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Canadiens Wrap

Habs Wrap: Laine Drama, Evans Trade Talk, Waivers

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montreal canadiens patrik laine

MONTREAL — There’s always Montreal Canadiens content to absorb, but there are only so many hours in a day. On Sundays, we recap the most exciting and relevant NHL news stories that you may have missed throughout the week so that you can stay in the Canadiens loop.

It was a little hectic during the holiday season, which is why we’re publishing the weekly wrap on Tuesday. We will return to our regularly scheduled programming next week.

Monday

The Laval Rocket are back on track after a rough stretch that saw them drop from first in the North Division to third. Their fantastic start to the season was derailed when the Canadiens promoted Joshua Roy to the NHL, as they did not manage to win a game without their best player.

Roy had a goal and an assist in Friday’s 2-1 win over the Bellville Senators on Friday night, and followed it up with another two-point effort against the Springfield Thunderbirds on Sunday, including his 12th goal of the year.

We should also note Adam Engstrom, who is quickly becoming the team’s most important defenceman, registered two assists on the weekend, pushing his season totals to three goals and 12 assists in 28 games.

Florian Xhekaj has been a busy prospect in the last stretch. He enjoyed an incredible five-point effort last weekend, and followed it up with a spirited fight versus Sam Bitten on Sunday.  [Xhekaj And Davidson Find Rhythm With Canadiens AHL Affiliate]

With two more powerplay goals to his credit Patrik Laine is now on pace for a 52-goal, six-assist, 58-game prorated season. We can’t expect him to keep scoring powerplay goals every game… is what I’ve been saying for the last two weeks, but at this point, maybe we should. Jokes aside, we’re seeing something pretty special in the works, and the most encouraging aspect of the entire situation is that the best is yet to come, especially at 5v5. [Habs Highlights: Yes, Laine Scored For The Canadiens, Again]

There’s no way to measure happiness, but the overall vibe from the Canadiens’ locker room seems to be much healthier since Laine recovered from his injury. Of course, winning tends to cure what ails ya.

Juraj Slafkovsky has been having a great time since he was returned to the top line. Not only is he scoring goals, he’s also having a little more fun on the ice, as evidenced by his hostile interactions with Moritz Seider and Ben Chiarot during the back-to-back games against the Detroit Red Wings.

There’s usually a much stronger Canadiens presence at the World Junior Championship, but this season only a few prospects will take part. That includes Rasmus Bergqvist, who scored a goal against Canada during pre-tournament action.

Tuesday

Patrik Laine ruffled some feathers upon his return to Ohio. The 26-year-old forward mentioned he was sick of losing, which is understandable, as athletes thrive on success.


His comments drew the ire of the Blue Jackets, who clearly went out of their way to punish Laine with as much physicality as possible in the first period of Monday’s game. All things considered, their response was also understandable, as you never want to hear former teammates suggest the team is highly flawed. That being said, the Blue Jackets are clearly a flawed organization, that much is undeniable.

For what it’s worth, Don Waddell, Columbus’ general manager, also suggested the level of acceptance regarding the losing seasons in Ohio was not acceptable.

While we’re on the Laine topic, he was named the NHL’s Third Star of the Week thanks to his excellent powerplay production. As for his injury against Columbus, no update has been provided as to the severity.


Newcomer Alexandre Carrier shared a great story that isn’t quite on par with The Hockey Sweater, but isn’t that far off, either.


Jake Evans entered the holidays on an absolute tear. He has goals in three consecutive games, and has been the lynch pin to the fourth line’s great play over the last stretch, which has allowed the team to bank a few wins when they needed it most. Lane Hutson also provided a goal on Monday, which pushes his season totals to 26 points in 34 games, good enough for 10th overall in the NHL in defenceman scoring. [Habs Highlights: Evans On Fire, Hutson Surging, Laine Injury]

Wednesday

The early results from the Justin Barron for Alexandre Carrier trade are very encouraging, and exactly what the doctor ordered for the Habs from a defensive perspective. A stabilizing presence on the blue line was overdue, as was ensuring Kaiden Guhle can play on the left, rather than his offside.  [Canadiens Analysis: Early Results From Carrier Trade Encouraging]

According to Renaud Lavoie, the Columbus Blue Jackets were targeting Patrik Laine’s shoulder on Monday night. The Blue Jackets were upset that Laine said he was tired of losing, and that it seemed like the team would give up by December.

The team’s general manager also suggested the team accepted losing way too easily, but that didn’t stop Zach Werenski from reacting to the comments with hostility. Truth be told, Werenski’s reaction was not surprising, and we shouldn’t expect Laine to lie about his time with the Blue Jackets.

The entire story has taken on a life of its own, evolving into a mountain from its birth as a mere molehill. [Patrik Laine Drama: Blue Jackets Reportedly Targeted Shoulder]

Merry Christmas from the Price clan!


Full marks to Lane Hutson for attempting to say merry Christmas in French. While I understand ‘attempting’ is doing a lot of heavy lifting in that sentence, I do genuinely appreciate any time someone tries to communicate in the local dialect. It’s also quite hard to learn a new language as an adult.


This flew under the radar because of all the Laine-related drama, but sniper Cole Caufield wore a custom suit in Columbus to honour his late friend, Johnny Gaudreau.

Thursday

Top prospect Ivan Demidov scored a goal in SKA’s 6-5 loss to CSKA. It marked the third game in a row in which Demidov found the back of the net (3G, 1A). The uptick in scoring coincides with an increase in ice time, which brings us back to the never-ending problem in the KHL. Demidov is usually rewarded for his strong play with less ice time, not more. For what it’s worth, Demidov was used as a fourth-line winger on Wednesday.

SKA mentioned they wouldn’t mind hanging onto Demidov for another season, which would allow him to reach the NHL with a heavy dose of experience under his belt. While that’s a great sales pitch in theory, the Habs can’t afford to leave his development up to another organization, especially given his current usage.

It’s also worth noting Demidov was named the rookie of the week in the KHL.


Merry Christmas from the Xhekaj family!

Due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Ivan Demidov won’t be able to represent his country at the World Junior Championship which gets underway later today in Ottawa. Aatos Koivu was left off Finland’s roster, which means the tournament will only feature one Canadiens prospect, Rasmus Bergqvist.

Bergqvist has just one assist in 21 SHL games this season, but the defenceman scored in back-to-back games for Sweden in pre-tournament warm up games.

Friday

The Montreal Canadiens will only have one player at the 2025 World Junior Championship, which got underway on Thursday. Swedish defenceman Rasmus Bergqvist was picked 224th overall by the Habs at the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, making him the penultimate pick of the draft.

He’s yet to score a goal in 21 SHL games for Skellefteå this year, but he did manage to score goals in back-to-back games during pre-tournament play.

Even with just one Canadiens prospect in the mix, there are a few players worth monitoring, as the Habs are likely to be in the mix for a top-10 pick at the upcoming NHL Entry Draft. Prospects such as Matthew Schaefer (Canada), Porter Martone (Canada), James Hagen (USA), Logan Hensler (USA), and Victor Eklund (Sweden) are set to playing important roles during the tournament.  [Potential Canadiens Draft Picks To Watch At World Juniors]

Speaking of Hagens, he scored the USA’s first goal of the tournament, and set up the team’s second goal as well as the United States faced Germany.


He would go on to register a third point shortly afterwards, which was also his second goal of the game.

We also mentioned David Lewandowski in the prospects to watch article, a German forward. He also scored in Thursday’s game between Germany and the USA. The play was reviewed for offside, and was judged to be perfectly legal.

Oliver Kapanen opened the scoring for Timra versus Leksands, Emil Heineman’s former team. With Kapanen’s help, Timra won 4-2. He now has four goals and six assists in 11 games since being loaned to the SHL club by the Canadiens.

Saturday

The Habs made some waves by calling-up 23-year-old goaltender Jakub Dobes from the Laval Rocket. Dobes has a 9-3-1 record this season in the AHL, including a 2.44 goals against average, and a .910 save percentage. The decision seems to be putting an end to the Cayden Primeau experiment in Montreal, which featured some questionable goaltending, but more importantly, an absolutely terrible development plan. The lack of foresight from the previous management group in regard to Primeau is worth keeping in mind as Dobes makes his NHL debut. It’s also a good lesson to remember as the team plans Jacob Fowler’s future. [Canadiens Talk: Impact Of Jakub Dobes Call-Up, Primeau, Fowler]

A promotion for Dobes also means it’s time for a new paint job!

