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Laine: No points in five games since the return of a popular event on Fortnite

Patrik Laine is struggling.

He is no longer helping the Canadiens on the ice and lately, there have been many criticisms directed at him.

The forward – more often than not – is not putting in the right level of effort, and that is what stands out when you see him being so nonchalant on the ice.

Things have really gone downhill for him since the beginning of February: he has not earned any points in his last five games, he has a +/- of -5… And he is one of the least used forwards by Martin St-Louis.

His recent ice time is not extraordinary:

  • 10:33 against the Ducks (February 2)
  • 13:45 against the Sharks (February 4)
  • 11:33 against the Kings (February 5)
  • 12:44 against the Devils (February 8)
  • 11:13 against the Lightning (February 9)

Coincidence or not… His poor performance comes after a popular event occurred in the game Fortnite.

There is a “new season” in the game that came out on January 31 and allows users to play on an old map… And it oddly coincides with his embarrassing performances:

We know that Laine is a big fan of video games (and that he still plays).

And we also know that in the past, there were rumors suggesting that Laine was addicted to Fortnite.

That is why it is normal to connect the dots…

Ultimately, it could just be a simple coincidence because Laine has been blanked in his last eight games.

His last point was on January 23 and his last goal was scored on January 19. It has been a while…

But still: seeing that he seems to not care lately, questions are starting to resurface.

And let’s say the timing is strange, especially with the return of a popular event in Fortnite…

In brief

– Speaking of the wolf.

– News of the day in waivers.

– Nice team.

– Too bad.

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Five Canadiens players who will benefit from the NHL break

There it is: the Confrontation of the four nations is in the spotlight.

It is the first day of training for the guys with their national team, and we are setting the stage for the tournament, which will begin on Wednesday. That’s where the media attention will be.

This made me wonder: which CH players will benefit from the break? Here are five candidates. There might be better ones in your eyes, but I like these five names.

Lane Hutson is a player coming from the NCAA. And even if he has been training more at university, the pace of games in the Bettman circuit (including travel) is really more intense.

Resting, like any rookie, will do him good.

Josh Anderson is really putting his 2023-2024 season (which was really, really tough) behind him. But clearly, he is not at 100% right now, missing practices due to an injury.

A little break for an injured guy is a good thing.

Kirby Dach has not had a great season. He seems lost on the ice – despite some good flashes here and there – and one can wonder if he is still making the right decisions.

Recharging mentally could help him. In any case, I think it can’t hurt.

Jakub Dobes was not assigned to the Rocket during the break. Considering his recent difficulties, one might think that the CH preferred to give him some rest rather than have him play down there.

This explains his place in my piece.

Patrik Laine is at the tournament, I know. But I said I would talk about the guys who will benefit from the break in the NHL… and I think seeing Laine in an environment he knows, namely Finland, could restore his confidence.

After all, he was chosen despite his injury. He will be placed in a position of confidence. Right?

in brief

– Interesting.

– True.

– Nice team.

– To be continued.

– The veteran gives up his #8.

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Réjean Tremblay recounts his bare-knuckle fight with (late) Jean Pagé

Donald Trump is an idiot is 78 years old and Joe Biden is 82.

If I had to write a slogan for some kind of miracle drug, I think it would be: eighty is the new sixty, like…

Although life caught up with the outgoing president when he reached the age of 80.

But not all 80-year-old men are no longer capable of doing what they used to do. No!

Journalist and screenwriter Réjean Tremblay came by the set of Stanley25 last week and the episode has just been released:

Réjean, with a memory that would make any African elephant jealous, chatted about the role that JT had in the series Les Jeunes Loups, the influence of real stories happening with the Canadiens behind his Lance et Compte scripts, the wives who confided in him, the closeness between players and journalists at the time, the current boos during the national anthems, his relationship with Gary Bettman (whose inspired character in Lance et Compte resembles a nice guy), how he was allowed to use the real NHL team logos in Lance et Compte, how Marcel Aubut bypassed the TV agreements for Nordiques games, the fictional storyline of his upcoming Lance et Compte, a division of seven or eight teams where the Canadiens will have to travel not far from Quebec by electric bus, information he always kept private, his series Le 7e (which may never see the light of day), his three-year feud with Bertrand Raymond, the mega fun that players feel when they positively impact the game and what he thinks of the journalists covering the CH today (oh boy!).

