Author: Dose

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Cayden Primeau will play his first game with the Rocket tonight since April 2023.

The Canadiens will resume action tonight against Chicago. Will the Montrealers be able to secure a sixth victory in seven games since the arrival of Alexandre Carrier (and the departure of Justin Barron)?

Will they continue their resurgence even if the holiday season is now a thing of the past?

Will Patrik Laine, Alex Newhook, and Kirby Dach once again showcase their raw talent?

We’ll see… but three games in four nights in Chicago, Denver, and Montreal will not be easy for the Canadiens players.

And what about the Rocket?
The Rocket will also be back in action tonight as they host the Abbotsford Canucks in Laval.

This will be the Rocket’s first game since Cayden Primeau’s demotion. Pascal Vincent has decided not to play mind games with the fragile goalie as Dave Cameron would likely have done if he were the coach of the Habs’ affiliate.

This will be Primeau’s first start in the AHL since April 2023.

Anthony Marcotte even reports that there is a possibility of seeing Primeau face those same Canucks tomorrow night, during the second consecutive game between the two teams.

It should be noted that Primeau has found success in Laval in the past and seems to have shown up at Place Bell in good spirits.

The Rocket definitely needs points in the standings; a goalie with NHL experience can only help! When you’re paid over a million dollars to guard the net in the American League, you’re expected to step up in a game like today’s.

Cayden Primeau will meet the crowd at Place Bell tonight.
(Credit: Rocket de Laval)

The Rocket has lost its last two games and slipped to fourth place in the North Division of the American League. They were sitting comfortably at the top just a few weeks ago…

Notably, Brandon Gignac and Florian Xhekaj, both injured, will not be in uniform against the Canucks. Riley Kidney will simply be left out.

In Brief

– Speaking of Dave Cameron.

– To watch out for.

– What do you think?

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Dave Cameron has “no regrets” and defends his numerous canceled practices.

Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images

The defeat of Team Canada junior before reaching the semifinals will leave its marks. At least, we hope so.

Will the marks be visible only on the ice (by not leaving the good players at home to try to reinvent hockey) or will some executives lose their jobs after what happened?

At the moment, that question arises.

But, without having a crystal ball in my hands, I can say that Dave Cameron will not be back as the coach of the Canadian team in a year.

And if I’m wrong, there will be an outcry across the country.

Dave Cameron demonstrated that he was unable to make the right decisions as Team Canada’s coach. After all, every time he decided on something, it turned against him.

The one who was unable to keep his players disciplined or to keep his best players on the ice at the right time claims to have no regrets. And he didn’t even seem to understand why the question about regrets was being asked.

Do I need to remind you that when Canada does not make it to the semifinals, there must be regrets?

Among those he might have, there’s notably the fact that he gave THREE days off to his players. And regarding this, he said his guys felt tired and needed rest.

Once? Okay. But three? In a week?

Cameron also said he expected such a tournament: some teams that can win everything and tough matches on the Canadian’s path. Hey, good job being right, my Dave.

Let’s also note that a scout told Steve Ellis (anonymously) that he wouldn’t even trust Cameron to manage a McDonald’s drive-thru at three in the morning.

That says a lot. #Leadership

In Brief

– Oh really?

– Do you believe it?

– Worth watching.

– The Islanders are playing well, according to Patrick Roy.

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Top-5: The magic number is now only 24

Last night, there were 24 teams in action.

A big night of hockey, then.

Here are the results and highlights:

1. The magic number is down to 24

The Capitals faced the Wild last night.

And you know what a Capitals game means: one more opportunity for Alex Ovechkin to get closer to Wayne Gretzky’s record.

Last night, he scored. He is now just 24 goals away from surpassing 99.

However, Washington lost, and ironically, Marc-André Fleury stopped Ovi in the shootout.

Final score: 4-3.

2. Jonathan Quick stands on his head

Things are going poorly in New York, and the fact that Igor Shesterkin was placed on the injured list is a sign that everything is going wrong in the Big Apple.

Fortunately, the Rangers have a quality backup in Jonathan Quick. Last night, he stood on his head and stopped 32 of the 33 shots directed at him.

Victory for his team, 2-1.

He made several great saves.

