Montreal fans are eager to see rookie Lane Hutson on first power-play unit and worried about Ivan Demidov’s limited ice time in the KHL.
After seeing Cayden Primeau in the pre-season and in Thursday night’s 6-4 loss to the Boston Bruins, it seems that if the Habs are going to be in the mix Sam Montembeault will have to play a minimum 55-60 games. Thoughts?
Gilles Hebert
I agree. And if Primeau doesn’t play much better than he did in Boston — allowing six goals on 29 shots — the Canadiens will face a real dilemma.
The only reason Primeau stayed with the Canadiens last season is that GM Kent Hughes was convinced another team would claim the 25-year-old goalie on waivers if he tried to send him down to the AHL’s Laval Rocket. That probably remains the case, but the Canadiens only have two goalies this season after carrying three — including Jake Allen — for most of last season.
Jakub Dobes, 23, played well for the Rocket last season, posting a 24-18-6 record, along with a 2.93 goals-against average and a .906 save percentage, and he also looked good at training camp this year. It will be interesting to see how patient Hughes is willing to be with Primeau this season and if he’d be willing to risk losing him on waivers if Primeau can’t handle the backup role to Montembeault. Primeau’s career NHL record is now 11-22-6 with a 3.53 GAA and an .891 save percentage
How long is Martin St. Louis going to make us suffer through Mike Matheson’s painful play on the first power-play unit?
Demigod will save us on X (@Ston3dPanda1990)
It’s surprising how many people on social media criticize Matheson’s power-play performance after he ranked second on the team in power-play points last season with 28, three behind Nick Suzuki. Matheson ranked eighth among all NHL defencemen in power-play points last season.
A big reason some fans are now upset with Matheson on the first PP unit is that they want Lane Hutson there instead. I also think Hutson should be on the first PP unit — but alongside Matheson. Hutson has a ton of offensive skill, but one thing he doesn’t have is a booming shot — something Matheson has. Leaving Matheson on the point with his threat to shoot and positioning Hutson on one of the wings with the ability to move around and be a playmaker I think would be a good idea. Hutson’s talent is wasted getting limited time on the second PP unit.
Do you believe there is any way the Habs can get Ivan Demidov out of Russia and into an environment where he could help his development? It seems like he’s wasting his time over there.
Sheri Taylor
As the saying goes: If there’s a will there’s a way. Philadelphia GM Danny Brière found a way to get Matvei Michkov out of the final two years of his KHL contract with SKA St. Petersburg to join the Flyers this season after selecting him with seventh overall pick at the 2023 NHL Draft. The Canadiens’ will to try and get Demidov out of the final year of his KHL contract with SKA St. Petersburg is probably growing each day now.
After being selected by the Canadiens with the fifth overall pick at this year’s NHL Draft, Demidov was named the rookie of the month in the KHL for September after posting 4-4-8 totals in 10 games. But he has since been relegated to the fourth line with SKA St. Petersburg and had only 3:17 of ice time in Thursday’s 4-2 loss to Dinamo Minsk — with zero shifts in the third period. It will be very interesting to see how this situation plays out if Demidov continues to get limited ice time in Russia.
The Habs seem to be having an issue in the faceoff circle. How is Owen Beck in the faceoff circle?
Dave Margerum
Faceoffs are definitely an issue with the Canadiens, who have won only 44.1 per cent of them through the first two games. While captain Nick Suzuki has won 52.8 per cent of his faceoffs, Alex Newhook is at 33.3 per cent and Kirby Dach is at 14.3 per cent (1-for-7).
Faceoffs are one of Beck’s biggest strengths. He won 60.6 per cent of his faceoffs with the Mississauga Steelheads during the 2021-22 season — along with being named the CHL’s Scholastic Player of the Year — before being selected by the Canadiens in the second round (33rd overall) of the 2022 NHL Draft. Beck will definitely help the Canadiens’ overall faceoff percentage when he eventually joins the team after starting this season in Laval.
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