Author: Dans les Coulisses

RUMOR: Kristopher Letang and Erik Karlsson available right now

It’s been a long time since I thought that the longer the Penguins wait to rebuild, the more time they waste.

I don’t see Kyle Dubas’ Penguins managing to build, aside from the elements in the hands of the hockey boss, a team to win a fourth ring in just over 15 years.

But it’s not me who decides.

At the moment, here’s where the Penguins stand: they would like to be able to trade a few elements this year in order to take a step back in 2025, but to continue moving forward for 2025-2026.

The club still wants to win around Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, according to what Marco D’Amico (Responsible Gambler) reports.

To achieve their goals, the Penguins would like to keep Ryan Rust, Philip Tomasino, and Owen Pickering to surround the Crosbys and Malkins of this world for what lies ahead.

D’Amico warns us: do not send Crosby to Montreal as it’s not in the plans to trade him.

But what this means is that Erik Karlsson and Kristopher Letang, according to RG’s information, are not among the untouchables in the Pennsylvania formation.

And a source from the site, aside from the salary cap that is going to increase and the escrow that players will no longer have to pay by the end of the season, mentioned a rather interesting phrase.

These contracts that you believe are too heavy for a transaction are no longer so.

Obviously, by the force of things, this will open the door to speculation with the Canadiens, who need help on the right side. But between you and me, Karlsson at $10M (the amount that’s on the Penguins’ cap) until 2027 or Letang at $6.1M until 2028 doesn’t excite me.

And that’s even if there were to be a salary retention.

In brief

– Hum…

– J.T. Miller was almost traded to the Rangers in recent days. [32T]

– Noted.

– He is often seen with Donald Trump.

– Brendan Gallagher is being teased by Tomas Plekanec because he has only been on the second All-Star team of the CH since 2000.

Ivan Demidov: another Rookie of the Week title that allows him to make history.

Ivan Demidov is dominating in the KHL – despite limited playing time. In fact, he has been doing well for the past few weeks. #VisitOfKentHughes

And we learned this morning that the young prospect of the Canadiens has once again found a way to be named Rookie of the Week in the Russian league. Nothing new under the sun.

In two games, he scored two goals and got two assists. He averaged 19:59 of playing time per game.

As Demidov gains confidence, things are going better for him. He is rewarded by his coach for his performances, and he is also rewarded with significant playing time in return.

Imagine: Roman Rotenberg has understood that even without a contract at the end of the season, Demidov can play well. Well.

But what stands out the most in this whole story is that Demidov has now received his sixth nomination this season as Rookie of the Week in the KHL. This allows him to enter the KHL record book.

In short, he joins Eeli Tolvanen as the only rookie in the league’s history to win the Rookie of the Week title six times. So he is just one big week away from taking sole possession of the title.

With Lane Hutson being the best rookie – at least in my eyes – in the NHL, it’s clear that these are two major pieces for the Canadiens’ future who are excelling in their respective leagues.

Is it possible to believe that, in the best of worlds, the CH could have two rookies of the year in consecutive years (Hutson 2025, Demidov 2026) in the next 18 months in the NHL? Maybe, yes.

in a nutshell

– Indeed.

– He is impressive, yes.

– Who will win the Super Bowl?

Top-2: The CH won, but the Senators did too.

The CH had to win the game last night and he can say mission accomplished.

The fans had to follow the other two games on the schedule, as two direct rivals of the team were in action: the Senators and the Wings.

One won and the other lost:

1. The Senators are not helping the CH

In the afternoon, the Senators were visiting the Devils and thanks to a 2-1 victory, Ottawa starts the day in first place among the wild card teams in the Eastern Conference.

The Sens have 52 points, two points more than the Tricolore and one more than the Jackets.

(Credit: NHL.com)

Here’s a summary of the matchup.

The winning goal was scored by Artem Zub.

And the other goal for the visitors was scored by Zack Ostapchuk.

This was his first goal in the NHL.

And for a rare time, Brady Tkachuk was in the spotlight for the right reasons.

He was very honest with the official, and that saved the Devils from a penalty.

2. The Wings lost, too

In the other game presented, the Red Wings visited the Dallas Stars and for the second consecutive evening, Detroit lost.

The Wings are moving away from the mix… The Senators’ and CH’s victory hurts them.

Detroit hasn’t won in Texas since 2017.

The Stars’ 4-1 victory was their 12th consecutive home win against the Red Wings.

In the victory, Quebecer Mavrik Bourque scored his team’s third goal.

Wyatt Johnston scored this beautiful goal to seal the match outcome.

Detroit is five points from the playoffs and currently sits at the bottom of the East (13th place).

A weekend to forget for Todd McLellan’s team.

Overtime

– It’s not just Montreal that is on fire.

– A first goal for Matej Blumel.

– Two CH players among the top scorers of the night.

(Credit: NHL.com )

– A bit more than half of the teams in action tonight.

(Credit: Google )

Patrik Laine plays the hero in overtime against the Rangers

The Rangers are having a very disappointing season.

And the Montreal Canadiens, meanwhile, were corrected the night before by the Toronto Maple Leafs in a 7-3 loss.

If we combine all that with the extremely tight standings in the Atlantic Division, we could thus expect a great match between the two teams on Sunday night.

Before the game, the CH recalled Owen Beck, who took the place of Michael Pezzetta in the lineup, as he has only been allowed a few short appearances per game over the past few weeks.

Following the 7-3 loss, and the fact that it was a second game in 24 hours, Jakub Dobes was getting his second start in 72 hours.

Here is the lineup that the Tricolore presented for the match:

The CH started the game relatively slowly, but still had the upper hand over the Rangers in shots (9-5). However, New York was luckier and especially more opportunistic.

First, Alexis Lafrenière opened the scoring by taking advantage of a tricky bounce.

Interestingly, fans at the Bell Centre are still very resentful towards Chris Kreider and do not hesitate to boo him when he has the puck.

A few minutes after Lafrenière’s goal, Brendan Gallagher brought everyone back to square one with a nice deflection.

Number 11 cleverly redirected Christian Dvorak’s shot to score his 11th goal of the season.

Josh Anderson also collected an assist on that goal.

However, it only took 46 seconds for the Rangers to regain the lead in the game.

Will Cuylle scored his 12th goal of the season, unassisted.

This goal did not please the Tricolore, who decided to transform into Big Bad Habs.

There was a big brawl near both teams’ benches.

What caught attention was Josh Anderson, who did not spare Braden Schneider.

The latter was cut on the lip during the sequence.

It was thus on a score of 2-1 in favor of the Rangers that both teams retreated to the locker room after the first period.

Right at the beginning of the second period, a worrying scene involving Josh Anderson occurred.

The power forward fell awkwardly while his knee was caught between Arthur Kaliyev’s legs and had to leave for the locker room.

Few expected him to return to the game, even less in the middle of the second period.

And that’s exactly what happened.

Meanwhile, a lot happened.

First, the spectators present at the game got their money’s worth: Finally, a first fight between Arber Xhekaj and Matt Rempe.

And let’s just say that even though Rempe cheated by jumping Xhekaj early, the CH defender taught him a good lesson with his left hand.

Additionally, Christian Dvorak recreated the tie with his 4th goal of the season (and second point of the game).

This time, it was the Tricolore’s turn to benefit from a lucky bounce.

Brendan Gallagher also earned a second point in the game with the primary assist, while Alex Newhook now has four assists this season.

In this back-and-forth game, it was then the Rangers’ turn to get on the scoreboard.

Mika Zibanejad took advantage of a power play to score his 9th goal of the season.

Adam Fox and Artemi Panarin received assists.

About five minutes later in the game, the captain stepped up (once again) and led by example in the best way.

He forced a turnover by stripping the puck from the Rangers’ defender for his 14th goal of the season.

Unfortunately, Chris Kreider had to restore the lead for his team.

It was thus 4-3 for the Rangers after 40 minutes of play.

Unlike the two other periods, it was relatively quiet offensively in the third.

Only one goal was scored, and Juraj Slafkovsky tied the game to send everyone into overtime.

Lane Hutson again collected an assist, his 35th of the season. It was thus an eighth consecutive game for Hutson with at least one point.

Caufield also earned an assist on the goal.

Jakub Dobes was on fire in overtime with several key saves on quality shots.

This quickly set the tone in this overtime period, and who else but Patrik Laine to give victory to the Sainte-Flanelle in this very intense match.

That’s already 12 for Laine this season.

The next game for the CH will be on Tuesday in Montreal against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Overtime

– Overall, the game was fiercely contested. The two teams exchanged goals back and forth, in addition to generously handing out body checks. There was also a lot of scrumming and commotion during stoppages.

– It didn’t take long for Nick Suzuki to regain his beautiful smile, which had to fix his broken tooth against Toronto. And it seems to have paid off as he scored a goal.

“I am Pezzetta, I am entering the coach’s office” – Antoine Roussel

The big news of the day with the Montreal Canadiens is the last-minute recall of Owen Beck.

Since Michael Pezzetta returned to the lineup, his ice time has been very limited, and he is the one who gave up his spot for the young right-handed center.

We know that Pezzetta is not the one who will play 15 minutes per game, obviously. But in his last seven games, his highest total ice time in a game was 5:49 against the Blackhawks in Chicago.

Recently, he was part of the lineup to replace injured or absent players.

Yesterday, against the Toronto Maple Leafs, his usage was worse than ever: less than three minutes…

Clearly, Pezzetta does not hold a significant place in Martin St-Louis’s heart, but it’s ridiculous… Why have him play?

Following this game against Toronto, Antoine Roussel greatly lamented the situation by defending #55 during the post-game show on TVA Sports.

He even said that if he were Pezzetta, he would have gone to see MSL after the game to tell him that it doesn’t make sense.

“Martin says he deserves to play. Excuse me, but 2 minutes 58 seconds is not playing. Give me more, because you’re messing up my career, because I’m a proud guy and this is not acceptable.” – Antoine Roussel

As can be read in the TVA Sports article on this subject, Roussel even suggested a sort of ultimatum to support his point.

“Next game, you make me play 10 minutes and if I have a bad game, send me to the stands, send me to Laval.”

That’s quite an ultimatum, but if that’s what it takes for Pezz to play more than five minutes per game, he has to pull out all the stops.

The agitator of the Tricolore is not there to put the puck in the net. He is there to go into the corners, in front of the net, rattle and disturb the opponents, but with so little ice time, he is not of much use.

Seeing Owen Beck being recalled to take his spot against the New York Rangers, one can understand that Pezzetta probably did not go see the coach. Or maybe St-Louis took it very poorly and wanted to make him pay for his harsh words.

In brief

– Very nice goal from the CH prospect.

– Matt Murray is having quite a stretch in the AHL.

– Worth reading.

– Incredible.

Men’s fight: Arber Xhekaj has the upper hand over Matt Rempe

It finally happened: the first fight between Matt Rempe and Arber Xhekaj.

And it was the player from the Montreal Canadiens who got the better of his towering opponent.

That was a heavyweight fight.

And Xhekaj electrifying the Bell Centre with a classic Xhekaj celebration is great to see.

We can also see that just before the fight began, the towering defender from the CH issued the invitation to Rempe, who did not hesitate for a second.

He should have waited a little longer before jumping on the defender, as he clearly threw the gloves before Xhekaj.

He came out unscathed from instigator penalties but still received a two-minute minor for roughing.

A few minutes before this furious fight, Josh Anderson had to head to the locker room due to his knee.

A rather unfortunate sequence, but fortunately for Anderson and the CH, #17 quickly returned to the game around the middle of the second period.

Overtime

Lately, #72 rarely drops the gloves, and when he does, it’s not the fierce defender who brings down just anyone. Tonight, we saw the real Arber Xhekaj: the one that everyone fears. In a tough match like this and the fierce competition in the Atlantic, the Tricolore will need the best Xhekaj they can get.

Pierre-Luc Dubois is on track to have the best season of his career.

Few people would have bet that by mid-January, the Washington Capitals would be the best team in the NHL.

The Caps, who are on a four-game winning streak, currently sit in first place with 67 points in 46 games (31-10-5).

One of the players at the heart of the team’s success is Quebecer Pierre-Luc Dubois.

The winger seems to have truly found his niche in the American capital, recording 36 points, including eight goals, in 46 games, along with a +15 plus-minus rating.

Since November 10, Dubois has been the top scorer on his team with 28 points (7 goals, 21 assists) in 32 games.

The player should quickly surpass his total of 40 points from last season with the Los Angeles Kings, and if he continues to produce at the same pace as the start of his season, he is on track for a 64-point campaign, his best career total.

However, it’s worth noting that Dubois only played 73 games with the Winnipeg Jets in 2022-23, during which he had 63 points, including 36 assists, both career highs for the Quebecer.

Not bad for a player that many believed was on the decline, especially after signing an eight-year, $68 million contract, which amounts to $8.5 million per year with the Los Angeles Kings.

His time in California lasted just one season as the native of Ste-Agathe-des-Monts was traded to the Capitals on June 19 in exchange for veteran goaltender Darcy Kuemper.

In 23 games, Kuemper, who shares the goal with David Rittich, has a record of 13-4-5 with a 2.10 goals-against average and a .922 save percentage and is also an integral part of his team’s success.

So it can be said that this was a beneficial trade for both teams, as they have both found what they needed.

On his part, Dubois, who has often been criticized for his inconsistency, seems happy with the Capitals.

Even though he is only 26 years old, the towering winger is already on his fourth team in the NHL and needed to justify the generous salary the Kings had granted him.

However, if Dubois can establish himself as a reliable player who scores 60-70 points per year, the Capitals may have made a very good move for the years to come by trusting him.

In Brief

– Laine represents RPP!

– And the other players supporting minor hockey.

– Sad news.

– Heavy loss for Washington.

– MLB news.

– Victory for Inter.

The Canadiens recall Owen Beck.

