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Accept less money to stay: If only Price had done like Evans…

Those who liked Jake Evans before he signed his new contract like him even more today.

Because by seeing him accept less money to stay in Montreal, it says a lot about the personality of the person involved.

The player wanted to stay because he likes playing here… And we don’t see that often in the sports world in general.

David Ettedgui, who was the agent of several NHL players (including Carey Price), stated on the airwaves of BPM Sports that he has never really seen this during his career.

It’s ironic… Because it makes you realize that Price could have also decided to take less money to stay in Montreal when we remember his deal.

But the goalie finally signed an eight-year contract worth $84 million… An agreement that still hurts today in the Canadiens’ books because Price is too injured to play for several seasons now.

If only Price had done like Evans…

For years, Price’s contract was the biggest among all NHL goalies.

Igor Shesterkin surpassed him in this chapter by signing an eight-year, $92 million contract.

That’s eight million more for the duration of the agreement… And ultimately, it allows the Rangers’ goalie to earn one million dollars more per year compared to Price.

I’m not saying that Carey Price didn’t clearly deserve to receive that contract.

After all, he was seen as one of the best players in the National League at that time (all positions combined) and the Canadiens took out the big bucks to secure his future in the city.

But it’s sure that it’s normal to think that Price could have chosen to help the club by signing for less money.

You don’t need a degree in accounting to understand that this would have helped the Canadiens to surround themselves even better to give themselves a chance to win the Stanley Cup… Because Price’s salary took up a large part of the payroll, which was not as high as it is today.

But oh well. It’s too late to know if all that would have changed anything, in the end. And what changes things too is the fact that Price hasn’t played since April 15, 2021.

We might not even be talking about this contract if Price was still playing today…

In a nutshell

– Come on, Monty

– It’s up to you to respond.

– Goalie trade between the Panthers and the Jets.

– Colton Parayko underwent knee surgery.

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The Leafs place Ryan Reaves on waivers

In Montreal, Ryan Reaves is not the favorite of the fans.

And we all know why.

Every time the Canadiens face the Leafs and he’s in uniform, he makes headlines for the wrong reasons. Luckily, Arber Xhekaj is there to shut him down!

But today, the veteran must find it a little less funny.

And the reason is simple: the Leafs have decided to put him on waivers.

Reaves, at 38 years old, is in the second year of his contract, which earns him $1.35 million per season.

More details to come…

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Contract extension: Mikko Rantanen open… but not in Carolina?

Mikko Rantanen does not seem to want to stay in Carolina long-term, a place where he does not seem comfortable.

Is he not comfortable because the Hurricanes are doing things he does not like, or is he not comfortable because it is simply not Colorado?

We seem to have the answer to the question.

According to what David Pagnotta reports, Rantanen, who has a chance of being traded in the next 26 hours, would be open to signing an extension with “the right team” as part of a sign/trade.

This would help Carolina, who has not decided what to do with him, make a decision.

But a few hours ago, Pierre LeBrun reported that the player would not be ready to make a decision by tomorrow regarding the contract offer that is on the table for him to stay in Carolina.

So, do we understand that the player would be open to signing a long-term contract… but not in Carolina? Maybe.

Naturally, we have to wonder if it’s a question of money. Are the Hurricanes willing to pay $14 million per year? Would the player accept less elsewhere?

Would a team be willing to pick him up simply as a rental, without a contract? I don’t know.

Short of getting a king’s ransom (and I’m not sure that’s on the table at this point, given his recent performances), I don’t see how the Hurricanes can think of trading him just before the playoffs.

It’s without a doubt THE story to follow right now in the NHL. This and Joel Armia, of course. #Irony

in brief

– Wow.

– No Jeff Skinner against the CH? Okay.

– Good reading.

– David Savard is not worth as much, in my opinion. But it gives an idea of the market.

– Note.

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The mindset of Julien BriseBois : “I’d rather have good players than picks”

If you ever want to become a recruiter for the NHL draft, I wouldn’t recommend going to Tampa Bay to do so. And that’s even if being Quebecer can help you get in touch with Julien BriseBois, who has always trusted people from here.

