Author: Dose

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Goals Michigan: Matvei Michkov wants to stop using the maneuver

Matvei Michkov completed his first NHL campaign with the Philadelphia Flyers.

His adaptation to North American hockey went well, and in his rookie season, Michkov scored 63 points, including 26 goals, in 80 games.

His performances helped him finish fourth in the race for the Calder Trophy.

The Russian gave an interview to sports website RG in which he reflects on his first season, but also talks about the Flyers’ future.

Asked about his few attempts to score a Michigan-style goal, or LaCrosse goal, Mishkov says that’s all over for him.

His few attempts during the last campaign were all unsuccessful.

Is it over for good for the forward, or will we see him score at least one goal like this?

Unless he prefers to leave that task to new teammate Trevor Zegras, who already scored in this manner two years ago.

Incidentally, Michkov is thrilled with Philadelphia’s off-season influx of new players and hopes his team will be able to make the playoffs as early as next season after missing out on spring ball this year.

In addition to acquiring Zegras in a deal with the Anaheim Ducks, the Flyers have signed several depth players, including Dan Vladar, Lane Pederson, Noah Juulsen and former Habs star Christian Dvorak.

The young Russian likes the direction his team is taking.

Michkov, who played a good part of last year under John Tortorella, will also have the opportunity to start the next campaign under a new coach, Rick Tocchet.

Tocchet’s arrival will surely help the Russian’s development, as Tortorella was hardly the ideal coach for a young player.

Unlike his compatriot Ivan Demidov in Montreal, Michkov preferred to return to his hometown of Perm, Russia, for the summer.

He came face-to-face with a bear during a visit to the family cottage in an encounter that fortunately ended without incident.

In short, even if Michkov follows his club’s news from another continent, he’s looking forward to next season and hopes to see the Flyers improve.

Overtime

– Another Demidov deke.

– And another one.

– What hands!

– No smoke without fire.

– Any movement to be expected?

– Solid block!

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Ivan Demidov stuns the gallery at the Make Your Move tournament

Today was the ninth edition of the Make Your Move tournament in Boisbriand at the Centre d’excellence Sport Rousseau, home of the Armada.

Basically, it’s a shootout competition open to the general public where players are encouraged to pull out their Sunday deke.

You can find more details here.

The Canadiens’ prospect Ivan Demidov was at the event, as was social networking star Swaggy P.

My colleague Michaël Petit was on hand to cover the event.

As soon as he arrived on the ice, the 18-year-old Russian was warmly applauded by the crowd and took the opportunity to hand out a few pucks to the spectators.

Now it was time for the competition!

It went fast and the fans barely had time to blink.

A few of the participants showed off some great dekes, but it was Demidov who really stood out with a clever one-handed deke past the opposing goalie.

In fact, it was the Habs forward who won the first segment of the competition by acclamation from the crowd.

Let’s just say it was perhaps more a popularity contest than a skill contest, and given Demidov’s popular quote, it was probably a foregone conclusion.

Then came the second part of the event, with six skaters competing to be the first to score five goals.

Demidov made another fine move to score his fourth goal of the competition and tie three of his opponents.

However, it was prospects Bill Zonnon and Justin Carbonneau who were the first to break the tie and earn their place in the competition’s final.

And it was Zonnon who had the last word, winning the tournament with a magnificent backhand throw.

The rest of the event was devoted to clashes between different groups of underage players.

The spectators in attendance thoroughly enjoyed their experience of the Make Your Move tournament, which featured many spectacular and exciting dekes that the audience seemed to really appreciate.

Not to mention that a little dose of summer hockey is always fun.

Overtime

– Damien Alford was on fire!

– Another series for the Jays?

– He’s aging well!

– Solid performance!

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Alexander Zharovsky wins KHL 3-on-3 Cup

For the first time, the KHL organized an official 3-on-3 tournament on small ice, featuring some of the league’s teams.

One of the teams taking part was Ufa’s Salavat Yualev, the team of Alexander Zharovsky, this summer’s first choice of the Montreal Canadiens.

It’s a summer tournament that showcases the talent of the players.

And let’s just say that Zharovsky took the opportunity to showcase his talent.

But what really stands out is that Zharovsky and Salavat Yulaev won this first edition of the 3-on-3 tournament.

It’s a great start to the new season for the Habs’ Russian prospect.

You can watch the first three games of the tournament by clicking here. You can also watch the two semi-finals and the final right here.

Here’s Zharovsky’s first goal of the tournament. A powerful, quality shot that tied the game in the second match of the first day.

And Zharovsky didn’t stop there. He also scored a superb shootout goal to give his side victory in the same game.

