As you now know, the Canadiens’ executives are in Russia to closely follow the development of Ivan Demidov.
Kent Hughes, Vincent Lecavalier, and Jeff Gorton Nick Bobrov are the representatives of the team. They attended yesterday’s game, during which Demidov played 11 minutes. That’s a peak since a month ago. #Coincidence?
There was also a “summit” meeting with Roman Rotenberg, the best friend of Habs fans Demidov’s agent.
Nick Bobrov, Kent Hughes & Vinny Lecavalier with Roman Rotenberg in St. Petersburg, Russia pic.twitter.com/WYgDZhO9VN
The main interested party himself posted a photo of the meeting and wrote a long paragraph on social media about what happened during the meeting with the team.
And he was… extremely polite. Let’s put it that way.
He reiterated his respect for the team numerous times and expressed that he appreciated the discussion with the Canadiens executives. He praised the Montreal hockey culture to the skies.
But at no point was Ivan Demidov’s name mentioned by the coach.
Roman Rotenberg announces a lengthy meeting with the Montreal Canadiens brass (Hughes, Lecavalier, and Bobrov).
He did mention that “the development of young players” was discussed… but you know very well that Hughes was there for one guy in particular. He wasn’t there to make new friends just for fun.
And that’s completely normal.
Rotenberg stated that the biggest common goal between the Canadiens and SKA is the desire to bring Russia back to the heart of international hockey. This means that, according to Rotenberg, the Canadiens support the return of Russia to international competitions.
But we do not know what was said about Demidov. I didn’t expect otherwise, however.
In Brief
– The owner of Utah HC is generous.
If you’ve never seen @utahhockeyclub live, it’s amazing. Giving away some tix for tonight’s game for people who’ve never been.
LMK who you’d bring and we’ll pick some people to join!
Call them The Travii, or call them “an old married couple,” but the friendship between Travis Sanheim and Travis Konecny has helped fuel the Flyers and put them on Canada’s roster for the 4 Nations Face-Off https://t.co/Ew4JHyOKfo
The Canadiens finally signed a convincing victory in front of their fans last night: crushed 6 to 1 against the poor Buffalo Sabres.
It was different to end a Tuesday night with cheers and applause instead of boos and disappointment.
It must be said that the Sabres are pathetic: they suffered an 11th consecutive defeat… and they haven’t made the playoffs since 2011. Barack Obama was still president that year and Thomas Vanek was the top scorer for the Sabres. #ItFeelsLikeAYear
Patrik Laine was the star for his team, finding the back of the net three times on power play (in addition to hitting a post so hard that officials initially awarded another goal to Laine).
Laine has 6 goals and 1 assist in seven games so far with the Canadiens. And he doesn’t think he’s playing good hockey…
It’s worth noting that his cumulative differential of -5 (-4 in the last week) proves that yes, he can do better at even strength.
However, Laine’s presence in the lineup brings positives. Not just for the fans, the coach, or the standings… but also for Cole Caufield!
Laine has taken Caufield’s preferred spot on the first power play unit… and he’s scoring at an insane pace. His shot is unmatched.
Caufield finally has some real challenge in his role as a Montreal scorer. He no longer automatically has access to the best conditions de facto.
It’s no longer him, the best shooter on the team; it’s PatrikHatrik Laine.
The young American forward will have to prove over the next few weeks that he deserves every privilege the coach gives him (or not). He now has to operate in a more meritocratic system where internal competition will be finally present for him.
And he will have to continue developing into a more complete player.
Since Laine’s return, Caufield has 1 goal and 6 assists. That’s a point per game, you know…
The internal competition clearly isn’t stifling him. So much the better!
And Patrik Laine’s perfect attitude – I can always do better, I am not satisfied – will force Caufield to aim even higher in my opinion.
$40,000 or $75,000 to “buy Georges Laraque” JT and I recorded yesterday (and published this morning) our 10th and final episode of season 2 of Stanley25.
We set out to find the amount for which Georges Laraque was sold/traded in 1996. Reminder: Laraque went from the Laval Titan to the St-Hyacinthe Laser, then to the Granby Predators, with whom he won the Memorial Cup.
Jean spoke with the group of owners who bought, then sold Georges Laraque during the same season. According to their version of events, Georges was bought for $60,000, then sold for $40,000 a few weeks later.
But Georges heard at that time that he had been sold for $75,000.
Who has the exact figure? Who has the best memory?
It doesn’t matter…we can agree that it’s a lot of cash back then (and for a QMJHL player). We’re talking about $100,000 to $135,000 in today’s value.
I invite you to watch the full episode to learn more about the Mathias Brunet/Martin Lemay story (which is settled, thank God), about Juraj Slafkovsky’s lifestyle, about the parallels between Patrik Laine and Alex Kovalev, about the hotels booked by our sports journalists, and much more.