Here they are:

Mika Zibanejad scored the first goal of the game.

This was his 700th career point.

3. A wild game in Colorado

In Colorado, the Sabres lost a two-goal lead in the final minutes. #SabresClassic

The Avalanche ultimately won 6-5 in overtime. What a disaster!

Upon returning to Denver, Bowen Byram also scored.

Also on the visitors’ side, Jason Zucker scored a hat trick and Zach Benson scored a rather controversial goal.

The goal was indeed given, but it didn’t stop the Avalanche from winning.

4. Hockey players: strange men

The Maple Leafs were visiting New York, and with a 2-1 victory for the Leafs, New York now has a record of 2-6-0 in their last eight games.

Patrick Roy will need to find a solution quickly.

What I noticed from this game is the players who are hilarious.

First, there’s Oliver Ekman-Larsson who hears voices.

Then there’s Casey Cizikas from the penalty box making fun of I don’t know who.

It’s quite comical.

Bobby McMann really hurt the Islanders at the end of the game by scoring the winning goal.

He has both of his team’s goals.

5. Victor Hedman takes a puck to the head

At the end of the night, the Lightning visited the San Jose Sharks.

San Jose helped the Canadiens in their playoff race by defeating Tampa in regulation. A 2-1 win, and we can thank Yaroslav Askarov.

The Russian finished the game with 24 saves.

Tyler Toffoli scored a beautiful goal, while Marc-Édouard Vlasic got an assist in his first game since April 18.

On the visitors’ side, in addition to the loss, they lost their number one defenseman.

Indeed, Victor Hedman took a puck directly to the head and had to leave the game.

Overtime

– Another strong game for Nathan MacKinnon.

– Detroit escaped with the victory.

– Another great save.

– Jason Zucker leads the charge.

(Credit: NHL.com)

– The Canadiens and nine other teams in action tonight.

(Credit: Google)
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CMJ: Canada eliminated in the quarter-finals

Since the start of the tournament, Canada’s performances have greatly disappointed its supporters.

On this Thursday evening, Dave Cameron’s team faced the Czech Republic in their quarter-final match.

He even made a change to his lineup.

Porter Martone returned to the starting lineup, while Carson Rehkopf sat this one out.

Here are the combinations for the match:

Let’s just say we were expecting a much better start to the game for the Canadians…

It took only 43 seconds for the Czech Republic to open the scoring… Petr Sikora scored the goal.

Then, a penalty taken just four minutes into the first period wiped out the power play they had just earned four seconds earlier…

And about five minutes later, Cole Beaudoin was ejected from the game for a play that, in my opinion, should have only been a two-minute penalty.

Beaudoin checked Sikora, but the angle of the collision (with no last-second directional change) hit the Czech’s knee.

We know that the IIHF is very strict when it comes to punishing such actions, even though there was no intent to injure on Beaudoin’s part.

I leave you to judge the verdict for yourselves, but it’s contact in a contact sport that caused an injury. Sikora quickly returned to the game and there were boos when he had the puck.

Moreover, Sikora tried (too late) to avoid Beaudoin and somewhat put himself in that situation.

Fortunately, during this five-minute major penalty, the Canadians equalized.

Tanner Howe placed the puck behind the giant 6-foot-6 goalie, Michael Hrabal.

Brayden Yager had a breakaway, and while retrieving his rebound, he sent it in front of the net to Howe.

But just moments later, during the Czechs’ power play, Sam Dickinson pushed the puck into his own net…

And at the very end of the first period, Dickinson was responsible for a turnover that allowed the Czechs to double their lead…

Overall, many players struggled in the first period, but guys like Porter Martone did well despite the score after 20 minutes.

The second period was much calmer, but it was all in favor of Canada.

And who else but Martone to narrow the gap at the end of the second.

The final period of regulation time heavily favored the Canadians. We had to wait nearly half of the engagement to see the first shot from the Czechs.

Ethan Gauthier almost equalized, but the goal was ultimately disallowed for goalie interference.

The Canadians did not stop buzzing in the opposing territory. They completely dominated, especially in terms of shots.

Finally, the long-awaited third goal for Canada finally came.

Bradly Nadeau saves the day with just over four minutes left in the final engagement.

