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Separate Suzuki and Caufield: Anthony Marcotte’s idea to revive the CH

The Canadiens are not doing well lately.

The Tricolore is currently on a four-game losing streak (0-3-1) while the team is in the thick of the playoff race.

During this stretch, the CH has scored only six goals in addition to seeing its power play struggling (0 for 5 during these four games).

Six goals in four games is 1.5 goals per game. Let’s just say it doesn’t leave much room for your goalies.

Today, on BPM Sports, Anthony Marcotte suggests shaking up our top-6 by swapping the centers of the two first lines.

This would give the following lines:

Laine-Suzuki-Newhook
Caufield-Dach-Slafkovsky

He notably highlights the chemistry that was observed two years ago between Juraj Slafkovsky and Kirby Dach, while Patrik Laine could benefit from Nick Suzuki’s playmaking talent while taking advantage of Alex Newhook’s speed.

This is indeed an interesting idea. It would allow the CH not to put all its eggs in one basket and possibly have a more diversified offense by reviving the second line that is operating at a slow pace.

In the last four games, our second line has only three points (all obtained in the game against Detroit) and a combined differential of -7.

Do Laine (one assist in four games) and Newhook (no points in four games) really deserve a promotion to the first line?

I understand that the CH is looking for solutions, but is this the kind of message you want to send to your locker room?

Perhaps it’s time to give a chance to a player from the third or fourth line to come play a few games in the top-6.

Or maybe even give a chance to a young player, like Owen Beck, who the Canadiens recalled earlier today, to prove themselves in an offensive context by playing on the second line.

Furthermore, even though I like the idea of trying the Dach-Slafkovsky combination again, I’m much less convinced about separating Suzuki and Cole Caufield, the most consistent duo for the CH in several years.

In short, it’s clear that Martin St-Louis must be looking for solutions to revive his offense and that stirring things up a bit by reshuffling his lines could possibly help an anemic offense that has struggled for some time.

In Brief

– Suzuki wins the Molson Cup!

– Hage scores!

– Bruins win.

– A brief departure!

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Patrik Laine regrets his comments about the Blue Jackets (and he has learned his lesson)

On December 23, the Canadiens were in Columbus for their last game before the holiday break. It was an important game for Patrik Laine, who was returning to Columbus.

That being said, a few hours before the game, Laine spoke to the media… and he threw his former team under the bus a bit. He essentially claimed that the Blue Jackets were complacent in their defeat.

And that did not sit well in the Columbus locker room.

Laine was targeted throughout the first period, and he left the game afterward. Zach Werenski was furious about his former teammate’s comments after the game.

In short, it quickly snowballed… and today, Laine acknowledges that he made a mistake. In an interview with Helsingin Sanomat (a Finnish media outlet), the Canadiens forward admitted his fault for his comments on December 23.

In the same interview, Laine explains that he knows the Blue Jackets deliberately targeted him that night. Given the number of hits he took in the first period, the opposite would have been surprising.

This makes him aware that he should have been more careful with his words… but he doesn’t seem to take all the blame for it:

I should have kept my mouth shut. The journalists wanted me to say it, though. – Patrik Laine

Two things can be true: the journalists who spoke to Laine that day may have tried to get him to talk about that (and that’s their job, after all)… but Laine shouldn’t have fallen into the trap either. He could have simply said he requested a trade because he needed a change of scenery… and all of this could have been avoided.

But instead, he threw his former team under the bus… and obviously, that’s what drew attention.

The good news, however, is that he learned his lesson regarding all of this:

I will never say anything negative about another organization again. I learned it the hard way. – Patrik Laine

At least, if he leaves Montreal one day, we can believe he won’t trash the Canadiens with such comments.

That can obviously change in due time, but it’s good if he learned a lesson.

In Brief

– The Rocket wins a completely crazy game. The club was down 4-1 at one point and finished the game with 10 forwards, but Cayden Primeau keeps his unbeaten record in the AHL this season.

– Cole Caufield is in great shape.

– Two goals for J.T. Miller, who plays his first game with the Rangers this season.

– Good for him!

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American national anthem: Jean-Marc Léger wants to hear boos at the Bell Centre

Sports and politics do not mix well. We know that.

