David Ettedgui suggests Sam Bennett as the 3rd center of the CH (and it makes sense)

So far, there are not many players who are significantly disappointing this season with the Canadiens.

Cayden Primeau is one of the names that comes to mind in terms of disappointment, but there is also Christian Dvorak.

For Dvorak, the chances of seeing him next year are quite slim.

Jake Evans is having quite a season and is an excellent bottom-6 center. With Dvorak likely leaving, there would be another center missing from the last two lines for the upcoming season.

To support Evans, David Ettedgui suggested signing Sam Bennett as a third center this summer if he does not re-sign with the Florida Panthers.

And honestly, it makes a lot of sense.

This is what he announced yesterday on BPM Sports.

We know what Bennett can bring to a team, especially in the playoffs, having played a key role in winning the Stanley Cup last summer.

He scored 7 goals and earned 7 assists in 19 games, while playing just over 16 minutes per game during the playoff run.

He doesn’t hesitate to hit and go where it pays off. He is also very effective along the boards.

The Canadiens announced earlier this season that they would be looking to add a rugged forward for the bottom-6.

And even though it would have to wait until this summer, Bennett would be one of the best, if not the best, options for this role.

However, it should not be forgotten that the Canadiens will need to re-sign Evans, and it won’t be cheap. He should be able to command at least $4 million per year, and this, even if it has been a bit tougher for him lately.

If the Canadiens also need to pay good money to acquire Bennett, Kent Hughes will need to keep a close eye on the salary cap for the coming years. Otherwise, he might have to make some tough choices.

Let’s just say I completely trust Kent Hughes for the future of the Canadiens. The Montreal club is in very good hands.

In Brief

— Too bad for the Penguins.

— Interesting.

— Chabot is undoubtedly happy to finally have a regular partner by his side.

— Indeed.

— That’s the least we can say.

Jake Oettinger on the Habs: “It’s crazy how this team is better than last year’s.”

Jake Oettinger got a close look at the Canadiens last week. After being the winning goalie during the Stars’ trip to Montreal on Saturday, he was back in net last night against the Canadiens, in a losing effort.

Despite the fact that the Canadiens did not perform extremely well as a team yesterday, managing only 23 shots on goal, they still came away with the win.

Oettinger did not hesitate to pay tribute to the Tricolore after the game.

«It’s crazy how this team is better than last year’s and the year before’s. Their power play is solid, their top-6 is as talented as anyone else in the NHL. If you give them a little space, they will make you pay.» – Jake Oettinger

After the coaches, it’s now the turn of the league’s excellent players to recognize the Canadiens’ level of play.

There is something truly special happening with this team. Beyond the number of wins, it’s the way they go after them that is impressive.

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There are no passengers on this team right now. Every player is comfortable in their role and finds a way to produce at the right moment.

Against Utah, Suzuki’s line wasn’t the most dominant, but Dach and his linemates found a way to score. Last night, it was Suzuki’s line that took charge. And despite the loss of Emil Heineman, Jake Evans’ line continues to perform well.

Everything is in place for an excellent game tomorrow night at the Bell Centre, as the Maple Leafs will be the visitors.

In Brief

– Kent Hughes looks like a genius.

– Wow!

– Pretty crazy!

David Reinbacher very explosive on skates: a very good news

With all of CH’s successes and the slowdown in Matvei Michkov’s production, David Reinbacher is not being talked about much anymore. It should be noted that CH’s prospect underwent surgery on his left knee on October 1st.

The news is very encouraging in his case as he has started skating again in recent days with the team’s therapists.

The news is even more encouraging today as images of his training have been captured.

I am not a doctor, but he seems very comfortable and fluid on his skates. He participated in various types of quite intense exercises, and his knee seems to have reacted well.

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Could he be ahead of schedule? CH had announced that he would miss 5 to 6 months, which brings us to between March and April.

Reinbacher seems well on his way to seeing action before the end of the regular season. Anthony Marcotte mentioned in recent days that Rocket would not hesitate to use him for the end of the season and the playoffs if he recovers well.

The mistake would be to bring him back too quickly and have him suffer another injury, which would be a disaster for the organization.

But if he is indeed ready, he needs to see action to salvage his season a bit. He had looked good with the Rocket at the end of last season, and he could play a significant role in the playoffs.

I am one of those who believes that CH should have chosen Matvei Michkov with the 5th pick, but I believe in David Reinbacher’s potential to establish himself as an excellent defenseman in the NHL. The type of defenseman that is so useful in playoffs where fewer goals are scored, and the game is tighter.

In Brief

– The Rocket is trailing after 40 minutes.

– Very nice goal.

– Pretty crazy.

Joshua Roy hits the boards hard and has to leave the Rocket game.

The Rocket is in action tonight in Utica against the Comets.

Unfortunately, they have lost the services of Joshua Roy, who fell heavily against the boards near the local net.

It was a silly fall and it seems his left shoulder took the blow.

It is his left shoulder that made contact.

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The Rocket has already announced that he will not be returning tonight.

We expect a call-up in the coming days by the Canadiens to compensate for the loss of Emil Heineman, and even though Roy was not the first name that came to mind, the timing of his injury is not good.

More details to come…

4 nations: The price to see Canada at the Bell Centre is astronomical.

Many hockey fans are eagerly awaiting the Four Nations Tournament.

Even though countries like the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Russia will not be participating, Canada, the United States, Sweden, and Finland will thrill all the spectators present.

However, ticket sales for the tournament are currently slow, and the NHL is concerned about this.

Looking at the prices, especially for Canada’s games, it’s easier to understand why.

As reported by Michael Leach from the Toronto radio station 680 News, ticket prices for the Canada vs Sweden match at the Bell Centre in the pit are exorbitant.

The prices above were listed on Ticketmaster and wait to see the price for the match on February 15, between Canada and the United States.

The price for a single ticket is over $500…

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And if some wealthier individuals want to splurge and watch the game from the front row, they need to think about at least $2300 + taxes to go alone.

Looking at the site billets.ca, prices are less astronomical, but still very high.

Even though I expected it to sell like hotcakes, considering how much a pair of tickets would cost, along with a small snack and parking, it starts to get pricey.

At least, the matchups not including Canada are relatively affordable, comparable to the price of seeing the Montreal Canadiens, and it will still be excellent hockey.

In short, I think I will watch all of this from my couch on my television.

In Brief

– A nice milestone for Marner.

– Worth listening to.

– Really unfortunate for the Blue Jays.

– A must-read.

– Good news for Bayern Munich.

Compared to the last season (after 44 games), the CH has only three more points.

It’s been a long time since I enjoyed watching the Canadiens play this much.

And I’m sure I’m not alone on my island!

After the last few difficult years, it’s refreshing to see the team win…

There’s a real buzz in the city right now since the Canadiens are the team of the hour in the NHL.

The CH is just one point behind the Bruins and a playoff spot… And they are also just three points behind the Lightning and third place in the Atlantic Division.

The club is progressing, but to what extent?

I’m asking this because this morning, Réjean Tremblay stated in his column that the progress in terms of points collected by the team “is quite minimal.”

And he is right.

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After 44 games last year, the Canadiens had a record of 19 wins, 18 losses, and seven overtime losses.

The team earned 45 points in its first 44 games of the season, to put it another way.

What does it look like this year?

The CH has a record of 22 wins, 18 losses, and four overtime losses after playing its first 44 games of the season.

That gives 48 points:

(Credit: NHL.com)

The difference in points isn’t huge, let’s be clear.

But it is significant in the standings. After 44 games last season, the CH was sitting in 24th place in the league.

They are in 18th place as I write these lines.

All in all, we see progress and that’s what’s important. The Canadiens have managed to bounce back after a terrible start to the season and they find themselves today in an interesting position.

This aligns with the organization’s goals, by the way. The management talked about the mix even before the start of the season and they wanted the team to improve collectively.

That’s what’s happening right now.

In brief

– Suspension for the Islanders player.

– Interesting news in the NHL.

– It looks promising.

– A few updates in MLB:

Rumor Corner: The Devils are (very) involved in the J.T. Miller situation.

Nothing is going right for the Canucks.

The Vancouver team has lost 11 of its last 15 games and now the chain is really coming apart.

The team’s leaders no longer want to push themselves on the ice, and it shows. Yesterday, J.T. Miller looked like a guy who just doesn’t care, plain and simple:

There are several rumors surrounding Miller right now because things are not working out for him in Vancouver.

We’re talking about a super talented player… But we’re also talking about a guy who seems to want to do things his own way most of the time.

And that doesn’t work if you want to help your team win.

It’s relevant to discuss the forward because, according to the latest news, it seems that the Devils are very interested in the idea of adding his services.

There would even be discussions happening right now for it to take place:

In New Jersey, it is known that Simon Nemec is not satisfied with his usage.

Could the defender be included in an offer to convince the Canucks to let Miller go? That would make sense…

However, note that the Devils currently have cap space of just under $2 million ($1,894,436) and they will need to shed salary to add Miller to the lineup.

If they can… They will be one to watch because they already have a fiery attack:

(Credit: Daily Faceoff)

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Seth Jones on the market in Chicago?

We know it: things are going poorly in Chicago.

The Hawks are not progressing as they have not been able to surround Connor Bedard the right way and now, questions are starting to arise about the team’s rebuild.

That said, with things not working out and with him starting to age, Seth Jones is at the center of some rumors right now.

According to Darren Dreger, teams have called about the services of the big defender:

The problem with Jones is the following.

He is in the third year of an eight-year contract… That pays him a total of $9.5 million per season.

That’s a lot of money for a 30-year-old defender who seems to be in decline.

Obviously, the Hawks will have to retain part of his salary to send him elsewhere because there is no team that would take that contract.

It’s too bad the Coyotes are gone… They were known for taking on bad contracts to meet the salary floor in the NHL. Hehe.

No joke, Jones’ situation will be worth watching in the coming weeks. But if a trade happens, I expect it to be done next summer.

Moving a big contract like his is complicated during the regular season…

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The Avalanche does not want to trade Rantanen

The situation of Mikko Rantanen in Colorado is starting to gain traction.

Will he be able to sign a big contract and be paid his worth? It seems to be complicated right now…

The Avalanche still has the option to trade him before the trade deadline (or July 1) to not lose him for nothing, but that is not in the organization’s plans.

Really not, even:

No, Colorado has no interest in exploring a trade involving Mikko Rantanen. – David Pagnotta

Chris MacFarland has a significant issue to resolve.

What I’m primarily wondering is what Rantanen thinks about all this…

Let’s not forget after all that he won the Stanley Cup (2021-2022) and has been playing in Colorado since the start of his career.

Will he want to sign a new contract (perhaps cheaper) with the team that drafted him in 2015… Or would he prefer to test the free agent market to sign one of the biggest contracts in the NHL?

Hmm…

In Brief

– Interesting, nonetheless.

– Wow.

– Yes!

– Sweet.

From the worst to the best team in the NHL: the two faces of the Canadiens

Inexplicable! Improbable! Disconcerting!

What the Canadiens – who were languishing in the basement – are accomplishing could not have been anticipated at all. Going from the worst team in the league on November 25 (32nd in the standings) to the best in the entire league for the past month is quite something.

Since December 16, the CH has a record of 11-2-1.

(Credit: NHL.com)

During this period, the Montrealers scored 51 goals, just one less than the 52 scored by the Oilers and Blue Jackets, while allowing only 30.

Their two special teams have a combined efficiency rate of 110%!

Jakub Dobes, Patrik Laine, Alexandre Carrier… some additions are at the heart of this turnaround. But Lane Hutson, Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki, Kaiden Guhle, Mike Matheson, Samuel Montembeault, Jake Evans, Joel Armia, and others are also key to the team’s current success.

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Are we going to make the playoffs?
This morning, the CH is in 10th place in the East, only one point away from a playoff spot. With two games in hand…

(Credit: NHL.com)

In short, our team is in the mix.

The problem is, it won’t draft top three there are eight teams fighting for the two Wild Card spots in the East: the Blue Jackets, the Bruins, the Senators, the Canadiens, the Red Wings, the Flyers, the Rangers, and the Penguins.

So two of the previously mentioned teams are likely to make the playoffs.

Does that mean the CH has only a 25% chance to extend its season after its 82nd regular match?

No! The Canadiens are on a good roll and are closer to the top eight than the Flyers, Rangers, and Penguins. And they have an easier schedule than some teams directly competing with them.

The reputed site MoneyPuck.com gives the Canadiens a 36% chance of making the playoffs this morning. It sees the Bruins and the Sens making it to the playoffs… but it also sees the CH and the Flyers as the candidates most likely to surpass them.

Let’s remember that MoneyPuck uses advanced statistical calculations to determine its percentages.

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The site PlayoffsStatus.com is more generous with the Canadiens’ probabilities. It estimates a 50% chance of seeing the CH play in the playoffs.

According to the site’s calculations, the Canadiens and the Senators have better chances to extend their seasons than the Blue Jackets and the Bruins.

The Flyers, Penguins, and Rangers have very little positive probability, according to PlayoffStatus.com.

In the end, the Tricolore has between a one in three and a one in two chance of participating in the playoffs…

Which makes the odds to that effect on Mise-o-jeu VERY interesting: 4.50.

