Montreal Canadiens Ivan Demidov lofty expectations, Patrik Laine silencing critics, defensive woes, Friday mailbag (Episode 1365)

Montreal Canadiens' Offseason Buzz: Demidov's rookie year, Hutson's rise, and Habs defensive dilemmas Laura Saba breaks down the Montreal Canadiens' hottest storylines heading into the new season. From Ivan Demidov's highly-anticipated rookie campaign to Lane Hutson's sophomore surge, the Habs' offensive firepower takes center stage. The host tackles fan expectations, dissects potential issues with the second-line center and bottom-six penalty kill, and explores how Noah Dobson could reshape the blueline. Plus, get the inside scoop on Patrik Laine's quest to silence critics and the team's defensive outlook for 2025-2026. Tune in for expert analysis on the Canadiens' path to success and find out if they have the pieces to make a deep playoff run this year. 0:00 Intro and episode overview 5:33 Positive storylines for upcoming Canadiens season 12:24 Potential negative storylines to watch out for 16:57 Will the Habs improve defensively? 19:02 Host's favorite sandwich and food recommendations 22:05 Are fan expectations for Ivan Demidov too high? 27:14 Funny travel stories and summer-related questions 30:18 Outro and subscription information Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! Gametime Today's episode is brought to you by Gametime. Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNHL for $20 off your first purchase. Terms and conditions apply. Monarch Money Take control of your finances with Monarch Money. Use code LOCKEDONNHL at monarchmoney.com/lockedonnhl for 50% off your first year. FanDuel Today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel. Football season is around the corner, visit the FanDuel App today and start planning your futures bets now. Indeed Now, you can speed up your hiring process with a $75 Sponsored Job Credit. Just go to Indeed.com/LOCKEDON right now and support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast. Terms and conditions apply. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.