Author: Dose

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Noah Dobson: the Habs welcomed him to Montreal in style

It’s been almost three weeks since Noah Dobson was traded to Montreal. The Islanders defenseman, who wanted to join the Canadiens, arrived in town (with an eight-year, $9.5-million-a-year contract in his pocket) in exchange for two first-round picks and Emil Heineman.

It’s a big coup for the Habs, who, in Jeff Gorton’s eyes, have made an acquisition on the scale of Artemi Panarin’s with the Rangers a few years ago.

And clearly, in Montreal, the defenseman will fill a big need. The club was looking for a top-notch right-handed defenseman, and in Dobson, they get a player who fits the bill.

The Habs made sure to welcome him to town in style, preparing several gifts for Dobson and his wife, who were waiting for them when they arrived in Montreal.

The defenseman’s wife, Alexa Dobson, shared a few photos.

We also note that she took care to thank the organization in French with a “merci beaucoup” rather than a “thank you”. That’s a nice touch.

We know that the Canadiens have a good reputation in this area throughout the league, and for a first-rate player like Dobson, I like to see the team go all out to make sure he gets a nice welcome when he arrives in town.

Because that’s also how you build a reputation, after all: players take note of these little gestures, and it makes noise throughout the league afterwards.

Of course, the most important thing now will be to see what the defenseman can do on the ice. He’ll be a player to watch at the team’s next training camp, because right now, he’s one of the biggest pieces of the Habs’ core.

And the club has made sure to welcome him at the height of all that. Well done.

Overtime

– He, too, will be eagerly awaited at camp.

– Attention all interested parties.

– Too bad.

– It’s not ideal for the tournament.

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Logan Mailloux: Several teams were on the verge of snapping him up

On July 1, Kent Hughes traded Logan Mailloux.

The defenseman, drafted in 2021 (31st overall), was traded to Saint-Louis in return for forward Zachary Bolduc.

But Mailloux could have gone to another city, too.

I say this because an RG Média article states that several teams were interested in Mailloux at the time. Mailloux’s agent told him the same day that the player was going to change his address… but he didn’t know where he was going to be traded.

And that means there were several clubs ready to complete a transaction to get their hands on Mailloux that day.

In the eyes of Hughes and the Habs, the Blues’ offer was the most attractive. In a way, that’s understandable: the Canadiens got their hands on a guy who can help out as early as next season, and who has great potential.

Bolduc scored 19 goals in his rookie season… And at the same time, we knew that the Habs wanted to add an offensive player like Bolduc to their roster.

It goes to show.

Logan Mailloux’s star rating was popular throughout the National League… even if he didn’t have as good an offensive season as in 23-24.

His production dropped, but the defenseman worked on other aspects of his game (such as his defensive game) and clubs obviously liked what they saw from him in the AHL last season.

Still, it’s worth knowing.

Speaking of Mailloux… you can read in the text above that he got closer to Québécois culture by playing for the Rocket and listening to Cowboys Fringants songs.

And he still enjoys listening to some Cowboys tunes despite the transaction:

I’m a big fan and I still listen to a few songs here and there. – Logan Mailloux

Mailloux had a certain reputation in Montreal, and we know why.

But it will be interesting to see how he adapts to his new club, which would like to make a place for him in the National League as early as next season.

I say that as well, but the Blues will be at the Bell Centre on December 7…

Overtime

– Nice goal.

– Carter Bear has signed his NHL entry-level contract.

– Phil!

– Whew.

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With the signing of Veleno, the Habs now have 15 (!) 1st round picks in the organization

The Canadiens are building something special.

Kent Hughes has transformed the club through transactions and signings, and it shows when you look at the depth within the organization.

Because right now…

Right now, with the signing of Joe Veleno, the Habs now have 15 first-round picks in the organization.

