The Panthers saw their star defenseman Aaron Ekblad be suspended for 20 games due to doping.
In short, the defenseman will miss the last 18 games of the regular season and the first two playoff games – which will likely take place at home for the Florida club.
And since the team is not fighting for survival, let’s say it could have been worse for them.
But by the force of things, this doping situation makes us question the timing of all this. After all, it comes just a few days after the acquisition of Seth Jones in Florida, just after the trade deadline and just late enough for him to miss the end of the regular season.
And so, you’ll tell me?
What we need to know is that even if we learned about it yesterday, the Panthers undoubtedly found out about it before. The defenseman managed to get caught (which is surprising) and the Panthers may have had time to react.
And as Renaud Lavoie said this morning (on the airwaves of BPM Sports in the morning show) that he read that Ekblad’s salary was coming out of the salary cap during his suspension, let’s say that helps the Panthers a little. Just a little.
Were the Panthers as transparent as possible in this case? The question can be asked.
After all, if the club knew that Ekblad’s salary was going to lift the legs off the salary cap by the end of the season and that the player was going to be absent without the Hawks knowing, that changes the situation.
Be careful: we don’t know what Chicago knew or didn’t know before trading Seth Jones. But if the Panthers and/or the NHL hid information from the Blackhawks, that changes the situation of a potential transaction.
After all, the price could have changed. #Despair
Because yes, there is a world where the Panthers take advantage of the defenseman’s suspension, who will be a free agent in a few months, to get Jones from the Blackhawks at a good price.
We can’t accuse the Panthers of anything and maybe if the announcement was late, it’s not just their fault. But at the very least, we can talk about a nice coincidence for a club that will get Matthew Tkachuk back just for the playoffs, right?
In passing
– Ah yes?
– David Reinbacher absent from the Rocket’s training. We’re talking about a day of treatment. [X]
– The woman who had massacred the American national anthem at the 2024 Baseball All-Star Game is back. She did well last night. [TVA]
– 2025 Draft: Carter Bear’s season is over. [TSLH]
The honeymoon is really over between Patrik Laine and the Canadiens’ fans.
The time when we wanted to offer him a contract extension is also over. Montreal is a place loved by players, but it doesn’t fix all the gaps of a guy, let’s say.
Right now, it’s mostly his flaws that are showing.
Laine, who didn’t play on Saturday night due to flu symptoms, didn’t train yesterday either. And he won’t do it this morning since the CH won’t take to the ice before the game against the Canucks, in Vancouver.
Nobody here believes he has the flu. – Luc Gélinas
Links have been made with Evgenii Dadonov two years ago. He had been left out on the pretext that he had the flu, but he was still at the arena with his Canadiens teammates and in the club’s entourage.
And apparently, it’s the same thing that applies here. It doesn’t smell good for him, all this…
Laine’s future in Montreal feels uncertain. Could the #Canadiens cut ties sooner than expected? The signs are piling up. #GoHabsGo #Habs
What we need to know is that this is the second time Laine has missed games due to the flu this season – since December. And the first time, he was training apart from the group… but he was going to meet young people on the same day.
Let’s say it’s easy to believe that Laine, who played for only 10 minutes against the Oilers on March 6, is maybe less sick than we think. We’re not accusing him of anything, but we’re wondering.
Does this mean that the Canadiens prefer to play Michael Pezzetta over Patrik Laine? Or can Laine not play, but for a reason other than the flu?
Because if Laine can really play, but is being left out by his coach, it means that recalling Joshua Roy was a luxury and not an emergency. Right? #LaGrippeALeDosLarge
The Canadiens have loaned forward Owen Beck to the Laval Rocket and have recalled forward Joshua Roy (emergency recall).
The Canadiens have loaned forward Owen Beck to the Laval Rocket and have recalled forward Joshua Roy (emergency recall).
If Laine is being left out ( without it hurting the CH too much) by hiding it all behind the excuse of the flu, we can think that a page from Pascal Vincent’s book has been taken by Martin St-Louis.
I’m being told that when he benched Laine last season, Pascal Vincent had rather given his player a break who wasn’t feeling well, while taking the heat on his shoulders. – Maxime Truman
Let’s also note that if Laine is indeed being left out and the CH is playing Pezz in a playoff race, it clearly shows that the Canadiens lack depth. It’s a theme that keeps coming back these days.
The situation hasn’t finished making people talk, I think. Especially because of the standings… #QuatrePointsDesSéries
(Credit: NHL.com)
In a nutshell
– Ah yeah?
– Who are the top prospects for the 2025 draft? [NYT]
– Which teams are the favorites to win the Stanley Cup? [NYT]
David Savard will likely finish his four-year contract having only played for the Montreal Canadiens since he signed the agreement. After all, he was not traded at the trade deadline.
And he is very happy about it, as he loves playing here.
What’s crazy is that his contract was signed by Marc Bergevin after the team reached the Stanley Cup final. David Savard was on the other side, in Tampa Bay, just before returning to Quebec.
And of course, things have changed a lot since then. Marc Bergevin and Dominique Ducharme are gone, and quickly, Savard became the player who had to “eat up the minutes of Shea Weber” on the ice.
