Category: Dans les coulisses

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Dans les coulisses

LeBreton Flats: the Senators have (finally) reached an agreement

According to Sportsnet reporter Wayne Scanlan, who has his finger on the pulse of the Ottawa market, the Senators are about to announce some good news.

What good news? The club would finally have an agreement in place to build an arena on LeBreton Flats just as the deadline for agreement was approaching – today.

A press conference will be held in the next few hours.

Getting out of Kanata will be a blessing for the Sens. After all, the club’s current arena is several dozen minutes by car (how else are you going to get there, anyway?) from downtown Ottawa and Gatineau.

I mention Gatineau knowing full well that the Sens don’t always try to conquer the market.

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But hey. All this to say that finally, the Ottawa Senators, under new owner Michael Andlauer, will have the opportunity to build something good.

And when I say “build” something good, I don’t just mean the arena and the environment around it. I also mean a culture that will make people choose Ottawa.

Players and fans alike will have a more attractive proposition for choosing hockey in Ottawa. If the club does things right, it should make the market more attractive.

And that’s good.

So I guess we can forget the rumours of the Sens moving to Quebec City, Markham, Hamilton or anywhere else in the U.S.: it’s in the capital that the Sens will continue to play.

The next step? Building a real team that will win hockey games. Will Brady Tkachuk be able to guide his team?

Overtime

– Happy listening.

– Kirby Dach and Patrik Laine must chase rust. [98.5 FM]

– Here’s the Kings’ schedule in Quebec City. [JdeM]

– Read more.

– What’s next for the Panthers?

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Dans les coulisses

Transaction: Kent Hughes on the phone to improve the Canadiens

In recent weeks, Marco D’Amico has told us that several teams are keen to make a move at training camp. And with the rising salary cap giving clubs the means to achieve their ambitions, it’s time to keep an eye on the market.

And now the columnist is back at it again this morning.

And how? By publishing an article on Responsible Gaming on the following subject: Habs GM Kent Hughes is on the phone to improve his team between now and the start of the season.

It’s also worth noting that the Habs aren’t interested in “moving just to move” in the next few weeks. If there is a deal, it will be to improve the club.

The club doesn’t want to make a “lateral move” by stripping Peter to dress Paul. D’Amico gives the example of Kent Hughes’ unwillingness to give up Jacob Fowler for Yaroslav Askarov.

What is the Habs looking for, you may ask?

Obviously, a little forward wouldn’t hurt. But we know that Jeff Gorton, earlier this week, said he expected the forward to develop properly. But on the other hand, the defense needs to be better.

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With Kaiden Guhle – who is expected to play on the right this year – a doubtful case for the start of the season (and an injury-prone player in general), David Savard’s contract running out and the fact that young right-handers aren’t in the NHL yet, we have a clue.

You don’t necessarily have to look far and wide to see that this is where the Habs could look for reinforcements (right-handed defensemen). Justin Barron is losing more and more feathers, and if the Habs can improve by letting him go, they probably will.

Remember that recently, the name of the defenseman obtained for Artturi Lehkonen was raised. Is this still the case? The question is bound to arise on this Friday morning.

In short, things could get moving in Montreal. Stay tuned.

Overtime

– The Dodgers are in the playoffs: that’s the most important thing for the star.

– Logan Mailloux, Rocket captain? [BPM Sports]

– Of note.

– This will help.

– Guy Lafleur would have turned 73 today.

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Dans les coulisses

Kaiden Guhle: “too early to say whether he’ll be ready for the start of the season”.

MONTREAL, CANADA - APRIL 4: Kaiden Guhle #21 of the Montreal Canadiens passes the puck during the first period of the NHL regular season game between the Montreal Canadiens and the Tampa Bay Lightning at the Bell Centre on April 4, 2024 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Montreal Canadiens by a score of 7-4. (Photo by Vitor Munhoz/NHLI via Getty Images)

Yesterday, we learned that the Canadiens would be starting training camp without Kaiden Guhle.

The defenseman underwent emergency surgery to remove his appendix. And according to the Habs’ schedule, the defender’s case will be re-evaluated in a week’s time, i.e. next week.

The result? He’ll miss the first few pre-season games.

Even if, in an ideal world, Guhle wouldn’t miss the start of camp, we agree that all this is a lesser evil. After all, the Habs aren’t aiming for the Stanley Cup: they’re #InTheMix only.

But what if his absence is prolonged?

This morning, on the heels of his column on BPM Sports’ Le club du matin, Renaud Lavoie was asked if he had any news on Kaiden Guhle.

And the man who asked some well-placed people about the subject says it’s too early to say whether he’ll be ready for the start of the season.

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Because there are other assessments to be made in his case, no one wants to stick their neck out and answer the question this week. Even though, under normal circumstances, he should be ready.

But the fact that the subject was raised on the radio and that the nuance was made may serve as a warning. We’ll see if anything is announced next week.

After all, it’s clear that at the moment, it’s too early to say.

Should Guhle miss the start of the season, I wonder if Martin St-Louis could move David Savard to the first defense pairing, alongside Mike Matheson. Together, the Québécois could eat up big minutes against opposing big trios.

Inevitably, this would open doors for the youngsters. With Arber Xhekaj and Justin Barron expected to make the club, this would potentially leave three more spots if Guhle were to start on the injured list.

Lane Hutson, Logan Mailloux, Jayden Struble, David Reinbacher, Adam Engstrom and William Trudeau, in no particular order, are the most logical candidates to break into the line-up.

What’s also noticeable is that without Guhle, the club’s depth would really be tested. Two youngsters would have to be in the defensive top-4 for a few games, and the Habs would be even less watertight defensively.

And to me, the glaring lack of depth on defense is further proof that the Habs will have a hard time staying #InTheMix for months to come…

Overtime

– Draft 2025: Caleb Desnoyers (10) and Émile Guité (17) are in Bobby Margarita’s top-20.

– Especially not with today’s news.

– Three years, $4M per year for Dawson Mercer with the Devils.

– Enjoy.

– Jets win.

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Dans les coulisses

Kris Letang wouldn’t be surprised to see Sidney Crosby play until he’s 50

Crosby will certainly be the captain of this Canadian team.

During the summer, Sidney Crosby’s contractual situation was the talk of the town. Entering the final year of his current contract, the Penguins captain had yet to sign a contract extension.

This was finally resolved on Monday morning, when he signed a new two-year pact.

Now 37, Crosby isn’t exactly a youth anymore. That said, even as he ages, he remains an extremely productive player…

And that gives some of his teammates ideas of grandeur.

Kris Letang, who chatted about Crosby’s contract extension, is among those who believe the captain still has plenty left in the tank… and he allowed himself a bold little prediction:

He could play until he’s 50, maybe? I don’t know, 45, 50? – Kris Letang

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And obviously, Letang isn’t the only one who thinks so: in a text published on the Penguins’ official website, we learn that Evgeni Malkin, the other member of the line, also thinks that Crosby could play until he’s 50.

Of course, you might think the guys are exaggerating a bit… but on the other hand, Crosby still offers production worthy of a player in his prime. Last year, the man who never averaged less than a point a game in a single season collected 42 goals and 94 points in 82 games.

He certainly doesn’t look like a guy who’s nearing the end of his career.

Will Crosby’s next contract, which expires as he approaches his 40th birthday, be his last in the NHL? It’s not impossible… but there are those who see him playing a little longer.

Maybe not to the point of announcing his retirement at 52 like Jaromir Jagr… but who knows?

Overtime

– The Habs have two of the top five players not currently playing in the NHL, according to Pierre McGuire. He’s talking about Ivan Demidov… and Jacob Fowler.

– Who’d want a guy like Christian Dvorak, though?

– Rangers: the last dance for the core built by Jeff Gorton?

– That’s right.

– Juraj Slafkovský: a logical candidate to explode in 2024-25. [The Athletic]

– Still.

– Happy listening!

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Dans les coulisses

“Ask my old coach”: William Nylander takes a swipe at Sheldon Keefe

NEWARK, NJ - APRIL 09: William Nylander #88 of the Toronto Maple Leafs waits for a face off during the third period of the game against the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center on April 9, 2024 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Rich Graessle/NHLI via Getty Images)

This season, the Toronto Maple Leafs will have a new coach behind the bench. After five years, Sheldon Keefe has lost his position… and Craig Berube will replace him.

We’ll see if this really has an impact, but at least the Leafs are stirring the pot.

