Larkin Disappoints, Dach Gets Little Ice Time, and Mittelstadt Is Knocking on the Door

It was a weekend full of sports action for our professional teams.

CF Montréal was leading 1–0 with 92 minutes on the clock in Toronto… and somehow managed to lose 2–1. Goals in the 93rd and 95th minutes!

One of the team's highest-paid players even thought it was a good idea to “like” a post highlighting TFC's comeback. And this wasn't even the first time he'd done this: he'd also “liked” a post claiming that some of CF Montréal's recently acquired players weren't happy playing for the team.

FC Supra, meanwhile, faced a direct rival in the race for the final playoff spot. They were leading 2–1 in stoppage time, but a desperate free kick taken by the opposing goalkeeper led to Vancouver's equalizing goal. The Supra now find themselves having to win their last two games… and hoping that Vancouver FC will fall to Calgary.

Had they managed to hold onto their lead in stoppage time, the Supra would be comfortably sitting in fourth place, one point ahead of Vancouver.

As for the Canadiens, they managed to win a home game—something that's been happening far too rarely lately—thanks to the brilliance of Jacob Fowler, who was recently recalled from Laval.

I know many of you are defending Jakub Dobes and insisting there's no goaltending controversy in Montreal; but my job is to analyze and comment on what's actually happening, not what's in people's heads. The fact that Martin St-Louis and Marco Marciano decided to start Jacob Fowler for a second straight game—on a Saturday night at the Bell Centre, no less—means one thing: the coaching staff has more confidence in Jacob than in Jakub.

And so do the fans!

Which Canadiens goaltender do you have the most confidence in right now?

— DansLesCoulisses (@DLCoulisses) October 11, 2026

It'll be interesting to see which goalie gets the start tomorrow night at 7:00 p.m.
6:30 p.m. at the Bell Centre. Martin St-Louis surprised us on Saturday; he might surprise us again tomorrow.

Dylan Larkin didn't impress me

Many of you are willing to trade away part of the organization's future in the hope of bringing Dylan Larkin to Montreal (and making him our second-line center). Speaking of which, I have to admit I was surprised by just how much clout BPM Sports (Georges Laraque, Stéphane Gonzalez, Anthony Marcotte, Anthony Désaulniers, and Renaud Lavoie) has in the community: getting fans to cheer and root for Dylan Larkin at the Bell Centre—that's no small feat!

However, Larkin left me wanting more on Saturday night. He didn't score any points, he wasn't a threat, he wasn't spectacular, and he didn't convince me that he was the solution to all our problems.

You know, he's NEVER had a season averaging a point per game, and he's always played with the best wingers… and on the first power play unit. I'm far from convinced he'd transform the Canadiens' offense. Especially since he's getting older (30), he still has five years left at $8.7 million on the payroll, he'd have to be convinced to even consider coming here, and he'd probably cost us Michael Hage!

I feel like saying: next!

Even though, theoretically, he could help our anemic power play, I'm not convinced he's worth the price. There's enough talent within the organization to find solutions on the power play. The problem in Montreal is bigger than that.

Kirby Dach is getting (very) little ice time

Even though Martin St-Louis had only eleven forwards at his disposal, he used Kirby Dach very sparingly. He rotated three lines (Caufield-Suzuki-Slafkovsky, Kreider-Newhook-Anderson, and Texier-Danault-Bolduc), keeping Jake Evans and Kirby Dach in reserve for rotations.

Evans managed to get nearly 12 minutes of ice time, but Dach only got 7:35. If, early in the season, when you're short a forward, you can't manage to play more than seven and a half minutes, that's a pretty clear sign that you're in trouble.

Dach has been completely invisible for the past four games. He looks like a player who signed a two-way contract…

Zachary Bolduc needs to take on a bigger role

Bolduc had another strong game Saturday night: the game-winning goal in the shootout, a disallowed goal during regulation, and three shots on goal. He has three goals in five games since the start of the season and is certainly one of the team's best forwards in 2026–27.

I understand that his (French-speaking) line is clicking right now and that the coaches don't want to break it up, but if you refuse to move Bolduc into your top six, you should at least consider promoting him to the power play unit while we wait for Ivan Demidov's return. A sniper who's on a hot streak—you put him on the first power play unit!

Especially when you've scored just one measly goal in 17 opportunities!

Luke Mittelstadt, the best on the bottom line

After suffering a tough setback to start the season, the Laval Rocket has bounced back strongly: 6–1, 5–2, and 5–2 wins.

There's a lot of praise for David Reinbacher's steady play (two assists and a +3 rating), but the best defenseman on the ice right now isn't the Austrian. It's the American Luke Mittelstadt.

Casey's brother has racked up seven points in his team's three wins (two goals and five assists). He is the second-leading scorer among all defensemen in the American Hockey League.

Mittelstadt had an excellent training camp and is proving that, at 23, he'll be ready for the NHL before long. If my name were Adam Engstrom, I'd start getting nervous about my spot on the top pair—there's another left-hander pushing from behind.

Many saw the trade that sent Jayden Struble to Nashville as a sign that Engstrom and Reinbacher were set to take over, but personally, I see a direct link to Mittelstadt's excellent play since he left the NCAA.

Quietly, Mittelstadt is doing exactly what's expected of Reinbacher. It just goes to show that being drafted in the seventh round—rather than the first—doesn't mean everything…