Riley Kidney: In Laval, they are considering the idea of sending him to Trois-Rivières.

If we haven’t heard much about Riley Kidney lately, it’s for a reason.

The forward has been sidelined for the last six games of the Laval Rocket because his coach lacks confidence in him.

The last time the forward played was over three weeks ago (December 22), and it leads one to believe that he is no longer part of Pascal Vincent’s short-term plans.

Vincent Demuy (BPM Sports) spoke to the Rocket’s coach about Riley Kidney, and it’s clear that the options concerning the center player are not unlimited.

It is going so poorly for him this season that the management in Laval has discussed the idea of sending him to Trois-Rivières… And Vincent added that the possibility is on the table.

That says a lot:

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Kidney, standing at 5 feet 11 inches (190 pounds), is recognized as a reliable forward in all three zones of the ice.

He also accumulated 100 points or more in his last two seasons in the QMJHL, and it’s no coincidence that the Canadiens decided to select him in the 2nd round of the 2021 draft.

But as is often seen, young productive players in juniors are not guaranteed immediate success when making the jump to professionals.

Riley Kidney had a respectable first year in Laval (20 points, including seven goals in 65 games)… But it has been more than difficult since the start of the 24-25 campaign.

He has only collected seven points (one goal) in 24 games…

In Trois-Rivières, the forward could have what he doesn’t have in Laval: quality playing time.

It’s by playing often and being placed in a quality role that he will be able to regain his confidence. He can’t prove himself with the Rocket… Because he simply isn’t playing.

But would a stay in Trois-Rivières mean that Kidney will never have the chance to play in the NHL? Not necessarily.

We’ve seen players who played in the ECHL and returned to the top (like Brandon Gignac, for example).

That said, Kidney is better off getting back on track… Otherwise, he will never play a single game in the NHL.

In Brief

— When Tage Thompson is healthy, we’re talking about one of the best forwards in the NHL.

— I believe it.

— Crazy!

— Oh really?

Mikko Rantanen: Eric Engels believes that the CH would do everything to sign him this summer.

The more time goes on, the more doubts there are concerning Mikko Rantanen’s future in Colorado.

And the reason is simple: the Avalanche may not have the resources necessary to pay him what he’s worth, especially since the forward is currently in the last year of his contract.

If he hasn’t signed a new contract by July 1, Rantanen will be a free agent.

The possibility of the Avalanche trading him before the deadline has thus been mentioned (by Renaud Lavoie).

But even if Rantanen is traded by March 7… That doesn’t mean he will agree to the terms of a new contract with his new team.

There exists a scenario where he decides to test the free-agent market to see how much money he can get… And if that happens, Eric Engels believes the Canadiens will do everything to bring him to town.

It’s just my opinion, but I think they (the Canadiens) would back a Brinks truck up to Mikko Rantanen’s door if he managed to hit the market. – Eric Engels

For those wondering: the Brinks company is known for its armored trucks that transport money and valuable goods.

Eric Engels’ reference is spot on.

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There will be salary cap space opening up for the Canadiens this summer.

Christian Dvorak ($4.45M), Joel Armia ($3.4M), and Michael Pezzetta ($812,500) are not expected to return to Montreal, and perhaps we could also consider adding David Savard’s name ($3.5M) to that list.

That already clears more than $10M from the Canadiens’ payroll. But at the same time, they also need to offer new contracts to Evans, Heineman, and Dobes… And we must not forget that Slaf’s next contract ($7.6M per season) will kick in this summer.

There’s also Lane Hutson, who is going to sign a big contract soon… But his big salary would only come into effect for the 2026-27 season.

That said, we know the salary cap is going to increase. But does the Canadiens really have room (short-term and long-term) to offer a monstrous contract to Rantanen?

The question arises because there are rumors that Rantanen could earn up to $14M per season in his next contract:

It should be noted that Patrik Laine and Mikko Rantanen are both from Finland and share the same agent.

Could Laine convince his friend to take a little less money to sign with a team that has what it takes to be competitive for a long time?

