Myself, Jared Book, and Patrik Bexell got together for another episode of Habsent Minded, discussing the headlines around the Montreal Canadiens organization before they get back to game action after the holiday break.
The top story was of course the recall of goaltender Jakub Dobes from the Laval Rocket, casting doubt on the future of Cayden Primeau with the Habs. As of this writing, the NHL roster freeze is still on, but we’re all expecting him to be placed on waivers once it is. With the Canadiens playing a back-to-back against the Florida teams this weekend, the expectation is that we’ll be seeing Dobes in Tricolore for the first time in one of those games.
We also discussed the start of the World Junior Hockey Championship, in particular the eye-opening debut of seventh-rounder Rasmus Bergqvist with team Sweden. A certain Swede who is a part of our podcast had predicted that Bergqvist perhaps had more offensive talent than his SHL numbers would suggest, and so far he has shown exactly that. As is the case with any seventh-round pick, he’ll have a long road to the NHL, but if Jake Evans has taught us anything, it’s that this organization can and does find some diamonds in the rough with seemingly forgettable picks.
Last, but certainly not least, we have some words on Ivan Demidov, who has been heating up lately in the KHL with increased ice time. We may not have any hope of seeing him in a Habs uniform this season, but he is giving every reason to be excited about what he’ll be bringing to the roster next season. Assuming the Habs give him the ice time he deserves, he’s proving that he can produce whenever that is the case.
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