But what had to happen happened: The Czechs scored with 39 seconds left, thus eliminating Canada.

This is a repeat of last year’s World Junior Championship: A premature elimination in the quarter-finals for Canada after coming back from a two-goal deficit, only to lose the game at the very end.

Another disappointment for Canada at the WJC…

Overtime

Porter Martone proved he should never have been removed from the lineup. Despite the struggles in the first period, he was probably the best player and he completely changed the tempo of the game. Unfortunately, Canada still lost the game and their tournament is over.

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Rangers: Chris Drury would do well to make moves to acquire J.T. Miller from the Canucks.

As we know, the New York Rangers season is a disaster.

Even though the chances of seeing them make the playoffs are slim, with a core like this, it might only take a major trade to revitalize the troops.

In the latest episode of Spittin’ Chiclets, a podcast hosted among others by Ryan Whitney and Paul Bissonnette, the latter mentioned something interesting on this topic.

The former tough guy noted that the Rangers’ GM, Chris Drury, would do well to do whatever it takes to acquire J.T. Miller’s services.

By clicking on the YouTube link below, it will take you directly to the excerpt about the Rangers.

Bissonnette mentioned that he regularly hears about a link between Miller and the Rangers.

Adding a player like Miller would undoubtedly help the Rangers.

But you know the saying: to receive, you must give.

In New York, Mika Zibanejad is disappointing many this season, with only six goals to his name.

Still in the podcast, the idea of offering Mike Zibanejad as a trade base was brought up and it would make a lot of sense.

The Rangers need changes, and Miller remains an excellent versatile and physical player, while Zibanejad needs a change of scenery.

In Vancouver, there seems to be real friction between Miller and Elias Pettersson, and trading one of the two could be positive.

Additionally, both players have similar long-term contracts (8 million for Miller and 8.5 million for Zibanejad)

Of course, Zibanejad will not be enough, but Drury has something to offer to add value.

There needs to be change among the Rangers.

In Brief

– Another goal for Ovechkin. Clearly, he has a mission in mind.

– Poor Marc-André Fleury, who has now allowed Ovechkin to score for the 41st time in his career.

– Zach Werenski puts himself in good company.

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If the CH is in the mix, it should not be a buyer.

MONTREAL, QC - FEBRUARY 10: Montreal Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes addresses the media on February 10, 2022, at Bell Sports Complex in Brossard, QC (Photo by David Kirouac/Icon Sportswire)

Just before the start of the season, Kent Hughes set his goal for the season: to be in the mix.

And this statement sparked reactions from fans who mostly did not really believe in the Canadiens’ chances of not being too far from the playoffs.

As we approach the halfway point of the season, the Tricolore is finally in that famous mix.

Who would have thought?

Even though I did not expect the Canadiens to be at the very bottom of the standings, I also did not foresee them being in a position to fight for a playoff spot.

But what should be done if, at the trade deadline, Martin St-Louis’ team is still just a few points away from making it?

Nicolas Cloutier from TVA Sports recently made some very interesting points on this subject.

According to him, the Tricolore will do nothing, as it is too early to buy and selling would limit the team’s performance until the end of the season.

Cloutier later added on the topic of selling on March 7 (trade deadline).

He revisited the famous mix, saying that “it would send a strange message” to sell players, knowing that the initial challenge has been met.

It’s quite hard not to agree with Cloutier. He made very good points.

Selling players would truly be ridiculous in a position like this. And this is even if the value of Jake Evans and David Savard is at its peak.

Being a buyer could be defensible, but I don’t see much need for it.

Kent Hughes might be tempted to acquire another impactful young offensive player who could stay with the club and thus provide us with an insurance policy.

Nothing guarantees that the prospects in the pipeline will become what we expect of them, and nothing guarantees that Patrik Laine will re-sign with Montreal at the end of his contract in 2026.

On the other hand, this also proves that even if Hughes’ plan seems to be unfolding very well, we don’t have an exact idea of the ideal player to add on March 7. It might be better to wait to know exactly what the team needs to add to its roster.

Hughes needs to be absolutely sure of his move to acquire an impactful offensive player to support the core. And the chances that a player who meets all these criteria will be available at a good price are very slim.

