Montreal Canadiens news and notes
- Alexis Lafrenière ending up in Montreal would be the fairy tale ending to the draft lottery saga. [NHL.com]
- Mike Sullivan believes his players’ championship experience will be a major advantage in the qualification round. [NHL.com]
- While the Canadiens have been hoping they’d get a look at Alexander Romanov in action this summer, it seems the NHL won’t allow his contract to begin while the 2019-20 campaign is ongoing, ruling him out until at least the beginning of the next regular season:/
With the usual qualifier of nothing is certain until the agreement is ratified — stamp that on every one of my tweets this week — it’s my understanding recently signed players Romanov (MTL), Kaprizov (MIN), Sorokin (NYI) will not be eligible for 2019-20 RTP.
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) July 1, 2020
Around the league and elsewhere
- Minnesota Wild fans have been waiting longer and more impatiently for the arrival of Kirill Kaprizov from the KHL, making the news much more frustrating for them. [Hockey Wilderness]
- The NHL and the Players’ Association are using this downtime to not only finalize a return-to-play plan, but revisit Olympic participation and work out any kinks in getting the collective bargaining agreement extended. [Journal de Montreal]
- It’s looking more likely that Edmonton and Toronto will be the two NHL hub cities. [Sportsnet]
- After months of silence, North American sports leagues are all ramping up to fill the airwaves in the next few weeks. [The New York Times]
- With three quality netminders to choose from, the New York Rangers are going to let them decide in Phase 3 training who ultimately takes the starting role. [NHL.com]
- Vitali Kravtsov wasn’t sure what the plan was for him in New York. [Forever Blueshirts]
- In one of his down years, Sergei Bobrovsky needs to get back on form for the Florida Panthers. [NHL.com]
- Former Canadiens executive Rick Dudley is leaving the Carolina Hurricanes organization. [Sportsnet]
- The New Jersey Devils displayed their support for the Black Lives Matter movement:/
A recent change in our ice reflects an unwavering commitment to changing the game for racial equity.
#WeAreOne | #NJDevils pic.twitter.com/nBWqt8UEOY— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) July 1, 2020
