Thursday Habs Headlines: Alexei Emelin playing with more confidence than ever before

Montreal Canadiens News and Notes

• Recently finding himself on the top pairing alongside Shea Weber, Alexei Emelin may be playing some of the best hockey of his career. [JDM]
• Meanwhile, Brian Wilde discusses whether or not Emelin’s promotion to the top pair may have something to do with the front office showcasing him for a trade. [TSN 690]
• Habs fans will have a chance to see prospect Will Bitten in action as the Hamilton Bulldogs forward will feature for Team OHL in the Canada-Russia Series. [Hamilton Spectator]
• Bitten will be joined by fellow Canadiens prospects Victor Mete and Michael McNiven. [JDM]
• On the opposing side may be Mikhail Sergachev (listed as “Sergachyov” in the list), depending on how the Canadiens want to handle his NHL audition. [Twitter]
• Montreal has been the top offensive team in the NHL season, but they’re not the only team scoring goals at an unusually high rate. [Sportsnet]
• The Canadiens’ blood-donor clinic in support of Hema-Quebec is coming up at the start of November. [Twitter]
• Charline Labonte, of Les Canadiennes and the Canadian Olympic Team, has her eyes set on a career after hockey. [CBC]/

Around the League and Elsewhere

• After struggling last season, early signs point toward improvement for the Colorado Avalanche. [SN]
• Patrick Roy, who infamously walked out on the Avalanche, gave Alain Vigneault a surprising call after the Rangers acquired Nate Holden from Colorado. [PHT]
• Beginning in 2017-18, replica NHL jerseys won’t be exact, as they will feature the Fanatics logo as opposed to the Adidas one that will be on NHL uniforms. [Yahoo]
• Elliotte Friedman explores, among other things, the changing dynamics at play in Seattle as it relates to acquiring a future NHL expansion franchise. [SN]
• Jack Han takes a look at a couple of ways defencemen can create offence, using the example of Red Wings blue-liners Jonathan Ericsson and Ryan Sproul. [Twitter]/