“I am deeply, and this is not just hot air, I’m unhappy for those guys.” — Réjean Tremblay

Réjean also indicated that a journalist on the beat of the Tricolore is currently making between $125,000 and $150,000. That’s a lot of money for a “dream job,” right?

But my favorite part of the interview is certainly the following: towards the end of the interview, Réjean recounts that he once fought with the late Jean Pagé in a hotel room in Riga. I’ll let you listen for yourself, the clip is located:

Listen to the segment until the end, as Réjean shares how the guys remained good friends until the last moments of Jean Pagé’s life.

What a segment!

Extension

To conclude the interview, Réjean mentioned that he had asked (with Mathias Brunet) Guy Lafleur what he wanted to be remembered for before he passed away.

Guy’s answer, after several minutes of sobs, was excellent: “I will have given everything.”

That’s when Jean had the incredible reflex to ask Réjean what he hoped to be remembered for when he is no longer here.

“I will have been as honest as possible, because you can never be 100% honest. I will have been as honest as possible. I will have had devotion as much as possible.” — Réjean Tremblay

Well said…

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Team Canada training: Samuel Montembeault placed third by everyone

This morning, at Team Canada’s practice, it is Sidney Crosby who draws the most attention. And that’s normal because seeing him train with Nathan MacKinnon and Mark Stone is a good sign.

But in Quebec, we are also keeping an eye on Samuel Montembeault.

What should be noted is that everywhere we see rosters being reported, the Québécois is listed as the third among the names of the three goalies on the Canadian team.

Does this mean Monty is the third goalie for the team? It’s very likely to think so.

Nothing is confirmed at the moment and we cannot assert this loudly. However, logically, it’s not surprising to see that in the eyes of the people present at practice, the reflex is to write the name of the Québécois in third.

He was the third goalie chosen (from what we understand) by the Canadian team and he did not have a great January. So logically, he is not the favorite of his bosses.

And that’s probably normal.

His challenge will be to prepare like a guy who will be called to play. And if Jon Cooper decides to send him into the fray, he must be ready since the goalies won’t have much leeway.

No one will have a large margin of maneuver, in fact.

extension

– Ah yes.

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Brossard: Sidney Crosby is present at the Canada training session

The question on everyone’s lips, in the context of the Four Nations Challenge, is whether Sidney Crosby will be able to play despite his recent injury.

He has missed some of the Penguins’ games recently.

After all, Canada’s captain has never really had the chance to play with Nathan MacKinnon in the past, and the Four Nations Challenge is a good starting point.

Crosby’s plan is as follows: he showed up in Montreal. From there, he has until 5 PM tonight to see if he is indeed fit enough to officially be part of the Canadian lineup.

We will have answers later.

But here comes some good news: this morning, in Brossard, Crosby skated on the ice during Canada’s practice. So at least he can practice.

Mark Stone and Nathan MacKinnon were by his side. This is a good sign for Wednesday, although it confirms nothing.

Sam Reinhart and Mitch Marner, for their part, took repetitions with Connor McDavid. So we can think that the trio of Crosby and McDavid, unsurprisingly, will be the top two.We’ve seen worse.

We will have the complete picture later since Crosby is uncertain and since Travis Konecny is sick. But for now, here’s what the lines and defensive pairs look like.

Of course, since it was a practice with everyone, we had to expect to see Samuel Montembeault skating as well. He stepped onto the ice in Brossard (which he knows well) with his Team Canada teammates.

Here are some images for those interested.

Details to come…

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Jake Evans: the Canadian would like a second-round pick in exchange for his services

Did Jake Evans play his last game in Montreal? At this point, the question clearly arises.

In light of his comments from yesterday, where he spoke about the Canadiens in the past, one can clearly wonder what this means for the future. How eager is the CH to trade him, then?

We will see in the coming weeks.

But on this subject, Elliotte Friedman (32 Thoughts Podcast) addressed the topic to talk a bit about the Canadiens’ mentality. And he took the angle of the trade market, in his case.

What did he say?