He completely undercut the opposing goalkeeper.

And he came very close to winning the grand final in a shootout too.

In the end, it was his teammate who sealed the outcome.

But from what I’ve seen of Zharovsky in replays of tournament matches, he’s got talent aplenty.

And he’s only 18…

His future is very bright, that’s for sure.

If he has the right mentality, he’ll undoubtedly make it to the NHL and possibly have an impact on the Habs’ top-6 sooner rather than later.

I can’t wait to see how he does in his first full season in the KHL, if he makes the team, of course. If not, he could dominate at a lower level.

Overtime

– Kovalchuk had good words for Demidov: he thinks he did the right thing by staying in Montreal this summer.

– Now that’s style.

– If you can be there, don’t miss the opportunity.

– It’s clear that Crosby will decide whether he leaves or not.

– Read on.

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Alex Belzile still believes in the NHL

Many were happy to see the Montreal Canadiens re-sign hard-working Alex Belzile.

As long as a player works hard and always wants more, it’s often a winning recipe for Habs fans.

And Alex Belzile is the ideal profile, because even if he’s not the most talented, he’ll always strive to improve and get his chance in the NHL.

After spending his last two seasons with the New York Rangers’ club-school, Belzile never got his chance with the big New York club, despite a recall.

Now back in Quebec with the Habs, Belzile is out to prove he can play in the NHL.

The native of Saint-Éloi, a small municipality near Trois-Pistoles, recently confided in RDS that he still believes in the NHL.

Here is Mikaël Filion’s summary of the interview:

I’m of the opinion that he can certainly help out in a minimal role in case of injury: “a mini-cracker” is all Belzile wants.

And we know he’ll make the most of it 100% if he gets the chance to play for the big club.

Belzile became the seventh-oldest player in NHL history to score his first career goal, at 31 years and 165 days to be exact.

The Québécois has spent five great years in the lap of the Habs and is eager to continue:

“I’m very grateful for the first five years I spent here. Why not spend another five? – Alex Belzile

Belzile is definitely confident that he can finish his career in Quebec.

However, this contract with the Habs is not a “retirement plan”; he’s not here as an extra. He still wants to prove things:

“Some people might think I’m coming home at the end of my career, but I see it the other way around and I’m going to prove them wrong.” – Alex Belzile

Belzile will undoubtedly be a valuable asset to the Rocket. Last year, he had a career-best 56 points and his third 19-goal season in the AHL.

With the departures of players like Rafaël Harvey-Pinard and Alex Barré-Boulet, these holes had to be filled, and Belzile is a regular at Place Bell. He’ll bring a lot to the Laval Rocket.

Overtime

– There are certainly similarities in their game.

– Matheson is probably the Habs’ best bet for a second center.

– When you get mauled by a player who’s seven inches shorter…

– It’s off to a good start for Zharovsky.

– Read on.

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“Everyone knew Ivan Demidov wanted to be drafted by the Canadiens”

At the 2024 draft, the Habs had a lucky hand in getting Ivan Demidov with the fifth pick. The talented forward was seen by many as the second-best prospect of the auction (behind Macklin Celebrini), but he was the fifth player drafted.

And that, of course, made the Canadiens’ fans very happy.

That said, it’s interesting to try and understand why Demidov fell the way he did. The Russian factor and his contractual situation in the KHL were factors, and it’s conceivable that some teams were put off by his rather unorthodox skating technique.

But on an episode of The Shaun Starr Show, Marco D’Amico talked about Demidov in the 2024 draft… and he mentioned something interesting:

Everyone knew that Ivan Demidov wanted to be drafted by the Canadiens. – Marco D’Amico

We don’t know exactly why Demidov wanted to come to Montreal, but we can assume that he liked the young core that was being built. It’s also likely that Nick Bobrov, who has his ear to the ground in Russia, played a part in all this.

As D’Amico points out, Bobrov gives the Habs a huge advantage when it comes to Russian prospects, since he has a Russian passport and can enter and leave the country at will. There’s a reason Alexander Zharovsky was the Canadiens’ first choice this year, you know.

And according to D’Amico, the fact that Demidov wanted to come to Montreal explains why he fell. The Blackhawks, Ducks and Blue Jackets knew the kid was headed for Montreal, so they looked elsewhere instead.

It’s reminiscent of Matvei Michkov a year earlier: he wanted to go to Philadelphia, so he fell… to the Flyers.

We know that for the past few years, the Habs have been trying to get their hands on guys who want to be in Montreal. This was the case with Noah Dobson recently, but also with Mike Matheson a few years ago.

