Author: Dose

Categories
Dans les coulisses

Patrik Laine: in better shape than yesterday in practice

Patrik Laine will always be Patrik Laine: the guy will always have a nonchalant skating stroke.

But he’ll also always be Patrik Laine for the right reasons. When he’s healthy, there are few players in the National Hockey League more talented than him.

And this morning at practice, that’s just what we saw.

Our colleague Marc-Olivier Cook, who was on site, filmed Laine practicing, once again, before the others. He also took part in regular practice – wearing a non-contact shirt.

What jumped out at him when I chatted?

He looks better than he did at yesterday’s practice. – Marc-Olivier Cook

Laine, as you can see from colleague Cook’s videos, was making tight turns before practice started. So, clearly, he’s really improved.

The turns he was making couldn’t have been done without putting weight on his knees. So he’s doing better.

Obviously, we still don’t know when he’ll rejoin the regular lineup. We’ll have to give the Finn time, since there’s no rush and he’s not exactly ready to return.

This morning, he wasn’t on a regular line-up. Neither was Michael Pezzetta… and he must have a lot on his plate.

We can expect to see this lineup against the Golden Knights tomorrow night (because yes, one day, the Habs will play again), but nothing is confirmed yet, of course.

Remember that tonight, Rafaël Harvey-Pinard will play his second fitness game with the Laval Rocket.

Overtime

– Karel St-Laurent was still at Habs practice.

– Will Mike Sullivan lose his job?[NYT]

– Who will go after him?

– It’s not that simple.

Categories
Dans les coulisses

The impossible reconstruction of the Pittsburgh Penguins

The Penguins are in trouble in the standings. There’s no doubt about it.

Apart from the Canadiens, no other team in the East has a worse points percentage than the Penguins. It doesn’t look good for Pittsburgh in the short term.

But who could have predicted such an outcome… except everyone?

At some point, the club will have to do what should have been done at least a year ago: launch a proper rebuilding process to rebuild a powerful team.

But that’s impossible to do over there.

For one thing, the owners don’t want it to happen right away. They seem to want to offer Sidney Crosby a competitive team as long as he’s with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

He has two years left on his contract… after this season.

If Crosby doesn’t want to go, he’s not going. And reading Josh Yohe’s piece on The Athletic, it seems clear that the same thing is happening with Evgeni Malkin.

Malkin will be as free as a bird in a year and a half.

Then there’s the Kristopher Letang case. While Josh Yohe doesn’t see him as untouchable and opens the door to a trade, he doesn’t see him being traded this season.

And let’s just say that the door isn’t wide open. It’s just that it’s not locked…

The Penguins won’t easily be able to get rid of Letang’s contract ($6.1 million until 2028)… or Erik Karlsson’s ($10 million on the club’s books until 2027)… or Bryan Rust’s… or- I think we get the picture.

The club has no youth and doesn’t seem able/willing to trade its quality pieces. It’s going to take a while before the rebuilding starts, and when it does, it won’t be a retool on the fly: it’ll be painfully long.

Overtime

– Coming up.

– Really?

– Good listening.

Categories
Dans les coulisses

Juraj Slafkovsky: “I’m not always the easiest player”.

The Canadiens have an excellent player on their hands in Juraj Slafkovsky. But the problem is, this season, it doesn’t always look that way.

The Slovak, who signed a big contract in recent months, is clearly putting a lot of pressure on himself. And one wonders whether he’s up to the task at the moment.

I’m convinced that one day, the answer will be yes. But right now?

It’s up to Martin St-Louis, in particular, to find solutions to help Slaf get back on track. And what’s interesting is that the two men communicate often.

I’m not surprised to learn that, given St-Louis’ renowned talents as a communicator. But still: it’s good to hear from the main man involved.

In his piece of the month on the NHL website, Slaf mentioned that he has a good relationship with his coach, who often tests and pushes him to get the best out of him.

And the young forward admits he’s not always the easiest player for his coach.

As long as it’s done respectfully, I figure it’s a good thing. After all, St-Louis himself was a player who… often challenged his coaches on many aspects.