Yet, four or five supporters in the heights of the Bell Centre decided to boo the American national anthem a week ago, before the game against the Devils.

This Thursday, they were a little more numerous.

And here comes Jean-Marc Léger, CEO of the Léger polling firm and a columnist at TVA, who just wrote that he was looking forward to hearing the boos from the fans during the American national anthem (with a photo of a Bell Centre filled with Canadiens supporters to complete his tweet).

It is easy to understand that in Jean-Marc Léger’s eyes, this would be an excellent way to respond to the tariffs imposed by Donald Trump.

Except that…

1. The American national anthem does not represent Donald Trump; it represents a whole country (of which 50% of people did not vote for Trump) and a whole history. Booing the American national anthem is booing the soldiers who lost their lives to defend American society.

2. Booing the national anthem will not do “harm” to Americans. Aside from provoking anger and disgust from some people, it will change nothing. I hope François Legault will have better strategies…

3. If you boo the American national anthem but cheer wildly for a goal by Cole Caufield, assisted by Lane Hutson and Jayden Struble (or Christian Dvorak), you will look a bit confused. And if you boo Caufield or Hutson, you will look even more confused. Those guys have nothing to do with the American tariffs imposed by their new president.

Should we bend before Donald Trump? Stand tall? Respond economically? Turn the other cheek? I don’t know. I’ll leave the experts to answer this question.

But booing the American national anthem at the Bell Centre is certainly not the best solution.

Fortunately, the Canadiens are on the road for several days; it will allow some people to think a little before acting (and regretting?).

Extension

As a response, Jean-Marc Léger should start by removing his books from the Amazon platform. That would be a good start…

(Credit: Amazon.ca)

Walk the walk, talk the talk, as they say south of the border…

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Handshakes for Marc-André Fleury: Chris Nilan “would have hit him in the face”

On Thursday night, at the Bell Centre, the Minnesota Wild defeated the Canadiens by a score of 4-0. It was a fourth consecutive loss for Martin St-Louis’s men… but that was not the story of the evening, far from it.

In fact, the story of the night was in front of the Wild’s net. Marc-André Fleury, the last of the great Quebec goalies, was playing his final career game at the Bell Centre.

And the fans made sure to show him some love for the occasion.

And after the game, when the goalie completed his shutout, the players from the Canadiens all stayed on the ice to shake hands with the goalie. They wanted to show him their respect.

That said, even though it was praised everywhere, it did not make everyone happy either. During an appearance on Tony Marinaro’s Sick Podcast, former Canadiens player Chris Nilan admitted that he would probably have reacted differently if he had seen such a thing happen as a player:

I would have punched him in the face. — Chris Nilan

We know that Knuckles is never one to hold back, and he explains his point by saying he has nothing against Fleury in particular. In fact, what he didn’t like was seeing the Canadiens show love to a guy who had just made the club look bad on the ice.

He explains that in his time, that didn’t happen… and it clearly shows how things have changed.

We know that Nilan always gave his all to defend the Canadiens logo when he played for the team, and he would clearly have preferred to see the team respect itself a little more.

In essence, we understand his point… but we know how respected Fleury is in the NHL, especially in Montreal. A strong reaction from the fans was to be expected, and I think the Canadiens players felt the same way because they hold the goalie in high regard.

But indeed, it is true that this is not something we could have seen when Nilan was jumping on the ice. Yes, the NHL has really changed in that respect over the past forty years.

In brief

– The atmosphere seems good at the Canadiens.

– J.T. Miller did not take long to make his presence felt with the Rangers.

– Positive words for Jakob Pelletier.

– Things are going well for the Canadiens prospect in Russia.

– The Stars have a lot of resources.

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David Reinbacher traveled to the West with the CH

David Reinbacher has been sidelined since the start of the season. The defender, who was injured during a preseason game against the Maple Leafs (just minutes before Patrik Laine suffered the same fate), saw his season derail before it even began.

His injury was much more severe than that of the Finnish player… and there were concerns about whether he would be able to play again this season.

That said, even though he still hasn’t played this season, we can really sense his progress for a little while now. Recently, he started training alone again, and then he took to the ice with the rest of the team.

