Lefrancois believes that Marc Bergevin is not in a position to pull of a trade, a sentiment which was also echoed by Hockey Insider Darren Dreger. Meanwhile, Ray Ferraro tries to address the constant controversy swirling around the Canadiens at the moment. [TSN 690 | Lefrancois | Dreger | Ferraro]
The Montreal Canadiens were recipients of a mixed bag of news yesterday, as hopes surrounding Carey Price’s potential return were tempered by discussions surrounding Alex Galchenyuk. [Toronto Star]
Both Alex Galchenyuk and Devante Smith-Pelly met with Marc Bergevin following yesterday’s practice. However, none of the three were not made available to the press following the meeting. [Sportsnet]
This most recent controversy has provoked questions, regarding whether the team’s on ice performance is being negatively affected by off ice distractions. [Montreal Gazette]
Max Pacioretty is currently dealing with his team’s recent slump, the fallout from an ill-timed look and questions pertaining to Alex Galchenyuk. Suffice to say, Pacioretty’s first year as captain has not been an easy one. [TVA]
Here’s a rather humorous take on the brouhaha surrounding P.K. Subban‘s outburst. [The Beaverton]
Newly acquired forward Max Friberg is fitting right in with the St. John’s IceCaps. Though Friberg was held pointless in his debut, the Swede is determined to work on his game and believes he can do better. [The Telegram]
Montreal Canadiennes defenseman Julie Chu shared her thoughts on the inaugural women’s winter classic match, growing women’s hockey, the importance of the partnership with the Montreal Canadiens and more! [The Concordian]
Around The League and Elsewhere
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman spoke at the Calgary Chamber of Commerce, in an attempt to convince the city to come to an agreement on the proposed CalgaryNEXT arena project. [Matchsticks And Gasoline]
After a rather lengthy period of no mid-season trades, general managers from across the league were at it again. Six different teams got in on the action, including a blockbuster trade between the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Nashville Predators. [Vice]
Eliotte Friedman’s brand new 30 Thoughts article touches on whether teams should be looking at ways to nab both Patrik Laine and Jesse Puljujarvi at the upcoming draft. He also had this to say about the Canadiens. [Sportsnet]
“There was a wild rumour last weekend Montreal offered a roster player (not Galchenyuk), a prospect (not Michael McCarron) and a conditional first-rounder for Drouin. Shot down by multiple sources.
The thing about the Canadiens is, how does the uncertainty over Carey Price’s timeline affect Marc Bergevin’s decisions?”
The Florida Panthers‘ underlying stats indicate that it is not all doom and gloom which awaits the team moving forward. The Panthers are great at suppressing scoring chances against and are receiving excellent goaltending from Roberto Luongo. [NHL Numbers]
One of the more interesting aspects of hockey analytics involves the notion of shot quality. Check out the discussions that take place as the contributors over at Hockey-Graphs weigh in on this topic. [Hockey-Graphs]
