Category: Dans les coulisses

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Dans les coulisses

Jeff Petry: wait before assuming Kent Hughes will keep half his contract

When the Pittsburgh Penguins traded Jeff Petry to the Montreal Canadiens in the last few days, they decided to keep 25% of his salary. The defenseman normally has an impact under the $6.25M cap for another two years.

This is a great asset for Kent Hughes, who now has Jeff Petry on his payroll for only $4.6875 million… for the time being.

That’s easier to handle in the case of a trade (after all, we suspect Kent Hughes is on the phone to trade his defenseman) for what’s next.

But does this necessarily mean that the Habs will withhold a large portion of the defenseman’s salary? They can withhold up to 50% of the $4.6875 million, or $2.34375 million.

I don’t think that’s in the Habs’ plans.

I was the first to say that by withholding a good portion of Petry’s salary, Hughes would be able to get a good return. But something wasn’t quite right in my mind: the GM, ever since he took over, has always been thinking long-term. And his club isn’t yet good enough to change that mentality.

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Why would he give away Mike Hoffman, whose contract is up in a year, to get Jeff Petry, whose deal is still valid for two years, if he’s going to withhold salary for another 23 months on the defenseman’s contract?

The cap could go up by $4.5 million in the summer of 2024. Does Kent Hughes really want to keep half of that amount for Jeff Petry? I don’t think it’s his first choice, no – just as the player’s first choice probably isn’t to be here.

With Karl Alzner and Joel Edmundson leaving the “dead money” portion of the salary cap in a year’s time, it’s going to provide some much-needed lousse for the Habs GM.

The more I think about it, the more I realize that the Habs haven’t traded the defenseman yet because they think they’ll be able to pass on his entire contract. After all, that’s how the CH works, so as not to mortgage the future.

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Since his arrival, the GM has only kept money on contracts that are a few months away from expiry. The only exception? Joel Edmundson, who has one year left on his contract.

But two years? That’s a lot of money. Especially for the summer of 2023 and not, say, the spring of 2022.

If Kent Hughes was able to trade 100% of Petry’s contract when he had three years left on his contract, he might be able to pass on 75% of the same contract a year later. It’s easier to do – even if he didn’t play very well last year.

That said, his last year in Montreal wasn’t perfect either…

Am I saying that the CH DG will systematically refuse to keep money on the contract? No. I think it might be possible for him to keep a million dollars or less, for example.

But the GM who wants the Habs to keep 50% of what’s left on the contract had better wake up early and get a very, very interesting offer. And frankly, I don’t believe it, since Hughes is used to being patient in order to maximize the value of his players.

It’s also worth noting that I have a feeling that the team to which he will be traded may give a clue as to his vision. Is trading Petry to Buffalo or Detroit, two division rivals, desirable when we know that the CH will be battling these clubs in 2024-2025?

Your answer is as good as mine, even if everyone agrees thata club as far away as Dallas – if he wants to go there – would be better. After all, trading Petry into the division isn’t like trading Alex DeBrincat into the division, but still: it’s not ideal.

In a row

– Logical.

– Blue Jays defeat.

– Ouch.

– Sometimes it takes a lot.

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Dans les coulisses

Jeff Petry: the Stars are one to watch, says Chris Johnston

It’s already been just over 48 hours since Jeff Petry (re)became a member of the CH. Along with Casey DeSmith, Nathan Légaré and a second-round pick, Petry made his way to Montreal in the deal that brought Erik Karlsson to Pittsburgh.

Kent Hughes, Kyle Dubas and Mike Grier decided to put on a good show for us Sunday morning with this huge three-team, 12-member deal.

That said, we suspect Petry’s stay in town could be fairly brief. The defenseman wanted to be traded, and even though he seems ready to land in Montreal if Kent Hughes doesn’t manage to trade him, we suspect he doesn’t necessarily want to play in Montreal.

The question now is where Kent Hughes might trade the defenseman for a second time in just over a year. It’ll be a little easier this year because he costs less (especially if the CH withholds 50% of his remaining salary, which would bring him to $2.3 M cap hit), but it won’t be child’s play for all that.

In an NHL where the salary cap is frozen, teams often have difficulty adding salary.

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However, on today’s episode of The Chris Johnston Show, the tipster mentioned the Stars as a team to watch.

That’s around the 11-minute mark of the episode, for those interested:

As Johnston reminds us, the Stars have had interest in Petry in the past. It was a destination that came up often last year in the case of the defenseman, whom Kent Hughes eventually passed on to the Penguins in return for Mike Matheson.