And that’s how a club and a player can grow.

Marty gives me advice, but he also listens to my recommendations.

There’s always a dialogue. Sometimes I feel my idea is better, but I have to admit he’s right more often than I am! – Juraj Slafkovsky

The good thing is that Slaf didn’t have to talk about this in his text of the month. Once again, he didn’t have to agree with Martin St-Louis for leaving him out for a few shifts against Columbus.

If he does, it’s obviously because things are going really well with MSL.

The two men meet often, and if I were St-Louis, I’d remind him that in his first year after signing his big contract in Tampa Bay, he had a bit of a hard time.

Maybe that would help Slaf?

Overtime

– Really?

– Alex Pietrangelo out against the Habs?[JdeM]

– He got up.

Categories
Dans les coulisses

Top-5: Marc-André Fleury and Yaroslav Askarov look crazy

In the NHL, there were 10 games on the schedule.

Of course, we had to keep an eye on the Bruins’ first game under their new coach and Yaroslav Askarov’s first game with the Sharks.

Here are the results and highlights:

1. Marc-André Fleury and Yaroslav Askarov look crazy

It wasn’t necessarily goalie night last night.

Two goalies looked crazy in quick succession. First, in his first start with the Sharks, Yaroslav Askarov flinched in the opening seconds.

Nathan Walker took advantage of his intercepted clearance to foil him in the 11th second…

The art of not making the right first impression…

San Jose finally lost 3-2 in a shootout. The Russian stopped 29 of 31 shots.

As for Marc-André Fleury, he won his game 5-3 against the Oilers, but let’s just say he must have been embarrassed after allowing the first goal.

Here it is:

The Québécois at least recovered well, stopping 29 of the 31 subsequent pucks directed at him.

He even pulled off this gem at Connor McDavid’s expense :

It was the 1,000th start of Flower’s career.

2. Bruins’ first win under Joe Sacco

In Boston, it was the start of a new era, as Joe Sacco piloted his first game with the Bruins.

It was a successful debut as his team won 1-0.

Elias Lindholm scored the only goal, his first in a long time.

In the match, however, I remember two furious battles between the same players.

In the first period, Mark Kastelic and Robert Bortuzzo threw down the gloves.

Round 2 took place in the second period.

21-save shutout for Joonas Korpisalo.

3. Crazy game in Columbus

Strap on your helmets, the match between the Lightning and the Blue Jackets was one for the books.

A 7-6 overtime victory for the Jackets, who overcame a three-goal deficit at one point.

Zach Werenski scored the winning goal and ended his night with five points.

In the opening minutes of the second period, the two teams had already scored a combined six goals.

It was 5-5 and half the game hadn’t even been played yet….

The first goal of the game was scored by Brayden Point.

In net, Nikita Kucherov picked up an assist and reached the 900 career pointf plateau.

4. Macklin Celebrini gives the Sharks a point

You already know the Sharks lost in a shootout.

But there would never have been overtime without the effort of the sensational Macklin Celebrini.

He gave his all late in the game to prevent the Blues from scoring in an empty net.

Moments later, teammate Alex Wennberg sent everyone into overtime.

There were just eight seconds left in the game.

Unfortunately, Jake Neighbours sealed the deal with the only goal of the shootout.

5. 500th pass for Jonathan Huberdeau

Jonathan Huberdeau and the Flames are having a much better season.

And that’s good for the Canadiens, who may end up with a mid-first-round pick instead of a late-first-round pick.

Yesterday, Calgary won 3-2 against the Rangers.

Connor Zary scored the winning goal, and on the sequence, Jonathan Huberdeau picked up his 500th career assist.

So that’s a third straight win for Calgary.

If we look at Tankathon, we can see that if the playoffs started today and all logic was respected, Montreal would draft 4th and 22nd, a position similar to 2024.

(Credit: Tankathon )

Let’s hope the Flames hit a wall and finish 21st in the NHL (11th pick).

Extension

– More fear than harm.

– Well done.

– The Wings win at the very end.

– The previous day’s top scorers.