Lane Hutson played less (and that’s okay)
The CH crushed the Sabres yesterday and Lane Hutson played 18:30 on the ice. These are two facts.
Third fact: Mike Matheson (24:40), Arber Xhakej (20:18), and Kaiden Guhle (20:15) all played more than Hutson. And that’s just fine!
Hutson is a rookie and even though he is excellent, playing 25 minutes per game doesn’t make sense at his age. You can’t have everything handed to you on a platter…
And seeing Arber Xhekaj find his rhythm is a blessing for the Montreal club.
Christmas replacements
The regular programming of our TV and radio shows will end this week. Replacement teams will take over.
At BPM Sports, Greg Lanctôt will host a show from 7:00 to 11:00 on weekdays for the next two weeks (and his weekend show will be paused). Martin Leclerc, Renaud Lavoie, Anthony Marcotte, Patrick Friolet, and many others will collaborate with Greg.
From what I understand, the show will then be replayed throughout the rest of the day.
At 98.5 FM, Mario Langlois will be going on vacation in a few days. Some evenings, he will be replaced by Louis Jean while on others, it will be Meeker Guerrier.
Let’s remember that Meeker was the one who replaced Jeremy Filosa in the show following Philippe Cantin. By the way, we are still waiting for news about Filosa’s “rehabilitation”…
Did he take the journalism course that was imposed on him?
It’s worth noting that Filo is currently doing the research and booking for Mario Langlois’s show and according to the people I spoke to, he is excellent and behaves like a true professional.
I can’t wait to see if we will find him on air in January.
In recent weeks, we have seen Jonathan Toews share photos from his trip to India.
He went there to recharge and for personal reasons. And since he is no longer playing hockey, he does what he wants during the NHL season, let’s agree on that.
Just yesterday, he shared travel photos. He is on a different beat than that of the NHL.
Because he shared photos yesterday, I assumed he was still there. But in fact, no: these are photos that are not from yesterday since he is back in North America.
And in fact, last night, he was in Montreal.
Yesterday, the former captain of the Blackhawks was in the stands at the Bell Centre for the Montreal/Buffalo matchup. He, who has roots in Quebec (on his mother’s side) likely took the opportunity to see Kirby Dach, his former teammate.
But that’s just a question out loud.
Toews is apparently at the Bell Centre. A free agent since summer 2023. Represented by Pat Brisson.
Recently, he has been doing better thanks to a rather esoteric treatment in India. https://t.co/HUnaFdLpw7
It is interesting to note that Nicolas Cloutier (TVA Sports) went to the sources and, as one might suspect, Toews was not in Montreal to shop for a hockey job.
He was there to see friends.
Even though we suspected it, I confirm that Toews is not preparing for a return to play he was there to see friends https://t.co/u6u8QhSbiC
In any case, if he wanted to shop for a job with the Canadiens, he would have needed to go to Russia. Why? Because that’s where Kent Hughes is right now. #Hehe
Would you have liked to see Toews sign with the CH? In my opinion, he is retired to stay, and that’s perfectly fine: he had a very nice career, but that’s now behind him.
In Brief
– Things are going poorly for Patrick Roy’s Islanders.
#Isles are now off to their worst 33-game start since 2013-14. Comparing this season’s start to that and some from the last few years.
With two more assists last night, Lane Hutson in his rookie season with the Habs:
– 1 goal
– 21 assists
– 22 points in 31 games
– 15th in points among NHL defensemen
– 20 years old
– Ages of D-men with more points than him: Bouchard (25), Carlson (34), Josi (34), Pionk (29),… pic.twitter.com/bKJJHGecfH
The show Patrik Laine is in town. And he is worth the price of admission.
Last night, he continued to show that he is a top sniper by scoring three identical goals on the power play in a big 6-1 win for the Canadiens against the Sabres.
Much like Alex Ovechkin, top scorers find a way to create space by doing the same thing every night. It’s impressive.
It’s crazy to realize that in seven games, he has six goals. And even though he “scored” at even strength early in the game (before the decision was overturned), his six true goals have all come on the power play.
The Canadiens have four wins when he scores and three losses when he does not. And for the last seven games, no one but Laine has found the back of the net on the power play.
The sample size is small, but still: it’s striking to see this.
By the nature of things, this means that Laine, at five-on-five, is not the biggest factor for the Canadiens. No one is worried about that (or his -5 rating) for the time being… except the main interested party, who felt that his game was “average” last night. And except Philippe Boucher.
