EXPOSING The Truth Behind Montreal Canadiens News & Rumors

EXPOSING The Truth Behind Montreal Canadiens News & Rumors

theories. Habs Nation is full of theories, whether it’s mainstream media, podcasters, and a lot of it is what we call clickbait. Let’s examine some of it here and talk some puck. [Music] Hey gang, welcome back to the channel. I’m Costa Populius for this October 1st, 2025 and the Canadians had the day off today and what did they do? Well, they decided to go out and play around the golf like you don’t play enough of it in the summer. But anyway, it is what it is, right? The guys went out as a group. It looks like the game against the Ottawa Senators really had them bond together uh given the fact that they were being defended by some great players on the ice. And we’re going to talk about that a little bit as we go along here. that by and large to watch the chemistry build on this team, it’s it’s something to behold. And if anything, chemistry builds winners, something that the Toronto Maple Leafs don’t have. That’s why they can’t win a bloody playoff series. So good. Let’s be happy about it. And speaking of happy, let me tell you about how happy I am with our primary sponsor, Insta Customs. They’re your number one destination for custom apparel printing. They’re the highest rated print shop in Canada with over 3,000 Google reviews, a 4.9 star rating, and they were nominated for a 2024 Canadian Business Choice Award. They print on all your favorite clothing, t-shirts, hoodies, polos, hats, beanies, tote bags, even coffee, and travel bugs, and yes, they even offer embroidery. Most orders are printed and shipped the very same day in large orders in less than three days with free shipping. Open seven days a week, they’re located downtown on Stanley Street. Easy to remember because it ties in with the Hav’s ultimate goal of winning the Stanley Cup. So whether it’s for yourself, a loved one, or your business, trust instacustoms. Visit us in person or order online at instacustoms.com. So let’s take a look at some of the dos and don’ts of the Montreal Canadians coming up. We know that there’s cuts coming up and there’s a lot of prevailing theories out there as far as who’s going to go, who’s not. You know, when you take a look at the defense, a lot of the players that are still left in camp are not going to make it. But there are three in particular that I wanted to look at. One of them, Arbor Jakkey, we know is going to be with the team. Given the way he’s played defensively, given the way he’s been defending his teammates, there’s no way Arbor is not remaining with the big club, especially after his improvement over the off season, especially in the way he skates. The fight for the last spot though, which would be spot number seven, is going to be an interesting one between Jaden Strub and Adam Angstrom. Strugle, of course, bringing a little bit of that robustness as we tal about, but Adam Instrom has been quietly good for the Montreal Canadians this preseason. He hasn’t been overly flashy. He hasn’t made prevailing mistakes, but he has been good. Strub, on the other hand, has made mistakes in his own zone leading to to him being, I believe he was a uh oh, he was even, but sorry, it was a plus one. But at the end of the day, a lot of the time in his own zone, Strugle struggles and not because of anything other than the fact that he wants to get the puck out extremely clean and he overcompensates for it. Angstrom, he seems to flow when he plays. And so the decision that’s going to have to be made is are you going to send Strubal down to the American Hockey League? Are you going to trade him or are you going to just send Angstrom down? The easy choice is to send Angstrom down. Now, if I were the Montreal Canadians, given the way Instreams played, I would have given him one more shot this coming Saturday against the Ottawa Senators to prove his worth. Same for Strubal. Whether or not that actually happens, I don’t know. But I can tell you this, that battle is going to be extremely interesting. I think Strugel is going to have a little bit of an edge given the fact that he’s got a little bit more NHL experience. But don’t sell Angstrom short. He’s been very good this preseason and it’s going to be interesting to see how that fight turns out. But more interesting is upfront the forwards because there are some theories that have put been put out there that kind of make you say when it comes to the players and one of them is Oliver Kaepernick. I’m giving you a list of five players now that are quite possibly going to stay with the Montreal Canadians or go. When you take a look at Kaan’s numbers, I mean they don’t jump out right this preseason. He got a goal. He was very good in the last game. That goes without saying. He’s been good in his own zone. His faceoffs at 58 point 56.8%, excuse me. So, more than adequate. So, there’s a lot to be said about that. And when you look at the line he played on this weekend alongside Alex New Hook and Ivan Deidov, it gives the Canadians options. They don’t necessarily have to put Patrick Line out there with Deidov. They can have different lines. And this line to me was extremely interesting. And so one of the things I would do is keep Kappa in. He’s one of my two choices. The other one for me would be Joe Valeno. Now Valeno, granted he doesn’t have a point. He’s a minus one, but he’s been very good killing penalties. His face off percentage are 53.8%. More than acceptable. And he’s only going to try to get better. He’s got skill. He’s going to put up some numbers. and he’s gonna be really good in the Canadian zone zone. And given the fact that he’s got NHL experience, you can’t really discount that. Detroit, you know, he did it didn’t really work out with him and Steve Eisermanman. He may not have been Steve Iman’s cup of tea, but Joe Valeno’s got a lot of skill, and that skill can be put to good use on the third and fourth line of the Montreal Canadians. Now, whether or not he can move up the lineup barring injury remains to be seen. There’s a lot of talent in the top six, but given Valeno’s