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Destined to play for the Oilers: Isaac Howard played Mark Messier in a movie

The Lightning had a fine prospect in Isaac Howard. Drafted in the first round in 2022, the American forward won the NCAA’s Hobey Baker Trophy this season.

It was time for him to make the jump to the pros, but he didn’t want to align himself with the Lightning. Tampa Bay was therefore forced to trade him to the Oilers for Sam O’Reilly.

The deal came as a surprise to many hockey fans, but the signs were there. Howard had already played for the Oilers during a movie shoot!

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A few months ago, he and his Michigan State University teammates had the chance to play behind the scenes in the filming of a movie about the life of Theoren Fleury.

Howard got to play the role of Mark Messier with the Oilers, while his teammates took on the roles of other Oilers and Flames players.

The new Oilers forward spoke about this story in one of his most recent posts on his Instagram account. He also took the time to thank the Michigan State University organization for the past two seasons.

It’s a funny coincidence, but it may allow Oilers fans to dream a little. If Howard can pull off a fraction of Messier’s feats in Edmonton, he’ll certainly be a crowd favorite.

However, as for the “C” on his jersey, I think he’ll have to wait a while before he even gets a chance to think about it. Let’s just say that Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are well ahead of him on that score.

With 52 points in 37 games last season in the NCAA, Isaac Howard could become an important player in the Oilers’ future.

He signed his NHL entry-level contract with Edmonton immediately after the deal. He’ll no longer have to put on an act to wear an Oilers jersey on the ice.

Overtime

– This is a good sign.

– Ayoye.

– The Raptors will face the Celtics in two warm-up games.

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Mathieu Darche traded Noah Dobson because they couldn’t agree on a contract

True to form, Kent Hughes made a big deal at the last draft. Noah Dobson headed for Montreal, but it could have gone differently.

In fact, as Mathieu Darche explained on 98.5 Sports’ Les Amateurs de sport program on Tuesday, Dobson was traded because the two sides couldn’t come up with a new deal for the defenseman’s next contract.

The Islanders’ new general manager was forced to find a team to trade Dobson to. Here’s a quick reminder of the pieces involved in this transaction.

Freshly arrived at the Islanders’ helm, Darche was faced with a major dilemma. Offer Noah Dobson a huge contract or trade him.

According to Frank Seravalli’s information in June, Dobson’s asking price was $11 million per season!

As Darche explained in his interview with Meeker Guerrier, he learned from Julien BriseBois not to flinch during negotiations, even if it means letting the player go.

Darche therefore had the difficult task of finding a team with whom Dobson wanted to sign a contract extension, which limits things. Fortunately for the Islanders GM, the Canadiens were able to convince Dobson and offer a good return to New York.

Mathieu Darche is satisfied with his transaction. And rightly so, since it allowed him to select three times fairly early in the draft. He said he was happy to have been given such circumstances for his first steps as general manager.

With their first three picks, the Islanders selected Matthew Schaefer (1st), Victor Eklund (16th) and Kashawn Aitcheson (17th). We’re talking about three players with bright NHL futures.

After all the craziness surrounding the draft, Darche is now happy that the dust has settled and things are running a little more smoothly. The only thing stressing him right now is the purchase of a new home in New York, which is far from easy to do!

In Overtime

– A new goalie in Laval.

– The Canucks have already signed their first pick of 2025.

– A nice surprise from Michael Phelps.

– Dodgers tear it up.

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Kraken open to trading Jared McCann: What if he’s the 2nd center we’re looking for?

It’s the topic of the summer in Montreal.

The Canadiens are looking for a second center… but haven’t found him yet.

Kent Hughes is actively trying to get his hands on a guy who can surround Ivan Demidov in the right way and who can produce offensively too. And maybe the Kraken has such a player for the Habs.

Right now, there are discussions about Jared McCann in Seattle.

The Kraken remain open to the idea of trading him… and McCann, with his qualities, could become a relatively interesting target for the Canadiens.

We’re talking about a 6’1, 191-pound left-hander who’s good offensively.

McCann has scored 50, 70, 62 and 61 points in his last four seasons (all with the Kraken) and can play both center and wing.

Oh, and he also scored 40 goals in 2022-2023.

He can contribute offensively, to put it another way… especially if he plays with quality players, which would be the case in Montreal.

Where it gets interesting, too, is when you look at the player’s contract.

The player earns $5 million a season and his contract expires in the summer of 2027. He wouldn’t necessarily hurt the Canadiens’ books… and for a guy who’s been averaging 60 points a season for a couple of years now, that’s pretty respectable.

