The Montreal Canadiens HOT START! Week One Review!

The Montreal Canadiens HOT START! Week One Review!

Week one is in the books. Welcome back to the Star and De Mo show, Marco De Mo. I am Sean Star. Uh, a quick shout out. If you’re looking for quality TE’s at the best prices in this country, I want you to head over to cheapest t-shirts.ca. Top brands like American Apparel, Colombia, Russell Athletic, and more. No minimum orders, sizes from small to 5XL. And when you order today, they ship today, and most deliveries will arrive tomorrow. That’s cheapest t-shirts.ca. Fast, easy, and affordable. and a proud sponsor of the Star and De Mo show. Meet Katherine Prince, certified real estate broker with Remax Platin. She’s always reachable at 5147022474. That’s Katherine with a Kprince.ca. A big shout out to MLAN’s Pub at 1210 Peele Street, the home of Domo and Star. October 22nd, a live presentation from 7 to 8 and always your home away from home for all Montreal Canadians action. Marco Demo, week one is in the books. How about a review of the Montreal Canadians open up with three straight games playing at Toronto, playing at Detroit, and at Chicago? So, yeah. All right, gut punch time. What’s your initial reaction to how the Canadians performed with three straight road games, brother? I had a scout reach out last night uh and just send me a quick text just being like, “Watch out for Montreal this year.” Hey, now I think, you know, I think that without, you know, and you didn’t want to start a goalie controversy. I’m not going to start a goalie controversy, but without their goalies needing to stand on their head necessarily, I thought Dodes played great, but they were able to do this themselves, uh, which I found refreshing compared to last year. And, you know, it really comes down to what makes the Canadians different this year. And I think this is this is where I was exchanging with uh with my contact here and I was like it’s that transition game. It really is the Canadians quickness of execution. They spend so much less time trying to get out of their zone. Yeah. That it’s mindboggling how it’s changed their ability to attack because now they’re actually able to exit their zone and enter the opposition zone with possession. And that just changes the whole dynamic. Fair. Fair. I like I like that angle because I think my number one takeaway is not only did they bounce back the night after they lost to Toronto. 3-2 game, two empty netters, whatever. They go to Detroit, they spoil the Red Wings home opener after Detroit had scored first on the Dylan Larkin goal. And Montreal just chases uh Gibson from the net, bringing in Cam Talbot. They go to Chicago. We got a lot to break down on that Chicago game. Uh but they won. They won 3-2 in that affair. But for me, it’s the depth of the team. If you’re going to talk about transition, Nick Suzuki has five points after three games. He doesn’t even have a goal. Zack Bulduk has four points and three goals after three games. Brendan Gallagher, who’s playing with pace, he’s got three assists. Cole Caulfield’s got a goal and three points. Mike Mat and Oliver Kapan right behind with two points. So there you go, brother. I mean, we’re talking about four guys that are at least a point a game player. two guys that are one point off the pace and you’re not even getting the best from captain Nick Suzuki who’s again got five points. So, the depth for me might be the number one takeaway after week one. Is there anyone else you’re you’re you’re looking at here uh in terms of maybe surprising from the depth perspective? Well, I think the Montreal Canadians got exactly what they were looking for when they traded for Zack Bzuk. I think I it’s fun to watch because it’s a nononsense kind of player, right? Where like he just goes to the net and he’s intelligent. He sees the play. He’s not afraid to make plays in tight situations, you know, and and again, you know, just drives to the net. He knows where the goals are to be scored. And I felt like the Canadians were a, you know, I wouldn’t say they were a perimeter team, but I always found it was the same two or three players that were going to the danger area. And lo and behold, most of them play on one line. Um, so now that you have a mix of talent and and and toughness in that sense because he’s not Zachary Bzer is not the biggest dude, but he is a solid dude. So, like he goes he goes straight into it and you really have to appreciate that kind of crash and bang style. But to be able to couple that with the scoring touch that he has is just such a rare commodity that I completely understand the Montreal Canadians going and pushing hard for him this summer from St. Louis. Let us remember that St. Louis did not want to give up Zachary Budzer for for Logan Mayu. They really liked Mayu uh and and you know rightfully so. He’s got a lot of good tools, but it only came down to the 11th hour where the St. Louis Blues finally said, “Fine, we’ll do it.” Because Kakano, the first round pick that they drafted this year in Los Angeles, um, looks to be a very promising prospect himself. So, it’s a win for the Montreal Canadians in the short term because what I saw from Zachary Balzuk is sustainable offense and offense that I think will not only translate in the regular season, but also in the playoffs. And I think that’s the most important part. Katherine Prince, Remax Platine. It’s time to talk about one of life’s biggest decisions, and that’s buying or selling your house. And I encourage you to visit katherineprince.ca for more