“I showed up at training camp and the first thing they did was put me at centre.” Jonathan Drouin responds to Marc Bergevin’s comments about his off-season acquisition. [Montreal Gazette]
The admission that the player he traded the top prospect the team has had in years to acquire isn’t able to fill the role he was brought in to bolster is one that brings Bergevin’s fitness to make the personnel decisions into question. [Sportsnet]
Brendan Gallagher deserves to be the Canadiens’ representative at the All-Star Game, but his style will probably prevent him from being named. [The Hockey Writers]
The Habs may have won two games in a row, but that’s had little impact on their slim playoff hopes. [Montreal Gazette]
The Canadiens are stuck in between needing to make changes and also needing to be competitive, and choosing the latter could have long-term effects on the strength of the organization. [The Athletic]
Despite the Montreal Canadiens’ poor start, there have been no calls for the coach to be fired. In fact, there wasn’t a single coach relieved of his duties in the first half of the 2017-18 season. [Los Angeles Times]
How the NHL alignment could look with the addition of a team in Seattle, with a more logical geographic grouping for the Habs. [ESPN]/
Around the league and elsewhere
Rasmus Dahlin was the projected number-one pick in the upcoming draft, but after his World Juniors showing, the gap to number-two grew even larger. [TSN]
Scott Cullen hands out his mid-season NHL awards. [TSN]
The Winnipeg Jets are finally living up to their potential, and Patrik Laine is playing a big role in their success. [FanRag Sports]
A healthy Anaheim Ducks team could pose a serious challenge in the second half of the season. [NBC Sports]/