Why am I saying this?

Because the Tampa Bay Lightning has been drafting very little for years. And this year, aside from the multitude of seventh-round picks, we see that history is repeating itself.

(Credit: Cap Wages)

In fact, Julien BriseBois has never been afraid to trade high draft picks to improve on the ice. This has sometimes worked and sometimes given… Tanner Jeannot.

He has two Stanley Cup rings to show that his method works more often than not.

Yesterday, we saw another proof of his mindset when he gave up no less than two first-round picks (among other things) to get Yanni Gourde (rental player) and Oliver Bjorkstrand.

The Tampa Bay GM, asked about his intentions, said he preferred to have good players rather than picks.

 

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Of course, Kent Hughes can’t say that right now… but I wonder if that will be his mindset when he’s in the same position as BriseBois one day.

BriseBois has drafted very little in the early rounds in recent years, and we know that one day, the fall of Tampa Bay will be brutal. There are many big contracts and few hopes in town.

But for now, the window is still open.

Unlike the Hurricanes (I’m talking about the Mikko Rantanen file, which could be traded tomorrow), BriseBois is not thinking about this summer: he’s thinking about spring hockey. And that’s why he has Stanley Cup rings at home and the Hurricanes never move on to the next level.

In brief

– Yes, the Canadiens are open to making a hockey trade.

– The Ducks are also retaining 50% of the player’s salary.

– 25 years ago…

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“Joel Armia is available” : it would take a second-round pick to get him out of Montreal

Just because Jake Evans signed doesn’t mean the Canadiens won’t be sellers.

The nuance is there: Joel Armia’s best value, one of the most likely pieces to leave, just took a hit because pairing him with Evans would have been available.

But now that we know Evans isn’t going anywhere, it changes things.

However, it remains that right now, David Savard and Joel Armia (the two biggest trade pieces on the table… with Christian Dvorak) are in limbo.

Both guys shouldn’t be traded at the same time (expect at least one of them to stay, if not both) and right now, due to his potential value on the market and due to his importance in the city, I feel like Savard will stay. #SixDefensemen #Veteran

But Armia? At the price some guys are being traded, you have to wonder if the Canadiens will give in.

If Kent Hughes gets his price (he’s the type to only move if he gets his price) on the market, it could change everything. After all, according to Chris Johnston of The Athletic, not only is Armia available, but it should cost a second-round pick to get him out of Montreal.

I wonder what the price is for Savard…

From what we can understand, if the Canadiens don’t have a second-round pick on the table, Armia will finish the season with the Canadiens — and all the guys in the locker room will be happy.

A second-round pick was the price for Evans. Does Armia’s case involve salary retention? Who knows.

Note that unlike Evans, it seems there really is a world where Armia stays in town even if he’ll be a free agent at the end of the season. These are different situations for Kent Hughes, apparently.

In a nutshell

– Note.

– CH: no practice this morning.

– Mikko Rantanen: his name is circulating a lot.

– To watch.

– Will he leave the Sharks?

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RUMOR! At least 10 fewer games on RDS starting in 2026

The 2024-25 season is coming to an end; there are only about twenty games left (significant ones for the Canadiens) before the start of the playoffs. And golf for half of the NHL teams!

After this 2024-25 season, there will be only one season left on the enormous Canadian national broadcast contract for NHL games. On July 1, 2026, a new contract will dictate who has the right to broadcast national games in Canada.

The contract for broadcasting the Canadiens’ regional games in French (RDS) will also expire on June 30, 2026.

Currently, the French-language broadcast of the Montreal Canadiens breaks down as follows:

– 22 regular national games on TVA Sports,
– 60 regular regional games on RDS,
– Playoff series (of the CH and other teams), as well as several national games on TVA Sports.

However, I was told earlier this week that the next contract could be very different.

Firstly, a new collective agreement should be signed in the near future… an agreement that should have the effect of adding two games to the regular season of the 32 teams in the Bettman circuit.

Where will these games come from? They would be taken from the pre-season, which would now be four games, and not six, seven, or eight.