However, what we learned today is that Reinbacher traveled out West with the Canadiens.

He practiced with the group today.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that Reinbacher is on the verge of returning to action. That said, seeing him able to make the trip with the rest of the group is a strong encouraging sign.

Keeping him with the team when we are in Montreal is one thing… but bringing him on the road is another. And above all, it shows that the defender is making good progress.

I don’t think the Canadiens brought him on the trip because they intend to play him during it. However, it does seem to suggest that a return to play could happen sooner rather than later.

Let’s remember that the initial prognosis spoke of a return to play on March 1 in a best-case scenario… but seeing Reinbacher’s progress, one might wonder if a return in February has suddenly become a real possibility.

We’ll have to see how this all develops in the coming weeks, but it’s great news to see the young defender on the road with the rest of the group.

In Brief

– Mikael Granlund and Cody Ceci have joined the Stars.

– Good news.

– A missing player in the Four Nations Face-Off.

– Today’s waiver claims.

– I love it.

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The Canadiens recall Logan Mailloux and Owen Beck

The Canadiens are currently in California as they will play three games in the West.

However, before the trip, the club did not recall any players, meaning there were no extra skaters with the team…

But that has just changed: Logan Mailloux and Owen Beck have been recalled by the big club.

In fact, these are not particularly surprising recalls. The club needed to have extra players for the trip, and the two young players are going to California for the AHL All-Star Game.

It made sense… but the timing is peculiar.

Let’s remember that the Canadiens are not playing today (they play tomorrow at 4 PM), but the Rocket is playing. That means the guys won’t be able to play in Laval today… which puts the Rocket in a funny situation.

The club could very well be forced to play with 11 forwards and 5 defensemen, which is not ideal.

It should also be noted that the two guys are still in Quebec at the moment. They were not recalled just because they are already with the rest of the team in Anaheim and the Canadiens wanted to give them a chance to practice with the group today: the two were supposed to play this afternoon and leave for California afterward.

This is why the scenario of seeing the Canadiens not call them up tomorrow, let the two guys play in the All-Star Game on Monday and recall them officially on Tuesday made sense. But clearly, a different path has been chosen… which is more difficult to understand.

Does this have to do with the fact that a center (Jake Evans) and the two right-handed defensemen in town (Alexandre Carrier and David Savard) will not be practicing today due to a treatment day? If so, should we be worried about their status for tomorrow’s game? We know that often, guys who have a treatment day play the next day… but usually, there are still extra players just in case, which was not the case with the Canadiens before today’s recalls.

We will see if the two guys will play tomorrow… but the timing of their recall is quite interesting. That said, by recalling them before the Rocket’s game today, we avoid a scenario where one of the two young players (or both) would play three games in three days.

Usually, when you recall big prospects, it’s to get them playing… but in the context where the big club mainly needs extra players (and the Rocket doesn’t play again until Friday), it wouldn’t be the end of the world if they were in the stands for the three games in California.

Overtime

Let’s remember that the AHL Skills Competition takes place tomorrow evening, while the AHL All-Star Game will be held on Monday.

If they were recalled today, we can assume they won’t be at the skills competition tomorrow… but we will see if they will be sent back down to participate in the game on Monday… because otherwise, the poor social media manager of the Rocket is going to find the next few days long.

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Guhle the warrior vol. 9 | Does Slaf really have an ordinary season?

Let’s take pleasure today in debunking not one, but two myths that have become entrenched in people’s minds due to repetition: Guhle is a fragile player and Slafkovsky is having an ordinary season!

Guhle: War is dangerous!

Thus, Kaiden Guhle, 23, would have reached his 9th serious injury since being drafted.

All media have talked about it ad nauseam and everyone has asked this question: is poor Kaiden fragile or just unlucky?

False classic debate!

Guhle does not get injured because he is made of soft skin, or because he is fragile!

He is a super athlete, well-trained at 6’03”, 202 lbs. His skeleton is protected by muscles well above average, his ligaments are much stronger than those of the average citizen, etc.

The quadriceps of any player will get torn if we cut it with a skate!

Body parts of anyone will break if exposed to risks causing violent shocks and serious “accidents.”