history and his skill set, it would I would be remiss if the Canadians were to put him on waiverss and send him down to the American Hockey League. The guy I think they’re going to send down to the American Hockey League. It’s not Florian Jackie because Florian Jackie is my next guy who’s on the fringe. Close. But will he make the team? I don’t know, you know, given the fact that Kapan and and and Valeno are two choices to remain with the Canadians. I mean, Florian, it’s not that I don’t like the way the kid plays. He’s rough, he’s strong, he can fight, he plays physically. I mean, he’s got all the tools. The only thing that I worry about is his defensive game a little bit in his own zone. And given that he’s probably gonna be a third or fourth line player, that’s going to be the side of his game that’s going to be more important to Marty St. and the coaching staff of the Montreal Canadians than anything else. Sure, he’s able to put up numbers. We saw what he did in the American Hockey League last year, but overall, you’re going to bring him in to play more of a defensive style of game than you would offensive style. And given that case, what I’ve seen so far defensively has left a little bit to be desired. I love the kid, don’t get me wrong. I want him to stay with the team. I want him to eventually be there, but I think he needs a little bit more seasoning. And under the tulage of Pascal Van, it wouldn’t be a bad thing for him. And given his performance this preseason, if the Canadians needed somebody, I think it’d be at the top of the list of guys that would be called up. Next, the disappointment that is Owen Beck. Now, Beck, I mean, he really got the shaft this last game because out there along with Patrick line a there’s one thing that you know about line A and that is he rarely gives the puck back to you. And that’s one of the shortcomings in his game. He’s learning. He’s trying. It’s not as if he doesn’t distribute the puck. But more often than not, he’s going to be the one that’s going to want to pull the trigger. And going out there like he did the other day with the Ottawa Senators and playing alongside Line didn’t help Owen Beck’s case at all. And so it’s difficult for me to turn around and say that Owen Beck’s gonna make the Montreal Canadians. I like his game. I like the player that he is, but he’s another one of those guys like Florian Jack guy that’s on the fringe. Would be best served going back to the American Hockey League given that he’s not waiver exempt or that he is waiver exempt and you know they could call him up in case of an injury or let’s say somebody is you know whatever somebody gets moved that could always happen. It remains to be seen, but Beck, I would have expected a little bit more as I did from Joshua Noah. But Beck’s defensive game is fine. It’s up front. His ability to be able to produce, that’s in question. Sure, he got a goal. It was a garbage goal from the front of the net, but you expect a little bit more from a guy that produces at the American Hockey League level. So maybe another year, maybe just a few months in the American Hockey League will actually benefit him more than starting in the National Hockey League. And then there’s Sam Ble. I know the Canadians went out and got Ble and I know he’s a French Canadian player, so everybody’s going to be like, “Ah, you you you don’t like French players.” That’s not the case. He hasn’t shown me anything really. Has he shown you anything? Sam Ble is a physical player, but honestly, there’s nothing to him. He’s a dime a dozen type of player. You know, if I’m going to take Ble or Jackey, I can guarantee you, and I think you’ll agree, I would take Jackie ahead of him. So, unfortunately, I think Blair’s going to be on waiverss and down to the American Hockey League. He may very well get moved by the Canadians. I don’t know. Depends on what Blair wants to do, but he’s not he’s not making the NHL team in my opinion. What do you think of those five when you think about um Kaan, Valeno, Jackie, Beck, and Bled? Do you agree with my assessment? Do you think that maybe just maybe I’m being a little too critical? Put it out there, man. I criticism is always good and I enjoy it. Then there’s something else that came along when I was thinking of all these players and that is something that Jean Sha brought up with Tony Marinero on his show today and that is thinking that Patrick Lion should be moved in order to open up a spot for a younger player. Uh here’s example of clickbait number one, right? Everybody’s clicking on it to see what he’s going to say and what’s Marinero’s going to say. Well, every time Marinero is on with Laja, he doesn’t really Lisa doesn’t really give him a chance to speak or say anything. He just talks over him. But I’ll say this. If you think that the Montreal Canadians are going to give up 30 plus goal potential to accommodate a younger player, you’re out of your freaking mind. I I like I can’t understand where this thought process is coming from. Right? I get the idea, right? You saw the performance last year. He’s not great five on five. Well, let me tell you something. If he plays like he did against the Ottawa Senators in regards to his 200 foot game, I’m not going to have a problem with Patrick Lane and the Montreal Canadiens this year. He was deep in his own zone. He was physical along the boards. He was good at getting the puck out. He was making good first passes. He was making himself available as a breakout option. He did all the right things. And while people are saying, “Yeah, well, he’s not that fast.” I beg you to turn around and look at some of the players in the National Hockey League who you consider to be quick, right? Guys that move their feet like the Road Runner where you can’t see them, right? They just spin and you think they’re going fast. Well, I got to tell you something. There are a lot of guys out there that crunch the ice and skate faster than some of these guys that move their feet faster. I remember back when I was a kid, Mike Kushonki played for the Boston Bruins at the time. Now, Kushoniski also played hockey