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The Senators change their minds: they no longer want to play regular games in Quebec

In recent days, the case of the Ottawa Senators has been widely discussed.

After announcing that the club would play in Quebec as part of the upcoming preseason schedule, owner Michael Andlauer publicly expressed a desire to play real games in Quebec.

Even Bill Daly was surprised by the idea.

In that context, it was not surprising to think that it wouldn’t happen and that the league would talk to the Senators’ owner to explain to him that Quebec wasn’t that cool.

I don’t know if those were the terms used, obviously, but it makes sense to think that such a call between the National Hockey League and the Senators did indeed take place.

Why do I say that?

Because now, Michael Andlauer has changed his stance. He said, as reported by Zakary Mercier of the newspaper Le Droit, that even if the NHL gave him the green light to do it, he would not do it. He will settle for the preseason games.

What Mr. Andlauer is saying is that, fundamentally, he just wanted to broaden his fanbase in Quebec – especially among those who will never support the Montreal Canadiens.

He had not realized that seeing his mascot sporting the colors of the Nordiques reminded many people that the rumors of the Senators relocating to Quebec had left marks.

He therefore says that he does not want to move the club to Quebec and that he does not want to use the Videotron Center as a negotiating lever to build a new arena in Ottawa. He has learned his lesson.

We shall see if this will leave any marks in Ottawa.

In brief

– To be continued.

– He will miss some games.

– I feel old.

– News about CF Montreal.

– Joshua Roy with a yellow jersey at practice.

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Huge increase in the salary cap: Nick Suzuki’s contract looks better than ever

You must have seen this coming, but the salary cap is going to rise significantly in the coming years.

In reality, the NHL and the Players’ Association have agreed to raise the cap by $25.5 million over the next three seasons – if nothing changes by then.

Here’s what it will look like.

  • 24-25: $88 million (for reference)
  • 25-26: $95.5 million
  • 26-27: $104 million
  • 27-28: $113.5 million

At a time when the NHL has significant decisions to make (expansion is on the table, the collective bargaining agreement is up for renegotiation, the TV contract is expiring, etc.), seeing such harmony years in advance is a positive sign.

At least in my eyes.

From the teams’ perspective, this is interesting. And for the Montreal Canadiens, who have been responsible with their money in recent years, the leeway will be huge.

Especially in the summer of 2027.

Currently, if we look at this, all contracts except four will leave the salary cap by July 1, 2027: Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky, and Kaiden Guhle.

Here’s what it looks like.

  • Suzuki: $7.875 million until 2030
  • Caufield: $7.85 million until 2031
  • Slafkovsky: $7.6 million until 2033
  • Guhle: $5.55 million until 2031

All other contracts (active players, Carey Price, retained money, etc.) will no longer be there. Obviously, this is as of today since contracts will often be signed by then.

So Kent Hughes will have room to maneuver. He currently has only $28.875 million invested for 2027-2028, when the cap should be $113.5 million. That leaves $84.625 million to play with. Thanks to Marc Bergevin for the captain’s contract, right? #SalaryStructure

Only 25% of the projected cap will be used for the four key players. That’s a nice luxury… especially since in 2027-2028, Ivan Demidov will still be on his entry contract.

This will allow the club to acquire good players (we knew it, but now we know it… even more) and reward the young players who will be pushing – by exploding their salary structure. Caution will be needed, but I imagine the Canadiens’ management has suspected for a long time what’s coming.

In Brief

– He needs a little rest.

– A handshake for Marc-André Fleury: it was an idea from Mike Matheson.

– Hmmm…

– Interesting.

– Do we like it or not?

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A payroll of $113.5 million in two years, according to league assessments

It is known that the salary cap (currently estimated at $88 million) is going to rise significantly in the coming years. After COVID-19 slowed down the momentum of many clubs, it’s going to be intense in the future.

But to what extent?

According to estimates from the NHL and the Players Association, we should expect the salary cap to rise to $95.5 million in 2025-2026. That’s an increase of $7.5 million, after all.

But that’s not all.

Elliotte Friedman also reported that in 2026-2027, it should be $104 million, which is $16 million more than at present. And in 2027-2028, it would be $113.5 million, or $25.5 million more than today.

Obviously, these are estimates: nothing is set in stone.

But it shows that the league is in good health. Otherwise, the projections wouldn’t be as… positive as they are right now. After all, such an increase is significant.

To put it into perspective: $25.5 million spread over a roster of 23 players is like each guy could be in line for a million-dollar raise.

And there would still be some leftover.

Clearly, it is the good players who will benefit the most. Connor McDavid should earn a crazy salary, and good players across the league will benefit as well.