Secondly, the possibility of removing 10 regional games to transfer them to national games would be seriously considered. In short, what this means is that there would now be 50 regional games, and 34 national games (in French).

According to what I’m told, the package for French national broadcast rights will be VERY expensive, and no traditional Quebec media would think they could obtain it on their own. So, we may see a split. A split between Amazon and a local media outlet…

Could TVA Sports keep 15, 17, 20, or even 24 Canadiens games, in addition to having a package of regular and/or playoff games? It’s a possibility, according to people close to Pierre-Karl Péladeau.

As for regional games, someone at RDS confessed to me off the record that they are VERY confident that the 60 50 games will remain on RDS. Discussions have already begun in earnest…

Note that a few games could be broadcast exclusively on Noovo, Crave, or an application owned by Bell Media (Canadiens?). To better understand:

I summarize.

Starting from 2026-27, we could therefore have 50 games on RDS or one of Bell Media’s platforms, 17 on TVA Sports, and 17 on Amazon, like…

And the playoffs, between Amazon and TVA Sports. Since the CH is likely to finally make the playoffs regularly, it could be profitable to have playoff games in Montreal…

No, TVA Sports is not yet dead and buried.

But be careful! RDS could also win a part of the national pot…

Gary Bettman is aware of the major mistake made by the MLS: locking themselves into a single streaming network (Apple). This is why in a perfect world, he would like to be able to count on RDS, TVA Sports, and Amazon Prime to broadcast the Montreal Canadiens. This would ensure perfect (or almost perfect) coverage.

If 17 Canadiens games are exclusively broadcast on Amazon, will people who canceled their subscription as a boycott re-subscribe to the American giant?

From January 1 to March 1, only Rogers could negotiate with the NHL regarding national broadcast rights, but for the past five days, all media outlets have been able to discuss with the league.

According to what I’m told, the rights to a single game could cost double what they currently cost… which is already triple what they cost before 2014.

I’m eager to see what’s next…

Extension

A week ago, Réjean Tremblay wrote at the end of his column (on PunchingGrace) that the Amazon giant was trying to acquire RDS and TSN.

At first, I thought: “it would make sense.”

Especially since three months ago, a rumor that RDS and TSN were for sale made the rounds.

Except that when I dug a little deeper, I was quickly told that the CRTC prevents a Canadian traditional media outlet from being owned by foreigners.

Even if Amazon creates a Amazon Canada shell and adds 12 layers of opaque ownership, it is VERY unlikely that the CRTC will approve the purchase of Canadian stations by Amazon.

At best, Amazon could hold minority shares, I’m told.

I continued to dig…

And I came across someone who told me that yes, Amazon and Bell Media had indeed discussed a potential sale of assets.

Bell Media is exiting the content business (MLSE, radio, and eventually TV media, etc.) to specialize in the container (Internet, TV provider, etc.). And Amazon is entering the scene…

Will the CRTC bend? I doubt it.

Will Amazon want to be a minority owner? Not sure…

But if it happens, we’ll have to consider the option of seeing the Amazon – RDS duo broadcast the Canadiens’ 82 84 games starting in 2026…

And TVA Sports might have to close up shop.

It’s going to be an interesting few months. And I’m not talking about American politics…

I invite you to listen to my segment on Amazon, RDS, TVA Sports, and the NHL, which was broadcast on Stanley25 this week. If some things seem unclear in writing, it might be clearer in video/audio.

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Mikko Rantanen : the Panthers have a “serious interest” in the player

I don’t know what the Hurricanes are playing at.

A team that has a window of opportunity must take advantage of it, even if it means losing players on the free agent market afterwards. The team started doing that by going after Mikko Rantanen.

Even if he will be a free agent this summer (until proven otherwise), he helps the Hurricanes, who must win the Stanley Cup soon to take advantage of their window, to give themselves a chance to win.

So why think about trading him if he doesn’t have a long-term contract by tomorrow?

The Hurricanes, if they trade, will never get back the price they paid to get him out of Denver. A player like Martin Necas will not be on the table if Rantanen were to be traded by tomorrow afternoon.

