Author: Dose

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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.

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Rumour Corner: Avalanche hopes to pay Cale Makar less than $17 million

The Colorado Avalanche have just settled a big deal, signing Martin Necas for the next eight years for $92 million, an average annual salary of $11.5 million.

The next priority for the Avalanche is to sign Cale Makar on a long-term basis, when he will be eligible for an extension on July 1, 2026.

And it could cost a lot of money to keep the NHL’s best defenseman in Denver.

In fact, according to Elliotte Friedman, if the Avalanche manage to sign Makar for a penny less than Kirill Kaprizov, it would be a big win for the organization.

We’re still talking about a salary of $17 million per year in Kaprizov’s case.

Even at $16 million, without being exaggerated for a player of Makar’s stature, it’s still a lot of money, but in the context of a rising cap, we should expect to see more and more of this kind of contract.

Panarin wants to offer his services to the highest bidder.

Speaking of big money, we don’t yet know if Artemi Panarin will finish the season in New York, but we do know that he will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.

According to Elliotte Friedman, the forward is looking for the best possible price for his next contract.

At 34, Panarin is still capable of playing good hockey even if he has started to slow down, but he’ll have to expect a substantial pay cut even if he wants to go with the highest bidder for the man who earned $11,642,857 on average this past year.

Flyers and Mammoth interested in Devon Levi

The Sabres have a surplus of goaltenders with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Alex Lyon, Colten Ellis, Alexandar Georgiev and Devon Levi in the organization.

However, Levi doesn’t like the current situation in Buffalo and has reportedly asked his club to trade him to a team that can give him more playing time in the AHL.

Marco D’Amico reports that, according to Jimmy Murphy, the Flyers and Mammoth have shown interest in the goaltender.

Both clubs, and the Flyers in particular, are reportedly looking for reinforcements between the posts, and a promising young goaltender like Levi could be an interesting addition for them.

In short, a story to follow in the coming weeks.

Overtime

– His first of the season.

– What a save!

– Ouch!

– No pressure despite his contract.

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Face-offs: Alexander Zharovsky wins more than he loses this season

Alexander Zharovsky played another good game today with Ufa’s Salavat Yulayev in a 5-0 victory.

The Russian had two assists in 14:19 minutes of ice time, the fifth-highest total for a forward, including 4:56 minutes on the powerplay.

What’s more, he’s perfect in the face-off circle with a four-in-four performance, while his coach Viktor Kozlov seems to be trusting him more and more to play center.

Zharovsky’s situation is very different from Ivan Demidov’s with the St Petersburg Ska last year, when Demidov’s playing time was more limited to five-on-five and almost non-existent on the power play.

This is a very good thing, as Zharovsky is currently off to an excellent start with fourteen points, including five goals, in thirteen games.

That’s more than a point a game, and if he continues to produce at this rate, he could well break the record for most points for a rookie held by Demidov, who had 49 points in 65 games.

What’s more, the forward has a plus-3 rating and has won 56% of his face-offs (14 in 25) so far this season.

So Zharovsky isn’t just producing, he’s involved in many facets of the game.

If the Russian prospect continues to play well, it’s motivating for him to know that his coach won’t be shy about using him, including on the powerplay, unlike what we often see in the KHL with prospects belonging to NHL clubs.

It’s even better if he can start developing at center at the same time. It’s not easy for a winger to move to center, but you’ve got more chances on your side if you do it early in the player’s development.

Zharovsky, who was a second-round pick, 34th overall, could well become one of the biggest steals of the last draft if he continues to perform like this.

Overtime

– He’s back.

– Boom!

– Can he avoid surgery?

– He’s still playing!

– What a save!

– He could break the bank.

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“The Canadiens are not against the idea of getting a second band-aid center”

The famous second center is a topic of much discussion in Montreal. We’ve known for months that it’s the main need in town… except that it’s also a need elsewhere in the league.

It’s not for nothing that the Canucks are interested in a Steven Stamkos who’s (really) slowing down.

Of course, getting a guy who’d be around for the long haul (like Tage Thompson, for example) would be ideal. But in reality, that’s not necessarily realistic… so the club may be forced to opt for a short-term solution.

And according to Mario Marco D’Amico, who spoke on BPM Sports, it’s not an idea to be ruled out:

The Canadiens are not against the idea of getting a second band-aid center. – Marco D’Amico

The plan would be clear: go out and get a guy who could, temporarily, fill that position until a guy like Michael Hage comes along. It’s impossible to know for sure whether Hage will become a second center, but he’s the club’s best prospect to get there.

All of which means that options like Pavel Zacha, Nazem Kadri and Phillip Danault are possibly really on the table in town. We can imagine that there are others, but we shouldn’t assume that the club will only target guys who can help in the long term.