Basically, he says that the Canadiens are the kind of organization that sets a price and does not deviate from it. Last year, for example, David Savard had a price attached to his candidacy, and no one offered the CH what they wanted. So he stayed.

In Evans’s case, they would be talking about a second-round pick. If the CH doesn’t get that, Evans should stay – regardless of the state of negotiations.

Note: this does not mean that if Hughes has his price, the center player will be traded at all costs. After all, it’s very possible that Evans signs a contract instead.

But it does mean that the player will not be traded at a discount.

Let’s remember that this is what happened with Artturi Lehkonen. Kent Hughes set his price, and Colorado offered the Flanelle what it wanted. This therefore opened the door to the trade.

To be continued, then.

in brief

– Here we go.

– Interesting.

– Matter to follow.

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Tankathon has become the best friend of Quebecers

The Canadiens are relatively dead. Long live the Canadiens, then?

Watching the Habs make the playoffs has always been a stretch in 2024-2025 — especially after the awful start to the season. But now, in light of the eight losses in nine games, it’s clearer than ever: Martin St-Louis’ team will not make the playoffs.

Six points behind right now is a very, very steep hill to climb. The number of teams to surpass (given that there are fewer contenders in the East than in the West) is also part of the challenge.

(Credit: NHL.com)

Don’t forget that the Habs were not in the mix at American Thanksgiving. It’s not a cliché for nothing, as it means a team has to win very often to recover from a poor start to the season.

In a world where the Habs have a season as I expected (bad start, good middle, and bad finish), one element will become increasingly relevant: the Tankathon standings.

Hello darkness, my old friend…

Right now, the Canadiens have a 5% chance of winning the lottery. And with the Flames also having a chance to offer an interesting pick to the Canadiens, the Tankathon is truly becoming the Quebecers’ friend again.

(Credit: Tankathon)

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

We can wonder if Kent Hughes will trade a player (Jake Evans, perhaps?) in the coming week. After all, with only six games left before the trade deadline, things will move quickly.

At this point, the Habs’ management must have a good idea of their plan for the deadline.

Now we just have to see which players (including Ivan Demidov) will join the Canadiens by next October to ensure that next season, the team can have success over 82 games… and not just over 15 games.

extension

The Super Bowl is behind us and the Four Nations Confrontation break has arrived. It will be a somewhat quieter time for those who follow less of the international hockey activities in the coming days.

This will leave you more time to see pitchers and receivers report to their MLB teams in Florida and Arizona in the coming days, for those interested.

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Jake Evans: hearing him talk in the past is a big clue

For the past few months, the Jake Evans situation has been quite straightforward. People thought that the center player, who loves the Canadiens, would find a way to come to an agreement with his bosses, who appreciate his contributions on the ice, to stay in the city.

It seemed relatively simple.

But after hearing Pierre LeBrun say that there is a significant gap in salary negotiations and after hearing Evans talk about the Canadiens in the past tense after yesterday’s game, panic has set in.

But here’s what needs to be understood. In life, not everything is black and white: there are shades of gray.

What this means is that the situation was probably not as positive as it has been in recent weeks, but it is not as negative as it seems after 24 hours.

Be careful: I’m not saying that everything that happened yesterday is meaningless. After all, seeing Evans refer to the Canadiens in the past tense, at the start of a long break and just weeks before the deadline, is not positive.

But even if it’s a strong hint and we shouldn’t ignore such indications, it doesn’t tell the whole story.

Why do I say that? Because you have to understand that negotiating a bit in public to put pressure on the other side can also be a negotiation tactic.

This can create a sense of urgency (and we understand that it will take some urgency to come to an agreement by March 7) in the negotiations.

From the Canadiens’ perspective, it can also create a sense of urgency in the trade market. Some teams may think that it’s possible to see Evans traded and that making a good offer to the Habs might actually lead to a transaction.

So even if Evans’ and LeBrun’s comments are clues about how the situation is unfolding, it could very well become a starting point towards a resolution in the negotiations.

But for that to happen, everyone will need to compromise so that Evans, who wants to stay, signs a contract soon.

Let’s also note that according to what Renaud Lavoie said this morning on BPM Sports, it makes a lot of sense to believe that the sticking point in discussions is in terms of years and not the amount per season.

In Brief

– No surprises here.

– Interesting.

– Wow.

