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Allan Walsh : Two new teams (via expansion) are coming

We know the NHL would like to add teams to its league.

And if we trust Allan Walsh’s words, it’s going to happen.

The renowned player agent mentioned it in a recent tweet, and he also gave the location of “the two new teams”.

In short, Walsh claims there will be a new franchise in Houston and Atlanta.

It’s been a while since we’ve been hearing about these two locations when it comes to expansion. Those who wish to see the NHL return to Quebec will be disappointed, again…

According to Walsh, the two franchises will have to pay $1.5 billion to enter the National League.

That’s a lot of money.

Let’s recall that the Kraken, in 2022, paid $650 million to become the 32nd team in the NHL.

In 2017, the Golden Knights paid $500 million.

But what we need to ask ourselves in all of this – beyond the financial aspect – is whether it can really work in a market like Atlanta and Houston.

We know that the NHL has already been to Atlanta and the project wasn’t very successful. In Houston, however, it could be interesting… especially considering it’s one of the biggest cities in the United States.

Because the worst that could happen is to see one of the cities get an NHL team and not even be able to fill the amphitheater when needed.

The NHL will have to make sure there’s a good owner in place for each of these cities (not like with Alex Meruelo and the Coyotes) to ensure a certain quality.

They would also need to find a way to rearrange the divisions because going from 32 to 34 teams can’t be done overnight… but anyway.

The file remains to be seen, in other words.

In Overtime

– I personally love the concept. And you?

– It’s going to be special.

– Crazy!

– I love this baseball player.

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The Canadiens are the best club in the NHL since the 4 Nations

It must be admitted that it’s pleasant to watch the Canadiens lately.

The team – which never gives up – continues to know success because all the players are working hard.

There are no passengers on the ice for several weeks now. And in those moments, it’s much easier to go get wins!

It’s not complicated: since the break, the Habs are the best club in the National League.

They have only one loss in regular time in their last 12 games (!) and they have the best point percentage in the entire league since February 22nd.

The Habs are ahead of big teams like the Avalanche, the Capitals, the Lightning, the Hurricanes, the Stars, the Leafs… who are all ranked in the top-10 of the NHL’s general ranking.

And ultimately, few people could have predicted this phenomenon a few weeks ago:

(Credit: NHL.com)

It’s working right now because the players have bought into Martin St-Louis’ plan.

Each of the guys in the lineup knows their role, after all. And it’s also for this reason that right now, the four lines on offense and the three defense pairs are working well.

Monty needs to be able to get back on track (is he tired?) because he’s been very average in his last two starts, but okay.

For the rest, it’s hard to find anything negative.

This sequence is happening at the right time in the season because the other teams that are fighting for a playoff spot in the East are not having as much success.

And at that level, let’s remember that it’s Kent Hughes who must be smiling in his office… because he decided to listen to his players and keep the team intact at the deadline.

The guys are rewarding their GM in the right way, at least.

Let’s remember that the Habs still have 14 games to play before the end of the regular calendar. And if they’re able to follow the same rhythm, the team will really improve their chances of participating in the spring dance in a few weeks.

Again, few people could have predicted this phenomenon a few weeks ago.

Overtime

– Oh.

– The two guys are underestimated, too.

– A first contract in the NHL for the Islanders’ prospect.

– What to do with the All-Star Game? [98.5 FM]

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Fight against cancer: Brendan Gallagher will be wearing a jersey in tribute to his mother

The passing of Brendan Gallagher’s mother has been all over the news in recent days. Seeing Gally continue to battle on the ice is quite inspiring.

We knew he was a warrior, but this is something else…

Right now, all the habs fans can do is watch from afar – maybe encourage him tomorrow, on the heels of the game against Colorado.

But one fan can do something.

Lucie Lachance recently posted a message on Twitter saying she had the last Brendan Gallagher cancer awareness jersey. It’s a 2022 practice uniform, the last year they were made.

On the jersey, Gally had written “Mom” in the section where you write who you’re fighting for. So it’s a symbolic uniform.

Long story short, the fan wrote on Twitter that she wanted to give it back to him because, under the circumstances, she thought he deserved to have it.

And the message made its way to the man himself.

Today, Gally responded that the thought was very much appreciated and he will get the jersey. He suggested a jersey swap on April 16th, during the last home game of the season.

At the end of each season, the habs players give their game jersey to a fan. So she will get Gallagher’s jersey, and he will get a special one in return.

Overtime

– To be continued.

– Good news.

– He loves hockey.

– We can’t say he made the right play. But otherwise, I agree.

– Hmm…

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159 employees of the Habs organization were told of their layoffs just hours before a game

In recent days, 159 employees of the habs Group (hosts and hostesses working in the Bell Centre’s suites) learned of their dismissal, effective at the end of June.

Naturally, this was a shock for the employees in question.

As reported by journalist Francis Pilon, from Québecor, the habs decided to reorganize their system. The suite owners can now hire their own staff, as said by France Margaret Bélanger, President of Sports and Entertainment for the habs Group.

It is worth noting that the 159 employees are unionized. And at this time, there were negotiations to renew their collective agreement.

Now, instead of having habs Group employees, the Canadiens will go outside, to another agency, to avoid having unionized hosts and hostesses. And this, even if France Margaret Bélanger denies that it was done to avoid unionized employees.

It’s clearly a tactic to intimidate our group. – Anonymous employee

In Francis Pilon’s article, we read that the news had been poorly received and that a hostess even thought she was going to be sick when she learned of the dismissal. Some were unable to work.

The news was learned just before the game against the Senators, on Tuesday. This is not how it’s done.

According to what we’ve heard, it was just two hours before the game that the meeting took place to announce the departure of the 159 employees on June 30. It was between 5:30 and 6:00 pm that the blow fell.

And when you work with the public, you can’t have a bad attitude. Game time is not just an expression reserved for players…

We can also report that the option to change unions was on the table for the employees. The negotiations for the collective agreement were not going well with the habs Group, as you might expect, and there were tensions.

Did the habs also want to go outside to avoid the union protecting certain more stubborn employees? It’s also possible.

Naturally, this created a commotion among the employees in question, but also among the suite owners. Some were really upset and, according to our sources, several suite owners intend to hire the person who served them for years because the bond of trust is there.

Ultimately, that’s what the Canadiens want.

Let’s mention that the Canadiens are using techniques often associated with Americans (in a trade war with Canada) these days. After all, it seems that the habs Group has taken a page from Amazon’s book in this story.

Go Habs Go?

We will also mention, in conclusion, that the best employees will be referred to the agency that will take over in association with the habs. We are told that the salary will be three dollars more per hour… but without the possibility of tips.

For many hosts and hostesses, this is a tough blow.

Overtime

– As a third center? Possibly, yes.

– News from CF Montréal.

– Expansion: inevitable.

– Notice to baseball fans.

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Trading Joel Armia: Kent Hughes claims “not to have come close”

On the heels of the trade deadline, Kent Hughes extended Jake Evans’ contract, which had the effect of taking him out of the trade market. Without that, he was surely on his way out.

But when it comes to other free agents to be, it’s a different story.

Christian Dvorak, David Savard, and Joel Armia all stayed in town, despite the fact that they could have taken advantage of their autonomy to not stay in Montreal for the next season.

But how close did they come to leaving?

Kent Hughes, in an interview with Pierre LeBrun in Florida this week, mentioned that Savard and Dvorak, due to the price at which they would have been traded, were not necessarily likely to leave.

I don’t think the return would have been worth it.

We would have had to replace them with players from the Rocket and weaken Laval. For some mid-round picks, it wasn’t worth it. – Kent Hughes

But what about Joel Armia?

Armia had a better value (a second-round pick, according to rumors, was requested by Kent Hughes) and he really had a chance to leave the Canadiens at the trade deadline.