Kent Hughes won’t be able to maintain his “salary structure” for too long, as Ivan Demidov and Lane Hutson will see the cap rise quickly. And they will want their share of the pie.

But beyond the players already in place (by the way, Jake Evans should also be happy to see this), this will give Kent Hughes some leeway to acquire top players to improve the team in the coming years.

It will be interesting to follow. After all, some teams might not want to spend that much… but in my opinion, Geoff Molson will use all the resources he has on hand to win.

In Brief

– To be continued.

– Oh really?

– The team is doing better.

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The Canadiens: the second-worst team in the East for the past two weeks

Hello tanking my old friend…

The Canadiens suffered their fourth consecutive defeat last night. Of these four losses, three were at home, in front of your supporters.

And in each game, the other team scored no less than four goals.

No team has suffered as many setbacks in the last nine days throughout the NHL.

It’s not only since the loss of Kaiden Guhle that the Montreal club has been struggling.

In fact, it dates back to January 18, when the Habs – who had returned home for a few games – were trounced by the Maple Leafs at the Bell Centre (7 to 3). This was the start of something (that we’ve seen all too often)…

January 18: loss 7 to 3 vs. Maple Leafs
January 19: win 5 to 4 (in overtime) vs. Rangers
January 21: win 3 to 2 vs. Lightning
January 23: loss 4 to 2 at Detroit
January 25: loss 4 to 3 (in overtime) vs. Devils
January 28: loss 4 to 1 vs. Jets
January 30: loss 4 to 0 vs. Wild

It has been two weeks since the Canadiens have started conceding goals in droves; 29 goals in seven games is far too much. Only the Sharks have allowed more goals than the Canadiens during this period…

Since January 17, the Canadiens have the second worst record in the Eastern Conference (2-4-1, .357).

How can you go from the worst team in the NHL for seven weeks… to the best team in the league for a month… and then to one of the worst teams in the circuit afterwards?

It is often said that consistency and regularity make the difference in sports. Well, a bit of regularity wouldn’t hurt the CH…

The goalies are no longer performing miracles, Patrik Laine and his line are invisible, the veterans expected to produce are not producing at all, Mike Matheson and Lane Hutson are not as effective anymore, Arber Xhekaj is playing too much, etc.

The Canadiens are four points away from a playoff spot this morning, but with six other teams also eyeing that eighth and final position in the East. Won’t be easy.

Especially when you can’t even manage to win 50% of your home games (13 wins in 27 games).

Will the California sun shine on Martin St-Louis and his gang? The CH will visit the Ducks on Sunday, the Sharks on Tuesday (10:30 PM) and the Kings on Wednesday (10:30 PM). How many points will they manage to get?

Will buddy Gonzo rise from the ashes with his $15,000 bet?

Overtime

Jean Trudel and I are back for a third season of Stanley25. In the first episode, we discussed Emil Heineman’s accident, a former player who doubles his salary a few hours before showing up at events he has agreed to, and a coach doing strange things in Quebec minor hockey. Enjoy!

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Rafaël Harvey-Pinard loaned to the Rocket

Surprise from the Canadiens.

The club announced this morning that Rafaël Harvey-Pinard had been loaned to the Laval Rocket. He will not travel to California (the club is leaving today for the United States) with the others.

This was not expected after his first game of the season (in the Bettman circuit) last night.

This means that as we speak, the Canadiens have only 12 forwards (Michael Pezzetta and the 11 others who played last night), six defensemen, and two healthy goalies.

For a trip to California, this is not ideal. You need depth – especially in a playoff race.

Unless the Canadiens have called up someone and we don’t know it (we’ll find out quite soon since the Rocket plays tonight), my theory is as follows: Owen Beck and Logan Mailloux will head to California for the All-Star festivities, which will take place Sunday and Monday.

Is it possible that the Rocket guys will join the Canadiens on Tuesday while traveling? In my view, it could happen.

The Rocket plays tonight and tomorrow… but otherwise, it will be until Friday only. The Canadiens might very well say that the 20 healthy players will play on Sunday and that reinforcements will arrive for the games on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Beck and Mailloux could return with the Canadiens after the three games in California and miss no games with the Rocket. In my eyes, it is clearly a possibility on the table.

If the Canadiens think this way, it’s a risk to take (Emil Heineman, who was injured in the streets of Salt Lake City, is proof of that), but I wouldn’t be surprised if this is the Canadiens’ idea.

Let’s say that due to everyone being present at the Rocket’s practice, my theory holds up.

In brief

– Will a contract be signed?

– He must do more.