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And when you look at the hierarchy of defensemen in Dallas, you realize that a guy like Petry wouldn’t be out of place on a second pair. Miro Heiskanen (a left-handed right-winger) is on the first pair, but Nils Lundkvist and Jani Hakanpaa aren’t exactly sure-fire second pairings.

The problem, however, is that the Stars are already over the salary cap. They’re about $300,000 over, and while that might be remedied by sending a player to the AHL, the fact remains that even at $2.3 million, they can’t afford Jeff Petry.

There is, however, a simple solution: get rid of Mason Marchment.

(Credit: Screenshot/CapFriendly)

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Marchment has a contract for the next three seasons that will pay him $4.5 million. Last year, however, he clearly didn’t play up to his salary, so it’s in the Stars’ best interest to get rid of him.

And with the youngsters on the rise and the arrival of Matt Duchene, there’s not much room for him anyway.

The Habs don’t have much to gain by taking on Marchment’s contract, even at 50% of his salary. It would bring congestion back to the attack, and the CH would be stuck with him for three years.

On the other hand, since the Stars aren’t holding back any salary right now, seeing Marchment take one of the three retention slots wouldn’t necessarily be a huge problem for them. Sending him to a club that doesn’t have a problem with the salary cap (I’m thinking of the Ducks and Blackhawks, in particular) with a small bonus therefore becomes more realistic, and they can withhold salary to facilitate the whole thing.

It will be up to Jim Nill to look at all this, but if he wants to get Jeff Petry to solidify his blue line, Mason Marchment may have to leave one way or another. To be continued in the days and/or weeks to come.

In gusto

– I have a feeling that Jeff Petry won’t be doing the same for Montreal fans…

– I’m going with Jack, personally.

– They’ll be ones to watch.

– He makes no secret of it.

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– Big names in action tomorrow in Toronto.

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Coyotes: cheapest season tickets at $92 per game

Unfortunately, the Arizona Coyotes have a habit of being in the news for all the wrong reasons. Gary Bettman’s baby is often at the heart of unenviable stories, including dubious owners and financial problems.

It’s not for nothing that the club has acquired the reputation of “the garbage can of bad contracts”.

And this year, they’ll be starting their second season in Mullett Arena, an NCAA arena (the home of the Arizona State Sun Devils) with a capacity of just 5,000. To mark the occasion, the club has unveiled the season ticket prices for next year, and what we notice is that they’re expensive.

How expensive? To the point where the cheapest season ticket costs $92 (US) per game.

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Usually, the price comes for a pair of tickets, but digging around on Ticketmaster, I was able to figure out that they’re talking about the price for a single ticket.

When I clicked on tickets available in the front row for a half-season, the individual price was $8,820, which corresponds to the price shown on the graphic on the site. This means that the most expensive season ticket costs $16,810, which provides front-row seats for all 41 of the team’s home games.

By comparison, a pair of Bell Centre season tickets in the reds costs $12,203 (plus taxes). We’re not necessarily talking about front-row tickets, and there is a waiting list, but we’re still talking about tickets that are roughly less expensive than in Arizona.

That’s pretty special.

At least the Coyotes seem to be offering guaranteed access to all the club’s playoff games with season tickets. Naysayers will say the club isn’t risking much considering the Coyotes aren’t likely to make the playoffs, but hey.

But clearly, we’re talking about very, very high prices for Coyotes season tickets. I understand there’s a scarcity with the limited number of seats, but it’s still pretty fascinating.

Burst

– Wow.

– Too bad.

– Spectacular victory for the Quebecer.

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Images: Matvei Michkov tries (again) a Michigan feint in the middle of a match

Over the past few days, Matvei Michkov has been the talk of the field hockey world for one simple reason: the young Russian forward is burning up the KHL in this preparatory calendar and, more importantly, he’s doing it by learning a new position.

The winger is now being used as a center forward with SKA St. Petersburg, and is learning to play the Sidney Crosby style.

But whether he’s used on the wing or in the center, the fact remains that Michkov is an electrifying player. We’re talking about a guy with tremendous offensive instincts who isn’t afraid to let his talent shine through.

And even today, he wasn’t afraid to demonstrate the extent of his spectacular style, as in a match against the U23 national team in Russia, Michkov made a spectacle of himself by attempting a Michigan feint.

We know he likes to take chances, and he tried it again today.

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However, the opposing goalie was able to deny his attempt, but that didn’t stop Michkov from picking up the disc and passing it to one of his teammates. The latter then sent the puck into the net, creating a quality scoring chance.

