Wednesday Habs Headlines: Six trade targets for the Canadiens’ blue line

Montreal Canadiens news and notes

• Six targets to shore up the blue line for the Canadiens. [Sportsnet]
• The Habs need to be better without the puck, says Claude Julien. [Montreal Gazette]
• The Canadiens place 22nd in a league ranking of microcores (best C, D, and G). [The Athletic]
• The Canadiens’ decision to call up Riley Barber is not a reflection on Ryan Poehling’s progress. [TVA]
• Barber’s mother was thrilled about her son’s debut in the bleu-blanc-et-rouge on Tuesday night. [Montreal Gazette]
• Pittsburgh-native Barber takes us on a tour of his hometown.

• A brush with the press box turned around Jake Evans’ season. [The Athletic]
• Eight Laval Rocket players will go head-to-head in a skills competition for the Sportium Cup. Round 2 features Evans vs. Matthew Peca. [YouTube]
• Episode 2 of “Au Coeur du Rocket”, offering an inside, behind-the-scenes look at the Canadiens’ AHL franchise. [Laval Rocket]
• The Habs skills competition will return this year. [Montreal Canadiens]
• Carey Price describes his trademark “kick-out” technique. [InGoal Magazine]
• Cole Caufield and Jordan Harris have made the preliminary roster for the 2020 USA World Juniors team. [USA Hockey]

Around the league and elsewhere

• Alex Galchenyuk has the offensive gifts, he has the work ethic, but he’s running out of opportunities to prove that he has the hockey sense for the NHL. [Sportsnet]
• There are at least four teams that could take a shot on trading for the once-30-goal man. [Sportsnet]
• The Dallas Stars have terminated head coach Jim Montgomery’s employment, effective immediately, for “unprofessional conduct.” [TSN]
• The Stars’ players respond to Montgomery’s surprise dismissal. [The Athletic]
• Julian McKenzie and Tristan D’Amours sound off on hockey culture and potential impending changes on The Scrum Podcast. [SoundCloud]
• Will the league’s salary cap increase for next season? [TSN]
• There will be no World Cup of Hockey in 2021. [Sportsnet]
• The latest rumours surrounding the UFA class of 2020. [Sportsnet]
• Sheldon Keefe is trying to take a page from the “tiki taka” of FC Barcelona for the Toronto Maple Leafs. [The Athletic]
• How Sweden invented the famous (or infamous) RVH goaltending style. [InGoal Magazine]
• We’re down to the final four in the Champions Hockey League.

The wide world of sports

• The Russian Federation has been banned by WADA from the 2020 Summer Olympics and the 2022 FIFA World Cup. [The Guardian]