So why trade him? It may not be going well right now, but in the playoffs, Rantanen has proven himself. Keep him!

But because the Hurricanes are trying to reinvent hockey, Rantanen could potentially be traded by tomorrow. Instead of aiming for the short term, the Hurricanes want to think about the long term while the Stanley Cup is potentially within their reach. #Ridicule

All this to say that more than ever, we need to monitor the Canes player on the market.

And on that subject, the Florida Panthers are a team to keep an eye on. According to David Pagnotta, Florida could be a welcoming land for Rantanen as the Panthers are among the teams with a «serious interest» in the top player.

Because the Canes can retain salary and because it wouldn’t cost too much, Rantanen could very well be an option. After all, Matthew Tkachuk’s injury, if he doesn’t return in the regular season, will allow the Panthers to (perhaps) transform into the Golden Knights. #LTIR #MarkStone

If Florida goes after Rantanen at a good price, the Hurricanes will have only themselves to blame.

In a hurry

– Yes.

– Very far, yes.

– Very unfortunate.

– Will Brock Nelson leave?

– It’s contract season in Salt Lake City.

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Top-5 : John Gibson may have made the save of the year

There were five games in the National League on Wednesday evening.

The Canadian – who will be in Edmonton this evening to face the Oilers – was not in action.

Let’s see what happened anyway:

1: John Gibson, wow!

John Gibson has always been one of the good goalkeepers in the National League.

We don’t talk much about him because he plays in Anaheim… And because it’s been a while since the Ducks have been really good.

But yesterday, Gibson reminded everyone that he can be excellent.

He possibly made the save of the year in the NHL:

Unfortunately for him… Gibson had to leave the game due to an injury.

The Ducks announced that he is injured in the lower body:

Note that the Ducks lost 3-2 to the Canucks.

And for those who are wondering… No, Elias Pettersson did not collect a point in his team’s victory.

Also, at the end of the game, we saw Trevor Zegras throw his gloves.

This doesn’t happen often… but apparently, the Ducks player was furious with the result of the game:

2: If this continues…

If this continues, we’ll see Alex Ovechkin break Wayne Gretzky’s record this season.

Because yes… the Capitals captain scored again last night.

He scored his 32nd goal of the season in just his 46th game (machine) and now he’s only 10 goals away from breaking the #99 record.

Ovi is really, really on a mission:

The game between the Caps and the Rangers had to go to overtime to determine a winner between the two teams, and in overtime, it was the world’s favorite hockey player who gave the victory to his team (3-2).

You’ll understand that I’m talking here about Tom Wilson (hehe):

Without making too much noise, Wilson is on his way to scoring 38 goals this season.

For a guy like him, that’s more than good…

3: Mitch Marner puts on a show in Vegas

The Leafs were in Vegas to play for the win against the Golden Knights.

Spoiler: it didn’t go well.

And that’s even if Matthew Knies tried to set the tone for the game by fighting Zach Whitecloud after the first faceoff:

Auston Matthews scored the first goal of the game in the end of the second period to collect a point in his 11th straight game… But it was too late.

The score was already 5-0 in favor of Vegas:

The Leafs were so bad last night that it was hard for the fans in attendance to stay awake.

This video says it all:

Mitch Marner tried everything to wake up his team in the last 10 minutes of the game.

He really put on a show:

The Leafs never got into the game, in the end.

The Toronto team lost 5-2 and lost their second straight game.

4: It’s not going well for Bedard

We’re going to overtime in the Sens vs Hawks game.

The Senators have the opportunity to go for another big point… And that’s what they were able to do with this goal (legal?) by Tim Stutzle.

The Ottawa team won 4-3:

But here, I especially want to focus on Connor Bedard… who was again shut out.

The young Blackhawks sensation hasn’t collected a point in his last seven games.

He’s probably in the driest streak of his career and it’s really not going well for him lately.

But that’s what happens when a team can’t surround its good players as it should…

(Credit: ESPN)

 

5: Robert Thomas takes care of the Kings

The Blues player was the most used in the game and we really saw his impact.