Missing a Michigan and still getting a great scoring chance is impressive.

And even though he didn’t score on this sequence, he did pick up a point in the game with an assist on Ivan Demidov’s goal. The chemistry between the two is obvious.

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The other moment that caught the eye in connection with Michkov in this game was a sequence in which he came into rather violent contact with one of his opponents.

Is he the assailant or the victim? You be the judge, but Mishkov’s teammates didn’t exactly appreciate it. The good news is that he escaped unscathed.

In short, once again today, Michkov put on a show in Russia. One thing is clear: the Flyers have drafted one of the most electrifying young players, and we’re likely to see him repeatedly in highlights compilations over the next few years.

We wish the Flyers that the highlights were accomplished in the NHL and not in the KHL, that said.

Highlight

– Speaking of Mishkov and Demidov.

– Love it.

– I’d go with 2005, personally.

– When Venus Williams gives you big love, it’s normal.

– News from the Jays’ infirmary.

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La Poche Bleue: a 110% segment to be launched this autumn

When you think of the recent history of sports media in Quebec, you can’t help but think of the now-defunct 110%. The daily, which was on the air for ten years at the turn of the 2000s, was the scene of sports debates of all kinds, and was often good TV.

With a long line-up of debaters who weren’t afraid to speak their minds, it often caused quite a stir.

And even though the TV format has not existed for nearly 15 years, many fans continue to hope for its return in some form. The good news is that their wish will be granted this fall: Maxim Lapierre announced today that, starting this fall, La Poche Bleue will have a ” 110% ” segment on the weekly show.

He also stated that we can expect to see some former contributors to the show, as well as some new faces.

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Lapierre doesn’t go into detail about the potential contributors who could be “back,” but one wonders if the fact that the guys have ties to TVA Sports might help them repatriate some faces who are in the Quebecor fold.

I’m thinking in particular of Michel Bergeron, Réjean Tremblay and Jean-Charles Lajoie, as long as the latter isn’t there at the same time as Michel Villeneuve.

But no matter which faces return, it’s a good idea for La Poche Bleue to take a chance on bringing back a debate segment with a 110% flavor. We know that the show has been quite popular, and the sports debate concept is quite a winner.

Will they be able to recreate the atmosphere of the defunct show? Stay tuned.

The new season of La Poche Bleue kicks off on September 4, as Lapierre noted today. He also took the time to deny the idea that Stéphane Gonzalez had left on bad terms: it ended respectfully, and they plan to work together again eventually (perhaps in their new 110% incarnation?).

I can’t wait to see what happens, personally. And I have a feeling I’m not the only one.

In bursts

– There are some great bargains in there.

– The process leaves its mark. Talk to P.K. Subban.

– It’s never pleasant.

– The Rays’ ace pitcher could be out for a long time. My text on the subject.

– She’s got the talent to go far, anyway.

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Jonathan Toews has officially hung up his skates

Jonathan Toews had an excellent career. A three-time Stanley Cup winner, the former Chicago Blackhawks captain was an undisputed leader both on and off the ice.

In 1,067 games there, the 19-year-old collected 883 points. Needless to say, his place in the Hall of Fame is set in stone at this point. At 35, the center was a free agent, but we knew his retirement was coming.

Now it’s official. According to Frank Seravalli, who has heard rumours to that effect, Toews has retired, but it will be made official soon.

Even though he’s had a great, long career, we knew it was coming to an end. After all, just a few weeks ago, his agency hadn’t even put his name on its list of free agents .

After collecting a respectable 60 points in 2019-2020, Toews decided not to play in the shortened season due to medical complications. Everything went wrong thereafter, as in 2021-2022 and 2022-2023, he collected 37 and 31 points respectively. He was no longer the same player, which is why the Hawks were quick to say he wouldn’t be back next year.

Despite the more difficult seasons, the 19 drew the attention of a few teams, including the Oilers. At minimum wage, I don’t see why the forward would have been a bad addition. And trying to win a Stanley Cup alongside the best player in the game is a great way to end a career, don’t you think?

Anyway, it’s not going to happen.

So, we wish Toews a happy retirement. I can’t wait to see if he returns to the Blackhawks one day, but this time in the office.

In gusto

– Donald Trump got away with it.

– Matvei Michkov attempted a Michigan.

– Erik Karlsson reunites with Jason Spezza.

– He’s back!

– A big pact between ESPN and PENN.

– Really?

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Dans les coulisses

Behind Karlsson and Letang, the Penguins’ defensive depth is thin

Most Sundays are quiet in the field hockey world, especially in summer. Journalists are often off work, and it’s not exactly a favourite day for GMs to close deals.

However, two days ago, on August 6, 2023, Kyle Dubas, Mike Grier and Kent Hughes decided to make a move. And if you’re going to make a move, you might as well make it big, right? The rest is history: Jeff Petry returned to Montreal, Mike Hoffman and Rem Pitlick moved on and, most importantly, Erik Karlsson arrived in Pittsburgh.

To do so, the Penguins parted with two defensemen: Jeff Petry and Jan Rutta.

Kyle Dubas may have acquired Karlsson’s services, but without Petry in particular, the depth on the right of the blue line is frightening. After Kris Letang and Erik Karlsson, high-caliber defensemen are in short supply in Pennsylvania, especially on the right side.

Dan Klingerski believes that Dubas still needs to make a move between now and the start of the season to pick up a third-pair right-handed defenseman.

If Karlsson or Letang were to get injured, Chad Ruwhedel would become a top-4 defenseman. It’s not as if Karlsson and Letang are Irons men… Their injury history is pretty scary, though.

After Ruwhedel, there’s Mark Friedman, Ty Smith and Will Butcher. In the short term, these defensemen can get the job done, but it’s in the longer term that depth would be tested.

On the left side of the defense, Ryan Graves and Marcus Pettersson will provide relief on the top-4. Unlike the two star right-handers, these two aren’t very offensive defenders, but defensively, they do the job very well.

Klingerski therefore believes that Dubas still has time to find a solution. And if he doesn’t, the editor-in-chief of Pittsburgh Hockey Now expects a defensive collapse. It’s all well and good if you have a trusted goalie, but with Tristan Jarry, who has been inconsistent in recent seasons, it wouldn’t be an enviable situation, let’s say.

With Jake Guentzel starting the season on the LTIR, Dubas would have just under $6 million to work with. But if one of his best forwards were to start the season healthy, the former Maple Leafs GM would have little or no money left on the payroll. We’ll keep you posted.

On the free agent market, a guy like Ethan Bear is still available. Mark Pysyk and Justin Braun could also be interesting targets. If not, another transaction is conceivable. The Penguins can get Petry back if they want to…

Gossip

– An underrated prospect in the CH organization chart.

– Casey DeSmith used by Kent Hughes?

– Tim Thomas will address the media for a rare occasion.

– After a three-year absence.

– Mark your calendars.

– Nice win.

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Reconstruction: trading David Savard makes more sense than Jeff Petry for Marc Dumont

I don’t know if Jeff Petry will start the season in Montreal, but everything is pointing in the opposite direction at the moment.

Although the Petrys have said they’ll come to the city if they have to, the defenseman hasn’t spoken directly to the media. Nor has Kent Hughes, for that matter, which suggests a few personnel moves.

But if no other transactions are made, the CH risks starting the season with a defense that looks like this:

Matheson-Savard

Guhle-Petry

Harris-Barron

Johnathan Kovacevic, Chris Wideman, Arber Xhekaj and the two third-pair defensemen will battle it out for the final spots on the 23-man roster. And with a potential rotation of three goaltenders, those spots could be limited…

But without Petry, it would give Justin Barron the chance to stay up top and it would possibly allow Chris Wideman or Johnathan Kovacevic to avoid the ballot.

On defense, Arber Xhekaj, Jordan Harris, Kaiden Guhle and Justin Barron can all return to Laval without being exposed to any of the 31 other teams. Aside from Guhle, Kent Hughes could take advantage of this exemption to send one or two of them to the Rocket.

But if there is a deal, Marc Dumont thinks it would make more sense to trade David Savard than Jeff Petry from a “rebuilding” point of view.

Really?

The former CH employee didn’t explain his opinion too much, however. I’m really curious why he thinks that, especially considering that the Quebecer is a good role model for youngsters (Petry can be too, sometimes). Both will become unrestricted free agents in two seasons, but the former CH 26 (who may not get his number back) has a salary footprint nearly $1.2 million higher than his teammate.

In my opinion, no, trading Savard doesn’t make any more sense. Especially since he wouldn’t bring in any more than Petry, and Dumont even says so.

In his text above, he thinks that the CH won’t receive anything very big in return for the 58’s services. And any team interested in his services wouldn’t have to have a big advanced stats team, because in recent years, the numbers haven’t been kind to the Quebecer.

It’s true that he’s played on the first two defensive pairs, even though he’s a top-5 or top-6 defenseman, but so what.

In brief

–All CH preparatory games will be presented at 7 p.m.

– Things are really bad for the White Sox.

– Ah well.

– Not good news, that.

– Ridiculous.

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The Canadiens are worth about half as much as the “poorest” NFL team

Jul 7, 2022; Montreal, Quebec, CANADA; Montreal Canadiens owner Geoff Molson (left) and executive vice president of field hockey operations Jeff Gorton (right) look on before Filip Mesar (not pictured) is selected as the number twenty-six overall pick to the Montreal Canadiens in the first round of the 2022 NHL Draft at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports

As one of the original teams, the Canadiens have always been very popular. The Canadiens are the Real Madrid of European soccer. The Canadiens are the Dallas Cowboys of the NFL. The Canadiens are the New York Yankees of the MLB.

The Canadiens are the team people know, even if they don’t necessarily know the sport.

Montreal is one of the richest teams in the NHL. In December 2022, according to the latest Forbes valuation, the club was worth $1.85 billion. This was an increase of 16% compared to 2021.

Despite recent political problems (COVID-19, war(s), etc.), Geoff Molson’s club continues to rise in value.

But if you compare the CH to NFL and NBA clubs, for example, the Montreal Canadiens are small beer.

1.85 billion dollars for the average person sounds like a lot. But when compared to the Dallas Cowboys, for example, it may not be. The Dallas team is currently worth $9.2 billion, and of all the professional teams in the world, it’s worth the most.

Interestingly, the NFL’s “poorest” team, the Bengals, are worth $4 billion. Cincinnati is therefore worth around twice as much as the Canadiens, one of the wealthiest teams in its league…

In fact, NFL teams dominate this ranking. Six of the richest teams are in the NFL. The Yankees (3rd) are the only MLB team, and the Warriors (2nd), Lakers (7th) and Knicks (8th) represent the NBA.

As you can see from the text above, New York teams – regardless of league – really do have a lot of money. Four of the city’s teams appear in the rankings.

If Forbes’ most recent analysis is anything to go by, the Rangers, at $2.2 billion, are at the top of the NHL teams. Even they are light years away from catching the Bengals in the NFL…

Did anyone ever tell you that the disparity in value between the NHL and the other major professional sports in North America is high…?

Breaking news

– Notice to all interested.

– Find out more about the CH’s new forward.

– Really?

– Nice addition.

– Too bad.

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Canadiens: 20 draft picks left in two years

The Habs still have a long way to go to rebuild their club. One of the keys to this will be to ensure that the Canadiens’ prospect pool is as strong as it has been for some time.

Colleague Tony Patoine, our in-house specialist on Montreal Canadiens prospects, is on the case this summer. Each week, he’ll present several of them in detail.

Obviously, we know there are several youngsters already in Montreal. Others are in Laval, in junior, in the NCAA, in Europe, etc.

But others are not under the Habs’ control. They will eventually become so via transactions or via the next amateur auctions, which take place once a year.

It’s always an exciting time to add new blood to a club. Young prospects can become guys that fans love to follow.

Case in point? Lane Huston last year.

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In the past, the Habs have still had several draft picks in recent auctions. And when we look ahead to 2024 and 2025, the trend is still in that direction.

Over the next 24 months, if nothing changes (it will), Habs management will draft 20 times. No picks have yet been acquired for 2026 and beyond.

(Credit: Cap Friendly)

Note that even if the Canadiens have fewer picks in 2025 than in 2024, it’s still a more interesting draft. After all, there will be two first-round picks (if the Flames’ pick for Sean Monahan is indeed in 2025, of course) and two second-rounders – thanks to the Jeff Petry trade.

Next year, the CH has – for the moment – only a first-round pick and doesn’t have its second-round pick (thanks, Christian Dvorak). They do, however, have Colorado’s, thanks to Artturi Lehkonen.

The transactions of Joel Edmundson, Nick Bonino, Brett Kulak and Joel Edmundson (again) have made it possible to pick up the four later picks in the 2024 draft.

With many picks, but few in the early rounds, a year from now, I expect to see the CH GM on the move. After all, there’s no point in contracting a lot of late-round picks when they can be used as tools to trade up for bigger players.

Extension

There’s a world in which the Flames’ 2025 pick is pushed back to 2026. That said, let’s take it for granted that this won’t be the case, to make it simpler.

The important thing, in any case, is that the CH had a good choice with Sean Monahan.