Author: Dose

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RUMOR: Kirby Dach’s performance helps Kent Hughes on the market

The Canadiens’ center line isn’t bad at the moment.

Nick Suzuki and Jake Evans are living up to expectations. And in the other trios, Oliver Kapanen, Kirby Dach and Alex Newhook are doing well.

These days, they’re actually doing better than expected.

Of necessity, this helps Martin St-Louis in his day-to-day job as coach… but it also helps the hockey bosses in their quest to improve the team in the long term.

Because let’s face it: despite the fact that centers are coming up, that shouldn’t stop Kent Hughes from looking for reinforcements at second center.

But it may have the effect of giving him the upper hand in discussions with his counterparts.

As Renaud Lavoie discussed this morning on BPM Sports, Kent Hughes is in no hurry to move for a player he doesn’t really want at a price he’s not necessarily interested in.

He has the tools to be patient, since his club isn’t doing too badly.

We know that the Canadiens are on the market. This has been the case for months, and everyone across the NHL knows that Kent Hughes is ready to move, if need be.

But there’s less of a rush than before. Or at least, that’s what the Habs would have other teams believe.

Obviously, if there’s one club to keep an eye on, it’s the Blues. Things aren’t going well in St. Louis, and the more time passes, the more we understand that Doug Armstrong could trade a player.

Um…

Will the Canadiens call the Blues to get Jordan Kyrou out of there? Is his start to the season and his absence from yesterday’s game lowering his value? Is the Canadiens afraid of his start to the season?

That’s one possibility among many.

Note that Elliotte Friedman, in today’s podcast, reminded us that Kyrou’s salary of $8.125 million per year until 2031 was less burdensome than last year due to the increase in the cap.

overtime

– Jacob Fowler will be in goal for the Rocket tonight at Place Bell. The Hartford club will be in town.

– The Wild is looking for a scoring winger.

– He speaks nine languages?

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Jakub Dobes’ cries send shockwaves through parliament

Yesterday, Jakub Dobes was the talk of the town.

After his first setback of the season, the goalkeeper burst into tears in front of the media. He blamed himself for losing the game and it came out like this in front of the media.

Here are some images.

By necessity, it’s a subject that’s been the talk of the town. In the Montreal sports world this morning, it’s the subject of the hour concerning the Canadiens.

But it’s also a topic that goes beyond the world of sports.

As journalist Geneviève Lajoie reports, the former Minister of Social Services and Mental Health Issues, Lionel Carmant, is worried about Dobes.

On social networks, he posted a message asking for attention to be paid to his mental health. He wants the goalkeeper to speak out, as anxiety can affect high-level athletes.

Lionel Carmant is now an independent MP.

Clearly, there’s a certain cry for help in Dobes’ cries. Bursting out like this publicly was probably not his goal when the cameras panned out in front of him.

I wonder, internally, how Dobes’ reaction was perceived. But I’m sure he’ll find an ear to listen, considering this isn’t 1973.

To be continued.

overtime

– Interesting.

– Trevor Zegras in Philly to stay?

– Wow.

– Of note.

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Ryan O’Reilly screwed up in front of the media: “I’ve only had one good year in my career.”

Things are going badly for the Nashville Predators. The club has been in disarray for over a year, and the guys are taking it on the chin.

In any case, if there’s one player who blames himself, it’s Ryan O’Reilly. He wasn’t afraid to beat himself over the head to say that he has to give more to help his club win.

In particular, he said he can’t pass the ball and has only had one good season in his career. He also used the term “pathetic” to describe his performances.

One imagines that his 2018-2019 season (Stanley Cup, Selke, 77 points) in St. Louis is the one that the centerfielder targets as his only good season.

Did he say that to get media attention? I don’t think so. I have a feeling he said it because he’s really destroyed and wants to give more.

But in any case, it’s intense.

After Jakub Dobes crying after a defeat, let’s just say it was a big night in terms of striking reactions in front of the media last night.

But hey. We know that Ryan O’Reilly, who has a reputation for being a leader of men on the ice, is a good hockey player in the Bettman circuit.

And if the Preds were ever to trade him, he’d be in demand.

Behind the scenes

Will the Canadiens go after a player like him? At $4.5 million a year for another twenty months or so, he’ll be a player in demand should he be placed on the market.

This season, he has six goals and four assists in 16 games.

(Credit: Hockey DB)
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RUMOR! 15 Canadiens games (exclusively) on Crave starting next year

Last month, Bell Media announced – on a Friday PM – that 45 regional French-language Canadiens games would be broadcast on RDS over the next few seasons. The duration of the new contract between the Habs and RDS has not yet been revealed, but behind the scenes, there’s talk of a deal lasting more than five, possibly even 10.