– Speaking of the Rocket.

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The Canadian respected Marc-André Fleury so much that he played a terrible game

Fans of the Bell Centre know how to do things right.

Last night was Marc-André Fleury night at the Bell Centre. On what was likely his final career start in his home province, all eyes were on him.

He deserved it, of course. And the fans showed him all their respect, even though he never wore the Habs’ colors.

The CH also did a great job honoring him by choosing strategic moments to do so. And just to be clear, when I talk about the CH, I’m not referring to the players.

In fact, no: the players paid a beautiful tribute to him by ensuring he had the easiest path to a 76th career shutout.

It was normal to see the Canadiens pay tribute to him before and after the game. It was normal for the players and coaches to shake his hand after the match.

But during the game? It would have been nice if the CH players had aimed to beat Flower and the Wild.

A lucky break that the fans had Fleury to experience emotions yesterday. Because no, it wasn’t the eight (!) shots from the CH during the first 40 minutes that really challenged him.

And after? It was too late. Even though the CH shot 11 times in the third, that only amounts to 19 shots total…

It was that kind of game where we knew the CH wouldn’t be able to climb back up. It was that kind of game where you could clearly see the early-season team, the one that didn’t win often, had resurfaced.

Martin St-Louis, who says that the CH has lost a bit of its swagger, wants the CH to be a thermostat and not a thermometer.

That’s all well and good, but the team has proven capable, in recent weeks, of playing good hockey. It’s not solely because of Kaiden Guhle’s injury, is it? Right?

Fans had the right to boo the Habs, who weren’t playing a second game in two nights in two different cities without their best forward.

At times, it looked like the Minnesota Wild were playing a home game while the Canadiens were on the road. And I’m not saying that because Flower was being cheered…

That’s not a good sign. But what explains such a game?

1. It’s rare for him, but Nick Suzuki didn’t have it last night. The captain couldn’t find his groove and he looked off.

And when he plays poorly, it shows.

2. The fans treated Fleury so well that after the game, in an interview with Marc Denis, he hesitated when asked if he would really retire at the end of the year.

Let’s just say that the referees didn’t receive the same treatment from the crowd. It’s not normal that there were only two penalties during the game.

3. It’s an isolated play, I know. But seeing Patrik Laine pass the puck to Christian Dvorak on such a sequence during a two-on-one rush is… generous. Let’s put it that way.

Laine needs to trust himself.

4. During the game, Rafaël Harvey-Pinard was the only forward who played less than 11 minutes. In his first game of the season at the Bell Centre, he had 8:54 of ice time.

That’s more than Michael Pezzetta when he plays.

Defensively, without Kaiden Guhle, several guys logged heavy minutes. Mike Matheson, for example, had 25:57 and Lane Hutson had 21:33. Jayden Struble still spent 15:36 on the ice.

All the defensemen were on the minus in terms of plus-minus during the game. That’s only logical when you lose 4-0…

5. For the second time in his NHL career and for the second time in his last two games, Jakub Dobes lost a game. This time, he did it in regulation.

Even if he had been perfect, his team wouldn’t have won in 60 minutes. This fourth straight loss was predictable.

overtime

Right now, when you look at the standings, you can see that the CH is only four points out of a playoff spot. It’s nothing serious, but it’s worse than mid-January, let’s say.

The February break will do them good.

(Credit: NHL.com)

There are only five games left before the Four Nations Confrontation. And the next three will take place in California, which means that fatigue could set in.

As long as it doesn’t become an excuse…

Yesterday, Michael Pezzetta was the only one of the 21 healthy players of the main squad who wasn’t dressed. We should expect a Rocket defenseman to be on the Canadiens’ flight today.

And since the Rocket will be playing tonight, we should be able to play detective quite easily. Noting that if everyone plays, it could mean that Logan Mailloux, who will go to California for the AHL All-Star Game, has a chance to back up the main squad on the road.

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Jakob Pelletier traded to the Flyers mid-game (like Mike Cammalleri)

Everyone remembers how Mike Cammalleri was traded from the Canadiens, right? Hint for those who may have forgotten: it was during a game in 2012.

Seeing a player traded mid-game is always spectacular. And last night, it happened again.

Jakob Pelletier, the young Quebec player from the Calgary Flames, did not finish his team’s game. The reason is simple: his GM traded him to the Philadelphia Flyers in the meantime.

Pelletier is that player who was “humiliated” by Darryl Sutter early in his career. He is the player who has often been linked to several teams – including the Canadiens – in the past. He is the player who went through waivers earlier this year.

So this is the player who will get a fresh start. And that’s great for him.

