Montreal Canadiens News and Notes
- The Canadiens represent the best — and perhaps only — chance at a deep playoff run by any of the league’s Canadian teams. [Yahoo Sports]
- In case you missed it, the Canadiens will be without starting goaltender Carey Price until at least February, as head coach Michel Therrien announced that the team does not expect him back until after the NHL All-Star break. [EOTP]
- Mark Barberio, recently named to the AHL All-Star Game, has been given a great opportunity on the Canadiens’ blue line. [RDS]
- Marc Dumont joined TSN 690 on Friday to discuss a variety of topics, including the performance of Lars Eller, Max Friberg, and, of course, whether or not Jonathan Drouin might be the right fit for the Canadiens. [TSN 690]
- Check out Pat Hickey’s mid-season report cards for the Habs offense, defense, goaltending, and everything else. [Montreal Gazette]
- The always excellent Conor McKenna is up for a Notable Award, and you should definitely vote for him. [Notable Awards]
- Tomas Fleischmann knows what he needs to do to be reinserted in the Habs lineup:
— Félix Séguin (@fseguinhockey) January 8, 2016
Around the League and Elsewhere
- Zack Kassian has promised to bring consistency to the Edmonton Oilers, as well as a ‘sandpaper’ style of play. Kassian, of course, was traded to the Oilers by the Habs in exchange for Ben Scrivens in December. [Edmonton Sun]
- Manny Malhotra, who played with the Canadiens last year, is still waiting for a call from an NHL team. He has played nine games with the AHL’s Lake Erie Monsters this season. [RDS]
- The Dallas Stars have given general manager Jim Nill a five-year contract extension, which came as no surprise given his success in building the team into a contender. [Puck Daddy]
- There was more trade action in the league on Friday as the Vancouver Canucks shipped former first-round pick Nicklas Jensen and a pick to the New York Rangers in exchange for another former 29th-overall selection in Emerson Etem. [BSB]
- The NWHL has provided an update on the status of Boston Pride forward Denna Laing, who suffered a spinal injury during the Winter Classic showdown with the Canadiennes. Meanwhile, Laing’s family and friends have set up a site for donations to help with her recovery. [NWHL.co | Twitter]
- Down Goes Brown discusses the trade that sent Seth Jones and Ryan Johansen to new clubs, and dissects what happened to that type of one-for-one trade. [DGB]
- There will be no vote on the potential expansion into Las Vegas and/or Quebec City until at least the end of January when the league’s Board of Governors reconvenes. [TVA Sports]
