September 23, 2025 The 2025-26 edition of the storied Montreal Canadiens had their first preseason contest Monday night. The Pittsburgh Penguins were in town and the result was a shootout win for the Habs. Here’s what caught my eye in this one. Owen Beck and Filip Mesar showed some chemistry. And they’ll likely get toContinue reading “Some notes from the Habs first preseason game”
Tag Archives: Samuel Montembeault
After 34 games, the Habs delivered some gifts before taking their Christmas break
December 24, 2024 On Monday night, the Montreal Canadiens played their last game before a short Christmas break. It was a heartbreaking 5-4 regulation loss that snapped their win streak at three games. The record is still a humbling 14-17-3, but in the last 10 games the Habs have shown signs of growth and areContinue reading “After 34 games, the Habs delivered some gifts before taking their Christmas break”
After six weeks the Habs are finding their way
November 17, 2024 The Montreal Canadiens entered the sixth week of action in the 2024-25 season at the very bottom of the standings and in desperate need of some wins. Being “in the mix” was nowhere near as important as staying out of the gutter and lifting the spirits of a young team. The HabsContinue reading “After six weeks the Habs are finding their way”
Opening week featured stellar performances from three Habs
October 13, 2024 The Montreal Canadiens opened the 2024-25 season with three games. On Wednesday, they battled out a 1-0 win over the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs. In Boston on Thursday the Habs fell 6-4 to the Bruins. Then on Saturday night, the Canadiens toppled the Ottawa Senators with a 4-1 win. The story ofContinue reading “Opening week featured stellar performances from three Habs”
Checking in on the Habs progress against the McGuire Profile
August 24, 2024 On April 20, 2023 I wrote an article assessing where the Montreal Canadiens were in their development against what I named the McGuire Profile. The McGuire Profile is a 7-player profile which hockey analyst Pierre McGuire says was developed based on conversations with Scotty Bowman. The profile identifies seven essential pieces toContinue reading “Checking in on the Habs progress against the McGuire Profile”
The Montembeault deal checks a lot of boxes for the Habs
December 1, 2023 On Friday, December 1st, the Montreal Canadiens signed goaltender Samuel Montembeault to a three-year contract extension worth $9.45M. The deal, which begins next season and will take Monty to the end of the 2026-27 season, has an annual average value of $3.15M. The deal does not include trade protection. The contract termContinue reading “The Montembeault deal checks a lot of boxes for the Habs”
Three goalies and three trade proposals
October 26, 2023 The Montreal Canadiens are into their third week of the season and already have six games under their belts. They’ve been carrying three goaltenders on their roster to avoid placing one on waivers, but that approach limits the number of position players they can carry. With the Habs already in a littleContinue reading “Three goalies and three trade proposals”
Hab At Her 