Now, of course, a laceration of the quadriceps by his own skate is an unfortunate accident.

But a great universal principle says that misfortunes and accidents happen much more often to those who are more “intense,” to those who don’t pay much attention or who are less cautious!

For two years, Guhle has promised himself at the season’s start that he wants to avoid injuries and stay healthy by “exposing himself less” to them.

However, even though we have seen a bit of progress in his approach, Guhle still gets injured consistently because he struggles to play as if there is no tomorrow.

There is a lot of benefit in hockey to playing at the edge of being a kamikaze like he does. We are talking about a sport where a large part of victory comes from a form of sacrifice or total self-abnegation of players/warriors on the ice.

But it’s also much riskier for the individual!

If you look closely at the sequence, yes, his skate gets caught in a crack, but beforehand, Guhle goes into the corner recklessly, already a bit unbalanced on one leg, at a slightly awkward angle, to get to the puck first. If he arrives more “square” in relation to the play, on both feet, he wouldn’t lose his balance because of the small crack in the ice.

On the ice, if you go all out, you expose yourself more to all types of unimaginable dangers.

Regardless, the crack in the ice, a player just a little less intense, a bit more cautious or cerebral in his approach, let’s say, Nick Suzuki, probably wouldn’t fall into such a sequence.

So, Guhle is not fragile. He simply plays as if he were on the front lines at Vimy in 1917.

And that, well, is more dangerous and often hurts.

That’s all.

Slafkovsky: still comparable to the best power forwards at the same age

Of course, Slafkovsky has not been convincing or dominant every night this season, far from it.

But at the same time, has Slafkovsky, still 20 years old, necessarily experienced several truly “bad” games?

No.

So, one might say that Slaf is simply having an ordinary season.

Even Kent Hughes had to meet with him after the December 3 game against the Islanders to clarify some things with him.

Among other things, as he told Processus, remind him that he was not Jack Hughes, but Juraj Slafkovsky.

Simply put.

All this is very good and very healthy.

But it remains that statistically, the big Slovak has still scored 20 points in 27 games when he plays on his regular line with Suzuki and Caufield.

We’re talking about a projection of 61 points in 82 games! Not far from the 70-point season that the more optimistic gave him at the start of the season and right on target for those, more moderate, who projected 60.

Should we remind that these projections were made with the understanding that he would play most of the year with Suzuki and Caufield?

However, Slaf was separated from his two teammates from October 29 to December 14, a long purgatory of 21 games on other lines, such as these:
NICK SUZUKI – KIRBY DACH – JURAJ SLAFKOVSKY
JAKE EVANS – ALEX NEWHOOK – JURAJ SLAFKOVSKY
PATRIK LAINE – KIRBY DACH – JURAJ SLAFKOVSKY
BRENDAN GALLAGHER – CHRISTIAN DVORAK – JURAJ SLAFKOVSKY

That was among other things the period when they were desperately trying to revive Kirby Dach.

During this stretch without his usual partners, Slaf scored 9 points in 21 games. Not bad for any 20-year-old player in the NHL, but not exceptional for a first overall pick in 2022, let’s agree.

That said, statistics don’t tell everything. Slaf has also been involved in many power-play goals without necessarily collecting points, playing a bit like Chris Kreider in front of the net, complicating the goalkeeper’s life.

So, considering all that and despite a very imperfect first half of the season, if Slaf had played 21 more games on the “first line,” he would probably be on track for a 60-point season – a target still achievable if he continues on his current pace – while being a hassle in front of the net on the pp.

55-60 points at 20 years old is comparable, even better, than the Tkachuk brothers, Draisaitl, and Rantanen at the same age, and none of them were in the NHL at 18…

So, not exactly “ordinary,” Slaf. Even his current season.

A perspective, just like that…

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Rookie of the Month in the KHL: Ivan Demidov celebrates by tying the record of Kirill Kaprizov

Ivan Demidov is really having quite a season for a rookie in the KHL.

Of course, there have been some lows in Demidov’s season due to his very limited ice time from his coach, Roman Rotenberg, but in the end, the Habs’ prospect is doing very well in his first season in the KHL.