information. That’s katherine with a krince.ca. A Southshore and Montreal area specialist, she’s lived and worked in the region for over 20 years. Katherineprince.ca. Her deep local roots give her unmatched insight whether you’re moving to Montreal, returning to Montreal, or relocating to the beautiful Southshore. Her approach is truly personal. She takes the time to understand your unique goals and priorities, then crafts a custom strategy around them. She moves with precision, leveraging deep market knowledge, sharp negotiation skills, and meticulous care to guide you through every step. If you’re considering a move to Montreal, a return to the city, or settling on the Southshore, Katherine is ready to be your strategic partner. Call Katherine Prince, that’s Katherine with a K, 5147022474 to start the conversation. I like that angle uh because I mean, Zack Bulook has been on the tip of everyone’s tongue that’s watching this team. I mean, you know, as we were watching the game on Saturday night, you know, one of the many things that has driven me crazy over the years watching the Montreal Canadians, I hate Marco, when I tell you I hate it, I mean it. I hate flybys when you’re in the opposition’s defensive zone and there’s a chance to lay body contact in someone and instead you do a flyby top gun style and you buzz the tower. Zachary Bulldook crashes into the tower. Um, he does not let up. He is that he is that um kind of I mean I I’m not going to use the word power forward but he brings that that state of mind power forward if I can be a little bit more clear and I think if I were to expand on what I’ve liked the takeaways and we’ll get into some of the things that we perhaps don’t like or maybe that’s too harsh things uh the team needs to improve on as they get ready for Seattle in their home opener this week that the Noah Dosson Mike Mat tandem both guys one and to lead the team in average ice time per game at over 22 minutes. And Martine St. Louis got it right. Man, I got it wrong. I wasn’t in favor of this. I I I kept telling you, I like contrast. I wanted contrast. Three games in small sample size. But man, oh man, speed kills, doesn’t it? Speed kills. Quick, quickness of execution is key as well. Um, and I think that’s really the thing that we’re seeing the most. Like if and and I mean no disrespect to the player as I say this, but if you look at what made Mike Mat andsufferable for certain fans last year, it was the overthinking of the counterattack, overthinking of the transition play. And I feel like, and you look at him now, it’s so much simpler, Crisper. Why? Because it’s not all on him anymore, right? You have a guy like Noah Dobson that can take care of that. Ma Mat is not playing on his off side as he was with Hudson for example and at the same time those two read each other well that they play those big minutes and you know they they they both have similar skill sets in that regard although I think like for example I think Mike Mat doesn’t necessarily have the active stick that Noah Dobson does. Noah Adopson’s details with it with his stick positioning and his stick check are off the charts. like things that you wouldn’t normally notice in the speed of a game that when you go back and watch you kind of as you’re writing notes you kind of notice right away. My notes on that top pairing are plentiful in terms of what they’re doing, how they’re impacting the game transition, five on five, etc. The Chicago game was the first game that they were actually they were out chanced while they were on the ice in the first three games of the season. But it’s normal that that would happen considering the Canadians had almost double digit well they did have double digits in in power play opportunities. Right. So at the end of the day at five on five Chicago was pushing harder because they were finally back at five on five where the Canadians you know were putting their third and fourth line a little bit more often at five on five than they normally would. Um and so even in the in those situations I found them to be excessively effective at killing plays and sending it back the other way. And I think that you continue to do that. What the only question mark really was, okay, they can do it. What about the second pair? Yeah. Because Lane Hudson and Kaden Gully, my opinion, didn’t really have the best game against Toronto. Um, it got better against Detroit, and I thought that they were much better against the Chicago Blackhawks, especially Kaden Gouy. Um, and again, quick transition. Gouly joined the rush a couple of times, was very off was very mobile. you saw him move his legs a lot more. I think that really if you can have your top four be that mobile and that impactful, then the Canadians, you know, even if they don’t have the elite scoring depth, they have good depth and they have a strong top four in the making. Uslowski has one point after three games. Lane Hudson has one point after three games. I want to talk about number 48 here for a second. Elliot Freeman on Hockey Night in Canada on Saturday night uh with his insider information suggested that uh both sides want to keep this out of the public eye, which again is reminiscent of uh you know a couple of points Demo and Star had made on this show over the course of last week, right? Like it benefits both sides to leak information to your favor if you’re trying to gain any kind of leverage. So right now they’re saying they’re going to keep it out of the public eye. I want to make the record clear. My opinion, I’m we Marco will weigh in