ICYMI: Here’s an article detailing all the missteps the Montreal Canadiens took while destroying Primeau’s confidence. [Canadiens Goalie Primeau Perfect Example Of Poor Development]

In yet another shocking result, top prospect Ivan Demidov has maintained his improved scoring rate while receiving reasonable ice time for a highly talented forward. He did not, however, manage to score much when he was being given five or six minutes TOI on the fourth line.

It’s one of those situations that simply won’t be understood, even if we put our best scientists on the case.

Demidov’s coach continues to offer the most confusing and illogical quotes. Even though the 19-year-old is playing well now that he’s receiving slightly more ice time, Roman Rotenberg is still using the stick rather than the carrot to motivate, saying “I’m not going to praise him, because if you praise him, he will wear the crown.”

I’m sure there are some comments lost in translation, and there’s always something to be said about keeping players on an even keel, but Demidov is far from an arrogant young man. He’s simply doing everything asked of him by a coach that has absolutely no issue taking credit for his hard work. The same coach is withholding positive reinforcements, putting his lack of coaching prowess on full display. Given how Rotenberg got his job in the first place (without any hockey experience), his attitude is not surprising.

Demidov should end-up signing his entry-level contract this summer, which means the Canadiens will then have the authority to get him as far away from SKA as possible.  [MatchTV.RU]

After beating Finland 4-0 at the World Junior Championship, Canada lost 3-2 in the shootout to Latvia. Linards Feldbergs was excellent between the pipes for Latvia, and we don’t want to take any credit away from what is surely a well-deserved highlight of his young career, but the loss is a great reminder that Canada went full galaxy brain when assembling their lineup, leaving a bevy of talented players at home, including Habs prospect Michael Hage. That being said, Hage was far from the biggest omission by Hockey Canada, which has a history confusing decisions when it comes to assembling lineups.

Regardless, full marks to Latvia for the fantastic underdog win. They deserve to be proud about their effort, and it’ll surely be a great story they can tell their friends and family for the foreseeable future.

Admittedly, I did not get a chance to watch the game, as I was busy playing hockey and setting rabbit snares with my godson at the farm, but the Rocket dropped their first game without Dobes, a 4-1 defeat at the hands of the Syracuse Crunch. Tyler Wotherspoon scored Laval’s lone goal, assisted by Joshua Roy and Rafael Harvey-Pinard. [AHL]

Sunday

Habs legend Carey Price was watching as Jakub Dobes pitched a 34-save shutout in his NHL debut versus the defending Stanley Cup champions, the Florida Panthers. For the record, Price saved 28 of the 30 shots he faced during his NHL debut, a 3-2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on October 10, 2007. Ryan Whitney and Max Talbot beat Price, while Tomas Plekanec, Alex Kovalev, and Andrei Markov were the goalscorers for the Habs.

Even though the Canadiens won 4-0, Dobes still had to do his part, especially in the third period, when the Panthers took over from a momentum standpoint. Saturday’s game was also Kirby Dach’s best outing of the season thanks to a two-goal effort. As per tradition, Jake Evans scored a dramatic goal, and Juraj Slafkovsky looked good while playing on the first line.  [Canadiens Talk: Impact Of Jakub Dobes Call-Up, Primeau, Fowler]

With Dobes in Montreal, the Canadiens proceeded to place goaltender Cayden Primeau on waivers. If he clears, he should be set to play a reasonable number of games for the Laval Rocket, who will need solid goaltending if they’re to compensate for losing Dobes to the NHL. There’s a possibility someone may claim Primeau, but given the number of goaltenders available every season, it’s not a likely scenario. [Montreal Canadiens Place Primeau On NHL Waivers]

Patrik Laine has done great things on the powerplay, but his 5v5 play has predictably lagged behind his special teams impact. There’s no rush when it comes to producing solid underlying numbers at even-strength, but the last few games have featured improvements in that department. It helps that Dach and Alex Newhook have found their rhythm in recent games.

It’s also worth pointing the results have been much better with Alex Carrier in the fold, both from a team standpoint, and among top-four defencemen. [Canadiens Analysis: Early Results From Carrier Trade Are Encouraging]

Monday

Jake Evans is going to receive a well-deserved raise this summer, but it’s too early to tell whether it will come from the Canadiens, or a team looking to bolster their lineup via free agency. There are legitimate arguments to be made for keeping Evans in the fold, however, the same can be said about trading him at the deadline. [Canadiens Analysis: The Jake Evans Trade and Contract Situation]

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