Wednesday Habs Headlines: “Interim” no longer

Montreal Canadiens news and notes

• ICYMI: Dominique Ducharme signed a three-year contract on Tuesday to be the head coach of the Habs. [Sportsnet | EOTP]
• Being hired on the 13th of July felt like fate for Ducharme. [Montreal Canadiens]
• Ducharme’s hiring is a just reward for the Canadiens’ Stanley Cup run. [Montreal Gazette]
• The new head coach added positivity and control behind the bench while he held the interim label, says Jake Allen. [Montreal Gazette]
• With the head coach secure, Phillip Danault is one of the next priorities for the team. [Sportsnet]
• Jordan Weal has signed a two-year contract with AK Bars Kazan of the KHL. [TSN]

Around the league and elsewhere

• From Sandy Hook to the NHL Draft: Mackie Samoskevich, Newtown native. [The Athletic]
• Twenty-five players who could be moved this offseason. [Sportsnet]
• Pekka Rinne is retiring after 15 years in the NHL. [Players’ Tribune]
• Victor Hedman is undergoing surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his knee. [Sportsnet]
• “The third Cup will be the hardest to win.” An interview with Julien BriseBois. [La Presse]
• The Minnesota Wild have bought out the contracts of Ryan Suter and Zach Parise. [The Athletic]
• Erik Johnson has waived his NMC for the upcoming Expansion Draft. As a result, the Colorado Avalanche are not obligated to protect him. [TSN]
• Who will each team lose? A mock draft for the Seattle Kraken. [The Athletic]
• Brent Sopel is opening doors for ex-hockey players looking to transition to everyday life. [ESPN]
• Sopel also says that his former Chicago Blackhawks teammates should be “telling the truth publically” about the sexual assault allegations leveled at former video coach Brad Aldrich. [TSN]
• How retroactive data can drive proactive decision making in hockey. [Hockey-Graphs]
• The Portland Winterhawks of the WHL are changing their logo. [The Hockey News]