Officially, we still don’t know where the Habs’ remaining 15 regional and 24 national games(plus the NHL playoffs) will be televised next year.

But now Max Lalonde has dropped a media bombshell on BPM Sports. According to his information, Crave will broadcast 15 regional French-language Canadiens games as early as the 2025-26 season. And it will be the RDS staff that will work and produce these 15 games.

Pierre Houde and Marc Denis are expected to respectively describe and analyze these 15 Habs games. Jobs won’t be lost, which is excellent news.

According to Max Lalonde, the announcement could come as early as next week.

Let’s not forget that France Margaret Belanger opened the door to Crave being the Habs broadcaster next year on October 14 on 5 à 7.

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Crave and RDS: the package
For several weeks now, Bell Media has been offering an RDS + Crave package to its subscribers. Everything’ is in everything’, as the saying goes..

A subscription to Crave with ads costs $12 a month. Without ads? $22.

A package with RDS? $27 (with ads) and $33 (without ads).

In short, at about two games a month on Crave, we’re talking about $6 a game if you only subscribe to Crave. Why take the ad-free version when there are scheduled downtimes and intermissions?

Will you subscribe to Crave to watch the 15 Habs games that won’t be on RDS or TVA Sports? Will you choose to watch them in English on TSN (which has the rights to those 15 games)? Because from now on, Habs fans will have to subscribe to a streaming service to make sure they don’t miss a single game in French.

Extension

– I may beoverthinking things, but we’re seeing more and more traditional media trying to find solutions to get around the 1001 constraints imposed by the CRTC. Qub Radio with WKND… Bell Media with Crave..

The future isn’t looking any brighter for traditional media..

– What’s happening with the 24 French-language national matches (rights currently held by TVA Sports)? From what I’m told, “TVA Sports” could still present these matches… but it wouldn’t be impossible to see this channel being sold to Rogers beforehand.

Apart from a few executives who would be replaced by people from Rogers, the TVA Sports staff would keep their jobs. Can’t wait to see this corridor noise become reality..

– Unlike MLS and CF Montreal, the Canadiens won’t be broadcast exclusively on a streaming site that’s not very popular in Quebec. #AppleTV #MLSSeasonPass

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Marc Del Gaizo sold to the Rocket

To no one’s surprise, the Canadiens de Montréal made a move.

As was the case following the return trip out West, the Habs have sent their depth to Laval. Marc Del Gaizo is back with the Rocket.

This has just been announced.

Details to come…

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The Canadiens have forgotten how to shoot for goal: they need to follow Jon Cooper’s advice

Let me take you back to the Four Nations Confrontation.

With Canada in overtime against the U.S., no one wanted to look selfish on the ice and it was a festival of the unnecessary pass to a teammate. It didn’t work because the guys weren’t shooting.

And that’s when coach Jon Cooper told his flock to be selfish and shoot. This led to Connor McDavid’s golden goal moments later.

I think we’re there, on the Canadiens’ side of things. Martin St-Louis is going to have to take a page out of his old pilot’s book and ask his guys to shoot more.

Why should he do that? Because for the past two games, the Habs players haven’t been playing well enough to shoot that little.

Obviously, this isn’t a catastrophe. That said, it’s clear that at this point, there are some small adjustments to be made, since the on-ice performance isn’t perfect.

Lack of opportunism… lack of timing… few shots on goal… unnecessary penalties… not everything is right. It’s not abnormal to go off the rails a bit in an 82-game season, by the way… but it needs to be remedied.

The most glaring example is the number of shots on goal. After firing just 20 shots on goal against the Flyers on Tuesday, the Canadiens did worse yesterday: just 19 shots.

Obviously, you can’t shoot when you’re taking unnecessary penalties and spending your time defending in your own zone. That’s part of the equation.

That’s part of the reason for Tuesday’s and Thursday’s losses. But there are also other reasons why the Canadiens fought hard, but came up short (4-3) yesterday in New Jersey.

What do I remember from that game this morning?

1. To see Jakub Dobes as emotional as he was after his team’s setback says a lot about his desire to win. He didn’t react as strongly after the Canadiens’ playoff loss last season. #LesAttentesOntMonté

The Canadiens must be hoping that this morning, Dobes has moved on. You can’t hang on to defeat for too long in life.

2. Mike Matheson (who gave it his all, but to no avail, to hold on to the lead late in the game) is getting his comeuppance a lot this season. One reason for this is his defensive play.

The pairing he forms with Noah Dobson (who has six points in his last six games) works well.

But you also have to give Alexandre Carrier the kudos he deserves. The Devils were 0-for-5 on the powerplay yesterday, and the Québécois’ shorthanded brilliance is one reason why.

He was minus-2 during the game, but on special units, he was strong.

3. Matheson hurt himself at the end of the game. We’ll have to hope he’s okay, since the Habs can’t afford not to have Matheson at the top of his game.

And speaking of playing at the top of his game: Nick Suzuki clearly has a sore foot. And Ivan Demidov briefly left the dressing room during the game…

4. Alex Newhook is doing well this year, but he’ll probably be kicking himself for his overtime turnover. That’s the kind of thing you don’t want to do in a three-on-three situation where puck possession is important.

After all, the Habs are no longer invincible once the third period is over.

5. Kirby Dach has three goals in his last two games. But beyond that, he’s playing good hockey, and his confidence on the ice is growing.

It could be even better if Zachary Bolduc, who’s not feeling confident at the moment, could use his scoring touch.

At 9:11, Bolduc was once again Martin St-Louis’ least-used player. He missed a lot of chances on the ice.

It’s going to take something to get the Québécois off the ice. But what will it take?

6. Learning to play with a lead isn’t easy. The Devils and the Canadiens both squandered one-goal leads during the game.

Remember: the Habs are the youngest team in the NHL.

7. The good news is that, while Nick Suzuki’s line isn’t producing as well, the others are able to get on the scoresheet once in a while. Even Jake Evans scored yesterday.

That makes the club more dangerous.

extension

The Canadiens returned from Newark yesterday, after the game. And today, when the Habs were scheduled to practice in Brossard, the club decided to cancel practice and give the guys the day off.

Next step: getting ready for tomorrow night’s home visit to the Mammoth.

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Martin Brodeur says: he wouldn’t have liked to face Ivan Demidov

Martin Brodeur is perhaps the best goaltender in NHL history. 4 Vézina trophies, three Stanley Cups, 691 NHL victories…

We all have a different opinion on that.

But… in spite of it all, Brodeur is able to recognize the talent found in today’s National League.

The man who is now on the Devils’ staff talked about it today on BPM Sports: there are guys he wishes he hadn’t played against as a goalie.

And even though he’s from Quebec, and perhaps had no choice but to say this, he mentioned the name… Ivan Demidov.

Wow!

Ivan Demidov’s talent is undeniable.

He proved, right from the start in the National League, that he had the skills to become one of the best players in the world. His hands, his creativity with the puck, his agility in finding his teammates as if nothing had happened…

But to see that one of the best goaltenders in history(if not the best) sees him as a special player at this stage of his career is even more telling. It shows that Demidov has earned the respect of some of the league’s legends… and it also shows that he has the potential to be one of the greats in league history.

I’ve always loved it, hearing legends of the sport talk about a youngster as being a player of great talent.

And coming from the mouth of Martin Brodeur, who has had so much success in the National League… it sounds more encouraging for the Canadiens and their fans.

Overtime

– Nice.

– Speak of the devil.

– Good idea.

– Hehe.

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Top-5: Sidney Crosby (and Cutter Gauthier) top NHL scorers

Last night in the NHL, there were nine games.

The Canadiens lost in overtime to the Devils.

But here are the results and highlights of the other games:

1. Sidney Crosby tops the NHL scoring charts

If I told you after fifteen games that Sidney Crosby was going to be the NHL’s top scorer, what would you say?

I don’t think you’d believe me. But that’s exactly what has happened so far this season. Yesterday, the captain scored two goals and now has 11 this season. He’s at the top of the NHL (along with Cutter Gauthier) in that regard.

Pittsburgh won 5-3 against the Washington Capitals.

Bryan Rust scored the winner midway through the third period. What a pass from Evgeni Malkin on the sequence.

Speaking of Geno, he traded jerseys with Alex Ovechkin after the win.

The Czar earned congratulations from Kris Letang during the game, too.

2. Corey Perry has nine points in his last eight games

If you thought Corey Perry had slowed down, think again.

In his last eight games, he has nine points, and again yesterday, he was in every fight.

In a 5-2 loss to the Panthers, he gave the Kings the lead in the game with this goal.

He also threw down the gloves.

He does it all!

But, as I mentioned, despite Perry’s brilliance, Los Angeles lost, and to Dodgers players.

3. An 11th goal for Cutter Gauthier

Sidney Crosby shares his top-scoring throne with Cutter Gauthier.

After a mid-week hat-trick, Gauthier came back last night with another goal. That makes 11 and no player in the NHL has more goals than him.

In a 7-5 Ducks win over the Stars, Chris Kreider was also good.

He scored again, making it nine goals in as many games.

Leo Carlsson is also on fire.

He scored a goal and an assist last night, and he and Gauthier are simply unstoppable.

