Thursday Habs Headlines: The Canadiens’ biggest need at the deadline

Montreal Canadiens News and Notes

• Martin Lemay believes Max Pacioretty could be Montreal’s mid-season MVP. [TSN 690]
• Does the shutout jinx exist? That depends, do you believe in magical tiger-repelling rocks? In that case, maybe. [TSN 690]
• Marc Dumont joined Elliott Price on Sportsnet Tonight, discussing some trade options the Habs may have, and whether they need more help at forward or on the blue-line. [iTunes]
• The Habs dropped two spots in Sportsnet’s power rankings this week, while Luke Fox declares Patrick Roy the greatest player in the Habs’ post-expansion history. [SN]
• In case you missed it, Muller’s creativity is helping the Habs during the power play, although he may have borrowed some techniques from the movies. [SN]
• Alex Galchenyuk did not practice with the team yesterday, although David Desharnais appears close to a return after taking some rushes on the fourth line. [EOTP]
• For Pacioretty, hockey is a family affair. [Gazette]

Around the League and Elsewhere

• Five For Howling’s Sarah Hall shared her story as part of Bell Lets Talk, discussing how hockey helps her deal with anxiety. [SCOC]
• Halifax Mooseheads forward Nico Hischier is drawing a lot of attention from NHL scouts this year, which is unsurprising when you see how he measures up to previous Mooseheads greats. [Halifax Mooseheads]
• Speaking of Hischier, you can see where he - and others - wind up in SB Nation’s first 2017 NHL mock draft. [SBN]
• In trying to understand the struggles of the Winnipeg Jets, it’s helpful to look at the ways in which they remain similar to the former Atlanta Thrashers. [AIH]
• Vice Sports has taken on the task of ranking the greatest players the NHL has seen over the past fifty years. [Vice Sports]