Maybe… But in my eyes, that would be the only possible option for Rantanen to wear a Canadiens jersey next October.

Unless Kent Hughes decides to trade one of his big contracts to make room for the Avalanche’s star forward? That’s possible too…

In Brief

– The market is heating up regarding John Klingberg.

– Wow.

– Good point.

– Bravo!

– Indeed.

Logan Mailloux plays less in the A.N. (Laval) and it’s partly because of Lane Hutson.

Times have been tougher lately for Logan Mailloux in Laval.

The defender – who will participate in the AHL All-Star Game – has only collected four points (one goal) in his last 22 games.

He is in a slump.

Perhaps this coincides with him playing less on the power play as well.

Pascal Vincent decided to take him off the ice a bit when the team has a man advantage and last week, I mentioned in an article that it is normal to question why Mailloux’s role is changing.

But the Rocket’s head coach explained yesterday on the air at BPM Sports that there is a reason behind Mailloux playing less on the power play.

And without saying it is entirely Lane Hutson’s fault… Let’s just say the little defender from the Canadiens plays his part (unintentionally) in Pascal Vincent’s decisions:

If I had a short-term vision, he (Mailloux) would be on the first power play. We would be focused on that and developing his skills on the power play. – Pascal Vincent

The Rocket’s coach further explains that in the long term, he does not necessarily see Mailloux playing on the first power play in Montreal because it is Lane Hutson who occupies that spot.

And unless there’s a surprise, Hutson won’t be moved anytime soon.

Pascal Vincent thus wants to find a solution so that his defender can help the Canadiens in another way when he is ready to make the jump to the NHL.

In Laval, they also want him to improve without the puck:

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Pascal Vincent’s comments are interesting.

He did not hide his game and he aimed to correct the narrative because again, there were doubts starting to settle in some people’s minds.

Now, it is clearer.

That said, Logan Mailloux has the talent to be a good offensive defenseman in the NHL. We saw it this season, where he collected three points in five games during his (brief) stint with the Montreal Canadiens.

But to become a good NHL player, you can’t just be good in one area.

Just as we saw his offensive qualities in Montreal this season, we also saw he had a lot of work to do in his zone or when he is not in the opposing territory, and that is what the coaching staff is currently working on in Laval.

It makes sense. But I wonder if the Canadiens management has a say in these decisions, especially seeing Hutson be as good as he has been since the start of the season…

In brief

– A newcomer in Trois-Rivières.

– He is back.

– Today’s activities on waivers:

– Tony Marinaro is a national treasure.

Injury of Emil Heineman: “it’s quite easy to see that it’s an arm”

Emil Heineman was struck by a car on Monday. We learned about it yesterday, and it changes the dynamics in the city a bit.

We know that the Canadiens will have to recall someone (Jared Davidson is a strong possibility at the moment) to bring a 13th forward into the city – and to send Michael Pezzetta to the stands.

We also know that the fourth line of the CH has therefore been broken.

But the most important thing in all of this is that the young man is okay. And on this subject, he posted a message on social media to thank those who support him.

Here’s what he said.

Thank you all for the love and support recently. I will come back stronger. #GoHabsGo

 

View this post on Instagram

 

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Ivan Demidov is going to the KHL All-Star Game.

Since Kent Hughes and his team went to see Ivan Demidov in Russia, everything is great in the best of worlds for the Canadiens’ prospect.

We knew the young man was overflowing with talent, but in recent weeks, he seems to have more room to express himself on the ice. With good ice time, he can dominate.

And today, the KHL announced that the young man has been invited to the league’s All-Star Game, which will take place on February 8 and 9.

Originally, he wasn’t necessarily supposed to be there. But he will replace Tony DeAngelo, his former teammate with SKA. DeAngelo packed his bags and returned to North America.

They don’t play the same position, but Demidov is replacing DeAngelo nonetheless.

At 19 years old, Demidov is one of the youngest players in the league. But despite everything, in 43 games, he has scored 14 times and has 18 assists, which gives him a total of 32 points.