Moreover, he is producing at a historic pace, as he is experiencing one of the best seasons for a young player under 20 years old in the KHL.

He had 40 points in 49 games before today, which placed him in very good company.

Additionally, with his incredible recent streak of 14 points, including nine goals, in 11 games, Demidov earned the title of Rookie of the Month (for January), a title he has already won two other times this season.

And today, Demidov had the chance to start February off right and celebrate his January title as the SKA of Saint Petersburg faced off against Dynamo Moscow.

And let’s say that Demidov did not disappoint, as he recorded two assists in this match, allowing him to tie Kirill Kaprizov’s record for the most points by a player under 20 years old.

Here is his first assist.

And here is his second assist, which was a great play on the game-winning goal in overtime.

Thus, Demidov recorded two assists, bringing his total points this season to 42 (19 goals and 23 assists) in 50 games, placing him 13th in scoring in the entire KHL, and 2nd in scoring for SKA.

He thus ties the record of Kirill Kaprizov, who had 42 points in 49 games in 2016-2017.

And now, with 17 games left in his season, Demidov has a very good chance of breaking Kaprizov’s record and taking it even higher.

If he continues to produce at this pace, Demidov could very well finish the season with over 55 points.

All this remains to be seen.

In a Flash

– To be followed very closely.

– He is getting very close.

– A game to watch today.

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Potential return of Russia in 2026: Sweden will NOT boycott the Olympic Games

As everyone knows, due to the war between Russia and Ukraine, the Russian national ice hockey team, as well as the Belarusian team, have been banned from all international competitions since 2022 until now.

Therefore, Russia and Belarus have not participated in any tournaments since this ban, and have missed several opportunities to showcase themselves on the international stage.

Let’s say that without Russia, international tournaments are easier for countries like Canada, the United States, Finland, and Sweden.

And clearly, there would have been a FIVE nations tournament, rather than four nations, if Russia had not been banned, considering that a large majority of the best players in the world are Russian.

In short, it’s unfortunate for the players, but politically speaking, it makes sense.

However, good news for the players, as Russia (and Belarus) could be making their return to the international scene for the 2025-2026 season.

And if that’s the case, well, Sweden has announced that it would NOT boycott the 2026 Olympics if Russia is back.

 

See this post on Instagram

 

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Stan Bowman went to encourage Kyle Beach and his team last night

Unfortunately, in recent years, several horrible stories have really tarnished the image of the National Hockey League and the world of hockey in general.

One can think of the collective rape story involving the 2018 edition of Team Canada Junior, or the story of Kyle Beach, the Chicago Blackhawks player who was sexually assaulted by a video coach in 2010.

When reflecting on the story of Kyle Beach, one remembers how horrible it is that the entire team, from the players to upper management, hid the scandal to focus on winning the Stanley Cup.

One of the individuals most involved in hiding the story and keeping it secret was the general manager at the time, Stan Bowman.

Bowman was the GM of the Chicago Blackhawks from 2009 to 2021, and he was in office when Kyle Beach was sexually assaulted by Brad Aldrich, the video coach at the time.

He thus bore a large share of responsibility in this story, and obviously, Kyle Beach has held it against him.

However, as of late, Stan Bowman, who is now the general manager of the Edmonton Oilers, is working very hard to develop a positive relationship with Kyle Beach.

In fact, last night, Bowman went to support Beach, who is the assistant coach of the Trinity Western Spartans.

Indeed, Bowman was present at the game between the Spartans and the University of Alberta Golden Bears to offer his support to Kyle Beach.

Honestly, I’m not quite sure what to think about it, and if I rely on the various comments regarding this matter, let’s just say I’m not the only one finding it quite strange.

Of course, it’s great if Beach has forgiven Bowman and has developed a positive relationship with him, but seriously, I would have thought Beach would prefer not to run into Stan Bowman in his life.

In short, as of late, the two men have a positive relationship, which Bowman has worked hard on, as evidenced by his presence at this USports game, which is the league of Canadian universities.

It should be noted that, unfortunately, Beach’s team lost 5 to 0.

In Brief

– To read.

– The Rocket will be in action this afternoon.

– This will be worth watching this summer.

– To be followed today.

– Congratulations!