On the other hand, the club is lining up players who don’t want to be in town. Jeff Petry and Ryan Poehling, for example, wanted to leave… and were traded to Pittsburgh.

That said, it’s very cool to see that Demidov wanted to be drafted by the Habs so badly.

And that’s a good sign for the kid’s future: if he wanted to come here, he probably won’t want to leave at the first opportunity he gets.

Overtime

– What do you think?

– It’s the big story in the baseball world right now.

– Still.

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Decentralized draft: it’s (really) time for the GMs to think of the fans

The latest NHL draft was rather… ordinary. For the first time, the league opted for a decentralized format, so that instead of all 32 teams being in one place, they were in their own facilities.

The result? It took forever… and made for some uncomfortable moments to watch.

At the conclusion of the draft, just about everyone expected a return to a centralized formula for the next amateur auction. We knew the whole thing would be put to a new vote by the 32 general managers, and we figured they’d come to their senses…

Or not.

We learned this week that, in the end, the vote was in favor of a return to the decentralized draft. In fact, according to Darren Dreger, a “strong majority” of votes were in favor of another decentralized draft.

For the teams, of course, a decentralized draft is interesting. It allows all members of the organization to get down to business, which saves money (in travel).

For the fans, however, it’s a different story. As we’ve seen this year, the draft has lost some of its charm, not least because we’ve been deprived of some great moments between the youngsters and their new team.

It’s all very well to say that we’re trying to find ways to make the pace faster (although, quite frankly, it would be hard to do worse than 2025): the experience is still more beige.

The centralized draft was something that set the NHL apart from all other leagues. It made for a more dynamic and, above all, more enjoyable event.

But clearly, general managers don’t care about the fan experience. And that’s a real, real shame.

Overtime

– Good listening.

– The Cup in Sherbrooke.

– Ouf.

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Evgeny Kuznetsov wants to play in Montreal

Yesterday, we learned from Louis-André Larivière that the Canadiens were not going to offer Evgeny Kuznetsov a contract.

It was therefore understood that the solution to the Canadiens’ lack of a second-line center would not involve acquiring the 33-year-old Russian.

However, if there isn’t much interest on the Habs’ side right now, the opposite is true.

Kuzy’s agent, Shumi Babaev, explained to L.A. Larivière that his client, Evgeny Kuznetsov, wants to play in Montreal.

The implication is that Kuznetsov would like to sign in Montreal and would be willing to join forces with the Canadiens and Ivan Demidov (with whom he played in the KHL in 24-25 with the SKA), but that the interest is not mutual.

Kuznetsov’s agent believes that his client would be a great fit with the Habs, but that the Habs don’t have room, and that’s what the team would have explained to Babev.

“Evgeny would be a good fit. He wants to play in Montreal, but there’s no room. I don’t think he’ll get the chance.” – Evgeny Kuznetsov

Habs officials reportedly explained their situation to Kuznetsov’s agent to make him understand that, despite all the respect they have for Kuzy, there’s no room for the veteran.

So, in a way, the Habs turned down Kuznetsov’s services, arguing that there was no room for him in the lineup.

This means that the Russian wasn’t seen as an option as a second center, because otherwise there would be room for him, given that the Habs are looking to improve at this level.

Or, Kent Hughes and his team are confident with the current group, and don’t want to add anything to it.

Except that this would run completely counter to the latest information, which tells us that Hughes is currently the most aggressive GM in the NHL.

In short, despite Kuznetsov’s strong interest in Montreal, the Habs are not considering him as an option, which suggests that Hughes has other options and plans in mind, which take precedence over Kuznetsov.

Also, don’t expect to see Kuzy reunited with Alex Ovechkin in Washington, according to Kuzy’s agent.

Overtime

– As already reported, the general managers voted to resume the decentralized draft formula.

– I couldn’t agree more.

– A non-decentralized draft would only benefit the host city, economically speaking.

– Of note.

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Carter Hart in Edmonton: “Any rumors about this are completely untrue”

When the NHL free agent market opened on July 1, social networks were abuzz with rumors.

Both signing and transaction rumours were making the rounds.

And among all these rumours, there was one that really took everyone by surprise.

I’m talking about Kevin Weekes, who named Carter Hart as a goaltending option for the Edmonton Oilers.

We were all shocked to see a rather credible insider make this connection, considering that Hart hasn’t played since the 2023-2024 season due to the accusations against him in the Junior Team Canada scandal.

Of course, we know the Oilers are desperate for a goaltender, but perhaps we didn’t think they’d go this far.

Well, in the end, this big rumour turned out to be false, having just been denied by Jason Gregor, a journalist who mainly covers the Edmonton Oilers.