But the fact that the Canadiens started winning after the break made Hughes raise the price for Armia. His message? I’m not saying no to trading him, but if it happens, it will be for a high price.

So, did he come close to being traded?

I wouldn’t say we came close. – Kent Hughes

Armia, after being with Laval at the start of the 2023-2024 season, found an identity in 2024-2025. He is very useful to the Canadiens (despite his current wrist injury that prevents him from playing at full capacity) with Jake Evans and Emil Heineman.

We’ll see if he leaves this summer.

– Note.

– To read.

– Ah yes?

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Powerplay : Patrik Laine a goal away from the top of the NHL

Patrik Laine experienced a rollercoaster season.

It started with his injury and two months later than everyone else, he returned to the game. And from there, he put himself in a position to receive the keys to the city because things were going so well for him.

In December, his contribution was incredible.

Then, it calmed down. The weeks leading up to the four-nation showdown were not exactly simple for him – and even when he returned, it was not always obvious.

His story of “flu symptoms” did not help him.

But in the world of hockey, things can change quickly. And right now, we see it since his return to the game, in Seattle, Laine has started doing what he does best: scoring often on the powerplay. #FrappeurDeChoix

He has three goals in four games since his return – and all three are with a man advantage.

(Credit: ESPN)

Obviously, he is there for that. Seeing him score is good news because often, these are important goals in games. And it’s also good news because it shows he’s confident.

It’s felt in the rest of his game. And over the last three games, he has at least 15 minutes of time on the ice within a trio (Alex Newhook and Joshua Roy) that works well.

Kirby who?

In fact, as Eric Engels pointed out, Laine’s three powerplay goals in four games mean he now has 14 this season. The league leaders, who have played about 30 more games than him, are at #5. #Guentzel #Draisaitl

(Credit: NHL.com)

Yesterday, Laine took a stick to the face and came back into the game. On Tuesday, he shot so hard at the goalie early in the game that the goalie lost his stick, opening the door for Christian Dvorak’s goal.

Will it continue like this? No idea. But right now, that’s all we’re asking of him: score and don’t put his team in trouble. He did it in overtime in New York, but that should not happen too often.

in a lot

– Well done.

– Pierre Dorion explains the general managers’ meeting. [BPM Sports]

– Who will bring hockey to Houston? Possibly him.

– To read.

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Samuel Montembeault deserves rest: his bad goals are proof of that

Last night, the Habs lost to the Islanders. It ended 4-3 in overtime.

It wasn’t a bad night for the Habs when looking at the playoff picture since many teams in the race lost and the Habs found a way to get a point.

But with the playoffs not being easy to reach, the team can’t really afford to make mistakes.

(Credit: Sportsnet)

The Habs didn’t play badly last night. Patrick Roy’s men were limited to just 25 shots in over 60 minutes, while the Habs had 41 shots.

But clearly, Ilya Sorokin was on form.

He was more so than Samuel Montembeault, who for the second game in a row gave up at least one bad goal that he shouldn’t have given up if he wants to keep his team in the game.

The first goal of the game is a good example. The third Islanders goal is also one.

Even if we look at the last goal of the game, the one in overtime, we can say it would have been good to see the goalie make up for Lane Hutson and Patrik Laine’s mistake, who took time to get back into position.

It was a great shot by Bo Horvat… but sometimes a goalie has to make the big save to keep his team in the game.

Does this mean that the Quebecer is a bad goalie? Absolutely not. He’s had excellent moments this year, and without his contribution on the ice, the team wouldn’t be where they are.

He’s the team’s number one goalie for a reason. And that won’t change in the short term.

But there’s also a reason why he’s been struggling lately. And in my opinion, it’s clear that fatigue must be a factor.

It’s very clear, even.

Last week, I wrote a post where I said the goalie was on pace to play about 20 more regular season games than in previous years, going from around 40 to 60.

And that’s not counting that he didn’t have a break in the sun during the All-Star Game.