He is part of a big trade. The Flames have given up Pelletier, a second-round pick in 2025, a seventh-round pick in 2028, and Andrei Kuzmenko. The latter will join his colleague Matvei Michkov, who didn’t exactly have a good game last night.

And in return, Joel Farabee and Morgan Frost are heading to Alberta. These are two good young players making their way to Calgary, a team that has agreed to take on salary to make this happen.

One might wonder how eager the Flyers of Daniel Brière were to move. Because like Marc-Olivier Beaudoin, I’m not sure what Philly gets out of this.

Was it time to get the guys out of the locker room? Who knows.

Returning to Pelletier, it will be interesting to see if a change of scenery allows him to establish himself in the NHL and become the player the Flames believed he could be in the past. He was drafted 26th overall in 2019, after all.

Because if that’s the case and he shines in Pennsylvania, Daniel Brière will rub his hands in satisfaction.

extension

– One wonders how this transaction will affect the Flames, who must send a first-round pick to the Canadiens as part of the Sean Monahan transaction. To be continued…

(Credit: NHL.com)
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Top-5: John Tortorella yells after Matvei Michkov and benches him in the third period

Last night, 20 teams were in action.

And the action did not disappoint.

Here are the results and highlights:

1. John Tortorella yells at Matvei Michkov and benches him in the third period

While Ivan Demidov is shining in the KHL, things are going a bit less well for Matvei Michkov in the NHL.

The Russian has not recorded a point in his last six games. And his defensive play hasn’t been noteworthy either. Yesterday, after a missed coverage following the Islanders’ first goal, John Tortorella did not hesitate to send a message to his young forward.

After yelling at him, he benched him for the remainder of the game. His last presence on the ice was at 9:58 in the second period. Ouch!

The Islanders ultimately won 3-0, and after a pretty tough start to the season for Patrick Roy’s group, things are gradually looking up.

This is their sixth consecutive victory.

The Flyers also made a move after the game. They sent Joel Farabee and Morgan Frost to Calgary in exchange for a second-round pick, a seventh-round pick, Jakob Pelletier, and Andrei Kuzmenko, who reunites with Michkov.

Who won the trade, in your opinion? Let’s not forget that the Canadiens possibly have the Flames’ pick in the next draft… We might need to bring Tankathon back soon.

2. Matt Coronato’s hat trick in a Flames victory

Speaking of the Flames, they won yesterday.

Victory of 4-1 against the Anaheim Ducks.

In the victory, the big hero was Matt Coronato.

He scored a hat trick.

Nazem Kadri did not have the most glorious evening.

In addition to not scoring any points, he was manhandled by Jacob Trouba on this sequence.

3. The Senators win a tightly contested game in overtime

The Senators are really on a roll and for the first time in a long time, playoff hockey in the Canadian capital is more than a possibility.

Yesterday, Ottawa defeated the Washington Capitals in overtime thanks to this goal from Thomas Chabot.

Washington must be happy with the point earned, as they were down by two goals in the third period.

First, Alex Ovechkin scored his 876th goal. He is now just 18 goals away from Wayne Gretzky.

And Dylan Strome sent everyone to overtime a little later.

With this victory, Ottawa, which scored two goals during the same penalty kill, is well established in third place in the Atlantic with 58 points, one more than the Lightning.

4. An 11th consecutive game with a point for Tomas Hertl

In Vegas, the Golden Knights could have helped the Canadiens in their playoff quest by defeating the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Mission unaccomplished for Vegas, who let it slip away in overtime.

Despite everything, in the loss, Tomas Hertl scored a goal and extended his point streak to 11 games.

On the Jackets’ side, Cole Sillinger played the hero.

He scored the game-winning goal in overtime.

At the time of writing this, Columbus is in the playoffs.

The team has one more point than Boston, with two games in hand, however.

5. A first goal with the Hurricanes for Mikko Rantanen

Mikko Rantanen and the Hurricanes welcomed the Blackhawks last night and in his third game with the team, Rantanen finally found the back of the net.

He helped his team win the game 3-2.

The Finn was not the only contributor to this win.

Indeed, goalie Pyotr Kochetkov made this save.

He finished the game with 18 saves on 20 shots.

Ryan Suzuki, Nick’s brother, played his first game in the NHL.

He was blanked on the scoresheet.

Overtime

– What a save!

– Important milestones.

– Well done.

– Looks good on him.

– The top scorers from last night.

(Credit: NHL.com)

– Four games on the schedule tonight.

