Michael Hage had a first season in the NCAA that could be described as exceeding expectations by many. He quickly established himself as an important player for Michigan.
This season, however, was not only filled with good performances, and Hage knows it. If his season had been perfect across the board, he would already be negotiating his entry-level contract with the Canadiens.
The first-round pick of the Habs in the last draft believes he should improve in the face-off circle.
This is what he revealed in an interview with Russ Cohen of The Hockey News.
We can start by explaining that Hage finished the season with a 46% efficiency rate in the face-off circle, which is not bad, but still leaves room for improvement.
Out of his 33 games played this season, Hage only completed 9 where he won more than 50% of his face-offs. He has a consistency problem.
By observing his statistics in each game, we realize that he had several games with a very high success rate in the face-off circle, but he also had games where he didn’t have an answer to his opponent.
Hage, however, confided to Russ Cohen that he feels he has improved in this aspect during the year. He learned from some of his older teammates.
The prospect of the Canadiens will certainly want to improve this aspect if he wants to one day aspire to be the second center of the Habs.
With his 34 points in 33 games this season, Hage didn’t just focus on the things to improve. He arrived at Michigan with the mentality of having an impact on this new team, and he knows he succeeded in doing so.
Another season in the NCAA won’t hurt him. He’s on the right track, and it’s great to see him recognize the aspects he needs to improve.
Overtime
– A true legend.
En enregistrant un 80e point jeudi, Sidney Crosby est assuré de terminer la saison 2024-25 avec une moyenne d’au moins un point par match, sa 20e en carrière!
The Canadiens made the right decision to send Oliver Kapanen to Sweden for the current season.
The Finn had impressed at training camp and had even managed to carve out a spot in Montreal. However, his start to the season proved that he still needed development, and that’s what he’s doing right now in Sweden.
Kapanen is being used on the first line of Timra IK’s offense, even in the playoffs. In fact, his team has so much confidence in him that he played over 36 minutes in game three of the first round of the playoffs in a game where his team won.
Kapanen didn’t pick up any points in that game despite the significant amount of ice time, but he did manage to pick one up on Thursday in game four of Timra IK’s playoff series.
The Canadiens prospect recovered the puck in a battle along the boards and made a perfect pass to his teammate, who then scored the second goal of the game, which became the winning goal for Timra IK.
Oliver Kapanen with an assist today on the eventual game-winning goal in a 2-1 win.
With this win, Timra IK has tied the series 2-2. Kapanen now has two points in four playoff games.
It’s great to see Kapanen thriving with his team in Europe, unlike a certain Ivan Demidov, who’s having problems created by his head coach.
With 35 points in 36 games in the SHL this season, it’s safe to say Kapanen’s season has been a success.
Used more often than not on the top line and on the powerplay, Kapanen has played games where he had an important role. That’s something he wouldn’t have had the chance to do in Montreal.
In fact, I’m not even sure he would have had that ice time playing for the Laval Rocket.
He should experience success with the Rocket in the future, but we’ll have to wait until the end of Timra IK’s playoff run to bring him back to North America.
Overtime
– There are representatives from the Canadiens at the Armada game.
Start of the QMJHL playoffs in Boisbriand, game 1: Phoenix vs Armada
In goal: Feldbergs vs Hamel
About 15 teams from the NHL have scouts present, including the Habs with Nick Bobrov and Serge Boisvert
We’re keeping an eye on Justin Carbonneau, among others, for the 2025 NHL Draft.
The Flyers made the decision to fire John Tortorella earlier today.
Or should I say John Tortorell-out… #BadJoke
Seriously, the decision isn’t necessarily surprising. The Flyers had a tough season and Torts somewhat took himself out of Philadelphia by saying he didn’t want to learn how to manage the team with the current circumstances.
Daniel Briere spoke with the media to explain his choice and said he loved working with his former coach.
However, the repeated losses started to weigh on the experienced NHL coach and the organization as well.
Briere explained that the discussion with John Tortorella was respectful and he also took the time to praise him after his dismissal.
“Torts is a complicated man, he’s a complicated coach. He’s a blast to work with because he challenges you. I truly believe he made me a better GM. I loved working with him, and I think he loved working with me. He’s not a yes man.”
It’s going to be Brad Shaw who will be the Flyers’ head coach for the rest of the campaign, but that doesn’t mean he’ll be back next year.
In fact, Daniel Briere claims that the organization doesn’t necessarily need a young coach… because there are many young players to manage on the team.
