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Cole Caufield gives the Habs victory in their home opener

After three games on the road, the Canadiens finally played their first game of the season at the Bell Centre. And for the occasion, the Seattle Kraken were in town. For the occasion, Martin St-Louis kept the same lineup as the one we’ve seen since the start of the season.And unsurprisingly, Samuel Montembeault was in front of the net.

On the Kraken side, the club is without the services of Kaapo Kakko, an important piece of its forward group.

Before the game, we were treated to the classic pre-game ceremony, during which Lane Hutson received a monster ovation.The tribute to Ken Dryden was also a highlight.

So the Habs were propelled by their fans at the start of the game…. and Ivan Demidov gave them another reason to celebrate: he was there with a beautiful pass to Alex Newhook.And it allowed the latter to score his team’s first goal at home this season.

[content-ads]After 20 minutes, the score was 1-0 in favor of the Canadiens. Early in the second period, Mike Matheson took a penalty that gave the Kraken a powerplay.And Jaden Schwartz took advantage of it to tie the score.

But minutes later, the Habs’ top line took advantage of an offensive zone sequence.And that gave Cole Caufield his fifth career goal in a home opener.

Now, just before the end of the period, Jani Nyman deflected a shot to bring everyone back to square one.We’re talking about a pretty… bizarre.

[content-ads]After 40 minutes, the score was 2-2.

Very early in the third period, Noah Dobson directed a puck toward the net… and Kirby Dach deflected it into the back of the net.It was Dach’s first goal since January 23.

But once again, the Kraken found a way to tie the score: Jamie Oleksiak took advantage of traffic in front of the net to score his team’s third goal.a major league shot.

Then, a few minutes later, the Kraken took the lead for the first time in the game.Jared McCann was alert on the sequence, allowing him to give his team the lead.

Late in the game, the Canadiens took advantage of a power play… and the club took advantage of it: Patrik Laine played with patience before handing the puck to Demidov, who was also patient.And that allowed him to tie the score late in the third period.

So, overtime was needed to decide the tie… And in the end, it went in the Habs’ favor: Cole Caufield gave his team the win.

Final score: 5-4 Montréal (Prol.) The Canadiens return to action on Thursday evening, when the Nashville Predators visit the Bell Centre. The game kicks off at 7 p.m.[spacer title=’Prolongation’]- It was a strange game at the Bell Centre tonight. The Habs seemed to lack energy as the game progressed, but Ivan Demidov managed to reinvigorate the club late in the third period. The referees didn’t have a great night’s work either, but that can’t be an excuse– Late in the third period, Brendan Gallagher took Patrik Laine’s place on the Jake Evans line.

It’s also worth noting that Kirby Dach took Oliver Kapanen’s place at Ivan Demidov’s center and Alex Newhook’s at the end of the game. Interesting.

– The quality of the ice was clearly not optimal tonight. We saw a lot of falls on the ice, which hurt both teams. Maybe the fire on the ice before the game didn’t help, hehe– Nothing less.

– Interesting. Was he here to see Nick Suzuki, Noah Dobson, Samuel Montembeault… or all of them?

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The Canadiens’ next priority (according to Pierre LeBrun): sign Mike Matheson

In the last 36 hours, the Canadiens have signed three key players to long-term contracts: Lane Hutson signed an eight-year deal yesterday, and Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton each signed a five-year contract earlier today.Hughes, like his players, was willing to sign at a discount.But now that these matters are settled, it’s time to think about what’s next in town. And Pierre LeBrun talked about all that on tonight’s Insider Trading segment. In fact, according to LeBrun, there’s one file that’s clearly the club’s next priority…and that’s that of Mike Matheson, who’s being offered a contract extension.

[content-ads]According to LeBrun, talks with Matheson and his clan will begin shortly. There’s interest on Matheson’s part to stay in town beyond the current season… but a deal will have to be worked out that everyone can live with.And according to LeBrun, the defenseman doesn’t want anything to do with a short-term deal: it will take a contract of at least four or five years to interest the defenseman.

We know that Matheson, unlike the youngsters who agree to sign on the cheap, is likely to be on his last real opportunity to sign a big NHL contract… and his best offer probably won’t be the Canadiens’.But we also know that he’s a local guy who’s happy in Montreal: we’ll have to see how much that weighs in the balance.Note that with the Hutson case settled, the Habs have just under $28 million at their disposal for next season. The club will have to sign Zachary Bolduc, Kirby Dach and Arber Xhekaj (and Patrik Laine?), but there will still be plenty of money left over for the club to offer Matheson. Itremains to be seen what the club will be prepared to offer a defenseman who will be 32 next February.[spacer title=’Overtime’]- KHL: a referee banned for life for a bad goal call

–

– Great read on Kirby Dach.

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New contract: Kent Hughes also wanted to sign on the cheap

Over the past few years, the Canadiens have established a new culture. As wesaw just yesterday, Lane Hutson signed an eight-year contract that will have an impact of less than $9 million on the payroll,even though he had his reasons for doing so.that said,we also learned today that club executives Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton have signed contract extensions. And what’s interesting is that during tonight’s Insider Trading segment, Pierre LeBrun revealed an interesting piece of information: Kent Hughes also agreed to sign at a discount.He didn’t want to break the bank.

