As reported by Katie Strang and Sean Gentille(The Athletic), the former Vancouver Canucks and Anaheim Ducks player is facing two misdemeanor counts of criminal sexual misconduct.
He pleaded not guilty at his court appearance today. His attorney has stated that the charges are without merit and that Kesler will vigorously defend himself in court.
Specific details of the incident are not yet public.
What is known is that it would be for events that took place on January 1, 2025, and that the charges were laid against him on October 23, just a few days ago.
His next court appearance is scheduled for November 6.
Former NHL center Ryan Kesler has been charged with two counts of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct, according to court documents.
Also according to Katie Strang and Sean Gentille, Orchard Lake police confirmed Kesler’s indictment and said he had been arrested.
A $50,000 bond has been posted for his release.
Obviously, this is big news in the sports world… even if the main person concerned hasn’t been playing since 2018. He’s now coaching a minor team, and it’s questionable whether he’ll be able to continue in that field with the charges brought against him.
One thing’s for sure, it’s a black mark on his reputation. He has been the subject of bad press on a number of occasions during his field hockey career for his actions on the ice, and it won’t get any better with the news reported by The Athletic.
We’ll be keeping an eye on him in the coming weeks and months.
He scored 89 points in his last season (his best ever) with the Canadiens and is on track for another good offensive campaign.
If he can keep up his pace, he’ll finish the season with 106 points. That would be extraordinary.
But Suzuki is also really good defensively. Martin St-Louis is able to use him in every possible situation, and the captain’s excellence in all three zones can be felt.
I say this because the Canadiens have only allowed two 5-on-5 goals in 25-26 when Suzuki is on the ice. That’s an impressive statistic… and it shows just how effective #14 is on the ice.
We’re really talking about a complete player.
This is the season where Nick Suzuki is finally playing at a Patrice Bergeron level defensively. And somehow, no one’s talking about it – likely because Suzuki is putting up points. Montreal has allowed only 2 goals against with Suzuki on the ice at five on five. pic.twitter.com/ldSOF3OYTu
For some time now, we’ve been seeing Nick Suzuki as a guy with a chance of winning the Selke Trophy one day.
And maybe we’re really there today. It’s amazing how important the captain’s contribution is defensively, because he’s able to play an important role on the ice even when he’s not producing on the ice.
Ah, and that’s without mentioning the fact that he’s always playing against the other team’s best trios…
Nick Suzuki earlier today blocking a one-timer from Rasmus Dahlin. Then take a look at this effort from Zibanejad. One team is in first place. One team is in last.
When your best players are the most bought in, that’s probably a winning team. When they’re not, tough sledding. https://t.co/IHOBVz8fsdpic.twitter.com/icrK8ltxo9
The Canadiens are really lucky to have a player and leader like Nick Suzuki. The guy does what he has to do on the ice, he’s involved in the community, he’s become one of the best players in the world – and I’m really not exaggerating when I say that -…
The good news is that he’s only 26. And he’ll have what it takes to lead the Canadiens to a 25th Stanley Cup, if he continues to be so good in all three zones of the ice…
Things are really bad in Calgary. Like, really bad .
The Flames are 2-7-1 and nothing seems to be working for the Alberta club. There are some talented players in the line-up… but the results have been really disappointing there since the start of the season.
As a result, we’re starting to hear things about some of the team’s players. In fact, it’s Nazem Kadri’s name that’s getting the most attention around the NHL…
Elliotte Friedman talked about it on his podcast: Kadri has a list of 13 teams he doesn’t want to be traded to, and several clubs have their noses in the matter.
I wonder if the Canadiens are one of them. Because we know: Kadri plays center, the Habs need a guy who can help there… and the player has proven himself in the past too.
But perhaps the club’s vision is different today. We know that the Canadiens wanted to give Kirby Dach a chance to shine this summer… and seeing that he can’t necessarily play at the center of a 2nd line right now, and seeing that the club is doing well on the ice, it may change things in the eyes of Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton.
There are two things to remember here.