The most important thing will be to find the right “fit”:
Flyers will be young team moving forward. Do they need a young coach?
“Not necessarily,” said Briere. “We’re not going to close off any coaches because of their age if they’re the appropriate coach. We’re going to keep everything open. But, at the same time, if a younger coach…
It didn’t take long for names to start circulating for the job in Philly. And at this level, it’s mostly Rick Tocchet’s name that’s been getting attention for the past few hours.
The Canucks’ coach is in the last year of his contract (the team has an option for next season) and given that things aren’t going as planned in Vancouver, he might find himself without a job at the end of the season.
If he becomes available, there will be teams lining up for his services. And the Flyers could very well jump on that opportunity:
Media speculation links Tocchet to Flyers with club option left on Canucks contract.
Rick Tocchet had success in his first two seasons with the Canucks.
He almost led the team to the playoffs when he took over from Bruce Boudreau in 22-23, and last season, the Canucks won 50 games… and finished the campaign in 6th place in the NHL standings.
The Canucks were eventually eliminated in the second round in 23-24. But it’s tough this season with everything going on in Vancouver: the Canucks are underperforming and are three points away from a playoff spot.
If the team misses the playoffs, it’s likely that Tocchet won’t be back behind the bench…
All this to say that we need to keep an eye on Rick Tocchet’s name in Philadelphia. He’s capable of working with young players, he’s patient… but he also has a bit of a tough side.
He would fit in well with the Flyers organization.
– The former Habs captain found his role in Toronto.
Max Pacioretty has added an element of physicality to his game that fits Craig Berube’s style, and the Maple Leafs coach is confident that come playoff time the veteran forward will be ready.@lukefoxjukebox has the story. https://t.co/Xlec8HiDiN
For years, we’ve been hearing Pierre Houde’s voice describing the Montreal Canadiens’ games.
And the main man has a new challenge ahead of him.
Pierre Houde will be participating in the new movie “F1” in which we will notably see Brad Pitt.
The habs’ game describer on RDS made the announcement yesterday during a passage on the BLVD 102.1 radio station, a Quebec radio station located in Lévis.
He, along with his colleague for F1 on RDS, Bertrand Houle, will be called to describe the moments of Formula 1 in the French version of the new movie, which is supposed to be released in June 2025.
Recording will begin at the beginning of May and it will take place at the Cinelume Postproduction studio located in downtown Montreal.
This isn’t the first time we’ll see Pierre Houde participating in the making of a movie.
He was notably in the third movie of the series “Les Boys”, which was released in 2001…
He was the hockey commentator in the movie “Les Pee-Wee 3D: The Winter That Changed My Life” and he also played the same role in the movie “Bon Cop, Bad Cop”.
Pierre Houde has experience, to put it another way. Especially with his years on television!
But the fact that he was chosen to participate in the new F1 movie is also a nice recognition for him.
Pierre Houde is excellent at what he does, and the movie’s producers wanted his help because they know how talented he is.
All the better, then. And I look forward to seeing the result!
Overtime
– Oliver Kapanen continues to do well in Sweden.
Oliver Kapanen with an assist today on the eventual game-winning goal in a 2-1 win.
Since the beginning of last season, teams that have made a coaching change during the schedule have a 7-4 record in the first game under the new coach.
Ivan Demidov and SKA Saint-Petersburg were playing their first playoff match, and the Habs prospect started the game as the 13th forward.
He didn’t play a single second in the first period, had six shifts (3:30) in the second, and was only used during the last shift.
Result?
Ivan Demidov, the team’s top scorer in the regular season, finished the game with a spectacular (or not) 7:43 of playing time with his 11 shifts on the ice.
And the SKA lost 3-1.
Super.
Even the SKA commentators don’t understand why Demidov is playing so little:
KHL reporters are also wondering why Ivan Demidov isn’t getting any playing time with SKA https://t.co/4NYdx9ZhbJ
The HK Dinamo Moscow (SKA’s opponent) has a good lineup on paper.
The team has players like Nikita Gusev, Jordan Weal, Maxime Comtois, and Cédric Paquette, who have all played in the NHL and have been useful.
But in the end, Roman Rotenberg’s decisions sank his team in the first playoff game.
He didn’t use his best players as he should have, and it backfired.
Let’s recall that he will probably lose his job if the SKA is quickly eliminated from the playoffs… and he needs to find a way to get things back on track before it’s too late.