And that’s even if they’re not of Sidney Crosby’s calibre… who would also be, to a certain extent (due to his age), a band-aid.

We’ll be keeping an eye on all this over the next few months, but there seems to be a real possibility that the Habs will pick up a center who, in reality, won’t be coming to town for the very long term.

That says a lot about how much the club values Hage.

Overtime

– We’ll have to keep an eye on him tonight.

– Obviously.

– A first goal for Vinzenz Rohrer this season.

– I don’t see this happening in the short term.

– Classic.

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Nick Cousins’ dirty trick: Arber Xhekaj “will probably think about it” tomorrow

This morning, colleague Charles-Alexis Brisebois reminded us that tomorrow night, Nick Cousins will face the Canadiens again. And since he took a swing at Ivan Demidov last time out, there’s a good chance it’ll be a rough one tomorrow.

Remember that in that game, Cousins was ejected… for what he said to the referees. So he didn’t have to answer for his actions.

And it’s not just on the outside that this is attracting attention: in the dressing room, the guys are ready. And after today’s practice, Arber Xhekaj talked about it.

The man who clearly doesn’t have the Senators in his heart, as you can read in this article by Jean-François Chaumont(NHL.com), admitted it: everyone in the dressing room remembers this gesture, him first:

Yes, I’ll probably think about it [tomorrow]. – Arber Xhekaj

You have to wonder if it’s Xhekaj, who’s in a fairly higher weight class than Cousins, who’ll go and give him a message. It would be pretty uneven, we agree… but we suspect the Sheriff won’t pass up an opportunity to do so if the opportunity presents itself.

Jayden Struble, who’s already a little more in the same weight class as Cousins, was a little more nuanced, saying that the club was going to have to focus on its game… but that it was going to manage to get its message across if the opportunity arose.

Without falling into indiscipline, that said.

Clearly, we’re in for a bumpy ride tomorrow. We know that the two don’t like each other, and some of the guys in the dressing room seem ready to throw elbows to avenge Demidov if the opportunity arises.

All this at the Bell Centre on a Saturday night: it’s bound to be something.

Overtime

– I love it.

– Great read on Alex Newhook.

– Good listening.

– Interesting.

– Imagine how this will galvanize the club.

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Ivan Demidov: Lane Hutson tries to get him to shoot more

Ivan Demidov has shown great promise since the start of the current campaign. The young Russian already has nine points after 11 games, including seven assists.

His puck possession skills are already elite-caliber, but we’re also seeing all his playmaking talent.

That said, we don’t see him scoring a ton of goals. He’s only scored two goals so far this season, but more importantly, he’s barely taken any shots. On average, he gets less than one shot per game, and he attempts less than three per encounter.

But obviously, there’s one guy who wants that to change: according to Arpon Basu(The Basu & Godin Notebook), Lane Hutson is trying to get Demidov to take more shots on net.

Because clearly, Hutson knows that Demidov is capable of scoring.

Basu explains that Hutson, who experienced the same phenomenon last year, is trying to encourage Demidov not to always look for the passing option if he has an opportunity to score. The defender notes that Demidov has the mentality that he should only shoot when he’s convinced it’s going in, and Hutson wants to help him break that.

Even if, in reality, Hutson could shoot more too. But in his case, you can feel the confidence coming more and more… and it should eventually come for Demidov too.

Basu also explains that on the road, the two guys are roommates, so they’re constantly talking hockey and finding ways to improve. We know that the two guys have been very close since Demidov arrived in Montreal last year (the two guys used to travel together), so Hutson is in a good position to try and get Demidov to shoot a little more.

Let’s see if Demidov will listen to his teammate now.

Overtime

– Worth noting. Adjust accordingly if you’re going to see sports in town tomorrow.

– Hehe.

– Interesting.

– Love it.

– That would be something.

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Olympics 2026: Bill Guerin doesn’t seem to want a guy like Cole Caufield

At the moment, no player has more goals than Cole Caufield in the NHL this season. The CH forward, who has nine goals after 11 games, is in spectacular form at the start of the season.

Especially as he has a flair for the dramatic with his goals, hehe.

And what’s interesting is that all this comes at a time when Caufield is trying to convince U.S. officials to select him for the upcoming Olympic Games. We know it’s going to be tough, but he’s pulling out all the stops right now…

Except that Bill Guerin, Team USA‘s GM, doesn’t sound like someone who wants a guy like Caufield. In an interview with Michael Russo(The Athletic), Guerin really emphasized the importance of selecting guys who can hit and play short-handed.

And as Russo notes, that doesn’t sound like a good sign for Caufield.