He’s got skills, too:

The Jared McCann option may not be the most enticing out there, but when you look at the big picture… it could also make some sense.

Especially in the context of the Kraken not closing the door on sending him elsewhere. And we know that, at the moment, center players aren’t exactly a dime a dozen in the National League…

Overtime

– Signing with the Rocket.

– Of note.

– Interesting…

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Leafs (and many other teams) interested in Erik Karlsson

Erik Karlsson is 35 years old.

But he’s still capable of producing on the ice.

He scored 101, 56 and 53 points in his last three NHL seasons, and even if he’s slowing down a bit, his offensive talent is still there.

That said, there are only two years left on his big contract ($11.5 million per season), and there’s a world in which he doesn’t finish that contract in Pittsburgh.

Because right now, there’s interest in the veteran’s services.

According to Jimmy Murphy(RG Media), four teams have called the Penguins: the Red Wings, the Mammoth, the Ducks… and the Leafs.

Karlsson in Toronto would be… weird. No?

Right now, the Leafs have just under $5M available under payroll to maneuver around.

But if there is a deal, we agree that it would make sense for the Penguins to keep part of Karlsson’s salary to facilitate the deal. In Pittsburgh, we’ve got plenty of rope… and we know that the team won’t necessarily be competitive in the next two years either.

When you look at Toronto’s defense, you realize there are some good players in place.

On the other hand, adding an offensive player like Karlsson – especially with the loss of Marner – could make some sense if Craig Berube is able to use him to his full potential.

At the same time… we know that the Leafs have certain defensive shortcomings, and adding Erik Karlsson won’t help there either.

The Swede’s good offensively… but his defensive skills are in question.

(Credit: DailyFaceoff)

Seeing the Penguins trade Karlsson would make sense.

Kyle Dubas needs to maximize his value… and keeping him in Pittsburgh, with a club that isn’t going anywhere, isn’t going to do it.

I wonder, though, what said player value looks like on the trade market.

But hey.

The bottom line is that the Leafs and several other clubs have their noses in the pie.

Overtime

– It’s up to him to take advantage.

– It’s going to be action in Laval!

– Yikes.

– He’s been there, too.

– Funny number for a defenseman.

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Rumors about Ilya Sorokin: Mathieu Darche is hard to follow

Mathieu Darche was hired as GM of the Islanders at the end of May.

And so far, he’s been hard to follow.

He said after his hiring that he wasn’t interested in trading Mathew Barzal and Bo Horvat because he didn’t want to rebuild his club and because he wants to make the playoffs next year. But…

But a little over a month after making that exit, he traded Noah Dobson to Montreal in return for draft picks and Emil Heineman.

And now there are rumours about Ilya Sorokin (Frank Seravalli talked about him on the Kevin Karius Show), who is one of the National League’s elite goaltenders.

So what’s his plan?

The Islanders had James Hagens in their sights at the draft, and apparently there were discussions about Sorokin and the 4th overall pick (Utah).

Once again, this gives us reason to believe that the Islanders GM may have changed his mind… Because by trading his #1 defenseman and thinking about trading one of the league’s best goalies, it says a lot about what they’re trying to do on Long Island.

That said, rebuilding the club doesn’t seem like a bad idea.

The Islanders can’t count on many quality players, they don’t necessarily have the NHL’s finest bank of prospects… and on the ice, even if the club is capable of success, the next few years could be more difficult if there aren’t big changes made within the lineup.

Patrick Roy may be a good coach… but he can’t work miracles with a team like this :

(Credit: DailyFaceoff)
(Credit: DailyFaceoff)

Maybe that’s also why Darche was more open to trading Dobson, who brought him two first-round picks.

On the other hand, there’s still a lot of work to be done out there… and if the Islanders don’t have a big season, we shouldn’t be surprised to see Mathieu Darche trade guys at the next trade deadline.

Overtime

– A new start for William Dufour.

– Really?

– Logical.

– This one will get a lot of attention in the coming months.

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Jeff Gorton: “If Zachary Bolduc gets bigger and stronger, he’ll be unstoppable”

There’s reason to be excited about Zachary Bolduc’s avenue to Montreal.

The Canadiens are adding a rugged forward who can score goals and has a nice offensive touch.

His role could quickly become important in Montreal… and the Canadiens would like to see him develop into a power forward who can play long-term on the team’s top-6.

Jeff Gorton – who appeared on The Basu and Godin Notebook podcast – praised the forward’s qualities, and we know he’s been in love with him for a long time. Gorton spoke highly of him at the 2021 draft on NHL Network because he liked his game.

But in Gorton’s eyes, Bolduc also has what it takes to become an unstoppable NHL player.

