Author: Dose

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Noah Dobson, the rebuild and the “Jesperi Kotkaniemi mistake” finally corrected

What do I want to talk to you about today in my weekly column? Hmmm…

Let’s see..

The status of the team’s various prospects? Well, no, I talked about that just last week!

Demidov or Schaefer for the Calder? Well, others have already done so..

But even though I think it’s still too early to debate the matter with sufficient arguments, I’m going to add my premonitory grain of salt: for the second year in a row, Schaefer will skate too fast, won’t be able to see what’s going on around him and will hurt himself, either by crashing into something or someone. A similar accident happened to another race car driver, Connor McDavid, in his first season..

So, that’s it, Demidov’s going to win the Calder!

Next!

What’s next?

Suzuki and Caufield performing beyond the highest expectations we once had for them? Hmmm, not bad… We could have some fun and go back into our archives in this text, or this one, when the two succeeded each other at the top of our summer prospect list in 2020 and 2021..

But if there’s one current topic in the wonderful world of the Canadiens that just about everyone continues to overlook, it’s the acquisition and impact of Noah Dobson.

And it’s Dobson I want to talk about today; a fitting way to mark his 400th NHL game tonight against the Senators!

Kotkaniemi’s mistake finally corrected!

Those of you who have been reading me for a while – I’ve been writing for DLC and my friend Max since 2011! – surely remember my stance in favor of Quinn Hughes several weeks before the 2018 draft.

While theidea of picking a center was understandable in the context of the time, little Hughes was just too good!

And it’s not as if the Habs, who 1) had already traded Sergachev, 2) had just completed a first season without Andrei Markov, 3) were relying on an aging Shea Weber and 4) had decided to bank on the Schlemko, Mete, Morrow, Davidson and other Mike Rielly’s of this world, didn’t need a new elite talent on defense!

At worst, there was always Brady Tkachuk to turn to if they wanted to draft a forward who could play center. At least, that’s what we told ourselves for several years..

So, the KK gamble fell through (and still does in Carolina) and Bergevin had to give up first- and second-round picks to replace him more or less adequately with a Christian Dvorak then in his mid-20s.

Then, after four seasons pocketing $4.45 million in Montreal, the good D-Vo left and was able to secure a nice little one-year, $5.4 million contract in Philadelphia.

It should not be overlooked that this economy and refusal to extend Dvrorak’s adventure helped greatly when the time came to acquire Noah Dobson and give him $9.5 million for 8 years!

Dobson, 25, 6’4, 200 lbs, averaging 52 points over the past four seasons, has clearly become a star defenseman, bordering on superstar, in the NHL. He still had a 70-point season (+12) two years ago and would be the #1 defenseman for half the clubs in the NHL.

Some even think he looks a little like a right-handed Markov…

In any case, when it comes to right-handed defensemen, only Makar, Fox and perhaps McAvoy (when healthy…) are superior to him overall.

The Islander already has 7 points in 11 games so far this season – that’s an average of 52 points over 82 games! – while playing little on the powerplay.

But above all, he’s playing profusely on a highly mobile first pairing at equal strength with Mike Matheson, arguably one of the best partnerships in the NHL so far this season. It’s a not too awkward first pairing, and one that could become a permanent fixture if the Québécois extends his stay in his hometown..

Dobson in the reconstruction timeline..

Of course, one might think that the selection of Lane Hutson in 2022 has made us forget the mistake of not choosing his cosmic twin, Quinn Hughes, in 2018.

But if we think of the Dobson acquisition in the chronological portrait of the rebuild, it came, so to speak, to fill the “2018 void” following the loss of Kotkaniemi and the Romanov trade.

Indeed, Dobson, selected 12th that year, became, in my opinion, the4th best player of that vintage, behind Quinn Hughes, Rasmus Dahlin and Brady Tkachuk.