At first, it wasn’t always easy. But quickly, he found his place in Montreal and was recognized at his true value by the new administration, but also by the fans. And what about the players, who love him?
But now, almost four years later, Savard is still approaching autonomy. And we wonder what he will do, knowing well that he has slowed down over the past 12 months and that he must have many small injuries.
This is probably why when he is questioned about his future, he doesn’t know what to say. And this, even if he still loves playing hockey and playing for the Canadiens.
This is a decision that will come a little later in the year. – David Savard
In other words, Savard is considering retirement. Even if he loves hockey and the Canadiens, he knows that at some point, he will have to move on and end his career. He just doesn’t know if it will be in 2025.
This is what can be concluded from an interview by Mario Langlois with the main person concerned for 98.5 Sports.
Another contract after this season? | “I still have a lot of fun playing hockey” – David Savard
We assume that Savard, who wanted to return to Montreal in 2021 and has always said he wants to stay despite the team’s reconstruction, would return with the Canadiens if he had to. But this is not a certainty either, as he could go elsewhere for a year if he wants to.
In any case, for now, the Canadiens are lucky to have him. And don’t be surprised if, once retired (whether in 2025 or later), the Quebecer is offered a position within the organization.
In quick succession
– To read.
– Kristian Matte, coach of the Lions: he would have said yes to such a position in Montreal. [RDS]
– Dany Dubé enjoyed his conversation with Carey Price. [98.5 Sports]
Last night, there were only four games in the NHL.
There was still a lot of action.
Here are the results and highlights:
Mitch Marner joined Darryl Sittler (8x) as the second player in @MapleLeafs history to record at least five 80-point seasons before scoring the shootout winner to close out a four-game Monday.
Let’s remember that Jesperi Kotkaniemi did a similar gesture to Dylan Cozens a few days ago.
It’s become a trend…
The Leafs were in a tough spot, but still managed to win the game 4-3 in a shootout. What a goal by Mitch Marner in the shootout to give the Leafs the win.
Montreal was playing well before the trade deadline, but it had no depth. Kent Hughes probably should have gone out and got a support player to give his team a little cushion.
Michael Pezzetta is probably an excellent team player and a great guy to be around in the locker room, but on the ice, he’s a real anchor. Right now, he’s the only extra forward on the team and he has to play in the absence of Patrik Laine.
You had to expect to see players missing games in the last few games of the season, especially a player like Laine, who is (once again) out with the “flu”.
To counter this problem, Bob Hartley would have gone out and gotten a support player who can play on a fourth line and wouldn’t have cost the Canadiens much. He just wants to see a player better than Pezzetta jump onto the ice for the Canadiens. That’s not the kind of player who can help you win games.
There’s probably a reason why Kent Hughes didn’t go out and get a new forward. You have to wonder if it’s not a business reason.
Kent Hughes probably didn’t want to sacrifice his picks for a rental player. We know how much he hates losing players without getting anything back.
The big problem with all this is that Montreal needs to call up players from Laval to replace those who are absent with the big club. Owen Beck has played the last few games and now it’s Joshua Roy’s turn to come in and support.
It’s probably not the best idea to shuffle the Rocket’s lineup like that, especially when the team is fighting for first place in the American League standings.
The Canadiens are more important than the Rocket, but helping the future Canadiens players have a stable lineup by playing meaningful games is just as important.
Now that the trade deadline has passed, Kent Hughes has to roll with what he has, unless he decides to go out and get a player who will end up on waivers.
In brief
– The Canadiens’ management is making Montreal a place where players want to play. [Montreal Gazette]
– Some players in the LPHF are struggling to make ends meet with their salaries. [La Presse]
Unless I’m mistaken, we’re all really looking forward to seeing Alexander Ovechkin break Wayne Gretzky’s goal record.
Just yesterday, he scored again, which means he now only needs nine more goals to surpass The Great One, in addition to having collected his 1600th career point.
It seems like he’s never going to stop.
The chances of him breaking Gretzky’s record this season are present, but in the worst case, it will be next year.
The 2025-26 season will be the last year of his contract.
Many must be wondering if he will want to extend his career in Washington after this contract, or elsewhere in the NHL, but we now know what the Russian wants to do.
We’ll say it, if Ovi wants to finish his career in Moscow, the Capitals should allow it.
In this same interview, the journalist asked him if it was possible that he would extend his contract to try to score 1000 career goals.
To this, the main interested party said he doesn’t believe it will happen.
After all, for him to score 1000 goals, he would have to play at least two more seasons (if not three) to hope to achieve it.
He’s still producing at a frantic pace, but there’s a limit to what an athlete can accomplish after the age of 40 in the best league in the world, regardless of the sport.
But when you think about it, at one point, we doubted his ability to join Gretzky, because he had to maintain a very good pace until a fairly advanced age.
Now he’s just eight goals away from equaling that mark with 100 games left on his contract (if he doesn’t miss any games) since he has next season and 18 games left this season.
The choice to return home to finish his career seems to be the most logical choice for the Great8.