But let’s also recall that the Habs prospect should finish the season in the MHL if the SKA loses quickly in the playoffs. The organization wants to give itself the best chance to win the junior league title, and we know Demidov had a lot of success in that league last year.
It’s just one game, but the playoffs aren’t starting well for the SKA and Ivan Demidov… and maybe that will encourage Roman Rotenberg to change his game plan before the team’s next game, which is on Saturday.
Overtime
– The Flames need to keep the pace.
“It’s been a lot of fun these last couple games. Hopefully we can keep building on it and take a step forward.”
Matt Coronato stopped by the #Flames TV desk to talk about playing alongside Jonathan Huberdeau and Morgan Frost. pic.twitter.com/3OOy7BIG8j
Kent Hughes will have a big file on his table this summer.
That of Lane Hutson.
The defenseman will be able to sign a contract extension as of July 1st and the Canadiens have an interest in not delaying too much. Because if Kent Hughes waits until next year, when Hutson’s entry-level contract in the NHL ends, Hutson may cost even more…
We know that Lane Hutson will sign a contract that will earn him a lot of money, even if it happens this summer. He is part of the elite among offensive defensemen in the NHL – even if he is in his first season in the league – and he is already one of the most important players on the Montreal team.
Right now, he’s worth (a lot) more than his $950,000 salary on the habs’ payroll.
The amount of his next contract will attract attention, but we will also have to watch the length of the agreement. Nicolas Cloutier, in an article on TVA Sports, explains why it would be beneficial for him to sign a four-year agreement… which would bring him one year closer to full autonomy, in 2030.
A four-year contract would kick in in 2026 and in 2030, Hutson would still be a free agent with compensation:
Being eligible for an offer sheet in addition to having arbitration rights, Hutson would have incredible leverage in his negotiations with the Canadiens. – Nicolas Cloutier
Lane Hutson is a good kid who just wants to play hockey.
But if he wants to earn as much money as possible, he has no choice but to consider a shorter-term contract with the Montreal Canadiens. https://t.co/IWjTpwdg4a
But in all this, we must also wonder if the player is interested in following the same path as Jake Evans.
The Canadiens’ center recently signed a four-year contract extension that will earn him $2.85 million per season. He decided to agree with the habs for less money because he loves playing in Montreal and because he wants to grow with the team.
Kent Hughes was able to sell him a good plan and that allowed the habs’ GM to save money on the payroll for the coming years. Will he be able to do the same with Hutson… and will the latter want to accept “helping” his team at that level?
Because in fact, Hutson will probably have the upper hand in the discussions.
Hutson has arguments to demand an astronomical salary. We know that the salary cap will increase and the habs organization also knows that he has the talent and potential to become not only one of the best defensemen, but also one of the best players in the National League.
Again, Kent Hughes will have a big file on his table.
But if the GM manages to sign him for several years at a more than respectable salary – as he did with Jake Evans, Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki, we will all be able to celebrate in the city.
[spacer title=’In a lot’
– I doubt it.
Torts is 66, do you think he gets another chance to head coach in the league again?
The fourth game of the series between Frolunda and Timra is starting right now in Sweden. Oliver Kapanen played more than 36 minutes in the third game which ended in the second overtime period. Frolunda leads the series 2-1. https://t.co/chlZZvC2iT
Stéphane Waite has a lot of experience with goalies in the NHL. He notably worked for a championship team in Chicago and when Marc Bergevin took the GM position in Montreal, he eventually brought him along.
And for years, he guided Carey Price.
Today, in the media, he shares his experience with goalies. And yesterday, on 98.5 with Mario Langlois, he talked about Samuel Montembeault, who has been giving up too many goals lately.
In his eyes, the fact that Monty is too passive works against him when there is traffic in front of the net.
We know that Montembeault is not the most aggressive guy in general and visibly, right now, his calmer personality is showing for the wrong reasons in front of the net.
Basically, when he has his view blocked or a shot is deflected, being high in the semicircle has the effect of pushing players back a bit, but also of appearing bigger in front of the net and blocking more space.
And against the Blues, notably, it was flagrant in Waite’s eyes: Montembeault was poorly positioned.
A deflected shot, the higher you are in your semicircle, the less space there is. – Stéphane Waite
I wonder if it’s just a natural instinct that comes back or if fatigue, for example, can make him challenge opponents less in front of his net. But right now, it’s often like that that he gets beaten.