I wondered if it would show. And seeing the bad goals he’s given up in recent days, I really wonder how much a little rest could do him good.

I understand that if Martin St-Louis had put Jakub Dobes in goal last night, the coach would have looked bad if the goalie wasn’t up to par. But giving Monty a little rest should be considered.

I don’t know if St-Louis will want to put Dobes in goal tomorrow at the Bell Centre against the Avalanche for some rest. I expect Montembeault to play tomorrow, that being said.

That being said, the question arises because with a rested Monty, the Habs would be better served. The Quebecer can make a difference.

But the performances of the Quebecer are not the only thing to take away from the Habs’ loss in New York last night. There are other points to analyze.

For example?

1. When Nick Suzuki scored on a breakaway and it took five minutes to determine that the goal wasn’t good by a millimeter, the right call was made. But at what cost?

Taking that much time for reviews kills the game. And that’s not good for the sport. And speaking of “not good for the sport”: how do you define interference on a goalie?

2. A game against Patrick Roy is less special than it was in 2024. Last night, it wasn’t a factor, and not many people were talking about the opposing coach.

The novelty of “Roy in New York” is gone.

3. Alex Newhook is not perfect as a second center, but we’ve seen worse in recent years. He’s taking advantage of his audition to show he can handle the center position.

He wouldn’t be bad on the third line next year.

4. I think everyone was happy for Brendan Gallagher’s family to see him score. He’s going through tough times after the loss of his mother in recent weeks.

He deserved his goal.

5. 50 assists in a season for a Habs forward, it’s something we hadn’t seen since Vincent Damphousse over 30 years ago. And now, Nick Suzuki has reached that mark.

That’s 71 points in 68 games for the captain. He needs 11 points in 14 games to reach 82.

6. Joshua Roy is getting more and more comfortable in the NHL. Last night, seeing him work for the puck and position himself in the scoring area to score was a good thing.

He needs to understand that’s the right recipe.

overtime

After the game, the Habs returned to Montreal. And on this spring Friday, the players have the day off to rest before tomorrow’s game against Colorado.

Will the Habs be able to win that game? Will the rest be beneficial? We’ll see.

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Top-5 : A nice evening overall for the Habs in the standings

The Habs escaped with a big point last night in overtime against the New York Islanders.

But there were also several important games in the NHL for the playoff race.

Let’s see what happened:

1: A good evening in general for the Habs in the standings

The Habs – even though they lost – were able to pick up an important point in the standings.

Especially in the context where…

  • The Flyers lost 3-2 to the Caps
  • The Blue Jackets lost 1-0 to the Panthers in overtime
  • The Rangers lost 4-3 to the Leafs
  • The Sens lost 5-1 to the Avalanche

In the end, the Islanders got closer to the Habs and the Blue Jackets picked up a point in overtime.

This means that this morning, the Canadiens are still in the last playoff spot with 74 points.

The Islanders and Rangers are two points behind the Habs… and the Blue Jackets are three points behind the Canadiens.

(Credit: NHL.com)

The Habs got a big help last night and they need to find a way to take advantage of it.

It’s going to be tough on Saturday night, though, against the Colorado Avalanche.

2: Another goal for Ovi

Alex Ovechkin is unstoppable.

The Capitals’ captain scored again last night.

He is now seven goals away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s record:

Ovi has now scored 35 goals in just 53 games this season.

For a 39-year-old guy… it’s pretty special.

Also, the Capitals’ win (3-2) over the Flyers allowed the team to clinch a playoff spot.

They’re really having a great season:

3: We don’t talk enough about Pavel Dorofeyev

Pavel Dorofeyev is a player who flies under the radar.

He plays in the West and in Montreal, we don’t talk about him much – which is normal.

But Pavel Dorofeyev, in fact, is having a fantastic season.

He scored three goals last night to help the Golden Knights beat the Bruins 5-1:

The Golden Knights’ forward has now scored 30 goals since the start of the season.