obviously with his own opinion. I do not believe the contract talks have hampered Lane Hudson’s ability to put points or be a lesser version of himself. I mean, he still’s got the he still has the moves. He has the shake and bake. He walks the line on the power play. He still looks as confident as ever, but the points aren’t there like this fan base is used to seeing. What are you seeing from Lane Hudson? You know, we talk about, you know, the point I made about depth, right? Four guys point a game play or two game two guys behind a point a game. What are you seeing from 48? I think he could have had a couple of assists last night, right? He was the fourth man on the uh Cole Coughfield goal, right? And to me, I think they got a lot of their points on the power play last year, right? Like he that’s how that’s what got him going when he got put on that first wave. And with that in mind, with the fact that up until Chicago, the Chicago game, that top power play unit really didn’t kind of get going. Mhm. Um, you know, Lane Hudson’s playing less of his game. And I think it’s pretty obvious as to why, and I don’t think it’s necessarily his contract, although it’s fair to speculate. Uh, what I would say is everybody knows Lane Hudson now. Everybody’s got tape on Lane Hudson. when you’re preparing to play the Montreal Canadians, a big part of your defensive process is how do you contain Lane Hudson? And I think that’s that’s what you’re going to see. Now, this is why we call it a sophomore jinx. And and again, I don’t I don’t mean to say this or like to come off as like arrogant or know-it-all when I say this, but it’s very normal that the first couple of I’d even go the first 15 games, there’s going to be a period where Lane is going to have to get used to being the focal point of another team’s coverage strategy. and then because he has such high hockey IQ, build on that and and and cross that obstacle and improve his game in consequence, which I’m sure he will be doing. And I think in in the Chicago game, I think it was obvious he played a much better game against Chicago than he did against Toronto or Detroit. So, to me, I think you just continue to do what you do. The points will come. um once the first power play wave gets his kinks in order and they produce I mean granted they had two power play goals but I mean when they produce systematically like they have in the past where it’s more it’s less because let’s call it a spade of spade those were two I wouldn’t say dirty goals but you have to get your nose dirty for those goals. Yeah, generally speaking Lane Hudson will not be part of those goals, right? Unless he’s making a play or or this or that. So, if that’s the case, you know, then it’s a little bit of a different story. He’s got to diversify how he gets offense. He’s got to shoot more. He’s got to pass with a little bit more uh with a little bit less hesitancy. You know, last year I think he had what 15 15 assists on uh Patrick Lane goals that he just set up, right? Like that’s gone away now because you don’t have that shooting option next to you. I have Cole Caulfield and he does both, you know? So, you have to diversify how the how the points are going to come. that look that’s totally normal for a young player in his situation and it’s a contract year. I mean there’s there’s a lot happening right now. So I think he’ll work out the kinks and I think you’re going to see an energized Lane Hudson as soon as tomorrow against Seattle Kraken. Which brings me to my final point as we wrap this up. Uh stay tuned for the rest of the week. Don’t forget we’re going to have a live show for you on Wednesday and Friday. uh live shows following every Montreal Canadians game and as usual your staple Sunday morning program at 10 a.m. Eastern Standard Time and we’re going to talk about Michael H this week. We’re going to talk about maybe the Montreal Canadians might strike early. Stay tuned for that. But my final point here on the week one takeaways is Patrick Line and you just brought him up. He’s got no points. He’s averaging just over 13 minutes a game. The eye popping number for me isn’t so much Marco the aotment of minutes played per game. He’s a dash three so far. Okay, whatever. Uh, but he’s got four shots on goal. Ulikovski has 10. Cfield has 10. Zack Buluk has 10. Nick Suzuki’s got five. Noah Dobson’s got five. I mean, I still don’t know what Patrick L’s role is or how Martine St. Louisie wants to use this guy. I mean, everybody that watches the team knows he has an office and he shoots from there, but it doesn’t look comfortable to me. What’s your take? It’s a tough situation to be in, right? Because if he’s not scoring on the power play, he’s not a he’s not a positive impact player at five on five. And I think that’s really unfortunate because, you know, credit where credit’s due. I think he’s you’re seeing effort from his from him at even strength to be less of an like a liability defensively and whatnot. So, I respect that. I really I do. But at the same time, like this is a game of performance. And in a fourthline setting, who is more suited for that role on the wing? Is it Patrick Ler or is it Joe Valeno? And I’m not saying Joe Valeno is a better hockey player than Patrick Line in its totality, but it’s roles, right? You’re playing roles here. That’s the key. I feel like I feel like everything in this lineup has been discombobulated be it a five on five except for the top line and on the power play to accommodate Patrick Lane and again and I will continue to put like notes as I say this I