(Credit: NHL.com )

– Two games on the bill tonight.

(Credit: Google)
Categories
Dans les coulisses

The Canadiens have had serious negotiations to acquire Martin Necas, according to Pierre LeBrun

ELMONT, NEW YORK - APRIL 27: Martin Necas #88 of the Carolina Hurricanes looks on during the first period against the New York Islanders in Game Four of the First Round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs at UBS Arena on April 27, 2024 in Elmont, New York. (Photo by Josh Lavallee/NHLI via Getty Images)

This summer, two big names attracted attention for potential trades. Patrik Laine and Martin Necas had both asked to be traded by their respective teams.

The Canadiens acquired Laine and Necas decided to sign a short-term deal with the Hurricanes. Montreal was rumored to be interested in both players.

Except that Pierre LeBrun recently revealed that the Canadiens were really in the running for Necas. This is what he revealed in a text published on The Athletic website on Monday.

In this text, LeBrun explained that the Jets were serious candidates in the race for Necas, except that they were far from the only ones. The Blue Jackets and Canadiens were also serious contenders in the race.

In fact, a total of 28 teams contacted the Hurricanes to try to negotiate a deal involving Necas. Only three teams didn’t budge. Crazy!

LeBrun confirmed on TSN on Thursday that Montreal was one of the most serious candidates in the battle for Necas, along with the Jets.

According to LeBrun, the Jets were close to acquiring Necas, but he didn’t want to sign a long-term deal with the team, which put an end to negotiations.

The Hurricanes are very happy to have succeeded in convincing Necas to stay with them. The young forward already has 30 points this season after just 18 games!

A player with that kind of production would have driven most Montreal fans crazy.

We also have to wonder whether Laine might not have been a plan B for Kent Hughes. Necas extended his contract with Carolina at the end of July, while Montreal acquired Laine in August.

One thing is certain, however: Laine cost far less than Necas would have cost the Habs. In his piece on The Athletic, LeBrun talked about an offer from the Columbus Blue Jackets that included their fourth overall pick in the last draft.

I get the impression that Hughes preferred to keep his fifth pick to select Demidov rather than go after Necas.

Overtime

– He’s a good captain.

– Not the best way to start with the Sharks.

– French-language sports are much better in Quebec.

– Wow!

– The QMJHL is in turmoil.

Categories
Dans les coulisses

The Maple Leafs are much better without Auston Matthews

TORONTO, ON - APRIL 13: Toronto Maple Leafs Center Auston Matthews (34) celebrates his 69th goal of the season with his team mates during the second period of the NHL regular season game between the Detroit Red Wings and the Toronto Maple Leafs on April 13, 2024, at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, ON, Canada. (Photo by Julian Avram/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

In the last playoffs, the Maple Leafs were again eliminated in the first round. Rumors of some sort of core reshuffle raged, but the only thing that changed was the head coach.

Many were hoping for the departure of playoff-bound Mitch Marner. Others thought that William Nylander could have made an excellent return in a trade.

Few pointed the finger at Auston Matthews, except that playing without Matthews could be the solution for the Maple Leafs.

The Leafs’ captain has been out of the lineup since the November 3 game, hampered by an upper-body injury. Toronto has played seven games since his absence.

The Maple Leafs have won six of those seven games.

That’s pretty crazy, considering Toronto had won so many games in their first 13 games of the season with Matthews in the lineup.

But this is not a new trend in Toronto. Here’s the Maple Leafs’ record without Matthews versus with Matthews, since the start of his career.

(Credit: Stat Muse)
(Credit: Stat Muse)

When you do the math, you realize that the Maple Leafs have a .640 win rate when he’s not playing, versus a .568 rate when he is.

That’s pretty crazy, considering we’re talking about a player who approached the 70-goal plateau last season and is almost always among the contenders for the Maurice-Richard Trophy.

The Leafs’ solution to playoff success could be to get rid of Matthews. He could also bring a huge return in a trade to help the team become more balanced.

Matthews’ absence also benefits Marner’s record. The latter has 76 points in 61 NHL games when Matthews isn’t playing.

