Hockey

Reinbacher’s return, no P. Diddy for the Habs and the end of Kotkaniemi
Maxime Truman
Reinbacher’s return, no P. Diddy for the Habs and the end of Kotkaniemi
Credit: NHL

It's October 16, 2025. The Canadiens – who have won three of their first four games of the season – are about to play their fifth game of the campaign. Will the Canadiens manage a fourth straight win tonight against the Predators? Would be nice…In the meantime, let's take a look at some interesting files…1. It's three weeks to the day since David Reinbacher injured his hand (on September 25 against the Maple Leafs). The Canadiens said Reinbacher would be out for four weeks, which means that in a week's time, Reinbacher should be fit to play (in the AHL).Reminder: a medical professional told me he doubted Reinbacher would be able to return after only four weeks in the case of a fracture like the one he suffered. Especially since I've not heard that he's started skating again in Laval yet…Whatever. Officiallywe can expect Reinbacher to face the Rochester Americans next Friday night south of the border. It will be interesting to see how Reinbacher performs on the ice. To put an end to Reinbacher's rehab, wouldn't it be wiser to wait until October 29 at home to send him back into the fray, which would ultimately result in a fifth week's absence, but a more favorable context for Rhino?

2. DJ Miss Shelton, the girl who was at the turntables Tuesday at the Bell Centre for the pre-game show, was on Max Lalonde's (BPM Sports) show yesterday, talking about what a rewarding and enjoyable experience it was to push every Habs player intro song.

Max Lalonde asked her if any requests from the players had to be turned down, and she replied that they had: a song with P. Diddy had to be replaced because of the singer's actions, and an internal decision was made to dose the Kanye West because of the latter's polarization. Was it right to censor certain choices? Should we have separated the artist from the person? One thing's for sure: there won't be any P. Diddy songs playing at the Bell Centre this season, given that the club didn't want to play any on Tuesday night.3. Ost* that Patrik Laine was good in Winnipeg. He's really not the same player since his injuries

4. Who has been the Canadiens' most-used player (on average per game) so far this season? If you answered Mike Matheson, you were right. Matheson has averaged just under 23 minutes per game on the ice. To think we wanted to use him a little less…Who's second? Noah Dobson (22:22). Matheson has three points already and a plus-3 rating. Dobson? Two points and a plus-2.In short, the Canadiens now have a true first pair capable of attacking and defending against the opposition's best players. Read on and you'll come to the same conclusion as I: we've got to find a way to extend Mike Matheson's contract without jeopardizing the team's future (because of Matheson's age).Especially if it means we'll have Sidney Crosby in Montreal…
5. Logan Mailloux isn't the only one having a bad start to the season away from Montreal. No!After spending ten minutes or so on the ice on October 9 and 11, Jesperi Kotkaniemi was left out by Rod Brind'Amour on Tuesday night in San Jose. #HealthyScratchThe man the Canes were proud to have taken from the Canadiens is having trouble finding the back of the net. If you add up the current season, the 2025 series and the 2024-25 season, KK has just one goal in his last 41 games. We're talking about a two-goal-per-season pace. #GomezStyle

The Hurricanes will have no choice but to buy out (advantageously given his age) his contract this summer. Kotkaniemi has become a liability for the team.

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