With highlights worthy of the best players in the world, one cannot say that the Canadiens’ prospect has stolen his place.

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The Canadiens must hope he can finish his season strong to gain confidence before coming, if all goes as planned, to North America in the coming months.

One can think that in Montreal, his impact will be quite immediate. But we’ll see in due time.

In Brief

– Read.

– Kirby Dach regains his speed. [98.5 FM]

– Nice.

Jake Evans: “I don’t think the Canadiens are comfortable going for six years”

Let’s talk about the trade market.

The Jake Evans file is probably the most important one for Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton. After all, he is the best player of the Canadiens this season among the unrestricted free agents from the summer of 2025.

And I say this with all due respect for David Savard, who is also important. Yesterday, he stepped up after the second goal from the Utah representatives and it fired up his teammates on the bench.

We know that the Canadiens want to extend their center’s contract – discussions are already underway in this regard – before the trade deadline… but the club does not want to do it at any cost.

Once again, in his article of the day on The Athletic’s site, Pierre LeBrun spoke about the file. And he reiterated that the Canadiens do not want Evans to have too big of a “home run” type contract for the coming years.

What the informant mentions is that the number of years in the contract will surely be the point that complicates negotiations. The 28-year-old player will want to take advantage of his window of opportunity, but…

But the Canadiens might not want to sign the player long-term.

I don’t believe the Canadiens are comfortable going for five or six years. – Pierre LeBrun

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The journalist believes that if the Canadiens do not sign Evans by March 7, he will be shopped by force of circumstances. After all, there are teams that will want him at $1.7 million.

And since the market should pick up quickly this season, as noted by Marco D’Amico, the GM of the Canadiens’ phone will ring quickly.

If the Canadiens and Evans will “both have to be a little uncomfortable” to reach an agreement, it will then be necessary to determine what the risk management will be for both parties.

And if both are comfortable taking on a bit of risk, there should be an announcement in a few weeks.

in brief

– Notably.

– What will he do?

– Certainly.

The Predators would like to hire Shea Weber.

The name Shea Weber is becoming less and less present in Montreal. He still has an impact in the city (Nick Suzuki chats with him every now and then), but not as much as before.

After all, not only is he no longer playing, but he was traded a few years ago.

Even though he was spotted in town on the sidelines of his induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame and his addition to the hockey honors ring, let’s say he’s no longer at the center of current events like he used to be.

Now, he spends his time moving from Vegas to Arizona to Salt Lake City with family in Western Canada.

Since the final against Tampa, he hasn’t been the most involved person in the hockey world. We know he has already stepped on the ice with the Golden Knights’ AHL team and has done some scouting with Marc Bergevin, but that’s about it.

But it seems that this experience with Marc Bergevin, who left the Canadiens a few months before Weber, could happen again one day, on a somewhat more regular basis…

But not with the Canadiens.

According to what Alex Daugherty (a journalist from Nashville) reports, the Preds would be open to the possibility of bringing their former captain back to the team one day.

A scout in Western Canada recently retired. Well, well…

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Of course, it wouldn’t be for tomorrow. Weber is still under contract for a year and a half with Utah HC, which inherited his contract by purchasing the contracts of the defunct Arizona Coyotes.

But Barry Trotz, who was Weber’s coach for years and is now the GM of the Preds, opened the door in 2026 to seeing Weber take a role within his organization.

At the end of his contract, if he wants to be part of the organization, we will listen. – Barry Trotz

extension

Because Weber spent more time in Nashville and knows Trotz better than Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton, who traded him after a few months in office (it was the right thing to do), it makes sense to believe that if he works in hockey, it will be with the Preds.

Let’s remember that Pekka Rinne and David Poile are also on the payroll of the Preds. Both will be honored in Nashville at the same time as Weber this week, and perhaps this will inspire the former captain to join the club in a little over a year.