(Credit: Google)
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Marc-André Fleury shuts out the Canadiens in his last game at the Bell Centre

Tonight, the Canadiens were at the Bell Centre. For the occasion, they hosted the Minnesota Wild.

Kaiden Guhle was obviously absent, so Jayden Struble took his place in the lineup. Rafaël Harvey-Pinard took the place of Michael Pezzetta, who was sidelined.

Here is the complete lineup, with Jakub Dobes in net:

As for the Wild, who were in action yesterday, the club made no changes… except in net.

Marc-André Fleury was the starting goalie, playing his last career game at the Bell Centre.

I won’t waste your time for the first period: literally nothing interesting happened during the first 20 minutes of this game.

In fact, the only noteworthy moment occurred before the first period, when the fans at the Bell Centre showed their love for Fleury during the national anthem. A beautiful moment.

After 20 minutes, the score was 0-0.

In the second period, however, the Wild became a bit more opportunistic. A rather messy play by the Canadiens in their zone gave a great scoring chance to Liam Öhgren.

And he didn’t miss his chance.

Then, a few minutes later, Lane Hutson stumbled in the offensive zone… and Arber Xhekaj didn’t put in the effort of the century in his zone.

This allowed Marco Rossi to score his 18th goal of the season.

After 40 minutes, the score was 2-0 in favor of the Wild. The Canadiens only fired eight shots during those 40 minutes.

Martin St-Louis’ squad needed a jolt in the third… and just as the team was gaining a little momentum, Devin Shore broke the party.

That was his first goal in a Wild uniform.

During a commercial break, the Canadiens took the time to highlight Fleury’s last game at the Bell Centre… and for a second time tonight, the goalie received a ton of love from the fans on site.

And he deserved every second of that love.

At the end of the game, the Canadiens pulled Dobes for a sixth skater… but they were unable to get past the wall Flower.

Frédérick Gaudreau finished the scoring into an empty net.

Like in a good Hollywood movie, Marc-André Fleury shut out the Canadiens in his last career game at the Bell Centre. The fans chanted his name with about twenty seconds left in the game.

Final score: 4-0 Minnesota

The Canadiens will be back in action Sunday at 4 PM, as they head to Anaheim to face the Ducks.

Overtime

– The Canadiens looked completely lifeless tonight. It’s concerning given that the team was at home… and was facing a team that had just played in Toronto last night. We truly saw the Canadiens of November tonight… and it’s worrying.

– Jakub Dobes wasn’t exceptional tonight, but he made big saves to give his team a chance to win. Hard to ask for more from him.

– The absence of Kaiden Guhle was felt tonight. The duo formed by Lane Hutson and Arber Xhekaj really struggled… and this shows how much everyone was in the right spot when the lineup was healthy. Some guys will need to step up… because Guhle, even though he was at the Bell Centre tonight, will be out for quite a while.

– An owner giving a standing ovation for a goalie who shuts out his team: you don’t see that every day.

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Kaiden Guhle is at the Bell Centre tonight

Since Tuesday evening, there has been a lot of talk about Kaiden Guhle’s injury. It’s a significant blow to the CH’s defensive brigade that has fallen in battle… and there is talk of a very serious injury.

The Canadiens really didn’t need this, let’s agree.

In the immediate term, it’s Jayden Struble who takes his place in the lineup and Arber Xhekaj who finds himself with more responsibilities. Kent Hughes does not intend to pay the high price for a rental player to replace #21… unless an alternative like Alexandre Carrier is found, the solution will have to come internally.

However, aside from a statement from the CH about the defender’s surgery, we didn’t really know what condition he was in… but tonight, we got some news.

According to what Jeremy Filosa reports (98.5 FM), Guhle is at the Bell Centre tonight. He is on crutches and not putting weight on his right leg… but overall, this is still positive.

After all, it’s been just under 48 hours since Guhle suffered a major injury and underwent surgery. To see him well enough to be at the Bell Centre with the rest of the group tonight is good news.

He could still be in the hospital, or he could have chosen to regain strength at home… but clearly, he feels fit enough. And that’s great news under the circumstances.

Of course, one should not jump to drastic conclusions regarding all this. Let’s agree that even though it’s quite cool to see Guhle at the Bell Centre tonight, it doesn’t really mean much about a potential return to play this season.

He may have made an effort tonight to see the group before the CH heads out West for a week… because clearly, we shouldn’t expect to see him make that trip, even as a simple spectator.

For now, let’s simply be pleased to see him well enough to be able to walk around an arena tonight. This is, under current circumstances, the most important thing.

In Brief

– A first for Rantanen with the Hurricanes.

– Four teams to watch for Brandon Saad.

– I love it.

– Definitely.