in Montreal with my elder brother. But the thing about Mike was when you would go watch the Bruins and the Canadians play and you would see Mike on the ice, he was a big guy, right? I think he was about 6’5, 66. But the one characteristic that Kusoniski brought to the table that you didn’t really have with other NHL players was that the ice would scream when he would dig into it. Crunch, crunch, crunch. And Mike being a tall guy was not fleet a foot. But every stride counted. He would get down the ice in the blink of an eye. And that’s what you have to look at here. Line won’t get there in a blink of an eye, but by no stretch is he slow. I’ve watched guys that are slow. Murray Baron was slow. David Sevard was slow last season at least. You know, Douglas Murray was slow. Patrick L doesn’t fall into that category. He’s a different kind of skater, but he’s not slow. So the idea of taking Patrick Lion and moving him aside to allow space for Florian Jack to start in the National Hockey League is as I honestly think and I don’t know if you agree or disagree again put it in the comments if you don’t but I think that line given how happy he is in Montreal would be willing to take a little bit of a pay cut to be able to stay if you love the game that much and you know that if you go somewhere else you may not be as happy that changes your perspective on things right and that’s a really important part of his life right now is being happy and enjoying what he does for a living. And so if the Canadians come out, he produces and the Canadians come out and say, “You know what, Patrick, we can give you six and a half to 7 million a year or even six. Would you consider remaining with the team?” I don’t think the answer would be no. I think given the circumstances, given how happy he is, given how much Montreal reminds him of home, that being Finland, I don’t think it’s all about just the game for him. So, I think he might take that hometown discount if that were the case. So, if he does and he’s able to produce 25 to 30 goals a year, what do you do at that point? Do you say no? Do you not want to keep him at that point? I might be going a little bit low on the the amount, right? Let’s say $7 million. less than Caulfield and and Suzuki but you know a little bit more than some of the other guys lower on the totem pole. So say 7 and a2 7 seven and a half if they were to sign him for that would you be willing to keep Patrick line I don’t know about you but the potential of having a 30 goal scorer in the lineup or another 30 goal scorer given that you know we’ve already got um Suzuki we’ve already got Caulfield you add line eight to the mix nobody knows what Demid’s going to do this year so you know we’re hoping that he gets to similar numbers to that why would you give it up for a kid that at maximum has scored 24 goals in the American Hockey League. Think about that for a minute before you answer and then put it in the comments if you’d like. Now, next up is well, let’s talk about our sponsor, and that would be um cheapest.ca. Proudly Canadian and trusted by thousands of customers. They deliver unbeatable value. You’ll always get the lowest prices plus same day shipping, even next day delivery, so your order arrives fast. With over a thousand products and more than 36 trusted brands like Gilden jerseys, and American Apparel, the selection is unmatched. Whether you’re shopping for everyday clothing, tote bags, aprons, and so much more. You’ll find it all in one place. Cheapest features.ca is the go-to source for businesses, events, apparel, printing companies, and resellers, or even people just looking for the best deals on everyday clothing. Plus, enjoy free shipping on large orders, and a simple, easy to use website that makes ordering online a breeze. Cheapest deals in Canada today at cheapest t-shirts.ca. Now, another thing I wanted to bring up was the idea that Nick Cousins was trying deliberately to hurt um Ivan Demidov. Now, we did get some exclusive footage of Nick Cousins trying to uh slash Demidov. Listen carefully because you can hear cousins yell yeah a little bit of humor there for all of you Looney Tunes fans if you remember the open sesame episode with Daffy Duck Bugs Bunny and Hassan. But um when you take a look at what Nick Cousins did on that shift. Number one, he tried to hit him and he missed cuz Demi Dov ducked and then as he was coming back, he gave him a hack and it caught him in between the glove. I’ve already talked about the gloves and the short cuffs, right? I mentioned that, you know, if a guy like Demid wants pliability in his glove, he’s going to give up protection. Case in point. So let’s not blame all of it on Cousins. What is a two It was a two-handed slash on top of his hand that could have been avoided with the right protection. It is what it is. There’s a gap in the glove. He got nailed. End of story. Nick Cousins isn’t the dirtiest player in the game. He isn’t a Tom Wilson. Doesn’t go out there head-hunting. He doesn’t go out there trying to hurt people. He’s a former Half for Christ sake. Just because he’s playing for the Ottawa Senators doesn’t mean that his scruples have changed. So, I don’t think Nick Cousins was deliberately trying to hurt Ivan Demidov. And that’s another piece of clickbait for you because a lot of people have been saying, “Oh yeah, Cousins, you know, they should have sent in the video to the league. Have it reviewed.” I’m sorry. It’s a hockey play. He tried to chop the stick. He chopped his hand. Get over it. We’re done. He got the penalty. Demid unfortunately left the game after coming back. We don’t know what the status is. If there’s no update, that’s a good thing because if there was something wrong, they would have announced it already, but there isn’t. So, we’ll see. Now, finally, couple of things that I also wanted to discuss in regards to um a couple of other rumors that have come up. Number one, Renaol Lavoisa. If you want to talk about clickbait, how about going out and telling Montreal Canadians fans that they’re ready to win the cup and they’re ready to go on a cup run this