1. The Habs wouldn’t be the only club interested in Kadri if this happened. The Flames won’t let him go for nothing, and it’s likely to be expensive – especially if there starts to be a bidding war for the center forward.
But…
2. But we also know that Kent Hughes won’t hesitate to improve his team, andhe’s willing to overpay to make it happen. He wants to see his club go to the next level, and perhaps he won’t have the choice of overpaying in a transaction to accomplish his goal.
On paper, Kadri has what it takes to help the Canadiens. He’s physical, he’s got a nice offensive touch to his game, he’s capable of playing in the top-6… And he’d also solve the team’s center problem.
Maybe it’s the player’s contract that’s scary, though. Kadri is in the fourth year (of seven) of a deal that pays him $7 million a season…
Overtime
– The Islanders are likely to be busy at the trade deadline.
David Pagnotta: Re Islanders trade rumours: For [GM Darche] it’s just collecting information right now…and then exploring those later on in the season…both with Pageau and their captain Anders Lee; you wanna see where the season goes – Sekeres & Price (10/23)
Thank you everyone for the support!! Surgery went well. I just want to thank the city of Philly for taking the best care of me. Every moment I spent in the hospital with family and friends I felt loved and supported in every way thank you to the doctors, surgeons, and staff..
They played together in Pittsburgh, and the two guys had a great relationship off the ice. That’s why we’re hearing that Matheson could somehow help lure Crosby to Montreal… because the two know each other so well.
Matheson proved in Pittsburgh that he’s capable of helping an NHL club on the ice. Kristopher Letang told Nicolas Cloutier(TVA Sports) that he’s always been impressed by the left-handed defenseman’s skills… because he was able to stand out even when there were guys like Crosby and Evgeni Malkin on the ice.
Even with the emergence of Lane Hutson last season, Letang still saw Matheson as the Habs’ #1 defenseman this summer. And not for nothing.
That said, Matheson’s reputation has become truly excellent in Pittsburgh. And in Nicolas Cloutier’s article, we learn that Crosby didn’t expect the defenseman to be traded by the Penguins… because with that sentence, we understand that Crosby may not have been a fan of the deal :
It’s even said that, when the Penguins traded Matheson to the Canadiens in exchange for Ryan Poehling and Jeff Petry, the trade was greeted with shock by Sidney Crosby. – Nicolas Cloutier
He was convinced that Matheson was still the Canadiens’ #1 defenseman.
And the connection between Crosby and the Canadiens has been there for a long time too. The rumours about him are not new, after all…
That said, we know that there are several important factors in the Penguins captain’s future decision. He’ll be the one to decide whether or not to stay, and if the Canadiens can take advantage of Mike Matheson to bring him to Montreal, that would be… special.
And the Habs may have what it takes to give Crosby what he wants. A winning environment, the opportunity to be very successful (which isn’t the case right now in Pittsburgh)… and the chance to reunite with the good friend he had fun with in Pittsburgh.
Recalled by the Bruins on Sunday, Québécois defenseman Jonathan Aspirot is practically touching his dream of playing his first NHL game, and at the age of 26
Mike Matheson’s case is becoming increasingly important in Montreal.
Especially when you see the way he performs on the ice. He’s one of the Canadiens’ most important players, and that’s why they love him around town.
But speaking of his contract… it’s hard to predict what it will look like.
We know that the defenseman wants to stay here because he loves the organization. And at 31, he could be looking to secure his future by signing a multi-year contract… but we could also expect to see him sign a shorter contract than we think.
At this level, David Pagnotta (Hello Hockey) mentioned that it’s mainly the number of years in the deal that he thinks is important in the discussions. Which makes sense, in a way.
David Pagnotta: Re Mike Matheson negotiations: They are going back and forth on that; I think a lot of it’s gonna depend on term, more so than dollars – Hello Hockey (10/25)
But Pagnotta also added… saying that he believes a three-year contract – at a salary between $6.25 and $7 million per season – could be possible in the defenseman’s case.
The tipster seems to believe, in fact, that we could see a deal like this if Matheson signs a new contract with the Canadiens.
David Pagnotta: Re Mike Matheson negotiations: I could see that being in that $6.25 to $7m dollar range on a three year term – Hello Hockey (10/25)
Obviously, this would be an interesting deal for the Canadiens.
In terms of salary, Matheson would fetch an interesting amount (and it would be more than the $4.875 million he’s earning right now)… and for the Habs, it could be perfect in the sense that it’s not super long either.
And in the worst-case scenario, if Matheson finishes this contract and is still able to give more after the three-year term, there’s nothing to stop him signing another one to stay in Montreal. It would help the Habs to see if he still has great value at that point, because offering five or six years at a salary of $6-7 million can come with certain risks too.
That said, Matheson’s case has to become a priority for the Habs, and I get the impression that it is right now.
We can’t ignore the fact, after all, that he’s played such an important role in the team’s success so far this season (and for a few years now)… and Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton certainly know it too.
So it’s one to watch. And I think it’ll be interesting to see how this one pans out… because there seem to be several options – in terms of salary and number of years – on the table.
Overtime
– Oh.
Even if the Mammoth is at the top of the standings in the West, all is not well in Utahhttps://t.co/1M8OXjLZu6
With the Raptors staring down the barrel of a less-than-ideal start to a season, their next foe presents an untimely challenge – a player in Wembanyama on a historic tear to start this season and ready to make good on his destiny as the next preemptive force in basketball. (By..
For the past year, Max Lalonde has been an occasional member of the Canadiens’ press gallery for BPM Sports.
And by necessity, he sometimes goes to dinner at the Bell Centre, in the Jacques-Beauchamp lounge. It’s a very good meal that he enjoys, and he’s never been without it.
But now, as he himself said on his radio show (100% Max) this morning, he’s just learned that he made a mistake.
Basically, in his intro, he mentioned that you had to pay for the meal… but he simply didn’t know that. No one had mentioned that to him before.
Anthony Marcotte told him recently and Max Lalonde was quite surprised to learn that.
So the Canadiens sent him a bill for about $200 for his meals. Lalonde says he found out a few minutes before going on air for his show today.
He seemed to find it comical, though. And deep down, it is.
You have to realize that it doesn’t work the same way everywhere in the sports world. For example, at the Alouettes, you also have to pay for a meal, but that’s not the case at the Montreal CF.
It’s different for the Bell Centre’s famous hot dogs, though.
It’s true, from Lalonde’s point of view, that it was hard for him to find out when no one in the fraternity had told him and the Habs had never mentioned that he had to pay for dinner before.
Kent Hughes has a good batting average as GM of the Canadiens. Often, when he makes a decision, it goes well for him and his club.
But he doesn’t see it that way.
Rather, the GM believes that everything must be considered together, and that it’s difficult to separate transactions of this kind. So he doesn’t analyze the whole thing as an individual balance sheet, as is seen in the public sphere.
I get the feeling that Hughes is doing this to lower fans’ expectations. After all, he often surprises fans with better-than-expected deals or signings.
And I also have a feeling that’s why he’s reiterated once again that he’ll overpay for a deal if it helps his club get to the next level.
Let’s face it: it’s unusual to hear an executive say that. He may have been hired “out of the box” in 2022, but many bosses don’t say that publicly since it’s really different from the usual discourse.
As I see it, all this has to do with the second-center position. Hughes may say that he never said he wanted to get it done by the summer of 2025, but you can bet that was his preference.
I agree with him, though: it’s not too late to do it.
I have the feeling that Hughes knows that prices are high for a top-6 center and that he’s preparing the fans: it may cost more to move than we thought.
Since we know that everything revolves around Sidney Crosby, I wonder if the GM didn’t say this to make people realize that even if Crosby is in the driver’s seat of his destiny, the Penguins won’t trade him for a pittance.
If I were Michael Hage or David Reinbacher, I’d be a little stressed this lunchtime. And that’s despite the fact that Hughes often manages to get by without overstepping his bounds.
Today is October 27. If you’d told me that without the addition of a second center and a strong forward, the Canadiens would be tied with the Avalanche for third overall in the entire NHL after ten games, I wouldn’t have believed you.