Jared Davidson: Anthony Marcotte’s choice for a call-up to Montreal

Yesterday, it was learned that forward Emil Heineman had been hit by a car in Salt Lake City. Naturally, this changes the situation in Montreal.

Because the club was in Utah (and is heading to Dallas afterward) and it still has 12 forwards and seven healthy defensemen, Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton did not need to provide another forward to Martin St-Louis.

Yesterday, that did not happen.

And right now, one wonders if it will happen before tomorrow’s game. If it does not occur, we can think that Michael Pezzetta will once again be in uniform.

According to Stu Cowan, however, a call-up could be announced tomorrow.

Unless the Canadiens play seven defensemen (thus dressing Jayden Struble) and 11 forwards if the club decides to wait until Saturday to make a call-up?

It’s not impossible, though.

But no matter what is done tomorrow night, we know that afterward, the Canadiens will look to bring in a player from Laval. After all, the club cannot roll with 14 forwards… but 12, including Pezz, is too few.

And according to Anthony Marcotte, it’s Jared Davidson who deserves a call-up – whether for tomorrow or for Saturday’s game. That’s what he said this morning on BPM Sports airwaves.

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Obviously, many people will wonder why it is not Joshua Roy (who will be at the AHL All-Star Game… and who missed his chance earlier this season in the NHL), Alex Barré-Boulet, Rafaël Harvey-Pinard, or Owen Beck who stand out the most among the current possibilities.

But as I wrote yesterday, we must not forget who needs to be replaced. Heineman was an effective fourth-line player, not a guy from the middle-6.

Because he is good along the boards, has an excellent shot, is a young player that the Canadiens might want to test, and would nicely fill the vacancy left by Heineman alongside Jake Evans and Joel Armia, he’s the choice of the voice of the Rocket.

We will see in due time what the Canadiens will announce. To be continued…

in a nutshell

– Noted.

– Soon, the Canadiens will be a real threat every year. [RDS]

– He continues to improve.

Evgeni Malkin had his three Stanley Cup rings stolen

Over the past few months, there’s been a trend in the world of sport for star players to be robbed.

Basically, it happens during a match. The thieves know that the owner of the house is not at home, and they take advantage of the situation to steal equipment from the house.

And since athletes are often rich…

Unfortunately, it happened to Evgeni Malkin. The Penguins star fell victim to the phenomenon when thieves showed up at his home to steal equipment.

And according to Jennifer Borrasso, who reported the story, #71’s three Stanley Cup rings (2009, 2016 and 2017) are missing.

The Penguins have confirmed the news, while mentioning that further details will not be released to the public by the club in order to respect the Russian’s privacy.

According to reports, it happened on Saturday, during the game against Ottawa.

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The rear door of the house was reportedly kicked in and the alarm system was not on. The player’s safe was broken into during the burglary.

911 was called, but it’s not known by whom.

With the spate of break-ins at the homes of big-name athletes, I wonder if many players (and families) are thinking of having their home security upgraded, just to make sure they don’t get caught up in the spate too.

Let’s hope Malkin gets his rings back… but don’t hold your breath.

Overtime

– He’s strong.

– Last Islanders powerplay goal: Juan Soto was still a free agent.

– Really?

Lane Hutson demonstrated yesterday that Corey Pronman was in the field (and the latter added to it).

Last night, the Canadiens Hockey Club was in Salt Lake City to take on the Utah Hockey Club. And even without Emil Heineman, who was hit by a car on Monday and will miss a few weeks of action, the Habs found a way to win.

In a 5-3 win, not everything was perfect, of course. But Lane Hutson proved he can be more than just a decent player.

We say that, of course, because Corey Pronman’s ranking of Hutson 39th among his best players aged 23 and under caused quite a stir in town.

In fact, apart from the ranking (which is special in itself, but hey), it’s mainly the fact that his talent with the puck was described as “above average” and his sense of competition as “average” that got a big reaction.

Not the analyst’s best, let’s say.

And yesterday, on the ice, Lane Hutson showed just how strong he is. Getting three assists in a 5-3 game is one thing, but we must also mention his two blocked shots, his plus-3 differential and his excellent defensive play.