year? Um, listen, I don’t know what your ratings are. I don’t know what your um, you know, I I know you’re a good journalist. I know I I’ve met Lavan. I’ve spoken to him, Renault, I should say, and I’ve spoken to him on numerous occasions. He’s a good guy, don’t get me wrong. We even played golf together on a couple of occasions. But to come out and say that at this point to the rebuild, I mean, it’s nothing more than trying to get attention. Unfortunately, you and I both know that the Canadians are nowhere near ready. We’re in goal. We still need work. Uh, you know, we still don’t have a full set of players that have played together on a consistent basis to be able to say that they’re cup ready. If midway through the year the Canadians are leading the division and they’ve got a 10-point lead, I’ll turn around and say it, right? And it’s not as if they don’t have the talent to be able to do it. Far be it for me to s not say that. But the problem is is that they’re unproven. And as I’ve always said, being good on paper, it does not translate to being good on the ice, right? Fancy stats be damned. So, let’s see what the team does. Let’s see how the team performs. And, you know, by Christmas, we should know. Are they good enough to be able to make a cup run? How competitive are they? Can they, you know, are they leading the division? That’s another question. But to come out and say that they’re going to make a cup run in the preseason just because they’ve won all but one preseason game. I mean, dude, no. I mean, it’s irresponsible to say that. I mean, that’s not going to happen. The other thing, too, that came up and is the whole, you know, we talked about yesterday the Capri off signing, which is going to absolutely obliterate the free agent market, right? or the signing market for that matter when it comes to guys up front like you know Conor McDavid and such. But how does it affect a guy like Lane Hudson? Well, let’s think about that for a minute. Uh Lane Hudson is affected by this signing. Luke Hugh signing a $9 million deal for seven years with the New Jersey Devils. That’s much more important when it comes to Lane Hudson. It’s a $9 million deal. Now, here’s the thing. Luke Hughes only 44 points last season, seven goals, 37 assists. Decent numbers, but you know, not worldbreaking. So, $9 million, the kid’s got talent. And, you know, I know it he may be worth it down the road and you’re buying into those years. So, that’s great. You take a look at a guy like Kale Mar who’s perennially in the mix for the Norris Trophy. He signed with Colorado for six years, $9 million. And granted, the cap wasn’t going up at that point, but it’s still a good chunk of change. The Canadians signed Noah Dobson for $9.5 million. So, where does Noah, excuse me, where does Lane Hudson fall in all of this? Well, I think he’s going to fall somewhere between the 10 and 11 million range. A defenseman like Hudson wouldn’t be more worth more than that to me. I know that because of the fact that you’re paying, you want to pay for eight years, right? That’s the term that the Canadians are looking to sign him for. And we don’t know whether or not Hudson actually wants to go that route or whether he wants to go a little bit shorter. Just like the Capri off deal where the Wild had to pay more to get term, although I think it’s ridiculous to pay $5 million more a year over an eight-year term. you know, $40 million for eight for an extra year is a little, you know, it’s asinine. But if you’re going to go that route, you know, when I look at Lane Hudson, Hudson brings a lot to the table. 66 points last season, second leaning scorer on the Montreal Canadians. I mean, there’s no denying the fact that he’s a great player, but is he gonna repeat this year? I think he will. I actually think he’ll score more goals as well and I think he’ll get more points. So if he does and the Canadians don’t resign him midseason then they’re going to be really really really in big trouble. You’re looking at that point if he gets 80 points as an example you’re looking at the you know 12 to 13 to 14 million range and that’s not where the Canadians needed to be. So sometimes when you’re looking at term you may very well be better off not looking at it and going a little bit more the conventional route. There’s no harm in signing at a guy for six, okay? Especially given the fact that, you know, Nick Suzuki and and Cole Caulfield are signed for pretty much that amount of time as well as is, you know, you got Yuri Svoski who signed for eight years. So, which is kicking in this year. So, it’s not as if you don’t have, you know, that window opening up very soon. So, to give him six, say at $10 million, it should be okay. But you got to pay him more than than uh Noah Dobson. That’s a given. He’s going to be your number one point producer on defense. He’s got to get more than Dobson. That goes without saying. So that’s it for today’s episode. What do you think they should do with with Lane Hudson’s deal? Do you think eight years, $12 million is too much? Do you think he should be around the 10 or 11 mark? He’s going to be more than Dobson, so don’t say 9 million. But tell me what you think and about the line uh situation about him, you know, being moved ahead of uh to be able to give room to one of the younger players. There’s a poll on our YouTube channel for that. So, please go and vote and let us know what you think so that this way in tomorrow’s show, I’ll let them know what you think. And one final shout out going out to Jimmy Managakis and Paul Kho for being members of the channel. You can always join. There’s not much there. It’s a small little amount. You get your emojis, you know, and whatnot. And we may very well add a little bit more moving forward, including some exclusive contact, but I got to find the time to do it, right? So, you know, the membership’s cheap. It’s once a month. If you feel like it, click the join button on the channel and and jump in to the group and I’ll give you a shout out as well. Finally, thank you to our sponsors, Instacustoms and Cheapesters.ca. We’ll see you tomorrow