And I wouldn’t have been the only one.
Except it’s true: the Habs have seven wins in 10 games. Only the Devils and Mammoth have more wins than the Montrealers in 2025-26 (eight).
Even crazier: the Habs have already scored 36 goals this season, the second-highest total in the entire league behind the Mammoth (37). They also lead the entire Bettman circuit in road wins (four).
And what about the power play? On Saturday in Vancouver, without the brilliance of Montreal’s first powerplay, the Habs would never have left Canada with a win. We’d been going around in circles a little too much with the one-man advantage since the start of the season-literally and figuratively-but replacing Zachary Bolduc with Ivan Demidov was enough to break the logjam. #TwoInThree
Martin St-Louis was quicker to promote Demidov to the first unit than Hutson. So much the better! The goal now is to win – not develop – in Montreal.
It’s all smiles for Ivan Demidov these days. (Credit: Capture d’écran/TVA Sports)
Individually dominant
It’s a well-known fact: to be successful collectively, a group must be able to rely on individuals who are successful individually. The community will always be the result or sum of the individuals who make it up.
This morning, the Canadiens have the fourth-best scorer in the circuit in Cole Caufield (seven), the second-best passer (11) and eighth-best scorer (13) in Nick Suzuki, and the 18th and 19th-best players in terms of differential in Mike Matheson and Nick Suzuki(plus-7), top rookie scorer in Ivan Demidov (nine), top rookie scorer in Oliver Kapanen (four), one of the league’s top two goalies in Jakub Dobes and 20th most punished player in Arber Xhekaj (15). Oops, that’s not positive..
And even if they’re not at the top of a major category, Lane Hutson, Noah Dobson, Juraj Slafkovsky, Zachary Bolduc, Alex Newhook and Jayden Struble are all doing very well right now.
Remember that all this success is the result of a team that is the youngest in the entire NHL. Generally speaking, the youngest team in a circuit is not ready to enjoy such success. It still needs time. Talk to the Saputo family and Montreal CF fans..
Let’s see how long it lasts. So far, the Habs have played a majority of clubs that won’t be making the post-season playoffs this year. But they’ve beaten them, and you can’t take that away from them.
Jakub Dobes is due (unfortunately)
In sports, it’s said that what goes up always comes down.
In mathematics, sooner or later, the Law of Numbers catches up with you. Talk about the golfer who plays an average of 90 and is scratch after five holes at the Mirage..
This morning, Jakub Dobes was the goalkeeper who saved the most goals among all NHL goalkeepers (goals allowed vs. goals that should have gone in).
Is it logical to think that Dobes can continue to be so dominant for another ten, twenty or even thirty games? The answer is no. The current sample size (five games) is small, and anyone with a statistical background will tell you that, in the medium to long term, Dobes will become himself again. We can therefore expect to see him make a few poor starts in the near future, in order to bring his average performance back to its true value (and Samuel Montembeault will benefit from this).
The real question is, who is the real Jakub Dobes? Is he a little better than the average NHL goalie? Much better? Below? We’ll see.
One thing’s for sure, thinking that Dobes will continue to be THE best goalkeeper in the best league in the world for a full season is currently a dream. It just won’t happen. Not this year!
Arber Xhekaj plays less and less
Usually, from one season to the next, a young player’s playing time increases. But in the case of Arber Xhekaj, the opposite is happening.
In 2023-24, the eldest of the Xhekaj brothers spent an average of 15 minutes and 56 seconds per game on the ice.
The following year, that dropped to 14 minutes and 37 seconds.
Then, since the start of the current season, Xhekaj has played just 10 minutes and 30 seconds per game. Worse still, in the last three games, he’s gone from 12:16 to 8:49… and 6:37, which is very little for a defenseman, I’m sure you’ll agree.
The Canadiens are exciting this year. The fact that they’re always in a position to come back must be giving Martin St-Louis gray hairs, but it’s making the games fun for fans.
One of the reasons for this is the presence of Ivan Demidov.