15! That’s… a lot:

  • Patrik Laine (2nd)
  • Cole Caufield (15th)
  • Nick Suzuki (13th)
  • Juraj Slafkovsky (1st)
  • Kirby Dach (3rd)
  • Alex Newhook (16th)
  • Ivan Demidov (5th)
  • Zachary Bolduc (17th)
  • Joe Veleno (30th)
  • Kaiden Guhle (16th)
  • Mike Matheson (23rd)
  • Noah Dobson (12th)
  • Filip Mesar (26th)
  • David Reinbacher (5th)
  • Michael Hage (21st)

You’ll understand that I’ve decided not to include Carey Price’s name for obvious reasons.

That said, that’s without mentioning Lane Hutson, Jacob Fowler and Alexander Zharovsky, who are also first-round talents…

It’s crazy, too.

And Kent Hughes must be proud of his work right now… because he’s the one who picked up most of the players pictured above.

(Credit: Screenshot)

Kent Hughes had a plan in mind when he took over.

He wanted to rejuvenate the team, he wanted to add talented players to his club… and that’s exactly what we’ve seen from him for a little over three years now.

It remains to be seen whether this plan will work.

Because in reality, the Canadiens have the assets, the weapons and the talent to excel before too long. The team has a superb forward core, the defense is really starting to take shape, Jacob Fowler is seen as Montreal’s #1 goaltender of the future…

If all the pieces fall into place, the Habs should be in a position to enjoy success for many years to come.

And the interesting thing about all this is that the team and the club’s best players are still so young.

And that’s exciting for Canadiens fans, too.

Overtime

– Well done.

– It goes without saying.

– Oh.

– Horror story.

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Jeff Gorton, Kent Hughes and Patrick Chèvrefils (humorously) unveil the Habs calendar

The year is 2025.

The various social platforms are part of our daily lives, and we’re constantly seeing an increase in the popularity of social media.

X, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram… We all know how important these sites are these days.

The Habs used it to “announce” their schedule for the 2025-2026 season.

The club posted a comical video in which Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes talk about their plan (which doesn’t work) to announce the schedule… and then we see Patrick Chèvrefils arrive “in a hurry” to unveil it to fans.

Using the emergency backup goalie to help the GM and VP after seeing them “stubborn” and realizing they didn’t have a clear plan to unveil the schedule really works..:

It’s really creative, and probably the Habs were inspired by NFL clubs, who often do this to unveil their schedules.

But when you see Kent Hughes’ smile, you realize he had a lot of fun making this video, because he just can’t seem to keep a straight face while talking about “Mukbang” and “Minecraft”.

Honestly, the result is really good.

At least, it looks different from the last few years, and it also adds a touch of humor to the result.

I thought it was really funny to see Patrick Chèvrefils come in to save the day, because we all know that he was the talk of the town when he was called upon to be the Canadiens’ emergency goaltender in the playoffs against the Capitals at the end of April.

Hats off to the Canadiens organization!

Overtime

– Of note :

– Sad news.

– Love this!

– It’s the end for Eugénie Bouchard.

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Veleno, Blais, Belzile and Bolduc as additions: It can’t be said that the Habs hate the Québécois

Then… how do you like Kent Hughes’ summer so far?

The Canadiens’ GM made another move this morning, signing forward Joe Veleno.

We’re not talking about Christian Dvorak… but we are talking about a guy who adds depth to the center position. Especially since Veleno shoots from the left, something the Canadiens have been looking for since the start of the summer.

But we’re also talking about a player from Quebec.

And at that level… Veleno joins a rather significant list of Québécois who have signed a contract in Montreal or been acquired by the Canadiens in recent weeks.

Alex Belzile, Joe Veleno and Samuel Blais all signed deals with the club… and Hughes also picked up Zachary Bolduc in St. Louis in return for Logan Mailloux.

Still, it’s interesting.

Clearly, the guys will be able to speak French in the dressing room next year.

Active Habs players from Quebec include…

  • Joe Veleno
  • Zachary Bolduc
  • Samuel Blais
  • Mike Matheson
  • Alexandre Carrier
  • Samuel Montembeault

And that’s not counting players like Joshua Roy and Alex Belzile, who should technically start next season with the Rocket…

Having said that, I wonder how well the Canadiens’ management has seen that it works for its club-school with the players who come from here.

We know that in Laval, there have been several Québécois in recent years… and in the context where the Rocket went far in the playoffs last season with guys from here, guys who want to fight for the Canadiens organization because they’re proud to do so, maybe that changed some things in the decisions of the executives in Montreal.