I’m taking him on my team well ahead of Andrei Svechnikov, always a little disappointing, very often injured, as well as Evan Bouchard, much less mobile, at risk defensively, and whose production wouldn’t be the same without the demigods McDave and Dr. Drai in front of him.

So, if we include the acquisition of Suzuki – perhaps on his way to becoming the2nd best player of 2017 behind Cale Makar – and think that Caufield is certainly in the top 5 of 2019, the Habs therefore have a “top 5 equivalent pick” in three consecutive years at the draft between 2017 and 2019.

That’s quite a rebuilding base! By 2025, you’ll have three star/superstar players in their mid-twenties!

And it’s not as if Newhook (16th, 2019), Guhle (16th, 2020), Dobes (136th, 2020) and Bolduc (17th, 21), while waiting for the next batch of prodigies and wunderkinds chosen between 2022 and 2025, are one-armed! That’s 4 more top-15/top-20 players in 3 years…

Like a little smell…

In other words, when it’s been nine years in a row(counting Zharovsky in 2025) that your organization finds a way to score at the draft by grafting players worthy of the top 20, top 15, top 10, top 5, even top 3, well, as we can see, you end up with a scary core (Happy Halloween!) and a club with very serious aspirations.

So it’s not hard to see why the whiff of stainless steel is beginning to waft over Montreal..

And, it has to be said, it smells a little stronger since the arrival of Noah Dobson.

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Jakub Dobes is the NHL’s third star of the month

Jakub Dobes has been dominant since the start of the season.

He hasn’t lost yet, and his stats are among the best among NHL goaltenders.

That said, it’s understandable that Dobes has been the NHL’s best goaltender in recent weeks… because he was named third star of the month on the Bettman circuit. Only Jack Eichel and Mark Scheifele were able to beat him to the award.

More details to come…

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Video: Vinzenz Rohrer scores an incredible goal in Switzerland

Vinzenz Rohrer had a fantastic practice camp with the Canadiens.

He proved he has some very special qualities… and it was his skating that really stood out. We saw him create a lot of scoring chances thanks to his speed and vision, too.

The Austrian has left Montreal with a fine calling card. No doubt about it.

The forward is playing in Switzerland for the third season in a row, and he opened his account last night. Things were going a little badly for him since he hadn’t collected a single point in his first 11 games of the campaign… but he stood out yesterday by scoring a truly magnificent goal.

Rohrer outwitted his opponent with his hands, fired into the net as he fell… and was able to beat the keeper with a good shot.

A sequence worth seeing again and again:

It takes talent to score a goal like that.

And it takes creativity with the puck, too. We know that’s one of Vinzenz Rohrer’s qualities, and to see him able to show his talent is a good thing.

But at some point, Rohrer will have to get his act together too. It’s good to see him score a goal of such beauty… but he’s not having a great start to the season and that’s going to have to come around at some point.

Maybe yesterday’s goal will help him regain his confidence. Because that’s what he showed at the Montreal camp: he was so comfortable with the puck that he seemed to be able to do whatever he wanted on the ice.

He needs to do the same now, especially in Switzerland.

He needs to be able to dominate on the ice if he wants to make a name for himself and continue to progress in the right way.

Overtime

– Go Jacob!

– Nice.

– Boom.

– Oh.

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Rookie of the month: Alexander Zharovsky should be able to play even more

It’s hard not to talk about Alexander Zharovsky’s performance so far this season in the KHL.

The Canadiens’ prospect is racking up points at a really interesting rate, and he doesn’t look like a first-year pro.

When you see him take control of his club’s powerplay, as he did yesterday, you realize he’s comfortable on the ice. And that’s what I find most special: he trusts his skills and isn’t afraid to use them to help his club. The kid’s got talent.

It’s not complicated: Zharovsky has 14 points in just 13 games this season. And production like that from an 18-year-old in the KHL is impressive.

His exploits haven’t gone unnoticed either.

The kid was named KHL Rookie of the Month because he registered 12 games in as many games in October. It sends a clear message to the rest of the league… but also to his coach.

