Kyle Chipchura

Is that Kyle Chipchura in the chipper?

Five years after Montreal’s selected Kyle Chipchura in the first round of the NHL entry draft, the 6’2”, 205lbs center from Westlock, Alberta is still having trouble keeping pace in the National Hockey League. In Wednesday’s loss to Pittsburgh, Chipchura played for only 5:12. In Tuesday’s win over Columbus, he skated a season low 3:53. Not enough time to play a good game – or even a bad one for that matter.

If Guillaume Latendresse’s diminished ice-time is any indicator, Jacques Martin has lost faith in another young player who’s about to find himself getting used to a new team logo.

Has Chipchura disappointed in Montreal? Is it time to go?

That was quick.

Kyle Chipchura has been returned to the Hamilton Bulldogs.

Recalled yesterday by the Canadiens, Chipchura rushed to the Bell Centre carrying his own equipment late in the afternoon and played 11:26 against Florida in his first game with the Canadiens this season.

Chipchura began the season in Montreal but was a healthy scratch for the Canadiens' first four games and was sent to Hamilton on Oct. 16.

Kyle Chipchura:

About the goal:

"I felt better tonight. ... The biggest thing is just getting the timing on, getting the puck without feeling the pressure.  I think  keeping it simple, getting the lucky bounce early, helped me settle into the game."

About playing when the Habs are one or two players down:

"That’s my job. If I’m going to make a living in the NHL, that’s where I have to do it.  Feels nice to get into it. ... I think that’s the tough part of the game, when you’ve had some time off: feeling the pressure, your timing, your positioning, playing the angles. "

About the team's performance as a whole:

"Lots of kids on the team: I thought we played well with them. Th guys were starting to step up.  (The Senators) got a couple more lucky bounces than we did. We played them hard, I thought.  We didn’t maybe have the experience they have. We battled hard.  ...  When you play against established players like that, you just have to try keep it close, play them competitively."

The Bruins' number one line in practice, Fluto Shinzawa reports in the Boston Globe, has been Marc Savard centring Milan Lucic and Michael Ryder.

Canadiens could see them in Halifax tonight. 

• Boone: Too many games too early

• Carey Price talks to La Presse's François Gagnon about his weight loss (Price's, not Gagnon's).

• Gagnon on the intra-squad game. Among the hopefuls, he liked Brock Trotter, Max Pacioretty, David Desharnais and Yannick Weber. He was less impressed by Kyle Chipchura.

• Marc de Foy of the Journal de Montréal also thought Chipchura had a tough day. And he liked Brock Trotter. 

• Montreal native Torrey Mitchell is out two months after breaking his leg in San Jose's second practice. 

• From the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, a look at the league's top scoring defencemen (pegged to Ryan Whitney ad Sergei Gonchar of the Penguins, who are injured). 

• The Old Boys' Network: Tim Wharnsby reports John Ferguson Jr. has been hired as a pro scout for San Jose.

• The St. Petersburg Times says Barry Melrose plans to keep Martin St. Louis and Vincent Lecavalier fresher by cutting their ice time. St. Louis led NHL forwards last season with an average of 24 minutes, 17 seconds per game.

The Canadiens most potent line has been broken up – at least to start the exhibition season.

When the Canadiens take on the Boston Bruins Monday night in Halifax, Tomas Plekanec will still have Andrei Kostitsyn on his left wing. But coach Guy Carbonneau says Sergei Kostitsyn will play RW on the line.

Has Alex Kovalev been placed on waivers?

Of course not. Kovy will make his exhibition season debut Wednesday night in Detroit, Carbo  said, with the linemates who joined him at this morning's practice: Robert Lang and Guillaume Latendresse.

Another new line that Carbonneau will try Monday: Prized acquisition Alex Tanguay with two rookies: Ben Maxwell and Max Pacioretty.

This is what training camp is for. Carbonneau, an inveterate line-tinkerer, can really go to town.

Canadiens' Kyle Chipchura at close quarters Saturday night with Toronto defenceman Hal Gill.
André Ringuette, NHLI via Getty Images

In this week's One-on-One, The Gazette's Kevin Mio sits down with Canadiens rookie forward Kyle Chipchura, who has quickly established himself as an important player on the roster.

Chipchura was the captain of Canada's national junior team that won the gold medal at the 2006 World Junior Hockey Championship held in British Columbia and has been known as a leader throughout his career.

In the one-on-one, Chipchura discusses his experience at the WJHC and what adjustments he has had to make for playing at the NHL level.

Read on for a sample of a few questions: