Sports

We have seen the positive and the negative side of the Canadiens – Habs Eyes on the Prize

Published

4 years ago

August 4, 2020

When it became clear that the Montreal Canadiens would be facing the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Stanley Cup qualifier, it became evident that it would provide a measuring stick for the team, even (and perhaps especially) in defeat.

Through the first two games, the Canadiens weaknesses have been exposed, and it is providing a clearer view of what improvements need to be targeted. There have also been potential questions that have already been answered.

Left Defence

So much has been said about the left defence of the team. However, it is quickly becoming less of a concern. For the 2020-21 season, if you expect Ben Chiarot and Alexander Romanov to be locks, you quickly need to be adding Brett Kulak to that group. Kulak has been really good, and his mistake that led to the 2-1 goal on Monday night was jarring because he has made so few of them.

He absolutely deserves a spot in the Canadiens top six going forward. If you add Victor Mete and even Xavier Ouellet to the conversation, that even takes a lot of pressure off of Romanov to be NHL-ready immediately. Either way the Canadiens have options now that Kulak has stepped up against really tough competition.

Situations can always be improved, obviously. There are other places that need improvement more urgently.

Forward Depth

Going into the series, the depth at forward was always going to be a question mark. The four centres Phillip Danault, Nick Suzuki, Jesperi Kotkaniemi (more on them later), and Max Domi are great, and you can order them in any way you want more or less. The issue becomes with the wingers. The fourth line of Domi, Dale Weise, and Jordan Weal is an easy place to start.

The fourth line hasn’t been bad in the sense of it costing the Canadiens much, but there needs to be more of an offensive threat and Domi can’t do it on his own. Luckily the Canadiens do have some options with Jake Evans, Charles Hudon, Ryan Poehling and if healthy Alex Belzile.

The problem isn’t even alleviated if you swap Domi with another forward. Add more to that line, and run with it. The next two games Montreal has last change. It’s a perfect time to try something.

The real issue is that there needs to be a better option throughout, and that can only come in the off-season. I will note that this team would look a lot different — and better — with Ilya Kovalchuk and Nick Cousins as options up front. The off-season will provide Marc Bergevin with time to focus on that.

The Kids are Alright

Throughout the season, Canadiens fans saw enough to not be surprised by Nick Suzuki’s performance in game one. In a lot of ways, people expected it. He has been great in his rookie season, and there’s no reason to believe he won’t continue on his path to becoming a really good player.

People were less convinced with Jesperi Kotkaniemi. After a solid rookie season, he struggled with injuries, confidence, and inconsistency this season. He was sent to Laval and people were concerned he would never live up to his third overall billing.

Aside from the two goals, I think rumours of Kotkaniemi’s demise were greatly exaggerated. He is showing exactly why it was worth a shot to take him third overall. He’s all over the ice and he’s making things happen. The two goals he scored also came at very important times. He may not be ready for a bigger role yet, but let’s not forget that despite his NHL experience, he’s 11 months younger than Suzuki. We’ve already seen what a difference four months can make.

The Price is Right

Carey Price has proven almost everybody who has questioned his play wrong. Whether it’s due to the rest, or due to the playoff intensity, or due to an improved team in front of him, or a mixture of all three Price is so noticeably better right now that it’s making you jump up and take notice.

I’m not even talking about the saves he’s making. I’m talking about how he looks while making those saves. He’s attacking shooters, he’s engaged, he’s fighting. He even skated over to a scrum behind him and tried to pull players apart. This is Carey Price at his best.

And in a way it proves that the team has relied on him too much. When Price plays 58 games out of 71, it’s far too many. You don’t see the same engagement, you don’t see the same fight, and you don’t see Carey Price at his best.

That’s not Price’s fault, and it’s not even Claude Julien’s fault. The Canadiens need a backup goaltender they can trust enough to play often and remain competitive. They tried with Antti Niemi, and with Keith Kinkaid and we know the results. Luckily for the Canadiens, the answer may already be in the organization. If not, they have the cap room to improve that area with an established option. Price’s play in this series is proving how much a second goaltender can help and that it may be worth investing in.

The new way to go is to have two goaltenders. So many teams entering the playoffs had questions of who their starter would be. A rested Price is the Price we’re seeing now. And it’s important that we’re taking note of it, and more importantly, why we’re seeing it.

Let’s block ads! (Why?)

Source link

Sports

Red Wings sign Moritz Seider to 7-year deal worth nearly $60M

Published

5 hours ago

September 19, 2024

Anne Joseph

DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Red Wings made another investment this week in a young standout, signing Moritz Seider to a seven-year contract worth nearly $60 million.

The Red Wings announced the move with the 23-year-old German defenseman on Thursday, three days after keeping 22-year-old forward Lucas Raymond with a $64.6 million, eight-year deal.

Detroit drafted Seider with the No. 6 pick overall eight years ago and he has proven to be a great pick. He has 134 career points, the most by a defenseman drafted in 2019.

He was the NHL’s only player to have at least 200 hits and block 200-plus shots last season, when he scored a career-high nine goals and had 42 points for the second straight year.

Seider won the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie in 2022 after he had a career-high 50 points.

Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman is banking on Seider, whose contract will count $8.55 million annually against the cap, and Raymond to turn a rebuilding team into a winner.

Detroit has failed to make the playoffs in eight straight seasons, the longest postseason drought in franchise history.

The Red Wings, who won four Stanley Cups from 1997 to 2008, have been reeling since their run of 25 straight postseasons ended in 2016.

Detroit was 41-32-9 last season and finished with a winning record for the first time since its last playoff appearance.

Yzerman re-signed Patrick Kane last summer and signed some free agents, including Vladimir Tarasenko to a two-year contract worth $9.5 million after he helped the Florida Panthers hoist the Cup.

___

AP NHL:

Source link

Sports

Veterans Tyson Beukeboom, Karen Paquin lead Canada’s team at WXV rugby tournament

Published

6 hours ago

September 19, 2024

Anne Joseph

Veterans Tyson Beukeboom and Karen Paquin will lead Canada at the WXV 1 women’s rugby tournament starting later this month in the Vancouver area.

WXV 1 includes the top three teams from the Women’s Six Nations (England, France and Ireland) and the top three teams from the Pacific Four Series (Canada, New Zealand, and the United States).

Third-ranked Canada faces No. 4 France, No. 7 Ireland and No. 1 England in the elite division of the three-tiered WXV tournament that runs Sept. 29 to Oct. 12 in Vancouver and Langley, B.C. No. 2 New Zealand and the eighth-ranked U.S. make up the six-team WVX 1 field.

“Our preparation time was short but efficient. This will be a strong team,” Canada coach Kevin Rouet said in a statement. “All the players have worked very hard for the last couple of weeks to prepare for WXV and we are excited for these next three matches and for the chance to play on home soil here in Vancouver against the best rugby teams in the world.

“France, Ireland and England will each challenge us in different ways but it’s another opportunity to test ourselves and another step in our journey to the Rugby World Cup next year.”

Beukeboom serves as captain in the injury absence of Sophie de Goede. The 33-year-old from Uxbridge, Ont., earned her Canadian-record 68th international cap in Canada’s first-ever victory over New Zealand in May at the Pacific Four Series.

Twenty three of the 30 Canadian players selected for WXV 1 were part of that Pacific Four Series squad.

Rouet’s roster includes the uncapped Asia Hogan-Rochester, Caroline Crossley and Rori Wood.

Hogan-Rochester and Crossley were part of the Canadian team that won rugby sevens silver at the Paris Olympics, along with WXV teammates Fancy Bermudez, Olivia Apps, Alysha Corrigan and Taylor Perry. Wood is a veteran of five seasons at UBC.

The 37-year-old Paquin, who has 38 caps for Canada including the 2014 Rugby World Cup, returns to the team for the first time since the 2021 World Cup.

Canada opens the tournament Sept. 29 against France at B.C. Place Stadium in Vancouver before facing Ireland on Oct. 5 at Willoughby Stadium at Langley Events Centre, and England on Oct. 12 at B.C. Place.

The second-tier WXV 2 and third-tier WXV 3 are slated to run Sept. 27 to Oct. 12, in South Africa and Dubai, respectively.

WXV 2 features Australia, Italy, Japan, Scotland, South Africa and Wales while WXV 3 is made up of Fiji, Hong Kong, Madagascar, the Netherlands, Samoa and Spain.

The tournament has 2025 World Cup qualification implications, although Canada, New Zealand and France, like host England, had already qualified by reaching the semifinals of the last tournament.

Ireland, South Africa, the U.S., Japan, Fiji and Brazil have also booked their ticket, with the final six berths going to the highest-finishing WXV teams who have not yet qualified through regional tournaments.

Canada’s Women’s Rugby Team WXV 1 Squad

Forwards

Alexandria Ellis, Ottawa, Stade Français Paris (France); Brittany Kassil, Guelph, Ont., Guelph Goats; Caroline Crossley, Victoria, Castaway Wanderers; Courtney Holtkamp, Rimbey, Alta., Red Deer Titans Rugby; DaLeaka Menin, Vulcan, Alta., Exeter Chiefs (England); Emily Tuttosi, Souris, Man., Exeter Chiefs (England); Fabiola Forteza, Quebec City, Stade Bordelais (France); Gabrielle Senft, Regina, Saracens (England); Gillian Boag, Calgary, Gloucester-Hartpury (England); Julia Omokhuale, Calgary, Leicester Tigers (England); Karen Paquin, Quebec City, Club de rugby de Quebec; Laetitia Royer, Loretteville, Que., ASM Romagnat (France); McKinley Hunt, King City, Ont., Saracens (England); Pamphinette Buisa, Gatineau, Que., Ottawa Irish; Rori Wood, Sooke, B.C., College Rifles RFC; Sara Cline, Edmonton, Leprechaun Tigers; Tyson Beukeboom, Uxbridge, Ont., Ealing Trailfinders (England);

Backs

Alexandra Tessier, Sainte-Clotilde-de-Horton, Que., Exeter Chiefs (England); Alysha Corrigan, Charlottetown, P.E.I., CRFC; Asia Hogan-Rochester, Toronto, Toronto Nomads; Claire Gallagher, Caledon, Ont., Leicester Tigers (England); Fancy Bermudez, Edmonton, Saracens (England); Julia Schell, Uxbridge, Ont., Ealing Trailfinders (England); Justine Pelletier, Rivière-du-Loup, Que, Stade Bordelais (France); Mahalia Robinson, Fulford, Que., Town of Mount Royal RFC; Olivia Apps, Lindsay, Ont., Lindsay RFC; Paige Farries, Red Deer, Alta., Saracens (England); Sara Kaljuvee, Ajax, Ont., Westshore RFC; Shoshanah Seumanutafa, White Rock, B.C., Counties Manukau (New Zealand); Taylor Perry, Oakville, Ont., Exeter Chiefs (England).

—

Follow @NeilMDavidson on X platform, formerly known as Twitter

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 18, 2024.

Source link

Sports

Vancouver Canucks star goalie Thatcher Demko working through rare muscle injury

Published

6 hours ago

September 19, 2024

Anne Joseph

PENTICTON, B.C. – Vancouver Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko says he’s been working his way back from a rare lower-body muscle injury since being sidelined in last season’s playoffs.

The 28-year-old all star says the rehabilitation process has been frustrating, but he has made good progress in recent weeks and is confident he’ll be able to return to playing.

He says he and his medical team have spent the last few months talking to specialists around the world, and have not found a single other hockey player who has dealt with the same injury.

Demko missed several weeks of the last season with a knee ailment and played just one game in Vancouver’s playoff run last spring before going down with the current injury.

He was not on the ice with his teammates as the Canucks started training camp in Penticton, B.C., on Thursday, but skated on his own before the sessions began.

Demko posted a 35-14-2 record with a .918 percentage, a 2.45 goals-against average and five shutouts for Vancouver last season.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.

Source link