All this is even more impressive when you consider that he spends just 13 minutes and 49 seconds (on average) on the ice per game.

And that’s why I say it sends a clear message to his coach. Maybe it’s time to use him even more… because the results are there so far, and because the player is confident in his abilities too.

It would be intriguing, after all, to see what he could do with even more ice time. And I think the Canadiens would like to see that happen too.

But so far, everyone’s happy to see that he’s able to do well even at 18 in the KHL.

It’s encouraging for what’s to come, that’s for sure…

Overtime

– Of note.

– Good news.

– Really. Hoping for a W from the Blue Jays.

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Montembeault vs Ullmark: a duel between two goalkeepers who need to do better

The Montreal Canadiens return home tonight after playing their last four games on the road out West.

It’s the Habs’ first game at the Bell Centre in almost two weeks, and it pits them against a division rival in the Ottawa Senators.

It’s a very big and important game tonight, with the Senators currently three points behind the Habs in the standings with one more game to play.

In short, in preparation for this very important game, the Habs held a practice this morning at the Bell Centre, and of course, there were no surprises.

With currently 12 healthy forwards, six healthy defensemen and two healthy goaltenders, we know what Martin St-Louis’ line-up will look like tonight, and there’s really no mystery, given that no call-ups have been made.

And even for the starting goaltender, we’ve known for a few days that Samuel Montembeault will get his first start since October 23.

The Québécois will certainly be looking to bounce back tonight and redeem his poor start to the season, and the same goes for his Sens opponent Linus Ullmark.

Like Montembeault, Ullmark, the Sens’ #1 goaltender, is off to a rocky start for Ottawa.

  • Montembeault: 2-3-0, 3.82 goals-against average, 0.842 save percentage
  • Ullmark: 5-4-1, 3.36 goals-against-average, 0.862 save percentage

Even if his stats are a little better than Monty’s and he’s played double the number of games, Ullmark still has to be better.

He’s one of the Senators’ mainstays, and probably the main reason why the Sens made the playoffs last season.

So, the Swedish goalie will also be looking to get back on track and perform better tonight, when he has a great opportunity to redeem himself with a huge game at the Bell Centre.

In short, it’s a duel between two goalkeepers who aren’t performing at the top of their game at the moment, and who will be looking to bounce back.

It will be very interesting to see whether both goalkeepers put in strong performances, or whether one of them steals the show.

We could also see a stampede on either side if both goalies aren’t at their best, as has been the case since the start of the 2025-2026 campaign.

Overtime

– Very funny.

– Well said.

– This will be one to watch.

– Things are bad for the Wild.

– To be continued at 1pm.

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Six goals in nine games: Jared Davidson certainly climbing the Habs hierarchy

When Samuel Blais was called up for waivers by the Toronto Maple Leafs just before the start of the season, it was clear that the Canadiens were one injury away from being short-handed.

And of course, that injury came when Patrik Laine was injured, and will be sidelined for an extended period of time.

This opened the door for Joe Veleno, who has now played six games for the Habs, but has done nothing impressive or memorable to solidify his place.

He hasn’t done a bad job, but he’s clearly not doing enough to keep his place in the lineup night after night.

Had Samuel Blais still been in Montreal, Veleno would clearly have skipped his turn for a few games, whereas right now, the Montrealer is a little too comfortable.

However, that could soon change, given that Laval has some up-and-coming players, one in particular being Jared Davidson.

The 23-year-old Laval Rocket forward is off to an excellent start, with six goals and eight points in nine games so far this season.

His eight points tie him with Laurent Dauphin at the top of the Rocket scoring charts, and his six goals are good for first place among all AHL scorers, tied with three forwards.

In short, Davidson has been dominant this early in the season, and is clearly one of, if not the, centerpieces of Pascal Vincent’s squad so far.

And with such strong performances, it’s clear that Davidson is moving up the organization’s hierarchy.