We know that the U.S. already has many players who will occupy important offensive roles. If we look only at the wing, we expect to see the Tkachuk brothers, Jake Guentzel, Matt Boldy and Kyle Connor… and Jack Hughes, a natural center, was used on the wing at the 4 Nations Confrontation.

There are already quite a few people to pack off… and Caufield, even if he has greatly improved his defensive game, doesn’t have the profile of a support player that Guerin seems to advocate.

And as for Lane Hutson, Russo has the impression that there’s a path that would lead him to the Olympics: the one in which Adam Fox is ignored. We know that Fox didn’t look good at the 4 Nations… and if the club wants to tamp him down, Hutson may suddenly believe in his chances.

You’d think he’d be there as an extra, though: as long as Quinn Hughes and Zach Werenski are there, Hutson has very little chance of being in uniform.

We’ll keep an eye on all this over the next few weeks, but for now, both guys have to keep giving everything they’ve got on the ice. That’s how they’ll make Guerin’s job harder.

Overtime

– It’s now official.

– What can you expect tomorrow?

– What will happen with Jason Robertson?

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William Trudeau unclaimed in waivers

Yesterday, the Habs placed William Trudeau in the waivers.

We wondered if he’d be claimed by another national league team, even though the chances were slim… and we got the answer to our question today.

To put it simply: no, Trudeau hasn’t been claimed by another team. So he’s off to Laval.

This is no big surprise.

Trudeau is only 23… but we’re also talking about a guy with zero experience in the National League. He hasn’t played a single game in the NHL, which is why it would have been surprising to see another team take a chance on him.

Even though he has great potential.

For the Rocket, it’s wicked good news.

Trudeau will be able to add to the group of defensemen that will also welcome David Reinbacher, who will make his return to action tonight after missing the start of the season.

Adding Trudeau AND Reinbacher to the line-up will help the Laval club to be even more solid defensively.

It’s worth noting that Trudeau is likely to regain an important role with the Rocket. He was already one of the club’s pillars on the blue line, and he’ll be able to take on even more now that he’s in his fourth full season with the pros.

I also think that the Canadiens are happy to know that he wasn’t called up for the waivers. The club may have a lot of depth on the left blue line, but we know that injuries can happen fast too…

Overtime

– Go!

– Hehe.

– Things are going well for him.

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Stéphane Robidas defends Arber Xhekaj

In practice, everything was going well for Arber Xhekaj. The defender formed a fine pair with Alexandre Carrier and was really in control.

But now, at the start of the season, we can see that some difficulties are coming to the surface for #72. You can see it in his playing time, which is melting like snow in the sun.

If it weren’t for Kaiden Guhle’s injury, he might be defender #7 right now.

Today, Stéphane Robidas showed up in front of the media and answered reporters’ questions. And let’s just say it wasn’t long before the subject of the Sheriff came up.

The defensemen coach, who began by saying that Xhekaj was more than just a big guy who could fight and play physical, praised his defenseman’s qualities on the ice.

What did the coach have to say ?

Robidas likes his play with the puck and his zone exits. Xhekaj is better defensively, he has great reach because of his size and he has a good stick.

The Québécois also likes the presence that #72 is able to bring while on the bench or on the ice.

Even so, the defenseman has trouble sticking to the right outings in terms of playing time. He often gets benched for several minutes in games.

(Credit: ESPN)

This shows that despite some improvements, he still has things to work on. He needs to know what they are – and it wasn’t up to Stéphane Robidas to talk about them publicly in front of the media this lunchtime.

To be continued…

overtime

– Ouch.

– News from the Alouettes.

– Improbable.

– Interesting.

– Jacob Fowler on the bench.

– Nice.

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Video: Alexander Zharovsky takes control of the powerplay

Alexander Zharovsky gets a lot of attention. And I think this will be the case for many years to come.

Recently, he’s been in the news for reaching the point-per-game mark. As of this morning, he had 12 points in 12 games this season.

To do so at 18 in the KHL is… no worse than that.

But then, in his game of the day, Zharovsky managed to break the symbolic point-per-game barrier. He picked up two assists against the Admiral.

It started with an assist midway through the first period…

But most impressive of all was his second pass. Zharovsky took control of the powerplay by skating around the opposing net to spot an opportunity.

And he made a pass to his teammate, who had a great shooting line. Wow.

We seem to be seeing a bit of Ivan Demidov in his game. He’s often able to find the right passing line to score for his team.

That’s a nice quality.

The Canadiens are fortunate to have another such prospect (not on the same level as the Habs’ #93, obviously, but still) in their very solid bank of prospects.

Will this lead to anything good in the NHL? We’ll see in due course.

overtime

– Interesting stuff.

– Too easy.

– Wow.

– Logical.

– Well done.

– Great Slaf.