According to the latest news from Dave McCarthy of NHL.com, Matthews could be back in uniform as early as next week. The Maple Leafs will have to prove that their captain isn’t a burden to them.

Overtime

– Datsyuk officially retires as a member of the Red Wings.

– Very interesting!

– The final touch on Ohtani’s dream season.

– Landeskog is still no closer to a return to action.

Categories
Dans les coulisses

4 Nations Tournament: Although not Canadian, Joey Daccord could represent Canada

Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images

Who will be Canada’s goaltenders for the 4 Nations Tournament?

It’s a question that’s come up a lot lately… Especially in light of the fact that, so far this season in the National Hockey League, Canada’s goaltenders have been ordinary.

Like, very ordinary.

But there may be an unexpected solution in store for Team Canada executives.

That solution is Joey Daccord.

The goalkeeper has American and Swiss nationality, but what becomes interesting is the fact that his father was born in Montreal, Canada.

His mother was born in Switzerland… But the goalkeeper was born in Boston.

It’s complicated. I know it is.

That said, there are talks going on right now that would allow Daccord to represent Canada at the 4 Nations Tournament, since his father was born here.

And Team Canada officials have him in their sights:

We agree that Daccord (sorry for the pun) won’t be Canada’s saviour.

But right now, he’s the one with the best résumé to represent Team Canadiens at the tournament.

When you think about who else could be in the club, Samuel Montembeault comes to mind. On this subject, David Ettedgui told radio(BPM Sports) that Monty will have his place in the club… but as an assistant.

In his opinion, it’s no coincidence that Kyle Dubas (one of Team Canada’s executives) is in Montreal this week:

I think it’s a done deal.

Monty, unless something catastrophic happens in the next few weeks, I can’t imagine that he won’t be the second goalie on this team. – David Ettedgui

To be continued.

That said… Remember that the leaders of Finland, Sweden, the United States and Canada have until December 2 to send in their official line-ups for the tournament.

I can’t wait to see who Canada’s club will be!

In closing, it’s worth noting that Tom Wilson seems to have a good chance of taking part in the event in Canada’s colors.

At least, that’s what Pierre LeBrun said in a recent Insider Trading segment on TSN :

I don’t hate the idea because Tom Wilson has heart and because he could bring something different to the Canadiens lineup.

We agree that we don’t necessarily think of him when we talk about the best Canadian players in the world… But it’s mainly his style of play that could help Canada.

Overtime

– It’s a shame.

– Yikes…

– Kaiden Guhle likes to play on the left.

Categories
Dans les coulisses

Series 23-24: Tony DeAngelo was impressed by Patrick Roy

BUFFALO, NEW YORK - MARCH 14: Head coach Patrick Roy of the New York Islanders watches the action during an NHL game against the Buffalo Sabres on March 14, 2024 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Bill Wippert/NHLI via Getty Images)

The hiring of Patrick Roy had an impact on the Islanders’ end-of-season performance in 23-24.

The New York club was good enough to punch its ticket to the playoffs, and even though it was eliminated in the first round, that was a feat in itself.

Especially considering that, on paper, the Isles really don’t have the biggest club in the National League.

But what works for the Islanders is the system.

The players are able to follow the coach’s strategies because they’re all on the same page.

And that’s partly thanks to Patrick Roy. He’s the one who has to prepare his guys, and he does it the right way.

Even Tony DeAngelo, who played against him in the last series, is impressed by the Québécois head coach:

DeAngelo played for the Carolina Hurricanes last season.

It was the Hurricanes who eliminated Patrick Roy and the Islanders (in five games), but the defender maintains that the players were so well prepared on the other side that all the games could have been decided another way.

Even if, in DeAngelo’s eyes, the Hurricanes had a better club than the Islanders.

It’s a fine mark of respect for Roy.

And it proves that the Islanders’ head coach has the trust of his players, because they followed the coach’s plan to the letter.

It also goes to show in one way that Patrick Roy’s reputation is well established… even though he spent most of his coaching career in junior.