Indeed, Gregor took the time last night to inform everyone on X that any rumors or information circulating that the Oilers might be interested in Carter Hart is false and erroneous.

He then went on to say that the Oilers would not approach Hart, even if he is found not guilty by the current trial.

It’s a big rumour that Gregor has just strongly denied, and one that completely contradicts what Kevin Weekes had originally reported.

The solution in front of the Oilers’ net will have to come from someone other than Carter Hart.

Edmonton needs to improve its situation in front of the net, and it needs to do so quickly, because it’s probably cost them two Stanley Cups, or at least one.

If we forget the whole scandal, on paper only, Hart could have been a nice risk to take for the Oilers, considering he’s always had so much potential.

Anyway, let’s see what the Oilers do, and also whether Carter Hart will ever return to the NHL if he’s found not guilty.

Overtime

– It’s going to be tough for him to make it in Montreal.

– How would you rank these ten players?

– Read more.

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Ryan Reaves spits on the Leafs after his trade to San Jose

Earlier this week, Ryan Reaves was traded to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for defenseman Henry Thrun, who joins the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Reaves’ 84-game, two-season reign with Toronto comes to an end, having scored eight points, including four goals, for the Leafs.

It’s fair to say that the 38-year-old tough guy’s time in Toronto was a failure.

Even if it was his recent controversial comments that prompted such a transaction, we knew that Reaves’ time in Toronto was running out and that it simply wasn’t a good “match”.

Reaves himself said as much, as he’s been spitting on the Toronto Maple Leafs ever since he was traded.

Reaves directly explained that the Leafs never trusted him, right from the start. He explained that he was never really able to gain momentum, because he was always taken out of the lineup.

Reaves didn’t like the fact that he never got a real chance, so he went to Leafs general manager Brad Treliving that it just wasn’t working out.

The two men then agreed that a change was in order.

Reaves hadn’t been sent to the AHL for nothing…

The Leafs’ former No. 75 also took the time to express what he thought of the team’s fans in general, and let’s just say, it wasn’t very positive either.

Reaves explained that he had been very surprised by the ups and downs of the fans, using the playoffs as an example, where the amphitheatre could go from the loudest to complete silence.

Reaves added that as soon as things went wrong, the whole city came down on him and wanted him out of the team.

In short, Reaves in Toronto really didn’t work out, and everyone knew from the start that signing the tough guy for three years was a big mistake by the Leafs.

He was already barely making any headway when he signed that contract, and let’s just say it didn’t get any better.

Now let’s see how things go for him in San Jose, when he’ll be tasked with protecting the young players.

It will also be interesting to see him in action in the same division as Evander Kane, who is now a new member of the Vancouver Canucks.

Reaves said earlier this week that he hates Kane to death.

Overtime

– To watch.

– Read more.

– More.

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Noah Dobson: the Stars were also in on it

Right-handed defensemen are a rare commodity in the National Hockey League, so when one becomes available, it’s normal to see several teams interested.

There’s even more interest in a top-notch right-handed defenseman, as was the case with Noah Dobson before he was traded to the Canadiens.

It’s not every day that a 25-year-old right-handed defenseman who can play on a first pair is available on the market.

So it’s easy to see why so many teams seemed interested in Dobson, and have been for quite some time.

Indeed, we recently learned from Jeff Marek, on the latest episode of his podcast “The Sheet”, where he talks about the Islanders, that the Dallas Stars were very interested in Dobson, and that this interest dates back as far as last season.

Dallas was actively looking to add a top-notch right-handed defenseman to its line-up so that he could play on the first pairing with Miro Heiskanen, and Dobson was an option the Stars had been monitoring for some time.

One wonders if Jason Robertson, whose name has been circulating somewhat in trade rumors, was part of the potential discussions between the Stars and Islanders regarding Dobson.

In the end, the Stars were unable to get their hands on Dobson, while the Montreal Canadiens won the derby.

Seriously, when you look at this, and see that the Habs managed to beat out a whole host of teams to get a top player like Dobson, it’s really encouraging.

Let’s just say it’s a change from the years when the Habs always finished a close second in the race for a player on the trade market or for a top free agent.

The new management of Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton has brought a nice wind of change, and the acquisition of a top player like Dobson via a large transaction is very good proof of this.

The Habs can compete very well with other NHL teams in various derbies, and even manage to win now, beating out better offers like the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Dobson wanted to come to Montreal, and you have to wonder if that’s what knocked the Stars out of the running too.

Overtime

– A fine achievement.

– That’s a good one.

– Bravo !

– Another win for the Blue Jays.

– Ouch, not strong.