We expected the Canadiens to recall a guy from Laval.

Well, that has happened.

The CH announced the recall of Owen Beck. He will be in the

lineup tonight against the Rangers:

With Michael Pezzetta not playing much anymore, this makes sense.

The Canadiens needed to recall a guy because playing with 11 forwards is not ideal in the long run.

And in the context where Heineman might miss up to a month of action due to a car-related injury… That’s where the idea of recalling a guy makes sense.

Owen Beck, in his first season as a professional, is finding success.

He has collected 25 points in his first 37 games this season in Laval and he is useful in all three zones of the ice.

We knew what he could bring when the Canadiens drafted him in 2022, and that’s what we’re seeing in Laval since the start of the season.

He has what it takes to stand out on the ice:

There are still questions to be asked.

Owen Beck is a natural center… And right now, there’s no spot available at center in the lineup.

The center line is known:

  • Nick Suzuki
  • Kirby Dach
  • Christian Dvorak
  • Jake Evans

I am therefore eager to see how he will be utilized and in what role he will be placed.

Beck has qualities that could be exploited and he has tools that can help the Canadiens.

The next steps will be interesting, I think.

Overtime

Ultimately, it should be noted that in all of this, it’s Michael Pezzetta who will probably pay the price in the coming weeks.

But on the other hand, he hurts the team when he’s on the ice and at a certain point, a decision had to be made.

He didn’t even play 3 minutes yesterday because Martin St-Louis can’t trust him…

The frustration of Connor McDavid this week is pointless.

I don’t know what got into Connor McDavid, but he seems to have something heavy on his heart lately.

Last night at the end of the game, while the Edmonton Oilers were trying to equalize against the Vancouver Canucks, the center player delivered a cross-check to the face of his opponent Conor Garland with only three seconds left to play. The Oilers ultimately lost 3 to 2.

McDavid’s action came after a pile-up and some chippiness between the two players following a hit by the Oilers player on Garland. McDavid also threw a punch at his opponent while he was over him and Garland was holding his arm.

Then, when the Canucks player continued to hold McDavid, the latter responded by delivering a solid two-handed Sherwood to the face.

On the play, McDavid received a match penalty and will have to have a hearing with the Department of Player Safety at a date and time yet to be announced.

Could the NHL suspend the best hockey player in the world? Hard to say, because while McDavid’s action is unequivocal, the context is much less so.

At several moments, we clearly see Garland holding McDavid, and the referees should have cracked down on the play to avoid the escalation that followed.

However, it is not up to the players to take justice into their own hands on the ice, and it is not the kind of behavior the League wants to encourage, so it has to send a message, even if McDavid is one of the biggest stars in the league.

In the same sequence, Tyler Myers of the Canucks also received a match penalty for a cross-check on Evan Bouchard and will also have to meet with the Department of Safety.

 

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Quarter-century team: the CH reveals the identities of the players who are part of it.

If you were asked to name the best players of the Canadiens since the early 2000s, you would probably have different answers.

There are logical choices, we agree.

But there are also other candidates that go unnoticed and deserve their place among the greats of the Canadiens since the early 2000s…

Well, the Canadiens unveiled today the identities of the players who are part of the “Quarter Century Team” of the club.

What does it look like? Here it is:

  • Team 1: Tomas Plekanec (A), Saku Koivu (A), Alex Kovalev (A), Shea Weber (D), Andrei Markov (D), Carey Price (G)
  • Team 2: Brendan Gallagher (A), Nick Suzuki (A), Max Pacioretty (A), Sheldon Souray (D), P.K. Subban (D), José Théodore (G)

Quite a lineup:

Do I agree with the entirety of the list?

Not necessarily, no. And that’s normal: you can’t please everyone.

If it were my choices, I would have swapped P.K. Subban and Shea Weber.

He did win the Norris in Montreal, P.K…

But the other selections make sense to me.

Plekanec, Koivu, Kovalev, and Markov played a big role in Montreal for a long time…

Carey Price has practically won everything with the Canadiens (except the Stanley Cup)…

Weber wore the “C” on his jersey and brought the club to the finals (2021)…

Pacioretty scored a ton of goals and he was captain of the club too…

Gally has been giving his all for the Habs for more than ten years…

Suzuki is the face of the organization right now…

Theo won a Hart AND a Vezina in Montreal…

Souray had his best offensive season of his career (26 goals and 64 points) with the Canadiens…

These guys deserve their place at the top, when you think about it!

That said, I can’t wait to see what the Half Century Team will look like in 2050.

But just like that, I would say Lane Hutson, Ivan Demidov, Cole Caufield, and Nick Suzuki have a good chance of being there… Hehe.

In a nutshell

– The montage is amazing.

– Wow!

– Indeed.