Thursday Habs Headlines: Cole Caufield a top-10 finalist for Hobey Baker Award

Montreal Canadiens News and Notes

• Cole Caufield is a finalist for the Hobey-Baker Trophy, the award given to the best university player in the United States each year. [HobeyBaker.com]
• Xavier Ouellet enjoyed partnering with Alexander Romanov during his first game of the season and is eager to see what the pairing can bring to the table. [Canadiens]
• And while he’s at it, Ouellet wants to prove he can help make up for the loss of Ben Chiarot who’s recovering from hand surgery. [Journal de Montreal]
• Who’s the best surprise and biggest disappointment for the first half of the season and what’s the biggest question for the second half? [Sportsnet]

Around the League and Elsewhere

• Having hit game number 12 in their losing streak, the Buffalo Sabres finally had enough and fired their coach, Ralph Krueger. [TSN]
• But that was just the first step that the Sabres need to take. [NHL]
• Like many of us, Sidney Crosby is asking the NHL for clarity on what exactly qualifies an illegal hit after three similar hits were awarded three different results. [Pittsburgh Hockey Now]
• Looks like Alex Galchenyuk will soon be getting a chance to show what he can offer the Toronto Maple Leafs. [Sportsnet]
• There was some North Divison waiver-claiming action on Wednesday that saw Vancouver scoop up Jimmy Vesey from Toronto and the Senators snag Anton Forsberg from the Jets. [Sportsnet]