[content-ads]According to LeBrun, Hughes wasn’t interested in getting paid as much as guys like Kyle Dubas and Brad Treliving, who are among the highest-paid executives in the Bettman circuit. The GM obviously wanted to lead by example… even though, in reality, he’s not subject to a salary cap,so he didn’t have to (and it didn’t give his club a competitive edge)… but he still wanted to sign at a discount.We don’t know if Jeff Gorton did the same, but we do know that, theoretically, he’s above Hughes in the hierarchy, so it’s safe to assume he got more money. And after all, he’s more experienced than Hughes in a leadership role… and we know he’s been courted by other teams in recent years (although he’s never thought of leaving, according to Geoff Molson).But in any case, it’s very cool to see that the GM has led by example and has also agreed to do what he asks of his players. That‘ s a factor that helps solidify the culture, too.[spacer title=’Overtime’]- Which song has your attention?

– Interesting.

– Interested?

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Ivan Demidov: an incredible assist on the Habs’ first home goal of the season

Now that the pre-game ceremonies are a thing of the past, we can finally turn our attention to tonight’s match-up between the Kraken and the Canadiens at the Bell Centre.The Canadiens wanted to harness the energy of their fans to try and win their first game at home this year,and Ivan Demidov clearly understood the mission. The young Russian, playing in his first home opener at the Bell Centre, wasted no time in making his presence felt, passing the puck to Alex Newhook in the first period andscoring the Habs’ first home goal of the season.

[content-ads]More details to come…

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Opening match: Lane Hutson receives a hero’s welcome at the Bell Centre

Tonight is the Canadiens’ home opener. And as usual, we were expecting the classic pre-game ceremony.The Bell Centre, after all, has a reputation for that.And of course, we were expecting quite a crowd reaction for Lane Hutson. Seeing the defenseman sign an eight-year contract yesterday (and do it at a discount) was a perfect recipe for a monster ovation, so it was no surprise that when Hutson was introduced to the crowd, he got a ton of love.

[content-ads]More details to come…

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Rumor mill: Hendrix Lapierre available in Washington?

It’s still very early in the season, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t rumors flying around the NHL either. Because there are some guys getting a lot of attention in the league right now. We could start with Hendrix Lapierre… The Québécois, after a monster practice camp in Washington, broke into the Capitals line-up. He started the season on the team’s top-9 because he really impressed his club’s management. But… He was left out of his team’s last game, even though he was healthy, as the Capitals visited the Rangers’ home. And it’s forcing Frank Seravalli(Insider Notebook) to think Lapierre could be coveted on the trade market.

There will be teams interested in him if he ever becomes available on the market. And for those wondering… no, the Canadiens shouldn’t have their nose in the matter: right now, what’s missing is a guy who can play center on a second line in Montreal. The Habs don’t need another project or a guy with good potential. It needs a player who can help right now… and Lapierre isn’t there yet in his development [content-ads]

Two guys to watch on the Penguins

To no one ‘ s surprise, the Penguins are off to a very respectable start to the season. They’ve won two of their first three games of the campaign, and if the playoffs started tonight, they’d have a ticket to the playoffs. That said, we know it may not last very long because there are some really big holes in the Pittsburgh lineup. We expect the club to fall apart at some point, and if that happens, we could see the Penguins go to the sellers’ side at the trade deadline. Two players would be worth keeping an eye on in that case, according to Josh Yohe. The man who covers Penguins activities for The Athletic talks about Rickard Rakell and Erik Karlsson as guys who are likely to be traded this season:

Of course, you have to wonder what that means for a guy like Sidney Crosby.

We know the Kid wants to win and raise the Stanley Cup one last time before he retires, but it’s going to be tough if all the major players leave Pittsburgh… [content-ads]

What will happen with Artemi Panarin?

Artemi Panarin is in the final year of his contract with the Rangers, and we’re all wondering what’s going to happen with him… especially given that things aren’t going so well in New York right now. Johnny Lazarus (Daily Faceoff) is sure of one thing, though: it’s time for another call-up in the Big Apple. He argues that the Rangers should forget about Panarin for the next few years, for the good of the team:

Artemi Panarin is a hockey player.

He’s one of those guys who has the talent to single-handedly change a game, and he’s proven it since his arrival in the National League. But at 33, he too seems ready to write a new page in his history. And it makes you wonder what’s going to happen with him next… [spacer title=’Overtime’] – Indeed.

– Bang.

– Of note:

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Geoff Molson never feared Jeff Gorton would leave the Habs

Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes signed new contracts with the Canadiens earlier today, and it’s great news because the duo have been doing a great job since arriving in Montreal.Geoff Molson spoke about the news ahead of the team’s opening game tonight, and the Canadiens owner admitted he’s happy to see Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton staying in town. He has said repeatedly that he appreciates the work done by HuGo, and that he was never worried about Gorton leaving the organization. Remember that the name of the Canadiens’ (new) president of hockey operations has been linked to a few teams in recent years…

[content-ads] Seeing the smile on his face, it’s easy to see that Geoff Molson is pleased with the turn of events.