think with that said he’s not hurt the team defensively at even strength in the last couple in the last two games against Detroit and against uh Chicago. So, with that said, I think that a strategy change might be in order, right? Like, if you’re going to make it about him on the power play, especially on the second wave, then I think you need to jig things up because the biggest issue I have is that second power play wave, putting Kirby Doc in the bumper is a colossal waste of time. Kirby Doc is not a shooter. Kirby Doc is a passer. It’s unfortunate. I I I you know, a lot of the Montreal Canadians brass wished he kind of developed that, but Kirby Doc is at his best on the right circle on a power play where he can cross seam pass to shooters. And that’s where even though Zach Bzuk was so effective on the first power play wave against Chicago, I still feel that he is a better suited player to play on the second wave than the first. And this also ties into Lane Hudson. By having a guy like Zack Bzuk, you need a guy that’s going to be able to set him up in the slot. Quick shot like we saw on the on the Cole Coughfield goal where, you know, Nick Suzuki just flipped him a little backhander. Uh he took the shot and then, you know, Cfield batted it out of the air. Yeah, that can’t that’s not going to happen normally because normally Suzuki and Cfield won’t both be on the left board at the same time. Positionally it was weird. And if if if for example Zachary Bzuk whiffed on that, that puck was going off the other way and there was a breakaway for Chicago, right? So like this is why I’m saying like for the Canadians to score, they have to commit themselves right now, which is not a good sign of a functioning power play. That being said, I think they have the right elements to have two strong power play waves. And I still feel like Ivan Deidov should be on the first wave. Whether you remove Zach Balzer or do you like cuz the other thing that I don’t understand is you’re on the Kaden Ghoulie goal. Where was he? In front of the net doing what he he’s very elite at doing, man. Well, what’s he doing on the power play? Yeah, circle. Why? I I don’t get it. I don’t get it. Exactly. So, and again, they scored two goals. So, correct. We can’t really argue that that it doesn’t work. What I’m saying is just like at five on five, there is a way to have both your power play waves going, you know, without removing anybody, without removing any of the the the 10 players that are on it. Just flip them around. And I think having Bzuk on the second power play wave to not only help with faceoffs, right, because that’s that’s that second power play wave starting with possession is a pipe dream if it the only center on the ice or the only Yeah. player capable of taking those faceoffs is Kirby Dock. And then on the top power play wave, having an Ivan Deidov help with being able to have both a shooting and passing threat from that from that right circle and being able to put Slowski in front of the net, I think is a more sustainable long-term first power play way for this organization. My two cents. But as we spoke about before when we were talking about Zack Balzuk, his efficacy is too hard to ignore. And so that’s why I understand if Martine St. Louis wants to keep him on that wave, but I think the way that he has both waves set up doesn’t currently uh lend itself to long-term projectable success. The Canadians begin a four-game home stand starting on Tuesday when they open up the Bell Center. Can’t wait for the Ken Dryen tribute. That will be special at Seattle, Nashville, the Rangers, and the good oldfashioned miserable Buffalo Sabres. Uh, Domo and Star will be here to recap each and every single one of the four games to open up a home stand. And as always, you can like and subscribe to this video. And for the record, the Montreal Canadians going into Monday ranked 12th in the National Hockey League on a power play despite their dismal performance even though they scored twice, two for 10 against Chicago in that 3-2 win. Uh, you can support us by supporting our sponsors, cheapest t-shirts.ca, MLAN’s Pub, De Mo and Star Live, October 22nd. Katherine Prince, Katherine with a pray, Katherine with a K, prince.ca, and Little Bear, little Bearonline.com, where Evie, Chuck, and their all-star staff care about your pet as much as you do. Stay tuned for more content this week. We’re going to talk about Michael H blistering start in his second year in Michigan, and maybe some early signs. Could the Canadians make a move before other NHL teams? That’s all coming up this week on the channel, including our lives after Seattle and Nashville. Looking forward to seeing you all. Like and subscribe for Marco Demo. I’m Sean Star and we’ll see you tomorrow.

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The Montreal Canadiens have wrapped up their three-game road trip, and Shaun Starr & Marco D’Amico break down all the key takeaways from the first week of the season.

From the Habs’ power play struggles to early impressions of Zach Bolduc and Ivan Demidov, they dive into what’s working, what’s not, and where this team’s depth is showing early signs of improvement.

Are the Canadiens trending in the right direction? What stood out the most during the first stretch of games? Shaun and Marco share their honest reactions and detailed analysis.

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💬 Drop your thoughts in the comments — what’s your biggest takeaway from the road trip?

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