It’s his best production in his career, and maybe we should start paying more attention to him.

He deserves it, at least.

4: Ah, the Sabres…

It’s been a long time since the Sabres have been bad.

And it’s been a long time since we’ve been talking about this team as the laughingstock of the NHL.

Let’s just say the Sabres didn’t really help their reputation last night…

While they were trying to tie the game with six players on the ice, the Sabres still managed to score… but in their own net.

That’s tough:

The Sabres eventually lost the game 5-2 to André Tourigny’s team.

It’s also their seventh loss in their last 10 games.

Things will probably never change in Buffalo…

5: Tough night for the Oilers

From the start, here’s what you need to know.

The Oilers were unable to beat the Jets last night at home.

Edmonton’s team lost 4-3 in overtime… and Kyle Connor was the hero for the Jets:

But the Oilers had a tough night and it’s not just because of the loss.

Because, in fact… the team also lost Connor McDavid’s services during the game.

The Oilers’ captain had to leave the game due to a lower-body injury:

Do you think that’s all?

No…

At the end of the game, Stuart Skinner also had to leave the game after being contacted by an opponent.

Additionally, Leon Draisaitl (injured) was unable to play in the game:

Let’s hope for the Oilers that it’s not too serious for their two star players and their number one goalie.

Because it could hurt, otherwise…

Overtime

– It’s going really well for the Hurricanes.

– Nice goal.

– Wow!

– It was only a matter of time…

– It was also a big night for the standings in the West.

– It looks like this in the West, exactly:

(Credit: NHL.com)

 

– The top scorers of the night:

(Credit: NHL.com)

– There’s only one game on the schedule tonight. Penguins vs Blue Jackets, at 7 PM.

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Big point slipped away in New York for the Habs

After a strong emotional win against the Senators on Tuesday, the habs were back in action.

Another big game against a direct opponent.

This time, the Islanders were the opponent. Here are the lineups :

New York has the worst powerplay, but that didn’t stop the team from opening the scoring on the powerplay.

Anthony Duclair made Samuel Montembeault look bad at the mouth of the goal.

Recently, despite being behind by a few goals, the habs never give up.

It’s not a goal against the Islanders that will make the Habs nervous. Joshua Roy scored his first goal since March 12, 2024.

In the second period, Nick Suzuki thought he had given the habs the lead, but there was an offside on the sequence.

Very tight.

The Islanders’ goals, however, are accepted.

Still on the powerplay, before the end of the second period, Simon Holmstrom gave his team the lead again.

Then, in the third period, Bo Horvat hurt the habs by scoring the team’s third goal.

3-1.

A little later, the Islanders took a very bad penalty.

The visitors took advantage of it to score a big goal. And despite Roy’s protest, this time the goal was awarded.

>Last Saturday, against the Panthers, this goal would have been disallowed. I don’t understand anymore…

The locals seemed to be heading for a win, but with a little over five minutes left in the game, Gally (who else?) sent everyone into overtime. A big point in the bank for both teams.

Final score: 4-3 Islanders, who won in overtime thanks to a second goal from Bo Horvat.

Not the most glorious sequence for Lane Hutson… Big point lost.

Martin St-Louis’ team will be back in action on Saturday against the Avalanche, who just crushed the Senators, at the Bell Centre.

Overtime

– The Canadiens dominated in terms of shots on goal 41-25. Ilya Sorokin was on fire all night.

– More fear than harm.

– I would have liked to see the habs more aggressive on the penalty kill against this powerplay…

– Ouch!

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Brendan Gallagher ties the game late

The Canadiens dominated the Islanders on this Thursday evening.

Late in the game, with New York leading by a goal, Brendan Gallagher broke loose and scored, on the team’s 35th shot.

A goal for mom.

His goal into an empty net, he dedicated it to Della. But in the sequence, we didn’t know that directly.

Now we know. Gally’s been playing well lately.

More to come…