Speaking of stirring the pot, though, it won’t just be behind the bench. At the start of camp in Toronto, we note that William Nylander is being used… at center.

It’s not the first time, but last year, Keefe abandoned the experiment very, very quickly.

And Nylander obviously didn’t like that… who took a swipe at Keefe today when asked why the experiment ended so quickly last year:

I don’t know. Ask my old coach. – William Nylander.

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You can tell from his comments that Nylander didn’t necessarily appreciate not having a little more time to adapt to the center position. After all, he’s been playing on the wing for years… and you’d think he’d need a little more time to acclimatize.

To change his position only to abandon the project after one game… it’s a bit of a waste of time, after all.

It will be interesting to see what the Maple Leafs’ lineup looks like this season. If Nylander is actually used at center on a regular basis, that’ll make three high-quality center players in town with Auston Matthews and John Tavares.

We know the club has good wingers (Mitch Marner, Matthew Knies, Max Domi, Bobby McMann, Calle Jarnkrok, Max Pacioretty, etc.)… but will Tavares pivot a third line? A third center at $11 million is a bit expensive.

We’ll have to see how everything evolves… but to hear Nylander talk, we seem to understand that this is a change that’s here to stay.

To be continued.

Overtime

– He’ll be closely watched, of course.

– Lane Hutson moves like a forward, says Nick Suzuki.

– Wow.

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Dans les coulisses

NHL 25: Arber Xhekaj in the NHL’s top-10 for strength and power of hit shot

Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images

Over the past few days, EA Sports has been publishing player ratings for the next edition of its NHL game. We’ve seen Cole Caufield rated at 88, while Nick Suzuki is close to 90.

All in all, these are very good odds.

That said, today the company published the ratings of the best players according to specific skills. Among others, the 10 strongest players were ranked.

And when we look at these rankings, we see that in sixth place is a certain… Arber Xhekaj.

In fact, he’s tied with several other players. Theoretically, he’s tied for fourth.

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Obviously, we know that the Sheriff is a colossus. He’s an extremely strong guy, and it’s nice to see that he’s getting the recognition he deserves.

What’s even more impressive, though, is that Xhekaj is in the league’s top-10 for another skill: slap shot power.

His 93 rating puts him on a par with the likes of Steven Stamkos and Roman Josi… and proves our colleague Marc-Olivier Cook, who was talking about Xhekaj’s slap shot recently, right.

In terms of wrist shot power, we also note the presence of Patrik Laine in the top-10.

These are great accolades for these guys, who do indeed have elite-caliber assets.

It’s a little surprising not to see Xhekaj in the top-10 for checking, that said… especially since he has a teammate in the rankings: good old Michael Pezzetta.

Obviously, you have to take some and leave some with odds like these. It’s not meant to be a perfect representation of the players, and it remains an opinion that, to a certain extent, is subjective.

That said, hats off to the Habs guys who have been recognized in these rankings. All that remains is to see how well they do in the new edition of the game.

Overtime

– Shohei Ohtani is making history (again).

– No wonder he had a good game today.

– Slaf is confident.

– Mikko Rantanen isn’t too worried about his contractual situation.

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Dans les coulisses

Patrick Roy did his Torts: his players sweated profusely today

Patrick Roy is known as an intense coach.

And it was no different today, on the heels of the first day (on the ice) of the New York Islanders camp.

His players worked hard.

Kevin Dubé(Journal de Québec) traveled to New York to attend the team’s first practice on the ice, and had a chance to talk to a few of the guys afterwards.

In particular, he chatted with Alexander Romanov… Who wanted to go to bed after practice because it was so extreme:

It’s been a tough morning. Time for a nap! It was hard. I don’t know how everyone else feels, but I’m tired. – Alexander Romanov

For his part, Brock Nelson says it was “definitely” one of the toughest practices, as Kevin Dubé reports:

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Patrick Roy took the helm of the Islanders last season, with only about 30 games left to play.

He succeeded in taking the club all the way to the playoffs… But now, he has the opportunity to bring his sauce to Day 1 of the season.

And that’s different.

The coach wanted to start the season the right way, and that’s why he used the approach of making his guys sweat.

A bit like John Tortorella in Philly:

It’s a bit old school, and I find it hard to believe that these strategies are appreciated by the players.

But, whatever it takes: all means are good in order to get ready for the season…

Overtime

– Logical.