Right now, if we were to go on merit, the Rocket’s #49 would be the Canadiens’ best recall option, especially considering his style of play.

The Habs unfortunately lost Blais to the waivers, but Davidson could very well fill a similar role, as he plays a very rugged game, while having a solid offensive talent, which relies above all on his excellent shooting.

At 23, Davidson still hasn’t had his chance in the NHL, yet he’s progressed very well since turning pro, and has had excellent training camps with the Habs each time.

In short, Davidson’s development is following an excellent curve, and it’s certainly time to give him a chance in Montreal to see what he’s capable of.

I’m sure he’d do no worse than Joe Veleno.

It’s definitely worth a try, especially as he’s currently the Rocket’s best player, ahead of the likes of Owen Beck (four points in eight games) and Florian Xhekaj (three points in nine games).

Overtime

– Deserved.

– Not to be missed tonight.

– An incredible scenario.

– The Rocket back in action this afternoon.

– Playoffs begin today for the Alouettes.

– To be followed closely.

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Robert Thomas: “It would take a collapse in St. Louis for it to become tradable”

Despite the fact that the Montreal Canadiens are off to an excellent start this season, and currently rank among the NHL’s top teams, there’s one issue that refuses to die.

That issue is the acquisition of a second center, a potential acquisition we’ve been talking about all summer and really expected to see.

In the end, the Habs still haven’t acquired a center for their second line, and things are going really well all the same.

The fact remains that, despite the Habs’ 8-3-0 record, there’s still talk of potential trade options among NHL players who would fit into a second-center role.

Of course, there are some dream options who would do more than be a second for the Habs, such as Sidney Crosby and a certain Robert Thomas, who has just vaguely appeared in the rumour mill.

And where there’s a dream option, there’s also an almost impossible option, especially in the case of Thomas, as Marco D’Amico reports.

Indeed, the reputable informant took the time to point out that Robert Thomas was clearly not up for trade to St. Louis.

It would really take a huge collapse on the Blues’ part for their first-choice center to become tradeable, and for them to consider sending him elsewhere.

So we’re a long way from seeing Thomas land in Montreal, which is logical enough, even if it would be absolutely incredible.

Thomas is a mainstay with the Blues and one of the NHL’s best centers, with 86 and 81-point seasons in the last two seasons.

In short, it’s all well and good to dream and believe, but it would be very surprising if Thomas were to become available, and if he ever is, it would be VERY expensive to get him out of St. Louis.

Let’s say there’s a better chance of Jordan Kyrou landing in Montreal than Robert Thomas.

Overtime

– Nice initiative/idea with the STM strike.

– It’s a shame.

– Wow.

– A must-read for those interested.

– An all-Canadian duel won by Mboko.

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Top-3: Wings defeat puts Habs back on top of the Atlantic

It was a very quiet evening last night in the National Hockey League, as the Halloween party took center stage.

Only six teams were in action, but there were still plenty of highlights.

Here are the highlights.

1. Leo Carlsson takes care of the Red Wings

Goaltender John Gibson, who spent 12 seasons with the Anaheim Ducks, was back in Anaheim for the first time since being traded to the Detroit Red Wings.

Unfortunately for Gibson, aside from a warm welcome, his return to Anaheim didn’t go as well as he’d hoped, as the Red Wings lost 5-2.

20-year-old Leo Carlsson had fun with four points, which now makes 15 points in ten games so far this season.

For the Red Wings, it’s a first loss in five games, after being on a four-game winning streak.

With this defeat, the Red Wings lost their place at the top of the Atlantic Division, while the Canadiens moved back in front.

(Credit: NHL.com)

The Habs will have the chance to confirm their return to the top of the Atlantic Division tonight, when they take on the Ottawa Senators at 7pm at the Bell Centre.

2. Three points for Martin Necas in his first game since his huge contract

Two days ago, the Colorado Avalanche put a big deal on the table for forward Martin Necas.

