and it makes sense because that comes with time.
The players are older, they are slowly gaining maturity… And now, they are able to taste success.
They are in a good position, and even though they know it, we don’t see the team panicking on the ice for some reason. We often saw the Canadiens collapse last year after giving up two or three quick goals to the opponent, but it’s different now because the guys are confident.
This also comes with the new culture that has been established within the organization.
After all, the atmosphere is good in the locker room because the players play for each other, and we must commend the work of the coaches and executives at this level.
pic.twitter.com/L4K3YgYG7w
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yes it would be to report a hit-and-run please