All in all, it’s great news for the fans.

Fans in Montreal love to see local guys playing for the Canadiens, and they’ll be well served next year by the number of Québécois currently in town.

Overtime

– I’d go with the captain. But what about you?

– Well done.

See this post on Instagram

A post shared by Pony (@ponymtl)

– NHL GMs are on vacation. [BPM Sports]

– Here it comes, the new NFL season.

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Joe Veleno is (really) no Christian Dvorak in the face-off circle

The Canadiens have acquired the services of Joe Veleno. He will earn $900,000 over one year on a one-tier contract.

This means the club has added depth at center. The chances of Owen Beck or Oliver Kapanen starting the NHL season didn’t improve this morning, anyway.

He joins Nick Suzuki, Kirby Dach, Alex Newhook and Jake Evans among the club’s centers.

Of course, even though he was a first-round pick in the old days and was allowed to play at age 15 in the Q, we agree that he wasn’t brought in to play with Ivan Demidov.

In the best-case scenario, it’s to be the center of the third line. At best, that is.

Because no, the Québécois isn’t perfect. He’s had a negative differential for years, he’s not the toughest, he has no playoff experience, he’s not a defensive marvel, he’s just been bought out by the Kraken, and so on.

I’m not saying that I’m against the signing, because at that price, I like the gamble. But let’s face it: it’s a depth signing.

(Credit: Hockey DB)

Veleno’s big advantage is that he’s a left-handed center. And the Canadiens don’t have many of those in the NHL. There’s Alex Newhook and… Zachary Bolduc, for example?

Of necessity, Veleno becomes the face-off option for a left-handed player. In 2024-2025, Veleno maintained an efficiency of 47.2% in Detroit and 46.1% in Chicago, which is better than Newhook.

  • Jake Evans: 52.9
  • Nick Suzuki: 51.6
  • Alex Newhook: 42.8
  • Kirby Dach: 40.3

So clearly, Veleno isn’t Christian Dvorak, who was at 55.8% with the Habs in 2024-2025.

Will Nick Suzuki and Jake Evans be asked for more, even though they’re right-handers? It’s not a possibility that should be ruled out, in my opinion.

extension

Veleno can’t play in the Canadiens’ top-6 (unless there’s a drastic change) and more than ever, the race for second center will probably be between Kirby Dach and Alex Newhook.

Unless Zachary Bolduc mixes things up?

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“Don’t be surprised if the Canadiens sign Joe Veleno”: Tony Marinaro has more to say

The Joe Veleno file continues to be the talk of the town.

While little had been heard of the Québécois forward recently, in the last few hours, Tony Marinaro brought the free agent’s name back into the discussion.

Basically, during the course of the night, Marinaro mentioned the possibility of the center signing a two-part contract for next season.

We wondered if there was any connection with the Canadiens to be made. After all, at two parts, it’s possible to believe that this is the kind of gamble Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton want to take.

And clearly, it’s possible.

Marinaro, in the last few minutes, mentioned that we shouldn’t be surprised to see Veleno sign in Montreal following a change of heart on the part of the Canadiens.

Normally, a tweet like that means it could become official soon. Will it?

Details to come…

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Salary cap: here’s how the Canadiens are (very) disadvantaged by the new collective agreement

What a bad time to be a Canadian team that wants to improve…

Why do I say this? Because on the heels of the new collective agreement, which comes into effect next year, a (Canadian) club like the Canadiens de Montréal will have to face some major obstacles.

Marco D’Amico(RG Media) has the full story.

One of the aspects that will hurt a club like the Habs, which is no longer looking to trade established players but to acquire them, is that double salary retention will have to be done with a 75-day gap (of regular season) between each trade.

So, picking up a player at 25% of his salary – via two transactions – in one day will no longer be possible.

Second aspect? The signing bonuses that teams often offer will no longer be able to make up more than 60% of the total amount of a contract. Gone will be the player who receives $12 million on July 1 and $1.5 million during the season.