4. Blues play better without Logan Mailloux

Logan Mailloux was left out last night against the Sabres, and let’s just say it worked.

Blues win 3-0. No goals allowed.

Boring to say, but the defenseman is having a really tough start to the season and is hurting his club.

In the Blues’ 3-0 victory, Mathieu Joseph played a part in all three of his team’s goals. One goal and two assists for the Québécois.

28 saves were enough for Joel Hofer to earn his third career shutout.

He was named first star of the game.

5. Seven goals on 12 shots in Wild-Hurricanes duel

In Carolina, the Wild and Hurricanes played a tight game.

But it wasn’t a goaltender’s duel. Seven goals were scored on 12 shots at the start of the game.

Canes win 4-3.

In defeat, Tyler Pitlick’s game didn’t last long. Early in the game, he took a blow to the head from Jalen Chatfield.

Jackson Blake let his talent do the talking.

He scored a beautiful goal in the first period.

He finished the night with a goal and an assist.

Same record for Sean Walker.

Extension

– Linus Ullmark looked bad on this one.

– General battle.

– Ah bon.

– Great performance by Miro Heiskanen.

(Credit: NHL.com)

– Four games on the bill tonight.

(Credit: Google)
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Jakub Dobes in tears after the Canadiens’ defeat

The Canadiens lost tonight to the Devils.

The game ended 4-3 in overtime… and Jakub Dobes picked up his first loss of the season.

The goalie was emotional after the game, by the way.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Dobes found it hard to hold back his tears. It was his one and only defeat of the season… and you could see in his face that he was angry with himself for not allowing his club to walk away with the W.

You can feel his emotion:

The video is quite revealing:

Dobes, in reality, shouldn’t worry about an outing like that.

He stopped 24 of 28 shots… and made some important saves during the game. His teammates came to his defense, by the way: Oliver Kapanen and Noah Dobson said that Dobes was asking too much of himself.

And they’re right, in a way:

More details to come…

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Jakub Dobes suffers first setback of the season

On this Thursday night, the Montreal Canadiens were playing their 14th game of the season. The New Jersey Devils were on course for their 10th win of the season.

Samuel Montembeault had played the last game against the Philadelphia Flyers. For this game, it was Jakub Dobes who had the job of slowing down Jack Hughes and company.

Here’s the Habs line-up for tonight’s game.

Let’s just say that the two goaltenders didn’t start the game in the best of ways. They each allowed a goal on the first shot.

Cody Glass opened the scoring quickly and Kirby Dach tied it a minute later.

It was Dach’s fourth goal of the season in his 11th game, but more importantly, his third goal in his last two. Noah Dobson and Mike Matheson picked up assists on the sequence.

It wasn’t the finest goal of Dach’s career, but the important thing was that the puck was in the net.

In the first period, Dobes was the goaltender most challenged by the opposition, with eight shots directed at him. Jakob Markstrom, meanwhile, faced four shots.

The second period was slightly quieter in the goal column, but both teams took far more shots than they did in the first. The Habs fired eight shots (as opposed to four), while the Devils fired 12 (as opposed to eight).

Ondrej Palat was the only scorer in the second period thanks to a beautiful blind pass from Simon Nemec.

After 40 minutes of play, the score was 2-1 in favor of the Devils.

The Canadiens stunned the Devils early in the third with a goal from Jake Evans, who beat Jack Hughes (no less) to tie the game. Josh Anderson and Noah Dobson were credited with assists on the goal.

Oliver Kapanen is really enjoying his first NHL season. He decided to add to his tally by scoring his 5th goal of the season, moving him into first place among rookie scorers this season.

Alex Newhook picked up an assist on Kapanen’s goal.

Ivan Demidov is close behind with four goals (in addition to leading all rookies in points with 12).

With just over a minute to play in the final period, Timo Meier tied the game.

Off to overtime.

Although the Habs are extremely dominant at three-on-three, the Devils are no pushovers in terms of raw talent.

Jesper Bratt created a turnover and broke free. He outwitted Dobes by slipping the puck between the Czech goalie’s pads to give the Devils their 10th win of the season. It was Dobes’ first setback of the season.

Final score: 4-3.

The Habs’ next game is on Saturday night, when the surprising Utah Mammoth visit the Habs at the Bell Centre.

Extended

– Kirby Dach had an excellent game overall. Not only did he score his third goal in three periods, but he was involved in every facet of the game. He and Zachary Bolduc make an excellent duo. When will we see a line-up – Bolduc-Dach-Demidov?

– Noah Dobson also had a strong game. The Habs rookie has six points in his last six games. The defensive duo of Mike Matheson and Dobson is excellent this year.

– Once again, the Habs were outshot (28-19 in favor of the Devils).