– Stamkos is happy.

– Well done.

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Dans les coulisses

Mitch Marner open to the idea of negotiating during the season

TORONTO, CANADA - APRIL 27: Mitchell Marner #16 of the Toronto Maple Leafs gets set for action to resume against the Boston Bruins in Game Four of the First Round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena on April 27, 2024 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Bruins defeated the Maple Leafs 3-1. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Mitchell Marner

Mitch Marner is in the final year of his contract with the Leafs.

That said, he’ll be free as a bird next summer if he doesn’t come to an agreement with Brad Treliving (GM) on the terms of a new deal by then.

There aren’t many discussions between the two sides at the moment, but Marner says he’s open to the idea of negotiating during the season.

The Leafs’ star player told Elliotte Friedman that he wants to focus on the Leafs’ success, but that he’s also thinking about his contractual situation.

That’s normal, because it can be stressful for a player trying to figure out what to expect in the future.

Marner wants to leave the situation in the hands of his agent, and he also says he’s ready to step in if things get a little complicated.

It’s rare to see a player so open about his own contractual situation.

And it’s also rare to see a player willing to negotiate during the season, because it can quickly become a popular topic in the room, and because it can create distractions around the team:

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Wanting to negotiate and “being open” to the idea of negotiating are not the same thing.

Mitch Marner would have liked to sign a contract extension before the start of the season to avoid certain comments, and that’s understandable too.

After all, everyone knows the player’s value, and with all the rumours we’ve heard about him in recent months, it’s normal to think he’s had enough and just wants to sign a new contract.

Because Marner wants to play in Toronto. He said so repeatedly at the end-of-season review in Toronto last May.

Now we have to wonder if his wish will come true. Especially with Auston Matthews and William Nylander signing very, very lucrative long-term contracts in the last year.

Will Brad Treliving still want to have (at least) three players on his payroll earning more than $10 million per season? If not, will he try to trade Marner before next summer, so as not to lose him for nothing?

All this to say that the Leafs have a nasty problem on their hands…

Overtime

– Of note:

– He has the potential to break everything.

– Boom!

– Oops…

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Dans les coulisses

NHL owners to meet to approve expansion opening

Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images

At the moment, there are 32 clubs in the National League.

We know that NHL management would like to add more teams, but we don’t know when that will happen.

In fact, we may have more information on that soon.

I say this because this morning, Andy Strickland published an interesting tweet.

He explains that NHL owners will soon meet to approve the opening of the next expansion.

That said, the favorite ownership groups right now for expansion would be Fertitta (Houston) and Krause (Atlanta).

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No, Quebec City was not mentioned by Andy Strickland.

After all, there’s nothing new about the possibility of a returning NHL club coming back to the province, and we know what the problem is with the whole situation.

No one wants to pay to buy / bring a team…

Could Quebec have a better chance if the NHL adds four teams (not two) in the near future?

Because according to Kevin Weekes, that would be the plan….

Like many, I wonder why the NHL would insist on going back to Atlanta.

It didn’t work out the last two times, and now they want to give hockey another chance there?

Hmm…

Let’s wait and see what the league’s plan is for the future. But right now, the information that’s already out there has people talking, and not necessarily for the right reasons.

In Overtime

– Big contract for Seider in Detroit.

– Johnathan Kovacevic on competition in Devils camp.

– To be continued.

– Bo Bichette’s season is over.

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Dans les coulisses

A magnificent goal (and two assists) for Demidov so far today

Ivan Demidov is making sure no one worries about his playing time in Montreal.

He’s getting comfortable with SKA, and we saw it again today.

The Canadiens’ prospect picked up two assists in the first period between his club and Sochi (Matvei Michkov’s former club):

Demidov finished the first period with 4:45 left on the clock, which is no mean feat.

And it was during the second period that he really put on a show with a magnificent goal.

The Russian took advantage of a beautiful pass from his teammate to get into the slot and unleash a shot that was simply violent.

The puck went in so fast that the Sochi players wondered if Demidov had really scored:

Demidov has five points in six games so far this KHL season.

He’s gaining in confidence and if he keeps this up, he’s in for quite a campaign in Russia.

So much the better!

Extension

While Ivan Demidov is having fun in Sochi, his brother is having fun in the VHL.

Semyon Demidov scored three goals today: