BUM InteractifNouvellesen-CAMon, 09 Mar 2026 11:43:23 -04003009399X3009402<![CDATA[“The Canadiens came close to trading Patrik Laine.”]]>Mon, 09 Mar 2026 07:08:07 -0400Mon, 09 Mar 2026 07:08:07 -0400Mon, 09 Mar 2026 07:08:07 -0400Charles-Alexis BriseboisAI-AssistedWe now know that the Canadiens were unable to trade Patrik Laine. He is expected to finish the season with the Canadiens.

But does that mean Kent Hughes, who failed to complete a trade last Friday, didn’t try to send the Finn elsewhere?

No, that’s not what it means.
David Pagnotta, who wrote an article on the Canadiens’ deadline, also mentioned that the Montreal club “came close” to trading Laine.also mentioned that the Montreal club “came close” to trading Laine.

This was despite restrictions in the Finnish player’s contract.

In fact, it makes sense to think that the Canadiens would have traded Laine if they had been able to accomplish their other objectives on deadline day.

Pagnotta reconfirmed that the Canadiens came close acquiring a right-handed defenseman with a valid contract for next season. And as we know, there was also the #MysteryTrade that was in play.

Who was that guy? I’m asking for a friend…

If the Canadiens needed to make room, we can assume that Kent Hughes had the means to do so… but that it would come at a price. And clearly, he didn’t want to pay that price and preferred to take the penalties of deferring the young players’ bonuses until next season.

Good thing Carey Price’s contract is no longer there, huh?

In any case, the many rumors surrounding the Canadiens suggest that next summer, not only is Kent Hughes likely to make a move… but we can even assume that he may not have a choice.

in rapid succession

– Ouch. https://t.co/GbpuUJqKF7

— Passion MLB (@passion_mlb) March 9, 2026

— Must read.

— Makes sense.

]]>13009268X3009270<![CDATA[Patrik Laine will receive a large bonus on March 31: this did not help the CH trade him.]]>Mon, 09 Mar 2026 06:04:35 -0400Mon, 09 Mar 2026 06:04:35 -0400Mon, 09 Mar 2026 06:04:35 -0400Charles-Alexis BriseboisAI-AssistedPatrik Laine is still with the Canadiens.

One might have thought that the CH would manage to send him elsewhere before the trade deadline… but that clearly didn’t happen.

One might think that if Kent Hughes had succeeded in his #Mystery Trade on Friday, he would have been more motivated to pay to get Laine out of his organization. But obviously, that didn’t happen.

Hughes had an advantage in getting rid of Laine. He wouldn’t have been a distraction, and the Canadiens could have more easily managed their 2026-2027 payroll – without the potential deferred bonuses from the young players.

But if the CH GM failed to send the Finn elsewhere, it was mainly because other teams didn’t want Patrik Laine’s contract.

On that subject, Arpon Basu (The Athletic) reported some information that is quite interesting and provides a little more insight into why teams didn’t want Laine.
On March 31, just a few weeks from now, Laine will receive a $2 million bonus.

(Credit: Puck Pedia)

We knew the bonus existed, but we had no way of knowing that it would be paid out in March (and not during the 2025 offseason).

This is really unusual in hockey.

We suspect that the player’s agent negotiated this with the Blue Jackets at the time to make the Finnish player harder to trade as a rental player.

And since Laine wants to stay in Montreal, he did well to protect himself with a bonus in the end.

Laine is earning $7.1 million in base salary this season. Even if the Habs had retained 50% of his salary and even if the season is ending, the $2 million changes the game and means that in real money, Laine would have been expensive for a potential new team in a trade.

Especially for a guy who hasn’t scored in 11 months…

in quick succession

– He’s gaining confidence.

— Oh, really?

— Notice to those interested.

Nearly 2,000 listens to an improvised post-match Space from #CFMTL. 😲 https://t.co/rIcs0S5KFN

— Maxime Truman (@MaximeTruman) March 9, 2026

— Small contract in Boston.

The #NHLBruins have announced that they have signed defenseman Frederic Brunet to a two-year contract extension with an $875,000 AAV. Two-way contract for the 2026-27 season and a one-way contract for the 2027-28 season.

— Jimmy Murphy (@MurphysLaw74) March 9, 2026

]]>13009215X3009216<![CDATA[Michael Hage: there is a risk that he will remain at university]]>Mon, 09 Mar 2026 05:03:23 -0400Mon, 09 Mar 2026 05:03:23 -0400Mon, 09 Mar 2026 05:03:23 -0400Charles-Alexis BriseboisAI-AssistedThe Canadiens failed to complete a trade before the trade deadline. You knew that. That said, is it possible to think that, despite everything, the Habs could find something positive in this? It’s absolutely possible to think that this is a possibility, yes.

How? By thinking about the Michael Hage situation. wrote an article discussing the effect of the trade deadline on Michael Hage.

And clearly, he was onto something.
Why do I say that? Because this morning, in his morning show on BPM Sports, Renaud Lavoie addressed the subject of Hage, saying that too much congestion at forward could have (or could) push the prospect to return to the NCAA in 2026-2027.

Remember that the young man, who is having a superb season, is expected to sign his entry contract in the coming weeks, if all goes well.

Please note: it should be specified that Renaud Lavoie does not believe that Hage would do this in order to spend four years at university and become a free agent in 2028, signing wherever he wants in the NHL. The young man, who grew up loving the Canadiens, wants to play here.

But we can agree that seeing him stay in college for his third year would clearly cause many fans (and possibly many members of the Montreal organization) to worry about it. That’s normal.

Going after a top forward would have possibly cost the job of a depth forward… but with several quality players at the top, perhaps Hage would have had fewer opportunities in the short term.

If the Canadiens were to sign Hage (to finish the season in Montreal… before having the option to send him to Laval, if necessary, in 2026-2027) AND get their mystery player this summer, it could be a happy ending for Kent Hughes.

I still think the young prospect will sign his entry-level contract in the spring of 2026, for what it’s worth.

In a nutshell

– Read on.

— Just that.

The Dolphins will take a $99 million penalty on their payroll.💸https://t.co/yOcHJ5EeiV

— TVA Sports (@TVASports) March 9, 2026

— Interesting.

]]>13008922X3008927<![CDATA[Mystery deal: Canadiens “very confident” it won’t leak to the media]]>Mon, 09 Mar 2026 04:16:07 -0400Mon, 09 Mar 2026 04:16:07 -0400Mon, 09 Mar 2026 04:16:07 -0400Charles-Alexis BriseboisAI-AssistedAh, the Canadiens’ sacrosanct mystery trade…

This is an issue that Kent Hughes wasn’t afraid to address in front of the media on Friday. The Canadiens’ GM said that, as you know, he came close to making a significant trade.

The club could succeed in getting their hands on the guy in question this summer.

Obviously, since Friday afternoon, the witch hunt has been in full swing. Everyone wants to know who the player is who came close to landing in town.

And this morning, on BPM Sports, Renaud Lavoie discussed the subject with the morning team.

Basically, we understand that at this point, it is difficult to publicly assess what happened. The mystery surrounding the failed trade and Kent Hughes’s delay in holding his press conference are significant.

But despite everything, at this point, the TVA Sports reporter believes the player is a forward.

Does that mean the potential trade that would have brought a right-handed defenseman to town would be different from the current situation in Montreal? Possibly, yes. #Interesting

It’s important to note that in his column, Renaud Lavoie said the following in relation to the mystery trade:

“The two teams involved in this trade are very confident that the name will never be revealed.” – Renaud Lavoie

There is one exception, however: if the trade does end up happening this summer, the Habs and the other team could decide to say that it was the mystery case from March.

But in the meantime, a kind of code of silence—to use Renaud Lavoie’s words— reigns supreme. Perhaps they are trying to cover their tracks with regard to what has already come out, who knows?

Since it almost happened in March, we dare to believe that the chances of seeing the issue resolved this summer are relatively good. But we say this knowing full well that everything can change in a few months, of course…

The CH tried to be active at the deadline, but to no avail. Will this hurt the club in the race for the playoffs?

(Credit: NHL.com)

Overtime

Following their trip to California, the Canadiens are back in town. The club will practice at noon in Brossard in preparation for tomorrow’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The next few weeks will mainly be spent at home, by the way.

(Credit: Canadiens)
]]>13008795X3008802<![CDATA[Top 5: Sabres move into first place in Atlantic Division after 8-7 win over Tampa Bay]]>Mon, 09 Mar 2026 03:30:47 -0400Mon, 09 Mar 2026 03:30:47 -0400Mon, 09 Mar 2026 03:30:47 -0400Raphael SimardAI-AssistedYesterday afternoon and evening, eight games were on the schedule. There was no shortage of action. Here are the results and highlights:

Multiple teams were able to extend streaks on Sunday, including the @BuffaloSabres and @Avalanche who won their seventh and fifth games in a row, respectively.#NHLStats: https://t.co/GcLvBm7jGK pic.twitter.com/X9MTaL3L3U

— NHL Public Relations (@NHLPR) March 9, 2026

1. The Sabres are now first in the Atlantic

Late in the afternoon, the Sabres and the Lightning faced off.

The stakes of this game: first place in the Atlantic Division. Thanks to an 8-7 victory, Buffalo is now in first place in the division. Wow!

(Credit: NHL.com)

It wasn’t the beautiful plays that marked this game. It was the numerous fights and physical play. Do the Lightning and Sabres have a new rivalry?

From the very beginning, the benches were almost empty.

Buffalo scored the first goal of the game and then everything went downhill from there.

In hockey terms, Buffalo was leading 4-1.

Tampa Bay scored five unanswered goals to take a 6-4 lead.

Buffalo obviously never gave up, even at 7-5. The club scored three goals to end the visitors’ hopes.

Of course, the game ended with a fight.

A total of 102 penalty minutes were handed out. This is the first time since 2010 that the Sabres are in first place in the division at this point in the season.

2. A crazy game in Pittsburgh

One game to watch in the afternoon was the Penguins vs. Bruins matchup. Okay, so it wasn’t as crazy as the Lightning vs. Sabres game, but still.

Both teams are in a heated battle for a spot in the playoffs. The game finally ended 5-4 in overtime.

However, the Bruins were up 3-0 very early in the game. Pittsburgh came back and tied it up.

Pavel Zacha put the visitors back in front. It was his third goal of the game.

But Mantha, once again, really wanted this game to go into overtime.

In overtime, Pittsburgh scored a goal and escaped with the win. Thomas Novak needed only 17 seconds to end the debate.

3. Nicolas Roy scores and Nazem Kadri assists in their Avalanche debuts

The Avalanche didn’t have easy games this weekend.

On Friday, they played the Dallas Stars. The club won in a shootout. And yesterday, they faced another strong Central Division club, the Wild. The result was the same: a shootout victory.

When Colorado leads after 40 minutes of play, they have a record of 34-0.

Wow.

Nathan MacKinnon not only scored the winning goal in the shootout, but he also scored one in regulation time.

Nazem Kadri, who received a standing ovation – playing in his first game with the organization since 2022 – earned an assist.

The other goal for Jared Bednar’s team was scored by another newcomer.

Nicolas Roy, this time.

With two big wins this weekend against its division rivals, Colorado has pulled away a bit in the standings.

(Credit: NHL.com)

4. Jonathan Drouin’s first goal with the Blues

On Friday, Jonathan Drouin was traded from the Islanders to the Blues.

Let’s just say that the Quebec native didn’t take long to make friends. He scored a goal in his first game with St. Louis.

Justin Holl was also playing his first game in blue. He recorded an assist on the insurance goal into an empty net.

Joel Hofer was once again magnificent in goal for the Blues. He stopped all 22 shots he faced from the Ducks.

Jimmy Snuggerud led the offense.

He had one goal and one assist.

5. Shutout by both Red Wings goalies

In New Jersey, fans were hoping for a Devils victory over the Wings, but New Jersey was unable to beat the two walls in front of the Wings’ net.

John Gibson (injured) made 21 saves before giving way to Cam Talbot, who faced no shots. But since Gibson left the game, it doesn’t count as an official shutout, unfortunately.

The best story of the game wasn’t the shutout.

It belonged to Dominik Shine, who, at 32, scored his first NHL goal.

Perseverance paid off.

With this victory, Detroit moves back ahead of Montreal in the Atlantic Division standings.

The Habs are one point behind, but have two games in hand.

Overtime

– What a move by Kyle Dubas!

– A classic.

– The top scorers of the night.

(Credit: NHL.com)

– Five games on the schedule tonight.

(Credit: GOOGLE)
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