It would be better to do nothing in a situation like this.

In brief

– Let’s hope that the reintegration of Porter Martone (21 goals in 26 games in the OHL) into the lineup helps Canada to really get its act together.

– At least one positive point in Mike Zibanejad’s disappointing season.

– Ryan Leonard seems to thrive on the hatred of his detractors.

– Kane is in shape.

– Worth reading.

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« Ivan Demidov could be the best player of the CH upon his arrival in Montreal »

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JUNE 28: Ivan Demidov poses for a portrait after being selected fifth overall by the Montreal Canadiens during the 2024 Upper Deck NHL Draft at Sphere on June 28, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Mark Blinch/NHLI via Getty Images)

When looking at Ivan Demidov’s season in Russia, what stands out quite clearly is the lack of ice time the undeniable talent of the kid. Even if he is not always placed in optimal conditions, he manages more often than not to stand out from the crowd.

The Rookie of the Month in the KHL often has little ice time, but scoring 26 points in 38 games despite this shows that he is a special young player.

And this means that his coach is quietly forced to play him accordingly. Tomorrow, he will again be on the first line of SKA for a big match against CSKA.

But in Montreal, we are mainly looking forward to seeing him in the Canadiens uniform. And clearly, there are those who see big things for the arrival of the young Russian.

Eric Engels (Sportsnet) recently chatted with an executive from an Eastern team… and the executive in question does not hide it: he believes Demidov will be a game-changer in Montreal.

How much? To the point where he believes that upon his arrival in Montreal, Demidov will quickly become the best player on the Canadiens… and that he could be as soon as he sets foot in Quebec.

Obviously, this is a strong statement considering that the young player will arrive in the city at 19 years old (his current age) and that the Canadiens are relying on quality players. Guys like Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovský, and Lane Hutson are no slouches… but Demidov is truly a special talent.

We saw it in Philadelphia this year with Matvei Michkov: it didn’t take him long to demonstrate the extent of his talent. One can wonder if the same will be true for Demidov… or if it will be even more impressive.

The executive surveyed by Engels has no doubt, however: Demidov will have an immediate impact with the Canadiens, and while one must remain cautious with expectations, the young Russian really seems to be a very special young player.

Let’s see if he will immediately be the best player on the team upon his arrival.

In Brief

– This is not ideal.

– Three-game suspension for Zachary L’Heureux.

– Calder: Lane Hutson is not too concerned about it.

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Two points in seven games: Alex Barré-Boulet is not pushing the management’s hand.

MONTREAL, CANADA - OCTOBER 9: Alex Barré-Boulet #27 of the Montreal Canadiens tapes his stick in the locker room before the NHL regular season game against the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Bell Centre on October 9, 2024 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Montreal Canadiens defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs by a score of 1-0. (Photo by Vitor Munhoz/NHLI via Getty Images)

Michael Pezzetta is in a strange situation in Montreal. As we approach January and the Canadiens have played 37 games, the good Pezz has only played three… and everything indicates that this is not about to change.

The 12 regulars are doing well right now. No one is really “movable”… and the Canadiens are lucky this is happening at this time. Let me explain.

If a forward were to get seriously injured with the Canadiens right now, one might think the team would probably look to Laval. The problem is that right now, the options are not particularly interesting.

Alex Barré-Boulet, who started the year in Montreal, would be the logical name. That said, he has only two points in his last seven games… and he has only one goal since the beginning of December.

He is not exactly forcing the management’s hand for a call-up right now.

Things are going pretty better for Joshua Roy… but it hasn’t been easy for him in the NHL this season. Is he really ready to move up?

We could also think of Brandon Gignac, but he is on the sidelines…

Owen Beck is doing well, but he is probably not ready to graduate yet…

Luke Tuch and Florian Xhekaj are good physical players, but Pezzetta can take on that role…

Filip Mesar has no points in four games since returning from injury, with only one goal in nine games this season (and he must be happy to see Emil Heineman make better sense of the Tyler Toffoli trade)…

Rafaël Harvey-Pinard has only six points in 15 games in Laval this season…

You see where I’m going with this? There isn’t really a call-up that makes sense offensively for the Canadiens right now. All of these guys have something that prevents them from forcing the club’s hand.

Fortunately, right now, the 12 regulars on the team’s offense are all playing great hockey. Because right now, the alternative options are Pezzetta… or a handful of players in Laval who, for various reasons, would not be ideal call-ups.

Things can change over time, but right now, the Canadiens really need their 12 forwards to hold the fort… and the good news is that they are doing brilliantly at the best possible time.

In Brief

– A thorough correction.

– A true top performer (in terms of points, at least).

– What do you think?

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Avalanche: Gabriel Landeskog skated with his teammates today.

It has already been a few years since Gabriel Landeskog has been sidelined in Colorado. The last time we saw the Avalanche captain play a game was when the Avalanche won the Stanley Cup, on June 26, 2022.

And as we just welcomed 2025, it reminds us how long Landeskog has been out of the game.

That said, the captain continues to work hard to try to make a return to the ice. Despite setbacks in his rehabilitation, Landeskog still clings to the hope of coming back…

And today, in Colorado, we witnessed a nice moment at practice as the captain skated with his teammates this morning.

And he didn’t look too beat up…

However, one must be careful with such a situation, because in reality, it doesn’t mean he is getting closer to a return. It mainly seemed like a nice way to test the veteran’s rehabilitation a bit and motivate the rest of the group.

Because Jared Bednar acknowledged it: it feels good for the group to see Landeskog being around the team… but we shouldn’t think he will be back on the ice anytime soon.

It should also be noted that currently, the Avalanche has only $3.9 million of cap space, meaning they cannot activate Landeskog (with a cap hit of $7 million) without moving some money off the books. One might wonder if this will happen before the playoffs for that reason, as the team would probably have to part with a guy like Samuel Girard to make room for Landeskog (who likely isn’t the player he once was).

But in any case, seeing Landeskog skate with the rest of the group today is a nice story… and if it can inspire Avalanche captain Marc-Édouard Vlasic, who hasn’t played since the beginning of the season due to an injury, he will finally play his first game of the campaign today.

He hasn’t missed as many games as Landeskog, but it remains a nice story as well.

In brief

– Trevor Letowski shows love to Alexandre Carrier.

– They won the hearts of many during the tournament.

– The guys are enjoying themselves.

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It was before Christmas that Cayden Primeau learned he would be placed on waivers.

In December, Samuel Montembeault got 10 consecutive starts in front of the Canadiens’ net. The reason? The team had completely lost confidence in Cayden Primeau, to the point that he was not being played.

But obviously, this was not a sustainable method in the long term. Monty was already showing signs of fatigue, and sooner or later, the Canadiens would have to find a solution… and they did by recalling Jakub Dobes on the morning of December 26.

Cayden Primeau, on the other hand, was placed on waivers the next day (the transaction freeze did not allow for it to be done earlier), that is, on December 27. That said, even though it happened on the 27th, it did not exactly catch Primeau off guard that day.

While chatting with the media in Laval today, Primeau talked about the end of his time in Montreal, and as reported by Dave Lévesque (Journal de Montréal), the goaltender was informed of the team’s decision… on December 23.

It was Kent Hughes who called him to let him know.

So this means that even though the goaltender was placed on waivers on the 27th and Martin St-Louis only announced it the day before, Primeau was already aware of all this for a few days (and he suspected it was a possibility even before the call from his GM). And that explains why he didn’t even bother to make the trip to Florida.

But now that he hasn’t been claimed, he needs to roll up his sleeves and try to bounce back from all this. The good news is that Pascal Vincent wants to help him in Laval, as he has openly stated his goal of trying to help Primeau regain his confidence.

It won’t necessarily be easy, but we know that Primeau has had his share of success in the AHL in the past. And in the absence of Jakub Dobes (who is in Montreal), the Rocket needs another goaltender to win games and help the team make the playoffs.

After supporting Dobes at the beginning of the season, Connor Hughes will now try to lend a hand to a guy whose confidence is much lower.

I’m really looking forward to seeing how we’ll divide the starts between the two guys in Laval in the near future…

In Brief

– Great first period for the United States.

– Attention interested parties.

– Who will be better: the Capitals post-Ovechkin or the Penguins post-Crosby?