All he needs is to get bigger and stronger.

We know he can score, we know his talent […] If he grows, gets stronger and becomes even more complete, he’ll be unstoppable. – Jeff Gorton

Arpon Basu wrote about it in an article:

Fans in St. Louis were frustrated to see Bolduc traded because they saw his potential last season.

And Doug Armstrong also knows that trading the forward proved to be a risk… because he sees him becoming quite a player in the National League.

The Blues must hope Logan Mailloux becomes the dominant defenseman we thought he would be in Montreal…

This deal could turn out to be a win-win for both clubs if both guys continue to develop.

But in the short term, maybe the Canadiens will have the upper hand because Bolduc already has a 19-goal season under his belt. And by playing with quality players in the top-6, it could help him explode even further… which, of course, would be great news for the Habs and their fans.

Once again, there’s plenty to get excited about when we talk about him.

Overtime

– Solid.

– Can’t wait to see it.

– The file won’t die.

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Golf battle: former NHL player Nick Tarnasky completely destroys a golfer

Do you remember Nick Tarnasky?

The former NHLer, who played in Tampa Bay, Nashville and Sunrise, was known as a strong man. When you have more penalty minutes than games played, that says a lot.

The Alberta native had a long pro career, but not always in the NHL.

(Credit: Hockey DB)

Why am I telling you about the former NHLer this lunchtime? It’s because the former player (who notably played in Hamilton), who hasn’t played in the pros since 2016-2017, has been in the news… in golf.

And let’s just say it wasn’t for his golfing skills.

A video surfaced of him arguing with another golfer. And quickly, when the golfer charged at the former NHLer, Tarnasky’s pugilistic past came to the surface.

And he fought like he was on ice.

After throwing his opponent into the water, the latter came back and tried to fight. The former hockey player grabbed him by the collar, as if he were on an NHL rink.

He quickly put him on the floor. He shouted “BANG” with every blow he landed.

We don’t understand exactly what led to the altercation, but Tarnasky and his colleague (who was filming) spent long minutes asking the other two guys (the one who got beaten and his friend) to leave. It took a while, but it happened.

Will there be a sequel to this story? We’ll have to see.

overtime

– Will he leave?

– Julien BriseBois taught Mathieu Darche discipline. [98.5 FM]

– The Habs have an asset in Nick Bobrov.

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The Canadiens are even worst in the face-off circle

A few days ago, a hockey man told me this: in modern hockey, all players on the ice must know how to defend. Playing center vs. playing wing is all about being able to win face-offs.

In short, the big difference between a winger and a center is efficiency in the face-off circle. Of course, there are also defensive, physical and visionary aspects to consider, but you get the idea.

So I was tempted to evaluate the Canadiens’ center line by looking at their efficiency in the face-off circle (last season and in their NHL career).

1. Nick Suzuki: 51.6% in 2024-25 and 49.1% in his career
After four seasons under the 50% mark, Nick Suzuki has just had two seasons in which he won more than every other face-off. He’s no problem for the Habs.

2. Kirby Dach: 40.3% in 2024-25 and 36.1% in his career
Before his injury, Dach was having his “best” season in the face-off circle last year. Except, looking at all this – and remembering the words of thehockey man I had the chance to chat with – we have to face the facts: Kirby Dach doesn’t have what it takes to play center in the best league in the world right now.

That’s probably why Marc Bureau has been coaching Zachary Bolduc over the past few days, with a view to improving his skills in the face-off circle. Because it’s easy to believe that Bolduc could play alongside Dach and Demidov… and take face-offs from the left side.

On their strong side, Bolduc and Dach should be about 50% efficient. I hope so, at least..

Kirby Dach needs to improve in the face-off circle.
(Credit: Getty Images)

3. Alex Newhook: 42.8% in 2024-25 and 41.8% in his career
The only left-handed center currently projected to start the season in that position with the Canadiens, Newhook is struggling to win four out of 10 face-offs as well.

A team can’t hope to go far in the playoffs with only one left-handed center… who loses six face-offs out of 10. Losing one or two important face-offs often makes the difference in the elite.

4. Jake Evans: 52.9% in 2024-25 and 51.6% in his career
Evans has become the best defensive center in the organization, and also the best at taking a face-off.

He practiced, then practiced… and practiced some more. And he’s become very good at it . Do Kirby Dach and Alex Newhook practice as much? If so, why aren’t they improving?

For the curious, Jordan Kyrou (40.3% career and right-handed) and Evgeny Kuznetsov (44.1% career) aren’t options that would make the Habs a better club in the face-off circle.

