Saturday Habs Headlines: Montreal needs quality centres

Montreal Canadiens News and Notes

• The Montreal Canadiens need a dominating top centre, it’s the biggest weakness in the current lineup. Without a top centre, the Habs will have a hard time winning a Stanley Cup. [RDS]
• Marc Bergevin will also need to have a solid draft this summer - a subject which Bob McKenzie weighs in on for the Morning Show. [TSN 690]
• Drafting at 25 doesn’t mean one cannot select a noteworthy player, there’s been lots of late first round picks who turned out to be good players. [La Presse]
• Recent acquisition Antoine Waked joined Tony Marinaro and talked about the season he had, as well as his versatility to play anywhere. [TSN 690]
• Andrew Shaw, like most hockey players, has a dedicated and selfless hockey mom. [Canadiens]
• Jeff Petry’s family welcomes another tiny addition. [Canadiens]
• Meanwhile, Carey Price continues to focus on a brilliant summer plan. [Carey Price]
• Former Habs forward Guillaume Latendresse is the new youngest plaintiff against the NHL in the concussions case. [Rick Westhead]
• As the AHL plans for its next season, the Rocket de Laval now know who their division rivals will be, with alignment now confirmed. [Rocket]
• Habs fans have three players of particular interest to watch at the Memorial Cup. [Journal de Montréal]
• ICYMI: A pair of Les Canadiennes stars were selected to Canada’s Olympic camp roster. [Habs EOTP]/

Around the League and Elsewhere

• Alexander Ovechkin took a lot of heat for his unusually subtle performances in the playoffs. As it turns out, the scoring machine was dealing with lingering injuries. [Yahoo! Sports]
• What do Phil Kessel and Hulk Hogan have in common? Lots, if you’re the Penguins’ Jake Guentzel. [The Players’ Tribune]
• The Dallas Stars have signed goaltender Ben Bishop for the next six years. [Defending Big D]
• Anaheim’s franchise depth is quite impressive when you consider their NHL and AHL clubs are still both playing. [Josh Cooper]/

It was just pointed out to me that the Ducks and Gulls are the only NHL and AHL affiliates still competing in their respective playoffs

— Josh Cooper (@JoshuaCooper) May 12, 2017

• Jonathan Bernier’s son might not fit in all his gear yet, and he’ll make your heart not fit in its spot either. [NHLPA]/

You’ll grow into that gear before you know it, but go on and just melt our hearts in the meantime, Tyler Bernier. pic.twitter.com/hSQXwhPE4R

— NHLPA (@NHLPA) May 12, 2017

• P.K. Subban’s Nashville Predators are still forging ahead in the playoffs, but the former Canadiens superstar hasn’t forgotten his ties to Montreal. [Journal de Montréal]
• Upcoming free agent Kevin Shattenkirk says he wants to be a number one defenceman next year. [TSN]
• Joel Eriksson Ek’s next big challenge is to become a regular roster player for the Minnesota Wild. [Hockey Wilderness]
• Former NHL stud Tomas Kaberle is still playing hockey in Toronto, but misses the big league. [Sportsnet]
• The Hearst Lumberjacks are a new team whose logo pays tribute to hometown hero Claude Giroux. [Sportsnet]/