I think I’m going to go bet a little $20 on the CH.

in brief

– It will be Toronto or L.A.

– Logical.

– Frederik Andersen is back.

Caufield is at a point with Suzuki: We really need to start talking about #13’s season.

I find that we don’t talk enough about Cole Caufield.

Last year, we all criticized him because we expected more from him. Yet he still finished the 23-24 season with his best career numbers, both in terms of goals (28) and points (65).

That’s no small feat.

But this year, we’re seeing a different Cole Caufield.

The young forward has accumulated a total of 43 points in 44 games since the start of the season, and it’s clear that he has improved his play without the puck.

Eric Engels is right to point this out on Twitter.

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I want to give some love to #13. Are you ready?

Let’s go!

Caufield, since December 12, has accumulated 18 points in 16 games, including seven goals.

He is the top scorer for the Canadiens during this time, with Hutson (17 points) and Suzuki (16 points) closely following him.

Caufield is ranked 31st among the top scorers in the entire NHL.

Last year, after 44 games, he only had 33 points… and was ranked 85th among the league’s most productive players.

Caufield has scored 24 goals on 130 shots since the start of the season, resulting in a shooting percentage of 18.5%.

Last year, after 44 games, Caufield scored 14 goals on 159 shots, with a shooting percentage of 8.8%.

There’s a clear improvement in his game, and it’s great to see. It was reasonable to think that the arrival of Laine might cause him some problems (especially on the power play)… but that’s not the case.

Both are capable of coexisting on the ice and both can be productive on the power play even when playing together, which is interesting.

They also seem to get along well:

But what’s striking is how good Caufield is at even strength. 32 of his 43 points this season have come at even strength (he leads the Canadiens in that regard too), and that changes the game because he’s constantly a threat right now.

That wasn’t always the case last season.

All this to say that there’s no one in town who can be disappointed with the performance of Tit-Cole at the moment.

He is playing up to his talent, scoring important goals… And we see how important he has been to Martin St-Louis’ lineup since the start of the season.

It’s refreshing because we know how much he has the tools to become one of the (very) good players in the NHL.

After all, he’s only 24 years old!

In brief

– Oh. Reinforcements in Edmonton.

– Good point.

– Colleague Maxime Truman asked questions to Prince Owusu and Samuel Piette today. Here’s what stands out:

– Still.

The Canadiens will not make a call-up today.

The misfortune of some makes the happiness of others. Right?

Since the forward Emil Heineman was hit by a car on Monday, Michael Pezzetta now has the opportunity to replace him in Martin St-Louis’s lineup. But we know what the problem is with Pezz.

He may be a good teammate, as Martin St-Louis said… But we are still talking about a guy who hurts the Canadiens when he is on the ice. That’s why in January, over six games, the forward has an average ice time of 4:17 per game. That’s not much.

We might have expected to see the Canadiens call up a player from Laval for their game yesterday in Dallas, but they did not.

The strategy paid off as the CH secured a big win against the Stars. We can thank Jakub Dobes, by the way.

However, the CH will return to the Bell Centre tomorrow for their game against the Leafs, and we should expect the team to make a call-up. Because playing with 11 forwards (and a half) and six defensemen is not ideal.

What we need to know in all this is that the Canadiens will not make a call-up today according to what Anthony Marcotte reported on Twitter.

The Rocket is in action tonight in Utica:

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It’s rare to see the Canadiens and the Rocket playing at home at the same time, but that will be the case on Saturday.

The Canadiens’ farm team will host the Utica Comets in the second game of a two-game series (in as many days).

It should also be noted that for tonight, Cayden Primeau will defend the Rocket’s net:

There are some interesting names in Laval for a call-up.

And in the view of replacing a guy on the fourth line, there are mainly three logical candidates in my opinion:

  • Luke Tuch
  • Jared Davidson
  • Lucas Condotta

I expect it to be Condotta because he knows the NHL. He played seven games with the big club this season and he could easily fit in on the team’s fourth line because he also knows Martin St-Louis’s system.

But personally, I would really like to see Davidson get the chance to prove himself. He is having a great season so far and he has the characteristics in his game (verve, intensity) that could help the Canadiens.

We could also say the same for the big Tuch, after all…

All this to say that it remains to be seen, but we really should expect to see the Canadiens make a call-up during the day tomorrow.

In brief

– Notice to interested parties:

– Good choices!

– Minor signing in Columbus. Another defenseman!

– The Avalanche says no.