The Avalanche re-signed the Czech forward to a long-term contract worth $11.5 million per year for the next eight seasons, starting in 2026-2027.

Necas is in Colorado to stay, and he has 92 million good reasons to perform up to expectations.

Last night, as Necas played his first game since signing this monster contract, the Czech forward scored three points, including a goal.

He also had a superb assist on Brent Burns’ first goal for the Avalanche.

In the end, Colorado won 4-2 against the Vegas Golden Knights.

3. Two superb saves in Islanders victory

In a tight game between the Washington Capitals and New York Islanders, Logan Thompson and Ilya Sorokin made two fine saves.

In the end, the Islanders won the duel 3-1.

Here’s Ilya Sorokin’s save.

And here’s Logan Thompson’s.

After the game, Sorokin took the time to say hello to Alex Ovechkin’s son.

Also of note, Emil Heineman picked up an assist in the Islanders’ win, and now has seven points, including five goals, in 11 games.

Overtime

– Here are yesterday’s three results.

– Here are yesterday’s top scorers.

(Credit: NHL.com)

– Today’s NHL schedule: 13 games.

(Credit: Google/NHL)
(Credit: Google/NHL)
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Blow to Ivan Demidov: Nick Cousins won’t be able to walk away tomorrow

During practice camp, the Senators played two games in Quebec City. One of them was against the Canadiens.

We remember that, in some respects, it got out of hand. Nick Cousins, who doesn’t have an excellent reputation throughout the National League, had given Ivan Demidov a stick for… no reason. It sent Montrealers into a tizzy.

Here it is again.

The Sens player couldn’t really be challenged by a Canadiens player afterwards, as he was punished and yelled at the officials to get himself kicked out of the game.

He didn’t want to continue playing and have to answer for his actions.

But tomorrow night, for the first time in the regular season, the Senators and the Canadiens will cross swords at the Bell Centre in an eagerly awaited match-up.

And BPM Sports’ X account reminds us that the Habs will be out for revenge.

Will a player jump on Nick Cousins during the game? If so, will it be a player who isn’t Arber Xhekaj, considering Cousins is less than 6’0?

Good question. But whichever guy the Habs choose for an arm job, I can’t see Cousins bailing out. Unless he doesn’t play, of course.

That being said, whatever happens, the guys won’t have to be too unfocused. The goal will still be to get the two points and play well in front of Samuel Montembeault.

Stay tuned tonight.

overtime

– Read more.

– Tonight, the Blue Jays could be crowned world champions.

– What do you think?

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David Reinbacher ends his comeback night at minus-2

Tonight, the Rocket hosted the Rochester Americans.

It was Laval’s chance to avenge last Friday’s 4-0 loss in Rochester.

It was also the return to action of David Reinbacher, who hadn’t played a single regular-season game yet this year due to a fractured hand.

For the occasion, he played on the first pair of defenders with Adam Engström.

It appeared that the young back was still a little rusty as he finished the game with a minus-2 record, just like his partner on the blue line.

Reinbacher had had a fairly quiet game for the first 49 minutes of the match (which is usually a good sign for a defenseman), but he was on the ice for the Americans’ first goal at 9:38 minutes into the third period to tie the score 1-1 when the two clubs were playing 4-on-4.

Then, the visitors scored the winning goal with less than four minutes left in the game to run away with the 2-1 victory.

Disappointing for Kaapo Kähkönen, who had a great game, turning aside 34 of 36 pucks.

By the way, both Rocket goalies have been playing great hockey in recent games.

Unfortunately, the home team only managed to deny Devon Levi once on 34 shots in a night dominated by good goaltending.

Jared Davidson scored the Rocket goal. It was the forward’s fifth point in three games.

Reinbacher and the Rocket will have a chance to get back on track tomorrow when they meet Rochester at 3 p.m.

Overtime

– Everyone benefits.

– Find out more.

– The Jays open the scoring.

-His first goal in his first game.