He’s taking on the opposition’s best and he’s playing a lot, Hutson… and collecting points.

But I think the comment that got the most reaction was the one where Pronman said that Lane Hutson, if he keeps it up, could be a top-4 player one day in his career.

It was a really good one.

I’m not saying he’d be on every team’s top pairing right now, but he’s playing on the Habs’ top-2. He’s going up against the big boys and he’s holding his own defensively and producing when he’s got the puck.

He leads all rookies in points, and only five defensemen in the NHL have more than his 35 points: Werenski, Makar, Hughes, Morrissey and Theodore. Not exactly a gang of hams…

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But this morning, when no one was forcing him to repost his new text, Corey Pronman shared a piece on the guys with the biggest increase in yesterday’s rankings from the start of the season. And Hutson is there.

Note that yesterday’s segment on Hutson (including the bit about the top-4 and his level of competitiveness) was cut and pasted into a paper published this morning, after the rookie’s excellent game yesterday. He doesn’t look any better this morning, Pronman.

But hey. Anyone who watches Habs games knows what Hutson can bring to the ice. And just yesterday, he was able to prove it to everyone in a Habs win.

But he wasn’t the only player who helped the Habs win. What do I remember from yesterday’s game?

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1. The best players were the best players. We’re talking about Hutson and his three assists, but Mike Matheson (two points, including a magnificent goal) and Alexandre Carrier (two assists) were also good at the blue line.

Up front? Patrik Laine, Kirby Dach (twice) and Cole Caufield found the back of the net. They took advantage of an opponent who wasn’t at his best defensively.

2. In the first period, the Canadiens played perhaps their worst 20 minutes in weeks. Luckily, Samuel Montembeault, who deserved his W yesterday, was there to keep his club and teammates in the game.

But in the second period, it was much better. Especially in terms of penalties…

The Canadiens corrected themselves, and as Martin St-Louis said after the game, he didn’t need to intervene between the first two periods. This means that the guys evaluated each other and corrected together what needed to be corrected.

That’s a sign of maturity. And it reminds us that unlike many moments since the fall of 2021, the Canadiens are capable of regaining momentum and getting back into games.

3. In his last nine duels, Kirby Dach has six goals. We’re talking about all nine games since the holidays… and that brings his season total to eight. Clearly, he’s getting his legs back.

And so much the better.

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4. Emil Heineman is the Canadiens’ only injured player at the moment. That wasn’t the case for André Tourigny’s men, who have several injured men (6-7 guys, including Shea Weber) at the moment.

The result? The Canadiens dressed Michael Pezzetta for the game. Recalling someone to take him to Utah wasn’t realistic, obviously.

The more time passes, the clearer it becomes that Pezz, both for himself and for the Habs, must be put through the waivers – for his own good. Either he doesn’t play, or he doesn’t play… well.

We know what he can bring to the table, but it’s hard to do it playing so little (3:50 yesterday, less than an hour so far this season) and it’s hard to make a name for yourself taking nasty penalties. Put him out of his misery, for his own good.

5. At one point, in terms of shots, it was 12-1 for Utah. It ended 26-25 for the Habs, who really tightened up their defense starting in the second period. It took a long time for the home team to get a shot off in the second.

6. Seeing the Canadiens use the term “hit-and-run” on X made me laugh.

extension

The Canadiens won’t be practicing this morning: instead, it’ll be a day of travel to Dallas. The next practice will take place tomorrow morning, in Dallas. #MorningSkate

As a reminder, the Habs will play tomorrow in Texas before returning home for two games at the Bell Centre this weekend. The Maple Leafs and Rangers are on the menu.

(Credit: NHL.com)

As you can see, after tomorrow’s game against the Stars, it’ll be mostly at home for the rest of the month. Apart from a short trip to Detroit, the boys will be playing mainly at the Bell Centre from now on, in January.

But don’t forget that the California trip is coming up… #EarlyFebruary