But Sidney Crosby is, winning 57% of his faceoffs last season and 58.2% the season before.

This guy would solve a lot of problems.
(Credit: Getty Images)

Oliver Kapanen already has a better percentage than Dach and Newhook (42.9%), but he’s right-handed too.

Juraj Slafkovsky? He won 40.8% of the face-offs he took in the NHL.

In short, we need to improve this important aspect of the game before we can expect the Canadiens to be successful .

Because Christian Dvorak (left-handed center with a 55%+ success rate over the past two years) has left the organization and won’t be around to start the 2025-26 overtime periods. It’s a fact: the Canadiens aren’t as good as last year in the face-off circle.

overtime

– He had some school stuff to finalize.

– Which coaches are at risk in the NHL? [TVAS]

– Well.

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Jordan Kyrou: the Kraken has retreated (and Elliotte Friedman has his own idea of the price)

The Jordan Kyrou file is the talk of a lot of Montrealers.

As our colleague Maxime Truman informed us yesterday, the player wouldn’t say no to a deal that could bring him to Montreal. That’s a big piece of information.

And since the Canadiens aren’t done trying to improve… #EverythingIsPossible

But if the Canadiens want to get him, they’ll have to be willing to pay the price. Will the Habs want to do so after letting go of Emil Heineman, two first picks in 2025 and Logan Mailloux?

The question arises.

After all, the Blues aren’t going to give him to the Canadiens just because of Kent Hughes’ good looks. If he does leave St. Louis, it won’t be on the cheap.

And on that subject, Elliotte Friedman, in his 32 Thoughts podcast, gave us an idea of the price the Blues hope to fetch for the services of their top-6 forward.

According to the tipster, the Kraken backed off and the Blues were possibly asking for the eighth overall pick. As he said in the Kraken block on the podcast, he’s not sure of the price, but he suspects a high pick.

Recall that Jake O’Brien came out at eighth overall in last month’s draft.

One might think that the Canadiens’ 16th and 17th picks (sent to New York for Noah Dobson) would have been a good basis for a deal theoretically worth an eighth pick.

But that obviously didn’t happen.

Let’s not forget that the Blues want NHL players for Kyrou. And while theoretically, #16 and #17 picks are worth about an #8 pick, not all teams see it that way.

The proof? If it were that easy to get into the top-8 with those picks, James Hagens would surely be an Islanders prospect right now.

So right now, I’m thinking that if the Canadiens really want to go after Kyrou, it’s going to be expensive. But if the club knows that Kyrou wants to come to town, that might encourage the Habs to make a move, right?

To be continued…

overtime

– Indeed.

-Wow.

– Interesting.

– Will he be traded?

– Well done.

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Jeff Gorton opens the door to another transaction

Will the Canadiens be on the move again this summer? Possibly.

It won’t be easy to do so, considering that Logan Mailloux, Emil Heineman and two first-round picks are already gone. The Habs have a good bank of prospects, but the goal isn’t to trade everyone.

But the club is trying – notably with Jordan Kyrou. We know that.

The next few weeks will tell us just how successful the club will be in adding a top-notch center or another youngster to graft onto the existing core.

And I like the Habs’ chances, despite everything.

On this subject, reading a text by Marc Antoine Godin (Radio-Canada), who interviewed Jeff Gorton as part of his podcast with Arpon Basu, we realize that the door is open for another personnel move.

We sense that Jeff Gorton didn’t want to say that his club would definitely move, since nobody knows for sure… but without saying that he has “paved the way” for a transaction, he certainly opened a door.

What evidence is there to support this?

Jeff Gorton mentioned that the cap increase benefits teams like the Habs who are trying to get to the next level. He believes that cap flexibility will work in his market.

He also says that the market isn’t dead the day after July 1, and that everyone is still looking to make a move. He expects transactions between now and the end of the off-season.

And since the VP also said that the first day of the season was not a deadline for improving the club, and that he possibly sees a secondary market being created along the way, I see this as an executive who knows full well that the job isn’t finished.

Warning: it may not happen. The Habs have already given away four young players, and it’s quite possible that the club won’t want to trade any more if they’re not sure of the return.

But seeing what he’s told Marc Antoine Godin and Arpon Basu, there’s a good chance the Habs will make a move.

And don’t forget that with Gorton, who’s good at playing poker in front of the media, you have to read between the lines: he’s not going to just hand out answers out of the blue.

And in light of his comments, it’s clear that the door is open for another transaction in the coming months.

overtime

– Wow.

– Makes sense.

– Bill Zonnon makes the Huskies proud. [BPM Sports]

– With good reason.