Montreal Canadiens in Other News: Missed Calls, Even Series, AHL Departures

Canadiens Pull Ahead, Vegas Answers Right Back

I’ll be honest, the Canadiens 3-2 OT win over the Golden Knights on Friday was probably the most invested I’ve been into a hockey game in quite some time. In almost every sense of the word, Montreal should not have won Game 3, yet they did. The Habs were outshot 17-0 to start the first period, getting their first shot on goal with less than nine minutes left in the frame.

Vegas goalie Marc-Andre Fleury was tested very little, if any by the Canadiens offence, whilst the Knights repeatedly peppered Price with chance after chance. Yet, in a continuing call-back to his Hart Trophy winning form of the past, Price held his ground, and held it well. In spite of a Eric Staal giveaway giving Vegas a 1-0 lead in the second, Montreal refused to back down. Cole ‘the goal’ Caufield broke free off the rush not soon after, going top shelf on a breakaway off a great feed from Nick Suzuki.

While Vegas would draw back into the lead once more off a quick wrister from Alex Pietrangelo through traffic, Fleury did the charitable thing late in the third and reciprocated Staal’s gift. Just as most play-by-play announcers and commentators were wondering when Montreal was going to pull for the extra skater, a dump in by Ben Chiarot led to a flubbed play by Fleury behind the net, and a wide open cage for Josh Anderson, who potted his first goal since Game 1 of Montreal’s first round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Going into overtime, Montreal maintained their perfect OT record after Anderson knocked down an aerial pass from Jesperi Kotkaniemi, before potting a great Paul Byron feed for his 20th overall goal this season. Yet, just as quickly as Habs fans filled the streets cheering a 2-1 series lead, Vegas answered right back to even the score on Sunday for Game 4.

In spite of yet another clutch play from Byron on a great breakaway marker, giving the Habs a 1-0 lead, a Brayden McNabb equalizer in the third followed by a Nicolas Roy OT winner, sealed the deal for Vegas. For as good as the Habs have been as of late, many were quick to forget that the Knights are still one of the NHL’s best teams for a reason, and with “backup” Robin Lehner answering the call as he did in Game 3, I think it’s safe to say this series is far from over.

Missed Calls a Continuing Issue

Needless to say, the officiating over the course of this Semi-Finals series hasn’t been good. Actually, that’s too generous, not only has it not been good, it’s been downright atrocious. I’m not entirely sure what issue Referee Chris Lee has with Montreal, but it seems as though he carries a grudge of sorts due to the numerous missed calls directly in his line of sight. While a blatant, and I mean blatant missed high stick on Corey Perry was salvaged by Anderson’s OT winner in Game 3, Game 4 didn’t fare quite as well. From Suzuki getting punched in the face by McNabb, to an overall hesitancy to make little, if any calls, it was certainly a bizarre sight, to say the least.

NHL officiating in the Stanley Cup Playoffs has seen its fair share of controversies over the past couple of years, and its to be expected that the right call isn’t always going to be made (were all human, after all). Even still, certain calls have managed to leave a bad taste in the mouth of many hockey fans, something both Vegas and Montreal are no stranger to. After a Stanley Cup Finals appearance in their first season in 2018, Vegas fell in 7 in the first round against the San Jose Sharks the following season, after blowing a 3-0 lead (and 3-1 lead in the series) in the third period following an arguable Game Misconduct call against former Knights center Cody Eakin.

With Vegas looking to make their second Finals appearance in just four seasons, the Canadiens now find themselves on the receiving end of some dubious officiating, and they’re expectedly not very pleased. With Lee likely to continue officiating the rest of the series (in spite of petitions saying otherwise) it remains to be seen how the tone and standard for penalties will shift, but if it continues along with this current trend, it looks like Montreal will have to fight and fight hard to catch any breaks.

Lukas Vejdemo, Laurent Dauphin, Signed to One-Year Deals

Try as they might, Lukas Vejdemo and Laurent Dauphin weren’t able to find a place on the Canadiens roster this season but nonetheless finds themselves with one-year, two-way extensions. A former third-round pick of the Canadiens in the 2015 NHL draft, Vejdemo bided his time in the SweHL with Djurgardens IF before being signed to a two-year entry-level deal in May of 2018. Dauphin, a former second-round pick of the Phoenix Coyotes in 2013, had bounced around the AHL with the occasional cup of coffee here and there, before being acquired by Montreal in exchange for the failed first-round project Michael McCarron.

Since arriving in Montreal, the two have served a role and served it well for the Laval Rocket, Vejdemo as a top defensive option and penalty killer, and Dauphin as a two-way forward with slight offensive upside. After posting 13-16-29 totals over 66 games in 2018-19 as the Rocket juggled a PTO-filled lineup to a near playoff birth, Vejdemo has since become a fixture on Laval’s top six, ditto Dauphin after strong late-season performances in 2019-20 and 2020-21. After playing out the first half of 2019-20 in Laval, Vejdemo earned his first cup of coffee with the Canadiens, recording 1 goal over 7 games, while Dauphin hasn’t seen NHL ice since 2018-19.

With both players now playing on consecutive one-year deals, Vejdemo and Dauphin’s futures in Montreal are shaky at best, but if the two are able to keep up their recent string of steady production, I could see either or potentially sneak into a fourth-line job in the future, whether that be with the Canadiens or elsewhere. Either way, they’ll continue to serve their normal roles in Laval, and in my mind will continue to be a key part of the Rocket as the team looks to make their first Calder Cup playoffs appearance since 2017.

Jordan Weal, Vasili Demchenko Sign Overseas

Now, whilst this storyline isn’t exactly recent news (going back to late May), it’s something that hasn’t been covered in much depth, and is something I wanted to get out of the way briefly like a bit of a side note. Jordan Weal didn’t have the easiest of times in both Montreal and well, the NHL in general, to say the least. A former third-round pick of the LA Kings in 2010, Weal was just never able to translate his offensive abilities in both junior and the AHL to the NHL, whilst subsequently struggling on the defensive side of things.

While he had his moments here and there, like some solid post-trade deadline performances in 2016-17 and 2018-19, he was never able to back them up with a consistent full campaign. After playing out the final year of his $1.4 million AAV deal in Laval this past season, the BC native will be taking his services to the KHL, signing a one-year deal with AK Bars Kazan. With a high-powered offence led by KHL stars like Nigel Dawes and Stephane Da Costa, Weal’s offensive abilities in the AHL should translate well to the larger ice surface. With that in mind, however, Weal has likely played his last NHL game.

Oh yeah, also Vasili Demchenko signed with Avangard Omsk. You know, Demchenko? Signed with Montreal on a one-year deal this past off-season? No? Maybe? Yeah, okay. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if you didn’t remember, as Demchenko is about as much of a footnote as you can get, having played just 4 games for Laval this past season. A former starting goalie for a number of weaker KHL teams, Demchenko couldn’t buy a start in a crowded Rocket crease, and as such has taken his failed NHL attempt on the chin, moving to the reigning Gargarin Cup champions in Avangard.

While an unfortunate situation, as Demchenko carried some promise coming into Montreal (which I had covered previously), it ultimately fell short, as is the case with so many overseas additions, KHL or otherwise. With Demchenko gone, Laval’s crease is now fully in the hands of Michael McNiven and Cayden Primeau, and after a Canadian Division title and a promising season overall, I would say that isn’t such a bad thing.

While these two departures definitely leave some holes in the lineup, the Rocket’s recent trend of AHL-contracted additions should make up for it.