Wednesday Habs Headlines: Growing discontent among key Quebec sponsors

Montreal Canadiens news and notes

• Following St-Hubert’s lead, Groupe Jean-Coutu, Desjardins Group, and La Cage Brasserie Sportive express their discomfort with the Canadiens’ first-round draft choice. [Montreal Gazette]
• Prime Minister Justin Trudeau weighed in as well on the situation. [CBC]
• “How could one of the city’s classiest organizations get this so dramatically wrong?” wonders Bill Brownstein. [Montreal Gazette]
• The furor surrounding the Canadiens pick is the fault of the Canadiens front office, says Jose Theodore. [Journal de Montreal]
• Marc Bergevin is set to “fill his free agent shopping cart.” [Montreal Gazette]
• Arpon Basu and Marc-Antoine Godin have a shopping list for the Canadiens general manager. [The Athletic]
• Four potential targets that the Canadiens could chase in their quest to make up for Shea Weber’s absence. [RDS]
• With Phillip Danault’s potentially imminent departure, who could the Habs target up front? [RDS]

Around the league and elsewhere

• Marc-Andre Fleury reportedly does not want to play for the Chicago Blackhawks. Could a return to Pittsburgh be in the cards? [The Athletic]
• The Colorado Avalanche are offering a 7-year $49 million dollar deal for captain Gabriel Landeskog. [Sportsnet]
• Alexander Ovechkin has signed a 5-year $47.5 million contract with the Washington Capitals. [ESPN]
• Patrik Laine has accepted his qualifying offer, and will play next year for the Columbus Blue Jackets for $7.5 million. [Sportsnet]
• Henrik Lundqvist is awaiting medical clearance for an NHL comeback attempt. [TSN]
• Zdeno Chara is not rushing anything as he enters free agency. [TSN]
• Ranking every team’s salary cap flexibility. [The Athletic]
• 15 takes on the top 50 unrestricted free agents. [Sportsnet]
• Five UFA signings from last year that aged well. [The Hockey News]