“I think overall, at least for myself, it was kind of an average game. If you take away the goals, I’ve had a million times better games than that & had zero goals. On the power play, it went in. Outside of that, I would call it a pretty average performance for myself today…”
“There are players on waivers right now in the NHL who could help Patrik Laine more than the players on his line tonight” – @Booboo4343: pic.twitter.com/ITHnK43GrH
After the game, Laine said he had played hundreds of better games where he didn’t score.
I understand what he means, in the sense that he didn’t feel up to speed… but I would take that three-goal game on the power play over many others.
With Lane Hutson and Patrik Laine being new additions to the top power-play unit, let’s just say it energizes the attack of the Canadiens. But more than that: these guys are making the fans happy.
Seeing that Laine (who has as many goals as he did in 18 games last year in Columbus) has recovered so well from his injuries must please management, which accepted a second-round pick for his services.
The fourth-best goal scorer for the Canadiens this year (!) evidently brings a breath of fresh air that the team needed. And that’s good for the infamous mix– ah forget it.
It has been a long time coming for the Flanelle to find a player like this to cheer for…
Despite his hat trick, Patrik Laine feels he didn’t do enough against the Sabres on Tuesday
But anyway. That’s not all we should take away from that game, which will nonetheless allow many Canadiens fans to be in a good mood a week before Christmas.
What do I take away?
1. Juraj Slafkovsky, who played with Laine earlier this month, found the back of the net for the third time this season. Laine did that in one game, though… but whatever.
He better not waste all his arrogance too quickly so people don’t become too cynical towards him. But at the same time, what do I know…
It’s huge, I score once a month, let’s hope it’ll start to come in a little more. – Juraj Slafkovsky
At least it’s nice to see he scored. That should do him good.
Let’s also mention that, in good sport, he said that his ovation during his hat trick last season was louder than Laine’s last night. That’s good sportsmanship, I think.
2. Colleague Marc-Olivier Cook is right: it wasn’t Samuel Montembeault and Arber Xhekaj who made the most noise yesterday, but they did what they had to do.
Sometimes, that’s all it takes.
I was at the Bell Centre for the CH vs Sabres game. What a great evening!
1. Patrik Laine owes me money because I lost my hat for his (joke)
What a player!
2. I have to mention: Arber is playing well. He is excellent lately, even.
3. The owner of the Sabres made a round trip to Montreal on Monday to talk to his players. The fact that he didn’t stay long might lead, as Renaud Lavoie said this morning on BPM Sports, to the guys taking him more or less seriously.
The result? 11 consecutive losses… and apart from a few minutes at the start of the second period, we can’t say the Sabres were in control of the game. Not at all, really. #Laziness
4. Martin St-Louis, when it was 6-1 late in the game, decided not to send out his top power play unit. Even Patrik Laine, who could have made history with four goals in a game on the power play, stayed seated.
That’s class.
5. Kirby Dach missed the end of the first period after a nasty fall and physically, he had a tough game. He wasn’t perfect either as a hockey player.
When you see Nick Suzuki play and all the details of his game, it’s clear that the difference is striking between the two guys.
6. Besides Slaf and Laine, Joel Armia and Josh Anderson also found the back of the net. But even though the Canadiens scored six times and the team dominated, they only had 27 shots on net, which is six more than the Sabres.
That’s not much.
7. By the way, the Canadiens’ victory means that the Sabres are now at the bottom of the Eastern standings. Martin St-Louis’s men have a game in hand on Lindy Ruff’s team, too.
The Canadiens currently have the fifth-best odds of winning the lottery.
(Credit: NHL.com)
Overtime
The Canadiens will practice at 11:30 am this morning in Brossard. The next game will be on Friday in Detroit, meaning the team will leave tomorrow after practice.
There are three games left before Christmas: Friday in Detroit, Saturday at home against the same Red Wings, and December 23 in Columbus.
NASHVILLE, TN - DECEMBER 17: Nashville Predators defenseman Adam Wilsby (83) defends against New York Rangers center Mika Zibanejad (93) during the NHL game between the Nashville Predators and New York Rangers, held on December 17, 2024, at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Danny Murphy/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The Rangers have now collected three little victories in their… last 14 games.
What’s the plan moving forward?
Note that in the Predators’ victory, Juuse Saros stopped all 25 shots directed at him for a shutout.
2 : Connor Hellebuyck continues his demolition job
Connor Hellebuyck is the best goaltender in the National Hockey League in my eyes.
There, it’s said!
The goalie is one of the reasons why the Jets are so good this season and he once again led his team to victory last night (4-3) against the San Jose Sharks.
Hellebuyck became the first goaltender to achieve 20 wins this season… And he has also become the fastest American goaltender to reach the 20-win mark in a single season:
Connor Hellebuyck is having a record-breaking start to the season!