Martin St-Louis spoke this morning, ahead of tonight’s game.
First of all, we knew that the Canadiens intended to have Jakub Dobes play either tonight or tomorrow. And finally, it’s tonight, in Philadelphia, that the goalkeeper will play.
This means that Monty will play in Carolina, on Friday – and probably on Sunday, in Florida.
Jakub Dobes gets the start for the Habs tonight vs the Flyers. His first start in two weeks since March 12th.
Meanwhile, he will be able to rest and Dobes will have the mandate to face, on paper, the worst team on the schedule this week. Will the strategy pay off for the club?
We’ll see.
Note that Dobes will face a club that will play under the orders of Brad Shaw, since John Tortorella, the former Flyers coach, was fired. The announcement was made this morning.
Will this make the task more difficult for Dobes and the rest of the team?
But we were especially watching to see if Kaiden Guhle would be able to return to the game. It was a long shot and it wasn’t exactly predictable, but the question still arises.
And finally, he won’t play tonight. We don’t know if he’ll play this week.
Martin St. Louis says Dobes is starting. No Kaiden Guhle
Also, as we were talking about Martin St-Louis’ press conference, the subject of John Tortorella was brought up. He says he doesn’t like to see someone lose their job and that it can hurt.
However, he doesn’t want to judge (especially his comments about his desire to lead a last-place team) since he doesn’t have all the information at hand.
Martin St. Louis on John Tortorella:
“For sure. Torts had a big impact on my career. He’s a good person, and it’s never fun to see anyone lose their job. Sometimes it hurts even more when you know the person.”
On whether or not he was surprised following Tortorella’s comments…
Les Amateurs de sports I Samuel Montembeault connaît une petite baisse de régime, mais José Théodore ne jure que par lui, comme il l’explique à @LangloisMario.https://t.co/gNBVZivZ9y
One can never blame Tony Marinaro for not talking about the CF Montréal.
He does it in his podcast on the club twice a week, he does it three to four times a week during his shows on BPM Sports, he does it occasionally with JiC on TVA Sports…
And this, even if the segments on soccer are constantly less listened to than the segments on the Canadiens. There are fans who “like” discussions on hockey, but who stop tuning in to the 91.9 FM Montréal radio station when it’s about soccer rather than hockey. It’s a reality.
Some say Tony is too negative, but
One, it takes all kinds of coverage to make a club shine; Two, when there’s something positive to say about the club, Tony is always there to say it.
In short, here’s what Tony remembered from this interview in Italian:
1. Joey Saputo admitted to having distanced himself from the club because he was heavily criticized in Montréal. In short, his solution to respond to criticism about his passion was to move away from the club. However, he admits he may have made a mistake by doing so… a huge mistake (leaving the presidency). He admits to having lost the passion to work within this club.
Joey Saputo puts a lot of energy into his Italian soccer club.
(Credit: Getty Images)
2. The culture of the CF Montréal today is not the same as it was when he was here and helping the club (Impact) grow to the highest level in North America.
“It breaks my heart. I see a big difference between where the club was before and where it is now.” – Joey Saputo
3. In 2012, the Impact played games against Bologna and was almost at the same level. If the CF Montréal were to face Bologna’s first team today, it would be a massacre. The CF Montréal would have no chance. These are not Tony’s words, but Joey’s.
4. The difference between Bologna and Montréal is that Joey allows himself to be around the team. He has a dialogue with the coach.
“I don’t tell him who to play and who not to play, but I can give him some opinions […] in Montréal, I’m seen as the guy who puts his nose in the kitchen, who wants to influence the coach. How I’m seen in Bologna and how I’m seen with the CF Montréal, it’s completely different.” – Joey Saputo
5. Many people have criticized him for spending more time in Bologna than in Montréal… for spending more money in Bologna than in Montréal. Why is he acting this way?
“Because in Bologna, it’s appreciated. In Montréal, it’s not appreciated, what we do. In Bologna, they let me work, they let our club work.” – Joey Saputo
6. Joey Saputo claims to be spending as much money as before on the CF Montréal. He loses $20 million in annual operating costs.
7. The Montréal market is a small limited market (notably in terms of sponsorships) where he has to sell low-priced tickets to hope to fill the Stade Saputo.
He didn’t mention the weakness of the Canadian dollar, but he could have.
