Wednesday Habs Headlines: Accelerated plans

Montreal Canadiens news and notes

• The pandemic and the resulting bubble seem to have accelerated Marc Bergevin’s team-building plan. [La Presse]
• Marc Bergevin hinted at a younger roster composition come 2021-22. [Montreal Gazette]
• ICYMI: Contract talks between Brendan Gallagher and the Habs have broken off. [TSN | EotP]
• Does this spell the beginning of the end for the sparkplug in the bleu-blanc-et-rouge? [TSN]
• Seven months after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in North America, the Canadiens are a transformed team. [La Presse]
• With the acquisition of Josh Anderson and Tyler Toffoli, the purse strings are suddenly tightening for the Canadiens. [Radio-Canada]
• Toffoli, for one, is ready to live under the Montreal microscope. [CTV Montreal]

Around the league and elsewhere

• Signing Taylor Hall is a much needed win for the Buffalo Sabres. [TSN]
• Meghan Duggan has retired, marking the end of a 14 year career that featured three Olympic medals and seven World Championships. [The Athletic]
• The best and worst cap-era UFA contracts of every length. [The Athletic]
• Winners and losers from the first week of unrestricted free agency. [Sportsnet]
• Joe Sakic is walking a fine line, knowing that new contracts for Gabriel Landeskog and Cale Makar loom over the horizon. [ProHockeyTalk]
• Winning the Stanley Cup might have been the easy part compared to what faces Julien BriseBois now. [ESPN]
• Tim Stutzle will be sidelined 6-8 weeks after being injured in practice with Adler Mannheim. [Sportsnet]
• The Champions Hockey League has cancelled its 2020-21 season. [Champions Hockey League]