In a rush
– Stu Cowan published a very interesting article on how the CH management makes Montreal a place where players want to play, which has not often been the case, especially recently. [Stu Cowan]
– In this tweet from Nicolas Cloutier, we understand that according to Lou Lamoriello, a rebuild takes 10 years to complete. [Nicolas Cloutier]
– Jeff Skinner became the first player in NHL history to be present on the bench for a video tribute to his time with his new team. The Oilers are facing the Buffalo Sabres and the Sabres showed Skinner on the Jumbotron in Buffalo. [B/R Open Ice]
– Gabriel Landeskog will be present tomorrow on the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast. [Spittin’ Chiclets]
– During the CH game at the Bell Centre on March 3, there was a fan who had measles. It is recommended that those who were present and are not protected against this disease self-isolate until March 17. [RDS]
Most were excited about the idea of seeing Juraj Slafkovsky play with more confidence and intensity.
Finally, we were seeing the real power forward, the Slafkovsky of the second half of the season.
He seemed to have understood that he cannot play like Jack Hughes, that he has assets that the latter does not have and vice versa.
Without saying that he has been playing poorly recently (he still has three goals and three assists in his last eight games), some may have noticed a lack of intensity from him recently.
Juraj Slafkovsky is going through tough times.
(Credit: Getty Images)
« He needs to take advantage of his large frame. He needs to be tough to face and right now, he’s not. These guys need to step-up in the middle of the playoff race. » – Gilbert Delorme
As Gilbert Delorme said, it takes this type of player every night.
To that, Greg Lanctot (another host of Le Club du Matin) added that on the power play, Slafkovsky is the weak link.
Lanctot also believes that when Ivan Demidov arrives next year, it will be Slafkovsky who will make way for him to take his place on the first power play unit.
It’s hard not to agree with that.
On the other hand, I had my own idea to revamp the two power play units and it could be done as early as this year if we want to shake things up a bit.
If Slafkovsky can reposition himself, his presence can be very beneficial, and what is less beneficial is putting Patrik Laine and Cole Caufield on the same unit.
They are your two natural shooters and putting Caufield on the right wing doesn’t seem to be working as well as when he played on the left (where Laine is currently).
This would allow us to balance the two units a bit more by having an excellent scorer on each unit.
In short, Martin St-Louis could/should act in one way or another to make Slafkovsky understand that the team needs his physical presence.
He could “punish” him by removing him from the first power play unit.
Who would replace him? That’s another debate, but personally, I think Emil Heineman deserves an audition on the left wing with the top offensive players. And that’s even if it’s a bit more difficult offensively for the Swede lately.
– Joshua Roy and Martin St-Louis spoke to the media. [Canadiens]
– Nicolas Cloutier made some good points about Joshua Roy’s recall. [Nicolas Cloutier]
– Jean-Charles Lajoie believes that it’s a huge lack of respect for the players that Kent Hughes did not go get a depth player at the trade deadline. [JiC]
Sometimes, the acquisition of a single player can change the performance of a sports team.
We see this this year in Montreal with Alexandre Carrier. Renaud Lavoie just talked about it this morning, on the airwaves of BPM Sports.
Because without making too much noise, the defender has transformed the CH since his arrival in town…
Carrier was traded for Justin Barron (one for one) on December 18 and played his first game with the CH two days later, on December 20.
Since then, the Canadiens…
Rank 7th overall
Have a record of 18-11-3
Have an efficiency rate of 83.5% in numerical disadvantage (5th in the NHL)
In the standings, only the Stars, Capitals, Jets, Panthers, Avalanche, and Lightning (in that order) are doing better than the Canadiens since December 20.
Had an efficiency rate of 81.1% in numerical disadvantage (11th in the NHL)
We knew that the arrival of Alexandre Carrier was going to help the Canadiens’ defense.
We knew that adding a guy who is effective in all three zones and has experience like him was going to help the CH be more competitive defensively.
But few people could have predicted that the player’s impact would be so significant in Montreal.
This is where we realize that Kent Hughes really made a good move and won this transaction. Justin Barron had some potential… But it’s nothing compared to what Carrier brings to the team since his arrival in Montreal.
So much the better, then.
Extension
While talking about Barron… Let’s note that the defender seems to have found his niche in Nashville.
He has collected eight points in 26 games with the Preds and has been playing an average of 18 minutes per game since the beginning of February.
Everything indicates that he will take Owen Beck’s place in the lineup tomorrow.
And if Laine can’t participate in the game because he’s still too sick, we can expect Michael Pezzetta to be in uniform.
After all, the Canadian can’t play with 11 forwards because they only brought six defensemen with them for their western trip.
There’s no replacement at the blue line right now, to put it another way.
We’ll still have to wait to find out the identity of the starting goalie.
But given the context where the CH will play two games in two days (Tuesday in Vancouver and Wednesday in Seattle), we will likely see both CH goalies get a start each – unless there’s a surprise.
It remains to be seen who will be chosen to play tomorrow between Dobes and Monty.
Extension
Let’s note that there was an “impostor” at the Canadian’s training session today.
Carey Price was spotted in the stands, chatting with Dany Dubé:
(
: @ESPNPlus 
http://plus.espn.com