We knew he deserved the chance to get back behind the bench of a National League team, and DeAngelo’s comments are along those lines too.

Overtime

– It’s clear.

– That was a really nice goal.

– Any surprises?

– Indeed…

This content was created with the help of AI.

Categories
Dans les coulisses

Only 6:46 on the ice: Ivan Demidov continues to be punished by his coach

SAINT PETERSBURG, RUSSIA - 2024/11/07: Ivan Demidov (91) SKA Hockey Club seen in action during the Hockey match, Kontinental Hockey League 2024/2025 between SKA Saint Petersburg and Sochi at the Ice Sports Palace. (Final score; SKA Saint Petersburg 2:5 Sochi). (Photo by Maksim Konstantinov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Guess what happened today in Ivan Demidov’s game.

No, he didn’t score… And he didn’t blacken the score sheet either.

If you said he was punished again by his coach, that’s the right answer. Yes, again…

And yet, after the first period, everything was normal.

Demidov still spent a total of 4 minutes and 35 seconds on the ice in the first period.

That’s not exceptional, but it’s not atrocious either.

But here’s the problem: from the start of the second period to the end of the game, Demidov spent… Three times on the ice. Two in the second, and one in the third.

The result: 6:46 of playing time (eight shifts) against Bogdan Konyushkov’s (Torpedo) team, which isn’t necessarily considered a powerhouse in the KHL.

Roman Rotenberg decided to bencher Demidov after seeing his line award a goal early in the second period:

At this point, it’s getting a little confusing.

After all, Demidov can spend two weeks playing more than 13 minutes a game, and it’s usually in those moments that he’s able to produce offensively… But he can also spend a full week as one of his coach’s least-used forwards.

It just doesn’t make sense. Imagine if Martin St-Louis had that strategy with one of his youngsters…

The Canadiens’ prospect must find a way to get back into his head coach’s good graces, because he hasn’t been able to play more than 10 minutes in a game since November 11.

It’s also worth noting that the youngster is in a slump: he’s collected one point in his last eight KHL games.

I wonder if this also plays a role in Rotenberg’s decisions…

Overtime

– He seems to be doing well.

– Askarov gets the start for the Sharks.

– Read:

This content was created with the help of AI.

Categories
Dans les coulisses

Potential deal: Dvorak’s salary will complicate Kent Hughes’ job

Christian Dvorak could meet the needs of the Blue Jackets, while helping the transaction on the accounting side.

Christian Dvorak is not a fan favorite in Montreal.

Many say the same thing: he’s useless if he doesn’t win his face-offs… And his impact on the ice is minimal.

That’s also why, in the eyes of 85% of the club’s fans, Kent Hughes would be better off trading him.

But trading Christian Dvorak is no piece of cake. And the reason is simple: his contract hurts.

When a 3rd / 4th line player has a cap hit of $4.45M… We agree that it’s far from ideal.

That said, trading D-VO will be even more complicated for Kent Hughes in the coming months, because he’s making a $5.75M salary even though his contract counts for $4.45M on the payroll.

That’s a lot of money, and it’s likely to scare off other National League clubs. Elliotte Friedman wrote about this in a recent article:

Ideally, Kent Hughes would have to keep some of his salary if he wanted to trade the veteran.

Because no NHL team is going to want Christian Dvorak at $4.45 million per season even if his contract expires next summer.

Unless Kent Hughes decides to add a pick to get rid of the center and his salary… But that would surprise me because it’s not the GM’s style.

Kent Hughes likes to make these trades, but only when he’s on the other side of the table. The Sean Monahan trade is a good example.

All of which is to say that we’ll have to keep an eye on this one, especially if the main player plays the way he has for the past two weeks.

Dvorak seems to have found his feet again after a very difficult start to the season… But it’s going to take more than that for a club to decide to take an interest in his services.

Then again, especially at the salary he’s making.

Overtime

– Excellent text by Nicolas Cloutier (TVA Sports). A great opportunity to learn more about Sam Harris:

– He’s really unlucky.

– Good point.

– Whoa.

This content was created with the help of AI.