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Two years later, the Eagles finally take their revenge

Get your wings out, the table is set for Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans!

On one side, the Kansas City Chiefs were trying to become the first team in NFL history to win the Vince Lombardi trophy three times in a row.

On the other side, the Philadelphia Eagles wanted to avenge their defeat two years ago against the same Chiefs.

Both teams are ready, the fans are hyped, and the stars are showcasing their team: Jon Hamm for the Chiefs and Bradley Cooper for the Eagles.

Kansas City won the coin toss, and it was the Eagles who started with the ball.

After each team exchanged a possession, Philadelphia was the first to score thanks to a one-yard touchdown run by Jalen Hurts. However, it was a 27-yard pass to Jahan Dotson that set up his team at the goal line.

7-0 for Philadelphia after one quarter.

Although the Chiefs made an interception, it was the Eagles who scored the next points with an 8-yard field goal from Jake Elliott. The score is 10-0.

Then, Philadelphia’s defense took control with two sacks against Patrick Mahomes and an interception that led to a touchdown and a 17-point lead.

Nothing is going right for the Chiefs who fell victim to their second interception of the first half as the Eagles scored a third touchdown on a 12-yard pass from Hurts to A. J. Brown.

24-0 for Philadelphia at halftime. It will be a steep hill to climb for Kansas City.

Time for the halftime show with Kendrick Lamar.

Despite a certain sobriety, the show was interesting with only guest Samuel L. Jackson as host and singer SZA, but I must say I was rather sold ahead of time.

Back for the second half. The Eagles players picked up where they left off as the defense remained unyielding and the offense added a successful three-point conversion on a 29-yard field goal, followed by another touchdown on a long 46-yard play from Hurts to DeVonta Smith.

The Chiefs’ offense finally showed signs of life just before the end of the first quarter as they scored their first touchdown on a 24-yard pass from Mahomes to Xavier Worthy. Unfortunately, they failed the two-point conversion.

34-6 for the Eagles after three quarters of play.

However, it was too little too late for the Chiefs as their opponent added three points on a 48-yard field goal by kicker Elliott, plus quickly regained possession following a fumble caused by a sack against Mahomes.

The Eagles scored three more points on their next possession.

Then Philadelphia added another three-point conversion to make the score 40-10.

Although the Chiefs scored two more touchdowns, one on a seven-yard pass from Mahomes to DeAndre Hopkins, and the second on a 50-yard pass to Worthy, it was a day to forget for them.

Final score: 40-21 for the Eagles. The City of Brotherly Love has won Super Bowl LIX and took its revenge two years later.

Overtime

– The KC offensive line did nothing.

– A lot of symbolism during the show.

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Contractual situation: Jake Evans finds it difficult

As my colleague Marc-Olivier Cook mentioned earlier this afternoon, the discussions between Jake Evans have stalled for quite some time.

A little later in the day, Evans commented on his current situation, first confirming what we already knew; despite talks with the team, there is “nothing concrete” at the moment and it is indeed on his mind.

By his own admission, it is not an easy situation.

However, it is a bit further on that it becomes more interesting as the main interested party says:

“I feel privileged to have played so long in an organization with such history. But at this point, I have no idea what’s going to happen to me. That’s the reality of professional sports.”

And if we add the following excerpt:

“It has been an honor. It’s such a fun place to play, it’s such a great place to live, and I’ve truly enjoyed it. It’s really an honor.”

No need to read between the lines to see that Evans is speaking like a player who expects to be traded.
However, with all NHL teams on pause for the 4 Nations Face-Off, general managers might be using this time to finalize transactions. Some clubs could have a different look when league activities resume on February 22.

And with their recent performances (just one win in nine games), it is highly likely that the Canadiens will be sellers if they decide to make moves before the trade deadline, and Evans could be the depth player who might interest several teams looking for reinforcements for the playoffs.

Kent Hughes would demand at least a second-round pick to trade his forward.

Is that a high price for a fourth-line player? However, if the Canadiens do not trade him, they also risk losing him this summer as Evans is in the final year of a three-year contract worth an average of $1.7 million per year.

In Brief

– A weekend to forget.

– Hughes will not participate in the 4 Nations.

– Where will Bregman go?

– Excellent!