8. The club has the mindset of developing young players and not spending too much on stars because Joey doesn’t want to lose even more money annually. He asks the fans to accept the club’s strategy and support it. Otherwise – and he doesn’t want it to come to this -, but it will be bye-bye.
What do we take away from this?
Some fans or media members will see this interview as the beginning of a reflection that will inevitably lead to the sale of the concession.
The owner is detached… he’s dumping on us…
I respect their reading and opinion, but that’s not how I perceive it.
Yes, Joey Saputo seems sad… yes, he seems to have some regrets…
But he mostly shows that he still cares about Montréal. He took the time to explain why he distanced himself from the club, and sincerely, we can understand why he acted that way. He’s emotional, and when you’re constantly being criticized, you sometimes want to just move away from the heat.
By listening to this interview – and of course, Tony Marinaro’s translation -, we better understand why he’s not investing in the Stade Saputo and why he’s not taking out his checkbook to bring in big names to Montréal.
But we can also think that Joey is thinking about how to rebuild bridges with his first city.
Maybe it’s time for Joey to end his (too long) exile from Quebec and come back to give love to his first club.
I know, not everything has been perfect with Joey. Not even close…
But not everything has been catastrophic either.
Montréal is lucky to have a club in the MLS, and if Joey ever thinks about making a comeback in a more active way around the club, I think it will be good news, not bad. Especially since his two sons are making many of the soccer decisions right now.
There aren’t 10,000 potential owners for a soccer club of this magnitude in Montréal.
If one day, Joey wants to come back, explain himself, apologize, and extend his hand again to the fans, I hope they will be receptive and accept his hand. Because in the end, we would all benefit from it.
We understand that it will pass or break over the next few years. The status quo won’t last another 10, 15 years. And any important and strategic decision will come from Joey (and Lino Jr).
Joey realizes he probably made a mistake by distancing himself from Montréal; it’s time to fix that mistake. And I’m talking to Joey as much as to the club’s fans…
Be careful what you wish for. Do you prefer an owner who’s too emotional at times or an absent owner?
There’s no businessman who likes to lose money… especially not when being constantly criticized by the people you’re trying to please by spending millions of dollars. Losing money with the CF Montréal is okay – many soccer clubs lose money around the world -, but I admit that at least you have to enjoy the adventure. You have to recognize the gestures made and the risks taken by the only possible owner for a soccer club of this magnitude in Montréal…
At this point, I wonder what we would say/do if Joey Saputo were to take back the presidency instead of Gabriel Gervais. How would it be perceived?
Do teams fighting for the last playoff spot in the East know they need to win more hockey games than not to qualify for the playoffs?
Note: I’m not talking about the Senators here. That team has a good lead over other teams hoping to make the playoffs as a wild card… and that team is winning hockey games.
Over the last 10 games, the Senators have seven wins, having played 70 games this season, and they have five more points than the Islanders, the first team outside the playoff picture.
(Credit: NHL.com)
Yesterday, those same New York Islanders lost to the Vancouver Canucks. With a win, Patrick Roy’s team would have woken up in a playoff spot.
But that didn’t happen.
The Canadiens have 12 points in their last 10 games (60% of possible points, a passing grade for an elementary school student) and the Islanders have 11. But behind them, there are teams that don’t understand they need to win games to stay in the race.
For example?
Rangers: 3-6-1 in their last 10 games
Blue Jackets: 2-7-1 in their last 10 games
Red Wings: 3-7-0 in their last 10 games
Bruins: 2-7-1 in their last 10 games
You’ll tell me that it’s precisely because these teams don’t win often that they’re so low in the standings – and that’s not wrong. However, we don’t always feel a great sense of urgency.
The Canadiens have only three regulation wins (an important element in case of a tie) in their last 10 games and have lost their last three games… but they’re still in the playoffs. How is that?
When the Habs are 0-1-2 in their last three games but they still hold onto their W2 playoff spot cause the teams below them keep losing
The Canadiens still have room to maneuver with 12 games left in their season and no team in the league having played fewer than 70 games. Their points percentage of 53.6 is better than that of other teams in the race.
But still: it’s thin.
Let’s say that not winning in Philly (one win in their last 10 games) tonight would hurt their chances of hanging on to the last playoff spot.
Note that tonight’s game between Ottawa and Detroit will also be worth watching.
Overtime
– It starts today.
Unless you’re a fan of the Rays or the Rockies, you’ll be able to see your favorite team in action today. https://t.co/6MgAAHcedw