He created the equalizer at the end of the second period with a perfect shot:

The game went to overtime and no player was able to score.

But if I was talking about Robert Thomas a moment ago, it’s not a coincidence either.

He’s the one who brought the victory to his team in the shootout:

The Kings, who are in the running for a playoff spot, have now lost their last five games.

This is not a good time for the team to collapse… And it will be interesting to see if this will have an impact on the team’s decisions tomorrow, for the NHL trade deadline.

Overtime

— Beautiful game.

— Snipe.

— The top scorers of the evening:

(Credit: NHL.com)

— A busier schedule today in the NHL:

(Credit: Google)
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Training: it stirred between Patrik Laine and Juraj Slafkovský

For the first time in a few years, the Canadians find themselves in a position to play meaningful hockey in March. The club is in the midst of a playoff push, and they are fully invested.

And clearly, the fans in the city won’t complain about it after tougher years.

That being said, it also means that the intensity is high… and that the guys have a shorter fuse. And today, during practice, TVA Sports cameras captured images that show things got heated between Patrik Laine and Juraj Slafkovský.

In short, Slaf and Laine took part in a puck retrieval exercise… and the Slovak gave it his all, so much so that Laine fell and saw his skate blade get damaged.

And it really didn’t make him happy.

Of course, we shouldn’t blow it out of proportion: the two guys were caught up in the intensity of the moment and it led to a small skirmish. No, they’re not at war: it’s an isolated incident that happens when the intensity and emotions are raised a notch within a team.

That being said, it does show one thing: seeing the guys give it their all and being emotionally invested is a clear sign that they’re fully committed to the project of making the playoffs. We can think that Jake Evans’ contract extension yesterday showed the group that the managers believe in them… and they want to give them reason to.

The important thing now will be to control these emotions. And that’s also part of the learning process: that’s why it’s good to see the Canadiens playing important games in March.

But clearly, intensity is not lacking in practice. And that’s a good thing.

In rafale

– A goal for Logan Mailloux.

– Wow.

– Interesting.

<|eot_id|>

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Second center: it will take a front-line player for Ivan Demidov

Kirby Dach will no longer play this season. But with what we’ve seen from him in 2024-2025… It’s normal to ask one particular question.

Does Dach really, really have what it takes to be the Montreal Canadiens’ 2nd center one day?

We know he has great potential, but we also know that his health often works against him. And now, after two fairly significant injuries, maybe he’ll never come back as the player we saw during the 22-23 season…

Right now, it’s Owen Beck who’s replacing him at the center of the second unit. But clearly, this is not the Canadiens’ long-term plan… And ultimately, Kent Hughes will have to find a way this summer to have a good second center in place for next season.

Why?

Because it’s important for the Canadiens to be able to progress… But mostly, because Ivan Demidov needs to be surrounded the right way.

The one who was selected to the KHL’s All-Rookie Team in January needs to play with talented players, as Stéphane Leroux reminded us last night on the radio (98.5 FM):

The Canadiens must not take the same path as the Blackhawks.

In Chicago, Connor Bedard is in his second season in the NHL… And it’s been two consecutive seasons that his team has been bad.

It’s been two seasons in a row that he’s had to play with many different teammates because his team lacks depth and has never surrounded him the right way.

What’s happening now is that Bedard seems to be getting frustrated.

The Canadiens can’t afford to “mess up” with Demidov, who has the potential to become one of the best players in the National League:

Kent Hughes will have to be aggressive in his efforts.

There are some interesting players right now: Ryan O’Reilly, Dylan Cozens, Sidney Crosby (?)…

The important thing for the Canadiens’ GM will be to find a complement so Demidov can progress the right way. And with the creativity he has… it seems like I’m not too worried about that.

In a hurry

– A first goal this season for David Reinbacher.

– The Penguins and Predators are trading veterans. All three players are under contract beyond this season.

– Vincent Desharnais is going to the Sharks. In return, the Penguins are getting a 4th-round pick… in 2028.

– You can understand why.

– Arber’s brother is impressive.

– Good listening.