Noah Dobson clearly doesn’t play like a $9.5M guy

Dobson seemed to lack speed at times, in addition to making a few mistakes, without ever really threatening offensively.

Let’s just say that so far, we haven’t really seen the best of Dobson, at least I hope not. His shots are often blocked, he drops the puck, his passes aren’t always precise, and defensively, he makes mistakes. In short, I seriously hope that Dobson still has a slight groin discomfort, which is why he was absent for a few games, because if not, there’s plenty to worry about.

Obviously, it’s only preseason, and things can change very quickly, but so far, I’m really not impressed with the Habs’ new highest-paid player. He’ll be given more time to acclimatize to his new team, as will Zachary Bolduc, but let’s just say that the Habs’ new acquisitions aren’t really breaking anything so far.

Dobson and Bolduc will need to shine as quickly as possible if the Habs are to succeed this season

Now, aside from concerns about Dobson’s play, what else did I retain from this game that will certainly not go down in history?1. Samuel Blais was probably the Habs’ best forward last night. He was all over the ice, hitting everything that moved (very) hard, as evidenced by his six checks in the game.

Blais stood out throughout the game for his physical play, but also because he generated offense at various times.

The Québécois himself was proud of his game,saying that what we saw was the real Samuel Blais, a physical player capable of playing well offensively. In short, with his performance yesterday, there’s no doubt that Blais deserves to start the season in Montreal

2. Joe Veleno also stood out sufficiently. The Montrealer had another strong game, and in my opinion, he also did enough to deserve to start the season with the Habs.

Veleno’s talent, skating and vision are exactly what the Habs need in a depth player. He’ll play games with the Habs, but he’ll start as the 13th forward, behind Oliver Kapanen, unless Zachary Bolduc isn’t ready for Wednesday’s game in Toronto.3. Owen Beck and Florian Xhekaj will return to Laval. Beck stood out and made the most of his last audition, but even so, he’ll be joining the Rocket, having left a fine calling card. Xhekaj, for his part, was very discreet last night, hardly being seen at all, which in my opinion seals the outcome of the debate, as he’ll be starting the season with the Rocket.4. Adam Engstrom was very good. The Swedish defenseman made the most of his last audition, showing us all the facets of his game: speed, puck control, vision and good passing. He had many flashes, and even if he returns to Laval, Engstrom represents a great project, and a guy who could certainly be recalled this season in case of injury in Montreal.

In short, not the Habs’ best game, but a few players stood out, while Lane Hutson (obviously) and Kirby Dach also played well. spacer title=’Overtime’] – Read on if you missed anything this week.

– Indeed.

– Don’t miss it from 8 a.m.