This will inevitably put Canadian teams at a disadvantage. And why? Because Canadian clubs were able to offer large bonuses to American players so that the bonuses would be taxed in the United States.

But now, a smaller amount will inevitably mean that the gap between a club in Florida or Texas, for example, will be greater than ever compared to a club in Canada.

Managers here will need to have more than one trick up their sleeve…

Another example of what could hurt a wealthy club like the Canadiens: it will be increasingly difficult to give more money at the beginning of the contract than at the end of it.

A wealthy club like the Habs could front-load a contract, as they say, to give themselves more flexibility at the end of the contract to trade a player if they wanted to.

Having less real money on the contract opened up the market for a player.

So, basically, the NHL wants to restore a sort of salary balance between the league’s 32 markets, but it may have put obstacles in the way of clubs wanting to move.

Already, big transactions are harder than ever to make, but Gary Bettman has just made it harder for a few teams, including the Canadiens.

Kent Hughes will have to do more than think outside the box to make a move.

overtime

– Logan Mailloux interviewed by Tony Marinaro tonight.

– Shawn Lemon can return to the CFL.

– 15 M$?

– Wow.

– If you missed it:

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Here’s further proof that a Carey Price deal is on the way

We’ve been talking about it for a long time: Carey Price could be traded this summer.

We know that he still has $7.5 million to collect: $5.5 million in bonuses on September 1 and the remainder ($2 million) in cash during the 2025-2026 season, the last of his contract.

And we know that a good portion of his salary is covered by insurance.

We know that there are teams interested in picking up his contract (after September 1, of course) and I repeat: I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that Kent Hughes already has a gentleman’s agreement in place with one of his counterparts.

We know the Sharks and Penguins are possibilities. The glorious Arizona Coyotes could also come back to life just to take his contract, I’m told. #Not

Why would any club pick him up? Because these clubs have salary to free up between now and next summer. Adding Price’s contract, which won’t cost much in real money, would add $10.5 million to the payroll and keep the team below the salary floor.

We’ve heard a lot about this, and now Chris Johnston, on the Steve Dangle podcast, has reconfirmed what everyone suspected: once his bonus is paid, Price could well be traded.

Of course, everyone knows that Price hasn’t been playing hockey for a long time and that his contract is simply a drag on the Habs’ payroll.

And since the club is doing well again, it would be interesting to get this contract off the books. And the principal interested party wouldn’t block a transaction, since he would have the right to do so.

Without the contract, we wouldn’t have to spend the maximum amount of money on the cape every year. Who knows: maybe without him, the Habs wouldn’t be forced to carry over all their young players’ bonuses to the following year?

So, it’s an issue to keep an eye on.

overtime

– It was sick.

– What kind of workload for Jakub Dobes? [BPM Sports]

– Long absence for Matthew Tkachuk? [X]

– Interesting.

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Two-part contract for Joe Veleno: Tony Marinaro opens the door

When the free-agent market opened up, it didn’t take long for Québécois Joe Veleno to be linked with the Canadiens. But that was over two weeks ago.

The Habs were once among the favorites to sign him(which could help the club in the face-off circle), but last we heard, it looked like the Veleno option was one to forget.

After all, nine days ago, Tony Marinaro said the Habs had abandoned plans to sign Veleno.

How much can things change in the case of the center-forward, whose market is certainly not developing as he had anticipated at the beginning of July?

It’s a good question.

On this subject, Tony Marinaro published a tweet about the centerfielder overnight. And according to the radio and Sick Podcast host, at this point, you’d think he’d be ready to sign a two-way deal.

According to Marinaro, if that happens, it could open up the market for Veleno, and teams that weren’t interested before could become so.

As Marinaro points out, a center of his size and talent would normally attract attention on the market – especially if he ends up signing a two-way contract.

When will he sign? We’ll have to wait and see.

Under the circumstances, we have to wonder whether the possibility of signing a two-part contract would bring the Canadiens back into the race. It’s hard to say, just off the top of my head.

But on paper, it looks like an interesting deal for the Habs, who are looking for reinforcements at center.

overtime

– Really?

– Nice.

– Where will he go?

– Demidovs enjoy Quebec.