Friday Habs Headlines: Playing for Claude

Montreal Canadiens news and notes

• With head coach Claude Julien sidelined for the near future, the Habs are looking to summon some extra inspiration from their ailing bench boss. [Sportsnet | TSN | La Presse]
• Tomas Plekanec wishes his former coach well:

• While Julien’s situation dominated the day, the Canadiens know that there’s still a game to prepare for and things to fix. [La Presse]
• Tomas Tatar has been too quiet for the Habs. [Yahoo! Canada]
• The Habs at least showed that they would be no pushovers in game 1. [Sportsnet]
• While the world worried about Covid-19, did the Canadiens rebuild the team better... stronger... faster? [Radio-Canada]

Around the league and elsewhere

• From playoff team to first overall draft pick: the New York Rangers. [FiveThirtyEight]
• Could the Los Angeles Kings be interested in trading up for that first overall selection? [The Athletic]
• An intriguing chess match is developing between the Vancouver Canucks and St. Louis Blues. [TSN]
• A lot of planning, well-timed Uber Eats, and occasional tennis: bubble life for the Philadelphia Flyers coaching staff. [The Athletic]
• An inside look at the Pittsburgh Penguins’ collapse, the moves that have already been made, and the moves that could come. [The Athletic]
• The series might be tied, but are the Tampa Bay Lightning in trouble after dropping game 2 to the Columbus Blue Jackets? [ProHockeyTalk]
• Down 2 games to none, it’s time for Alex DeBrincat to step up. [The Athletic]
• Dan Hamhuis has announced his retirement. [TSN]