Since the start of the campaign, Hellebuyck has a record of 20-5-1, a save percentage of .926, and a goals-against average of 2.15.
It’s hard to ask for anything better, especially as he seems on track for his third Vezina Trophy of his career.
3 : Linus Ullmark, wow!
Oh, things are going well for Linus Ullmark lately.
The Senators’ goaltender continued his hot streak, being on fire in front of his net last night against the Kraken: Ullmark stopped all 30 opponent shots for his third shutout of the season.
This is also his sixth consecutive win:
Six-game win streak and his second @pepsi shutout in that span.
It was a tough night for Patrick Roy and the Islanders, who were never able to find the back of the net.
The New York club struggles to score goals and we saw it again last night… But at the same time, it’s not like the Islanders’ roster on paper instills fear either.
And there’s the problem.
5 : David Pastrnak plays the hero
When the best players decide to be the best players on the ice, it helps.
Want an example?
Yesterday, with the game tied 3-3 between the Bruins and the Flames, THE star player of the Bruins stepped up.
David Pastrnak said goodnight to everyone by scoring his 12th goal of the season in overtime:
SERVING OF PASTA TO CAP OFF THE COMEBACK
David Pastrnak rifled one home for the Bruins’ third unanswered goal to win it in OT pic.twitter.com/weOpgsh7lP
In the match, Elias Lindholm had fun collecting a goal and an assist.
It must have felt good because he’s having a rough start to the season… But mostly because he was back in Calgary.
Let’s remember that he was traded by the Flames last January. He ended last season with the Canucks before signing a big contract in Boston this summer.
We’ve been talking about it for weeks already, but things are going quite poorly in New York.
The Rangers have traded their captain, Kaapo Kakko has fallen out with his teammates and “Chris Kreider is still on the market.” You’ll understand a little later why I’ve put my last words in parentheses. Is the next to leave the ship GM Chris Drury?
Apparently, the players have held a meeting among themselves to determine the future of their general manager. I’ve never seen that. Pierre McGuire hasn’t either… Moreover, Jimmy Murphy and he, on the podcast The Sick Podcast – The Eye Test, didn’t discuss the topic for too long due to a lack of credibility.
Mike Rupp, who played for the Blue Shirts during the 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 seasons, thinks there is – forgive my anglicism – some bullshit surrounding the team.
These are useless things we don’t want to deal with that make coming to the rink a chore because we look over our shoulders every second. – Mike Rupp
The former forward, who played 609 games in the NHL, is also not too keen on sending Kakko to the stands.
He concluded by saying that he thinks Chris Kreider’s name has been leaked intentionally to get a response from the team. He doesn’t believe the Rangers actually intended to trade him. It’s a mess over there…
McGuire wouldn’t be surprised to see trades, especially if the team loses tonight against the Nashville Predators. Remember that a trade freeze will occur between December 20 and 27.
In Brief
– A dream come true for Noel Hoefenmayer.
Here’s a link to my latest story: Trade to Canadiens organization ‘dream come true’ for Noel Hoefenmayer | Montreal Gazette https://t.co/HvA2zOdeCS
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 05: Kaapo Kakko #24 of the New York Rangers during warm-ups prior to the game against the Carolina Hurricanes in Game One of the Second Round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Madison Square Garden on May 5, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Jared Silber/NHLI via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Kaapo Kakko
Have you heard that things are going badly in New York?
Nothing is going well for the Rangers, who have only scraped together three small wins in their last thirteen outings.
For a talented team like the Blue Shirts, this is unacceptable.
Kaapo Kakko was left out of his team’s last match by Peter Laviolette because he has been inconsistent since the start of the season.
But Kakko has really not taken his coach’s decision well.
The forward faced reporters today with one goal in mind: to make his coach look bad with criticism.
Kakko does not understand why he was left out since he believes he is not “the worst” player on the team… And he says that leaving a young player like him out is much easier than making a decision regarding a veteran:
#NYR Kaapo Kakko: “Haven’t been on the ice too much when [opponents] score a goal… I have not been the worst guy, but that was me out of the lineup.”
Kakko not only disrespected his coach: he also openly said that he thinks some of his teammates are not as good as him.
And comments like that are never well-received in a hockey locker room. I tend to believe that it’s not good for his image…
It’s really chaotic within the Rangers organization, and it’s starting to look ugly.
After all, when a player takes the time to criticize his coach and teammates after being left out, it’s never a good sign.
And it won’t help the situation in my eyes. All it does is add frustration within the group…
The Rangers need to find a way to regroup because there will inevitably be changes otherwise. The timing is strange, though, because goalie Igor Shesterkin just signed a contract extension worth 92 million dollars…
pic.twitter.com/WYgDZhO9VN
he was there to see friends 
(joke)
: 
: RDS 
