On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being glorious, the place are the Canadiens proper now?
Ed Helinski, Auburn, N.Y.
I’d give them an 8 after getting off to a 6-3 begin, which had them sitting in first place within the Atlantic Division following Thursday evening’s 6-5 loss to the Oilers in Edmonton.
Some very questionable officiating by referees
Garrett Rank
and
Chris Schlenker
—
particularly on the identical day as an enormous NBA playing scandal
— undoubtedly helped the Oilers, who scored two power-play objectives within the third interval to tie the sport 5-5. The Oilers had 5 energy performs throughout the sport, whereas the Canadiens had just one.
After the sport, the Canadiens’ Brendan Gallagher mentioned the referees admitted to him they made a mistake after they known as Juraj Slafkovsky for boarding early within the third interval. The Oilers didn’t rating on the following energy play, however Leon Draisaitl did rating at 11:19 of the third interval with Mike Matheson within the field for tripping. Instantly after Draisaitl scored, Josh Anderson was given an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, placing the Oilers proper again on the facility play. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored lower than a minute later to tie the sport earlier than Vasily Podkolzin scored the winner at even energy with 1:09 left on the clock.
Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis mentioned he obtained no rationalization from the referees about what Anderson did to get penalized.
Juraj Slafkovsky will get known as for boarding: pic.twitter.com/elVXJCwGkr
— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) October 24, 2025
“The refs sort of took over the sport there, and kudos to them for profitable it,” the Canadiens’ Cole Caufield mentioned after scoring twice towards the Oilers, tying him for the NHL lead with seven objectives on the season.
Whereas the referees undoubtedly helped the Oilers, Canadiens goalie Samuel Montembeault continues to wrestle and didn’t make huge saves when his staff actually wanted them. The Oilers scored six objectives on 29 photographs towards Montembeault, who noticed his report fall to 2-3 with a 3.82 GAA and a .842 save proportion.
Requested Brendan Gallagher if he bought a proof for why Josh Anderson was penalized after Draisaitl’s purpose. Here is his response: pic.twitter.com/IHKrJe8Iit
— Eric Engels (@EricEngels) October 24, 2025
Fortunately for the Canadiens, goalie Jakub Dobes has been excellent, with a 4-0 report, a 1.47 GAA and a .950 save proportion. Count on Dobes to get the beginning Saturday in Vancouver towards the Canucks
(7 p.m., CBC, TVA Sports activities).
Dobes seems to be just like the No. 1 goalie now.
When was the final time you had been this optimistic a couple of Canadiens staff and their future?
Edward Radler, Boston
Good query.
I’d have to return to the beginning of the 2015-16 season, when the Canadiens received their first 9 video games — all in regulation time.
Carey Worth made 49 saves in a 5-3 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Oct. 24 that season because the Canadiens improved their report to 9-0. The earlier season that they had a 50-22-10 report and completed second within the total NHL standings, making the playoffs for the third consecutive season earlier than dropping to the Tampa Bay Lightning within the second spherical. Worth received the Hart Trophy in 2014-15 because the NHL’s most beneficial participant and the Vézina Trophy as the highest goalie after posting a 44-16-6 report with a 1.96 GAA, a .933 save proportion and 9 shutouts.
However after the robust begin to the 2015-16 season, issues fell aside for the Canadiens when Worth strained the MCL ligament in his proper knee throughout a 5-1 win over the Rangers in New York on Nov. 25, ending his season with a 10-2 report, a 2.06 GAA and a .934 save proportion. With out Worth, the Canadiens (38-38-6) ended up lacking the playoffs.
With Oliver Kapanen wanting good at centre with Alex Newhook and Ivan Demidov, do you assume Kirby Dach ever will get an opportunity to show he might be the second-line centre once more (apart from in an damage state of affairs) or is that experiment over?
StephenWLee on BlueSky
It’s early within the season, however Kapanen is wanting just like the centre the Canadiens had been hoping Dach would turn into after they acquired him from the Chicago Blackhawks three years in the past. Kapanen picked up two assists in Thursday’s loss to the Oilers, giving him 4-2-6 totals by means of 9 video games to associate with a plus-2 ranking. His 4 objectives had been essentially the most by any NHL rookie by means of Thursday’s video games. Kapanen — like Dach — has struggled within the faceoff circle, profitable solely 46.3 per cent of his faceoffs, which isn’t shocking for a rookie.
The second-line centre job is Kapanen’s to lose and he has been very efficient together with his two linemates. Demidov has 1-5-6 totals and Newhook has 3-4-7 totals. Newhook is the oldest member of the road at 24. Kapanen is 22 and Demidov will flip 20 on Dec. 10.
Do you assume Kent Hughes is continuous to search for a official No. 2 centre and is he prepared to overspend?
darryl4habs.bsky.social on BlueSky
As Hughes has mentioned typically, he’s at all times trying to enhance the staff, so I’m certain he’s nonetheless on the lookout for a confirmed No. 2 centre.
Kapanen’s play this season has to offer Hughes hope that he can develop into that function and make the GM much less more likely to rush right into a commerce for a No. 2 centre. But when one did turn into obtainable, Hughes would seemingly be prepared to overspend — like he did to accumulate right-shot defenceman Noah Dobson from the New York Islanders this summer season, giving up Emil Heineman and two first-round draft picks whereas additionally agreeing to an eight-year, US$76-million contract with Dobson. Dobson is the highest-paid participant on the Canadiens with an annual salary-cap hit of US$9.5 million.
Simply questioning your ideas on what the pondering within the entrance workplace is on Patrik Laine. He doesn’t appear tailored for Martin St. Louis’s system and is within the final yr of his contract. Does he re-up on a brand new deal for much less or do they get the telephone strains engaged on this early?
T-Fish on BlueSky
I noticed Laine chatting with Jeff Gorton, the president of hockey operations, and basic supervisor Kent Hughes outdoors the Canadiens’ locker room after Monday evening’s 4-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres on the Bell Centre. Laine was limping noticeably afterward whereas strolling to the car parking zone and the subsequent day it was introduced he wouldn’t go on the Canadiens’ four-game highway journey. It was additionally reported that Laine was looking for a second opinion on a lower-body damage that sidelined him after taking part in 5 video games and selecting up one help to associate with a minus-3 ranking.
Laine labored exhausting all summer season to prepare for this season and his effort degree has been excellent. However he has hassle maintaining with the fast-paced system St. Louis has put in place, together with a tough forecheck and aggressive play within the impartial zone, to make it exhausting for the opposition to even get within the offensive zone.
It’s important to surprise how a lot the sprained left knee Laine suffered throughout a pre-season sport final yr has affected his velocity and whether or not that damage is bothering him once more. Laine determined to not have knee surgical procedure final season after getting a second opinion, choosing rehab as a substitute. He missed the primary 24 video games after which scored eight objectives in his first 9 video games, with the Canadiens going 6-3 throughout that span. As Hughes mentioned after the season, the Canadiens wouldn’t have made the playoffs with out Laine, who completed the season with 20-13-33 totals in 52 video games, with 15 of his objectives approaching the facility play.
That is certainly the ultimate season of Laine’s contract with a US$8.5 million salary-cap hit, which makes him the second highest-paid participant on the Canadiens behind Dobson. I can’t see the Canadiens re-signing Laine and the 27-year-old’s contract might be very troublesome to commerce.
If he can regain his well being and begin scoring once more, the Canadiens may have the ability to transfer Laine on the NHL commerce deadline when most of his contract may have already been paid. If not, I count on him to be an unrestricted free agent subsequent summer season.
(Replace: The Canadiens introduced Saturday morning that Laine underwent surgical procedure in New York to restore a core muscle damage and that he might be sidelined for 3-4 months.)
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