The young Russian is really exciting on the ice, as he knows how to spot openings to score his teammates. Maybe he’s too focused to realize it, but people love him. #LockedIn
Ivan Demidov on if he feels the love from
Habs fans in Montreal:
But even if the fans realize it, it’s nice to see that internally, members of the Habs see it too.
Lane Hutson, who benefits from Demidov’s prowess on the ice, recognizes that his contribution on the first powerplay helps Nick Suzuki and all the other guys on the ice.
Lane Hutson yesterday on Ivan Demidov joining Habs PP1:
“His ability to threaten shots and passes and open up seams, it’s pretty special. It helps me, it helps (Nick Suzuki), it helps everyone on the ice…” pic.twitter.com/Tk0Jh0rtNv
On that note, it’s interesting to see Demidov on the first powerplay.
It was quicker than Lane Hutson’s last year, by the way. Hutson needed an extra month to unseat Mike Matheson and take the keys to the first unit.
So why is the Russian on the first unit?
Because his instincts are good, according to Martin St-Louis. The coach also wanted to give him more playing time, and he obviously feels he’s earned it.
Habs coach Marty St. Louis yesterday on promoting Ivan Demidov to PP1:
“First, it increases his time on ice a little bit. But this wasn’t something I was just going to give him to right away. I wanted him to show us that he can play on the other side of the ice and to value it…. pic.twitter.com/H5glMX7SkE
Right now, I don’t know if there’s really a recipe for slowing down the Habs on the powerplay. Because the addition of Demidov (who will develop chemistry with the guys) makes the whole thing rather unpredictable.
We don’t know how the fifth overall pick in the 2024 draft will develop, but let’s just say he’s off to a good start. And everyone knows it.
Ivan Demidov has already begun to drawn comparisons to some NHL legends. @EricEngels talks to a handful of scouts about the young Canadiens star’s electric profile. https://t. co/8dwb28hdNJ
Rob Blake’s reset: Former Kings GM on holding himself accountable and preparing for another shot. My chat with the Hockey Hall of Famer in my latest for@TheAthletic https://t.co/qjq3uEHoKB
That’s the question of the moment in Montreal, as the goaltending situation is the talk of the town these days. Jakub Dobes’ start to the season and Samuel Montembeault’s have created a debate.
And even if some don’t want to admit it, the subject does exist.
Tomorrow, against the Seattle Kraken, will Martin St-Louis go with the Québécois to play him? Will he keep Monty for Saturday’s game? Will he give Dobes the two games of the week?
We don’t know yet.
Interestingly, an interesting point was raised by the guys at BPM Sports during Renaud Lavoie’s column of the day: a two-game sequence in 24 hours won’t happen for more than a month.
The last game of October is tomorrow night, separated by a few days off before and after. But after that, we’ll have to wait until November 28 and 29 for a back-to-back.
(Credit: NHL.com)
What this means is that the Canadiens won’t be “forced” to use both goalies. If it wants to play the guy who’s on fire the most, it can do so more often than not.
And since the goal is to win games…
Besides, I think it’s important to remember that the start of the season is worth what it’s worth. After all, last year, Samuel Montembeault also got off to a good start.
He lost eight of his nine outings between October 14 and November 9. And that didn’t stop him from having a good season and winning gold at the Four Nations Confrontation, having been chosen as #3 goalkeeper.
And what about Dobes? In 2024-2025, he won his first five NHL games – and gave up four goals in game #5. And after that, in 11 games (10 starts), he collected just two wins to finish the regular season.
So, historically, he’s started his seasons strong… but that doesn’t mean it’s going to continue. It’s up to him to do things differently from last year, in reality.
Did Dobes learn from his 2024-2025 season? Is he better than he was last year? Will history repeat itself for Dobes and Monty? Will the law of numbers catch up with the European?
These are the questions that arise.
extension
I’m not saying this to criticize Dobes, who has done very well so far this season. I say this to remind you that once the excitement of the early season (or early career) is behind us, Dobes will need to be able to keep producing.
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(@JeremyFilosa) 
thank you to the doctors, surgeons, and staff..
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