He knows that Hughes and Gorton have changed a lot of things (for the better) within the organization, and he’s aware that the duo have some really interesting qualities to help the club perform better on the ice. It’s also worth noting that the team president has confirmed that Gorton and Hughes’ deal was settled before Lane Hutson got his contract extension, so it wasn’t that one that changed things….

Molson is happy to see that his club is doing well on the ice. He has confidence in Hughes and Gorton going forward… because they’ve proven that they’re capable of moving the rebuilding process forward in recent years. And it’s true, after all: what Hughes and Gorton are doing isn’t going unnoticed. They’ve changed the culture of the team, they’re preparing for great years in Montreal, and a lot of the credit goes to the duo. It’s no surprise to see the owner proud of what he’s done. [spacer title=’Overtime’] – Come on!

– Logical.

– Love the idea.

– Oh yeah?

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Advanced statistics: Dobson is currently one of the NHL’s best defensive defenders

When Noah Dobson was acquired by the Canadiens last June, it was assumed that his arrival in Montreal would stabilize the Canadiens’ defense, and that’s exactly what’s happening right now. Dobson plays on a pair with Mike Matheson, allowing Lane Hutson and Kaiden Guhle to shine together. The addition of the right-hander solidifies the team’s top-4 at the blue line, to put it another way. That said, some have pointed to the fact that he looked nonchalant on the ice and wasn’t 100% involved. His dubious fallback against Toronto in the first game of the season caused a stir, after all, but when you look at the advanced stats, you realize that the defenseman isn’t bad defensively. In fact, according to hisDefenfive rating, Dobson is among the NHL’s elite so far this season:

[content-ads] The higher a player’s rating, the better.

And there are many factors that go into calculating a player’s grade: blocked shots, expected goals at five-on-five, goals scored at five-on-five, a player’s impact in terms of playing time… Right now, Noah Dobson is doing more good things than bad things on the ice. He’s able to help the Canadiens in the defensive zone because of his mobility and his ability to cover a lot of ice. That said, we’re entitled to expect more from him offensively too. At $9.5 million a season, Dobson needs to be able to produce offensively to help the Canadiens… and he’s only picked up one assist in three games so far this season. He’s still adjusting to the Canadiens’ game, and it’s clearly showing. When it comes down to it, though… it’s likely to produce a really interesting result. [spacer title=’Overtime’] – Bravo.

– Ouch.

– That would be sick.

– Oh!

– Pierre-Luc Dubois is injured.

– He’s going to be good.

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At least a month without Brady Tkachuk: the Canadiens must take advantage in the standings

Yesterday, the Senators’ captain Brady Tkachuk was injured when he fell against the boards behind the net. Here’s

And now the Sens have just heard from their captain: he’ll be out for a month.People in Ottawa are holding their breath. content-ads]

Brady, who is as neutralized at the start of the season as his brother is in Florida, must not exactly be a satisfied customer at the time of writing. After all, he wants to play… and he knows that his club needs him. At the Canadiens, we have to look at this and tell ourselves to take advantage. After all, if Martin St-Louis’ men want to make the playoffs, the Sens will be in the way, but without Brady Tkachuk, it won’t be the same game.We’re not saying that the road is open in the Atlantic, but there are a few teams that aren’t as good as they were at the start of the 2025-2026 season, and the CH must take advantage. Will they? [spacer title=’Overtime’]- They need to stand up.

– The Rocket craze is still alive.

– Martin St-Louis loves his club.[98.5 FM] – Far from a demotion?

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Jeff Gorton becomes president of the Canadiens: he and Kent Hughes sign new contract

We knew the Canadiens would be announcing contract extensions for Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton. The rumor mill had been churning for a few hours already, but now the announcement of a five-year contract extension for each has been made… with a surprise in store. Geoff Molson has announced that Jeff Gorton is no longer the Canadiens’ Vice-President of Hockey: he has been promoted to President of Hockey Operations.

Why such a change? I have my theories. 1. At first, the Canadiens didn’t want to say that Gorton was above Hughes in the pecking order. But now everyone knows – and it’s more official than ever. 2. Geoff Molson wanted to retain the title of president in 2021, and I have a feeling this is partly because Jeff Gorton doesn’t speak French. Is he obviously more comfortable giving it to him now that we know him better than in 2021? Will it cry? 3. With other teams calling to talk to Gorton about becoming president of another club, Geoff Molson may simply have decided to promote (on paper) his most trusted man [content-ads]But whatever the reasons, Gorton and Hughes have signed a five-year contract extension (2026 to 2031) that confirms they’re not going anywhere. Martin St-Louis sees the men who put their trust in him staying in town. No one’s surprised.

When you have men you trust, you make sure you keep them. And unsurprisingly, that’s exactly what the Canadiens have chosen to do going forward. The last time Geoff Molson was placed under these conditions, he fired Marc Bergevin instead, in 2021.Details to come…