The Montreal Canadiens are one of the most talked about franchises in the NHL, and in this episode of Puck Talk MTL, Kosta dives deep into the latest Montreal Canadiens news, rumors, and preseason storylines that every Habs fan needs to know. From trade speculation to roster battles, and insider chatter, we’re exposing the truth behind what’s really going on in Montreal.

As the Canadiens prepare for the NHL preseason, fans are buzzing about lineup decisions, player development, and the team’s chances of making a playoff push. Are the latest rumors about roster changes accurate? How are the young prospects performing in training camp? And what do these headlines mean for the future of the Habs? We break it all down for you with honest analysis, fan perspective, and a passion for Montreal hockey.

If you’re a Montreal Canadiens fan or an NHL fan who loves staying updated on the latest hockey rumors, this is the channel for you. Don’t miss out on in-depth discussions, breaking Canadiens news, and preseason updates that matter to Habs Nation.

Subscribe for more Habs coverage, NHL news, and hockey analysis all season long!

0:00 Show Start
1:56 Who We Think Is Staying, And Who We Think Is Headed To The Rocket
9:57 Laine is NOT Going To Be Moved To Open A Roster Spot!!!!
15:48 Do You Believe Nick Cousins Was Intentional Trying to Hurt Demidov?
18:05 Debunking Other Habs Rumors

#GoHabsGo #MontrealCanadiens #NHL #HabsNews #HockeyRumors #NHLPreseason

In every episode, Kosta Papoulias takes a deep dive into the latest Montreal Canadiens news involving Ivan Demidov, Patrik Laine, Juraj Slafkovsky, Josh Anderson, Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki, Kirby Dach, Owen Beck, Sean Farrell, Filip Mesar, Habs Defencemen, Arber Xhekaj, Kaiden Guhle, Sam Montembeault, Lane Hutson, Jayden Struble, Adam Engstrom, David Reinbacher, Jakub Dobes, Jacob Fowler, Kent Hughes, Martin St Louis.

Dans chaque épisode, Kosta Papoulias analyse en profondeur les dernières nouvelles des Canadiens de Montréal concernant Ivan Demidov, Patrik Laine, Juraj Slafkovsky, Josh Anderson, Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki, Kirby Dach, Owen Beck, Sean Farrell, Filip Mesar, les défenseurs des Canadiens, Arber Xhekaj, Kaiden Guhle, Sam Montembeault, Lane Hutson, Jayden Struble, Adam Engstrom, David Reinbacher, Jakub Dobes, Jacob Fowler, Kent Hughes et Martin St Louis.

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