Friday Habs Headlines: Weal ‘n’ Dealin’?

Montreal Canadiens news and notes

• With Nate Thompson and Christian Folin signed, all eyes now turn to Jordan Weal. [Pierre LeBrun]/

Habs have had preliminary discussions with Jordan Weal’s agent J.P. Barry. The pending UFA has interest in staying. We’ll see if they can get a deal done or not. https://t.co/yuQdNzIaJi

— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) April 25, 2019

• Thompson in particular is extremely excited to be back. [Eric Engels]/

Why is Thompson excited to be back with #Habs? pic.twitter.com/Vf192yPKPO

— Eric Engels (@EricEngels) April 25, 2019

• Do the Ottawa Senators have eyes on Dominique Ducharme? [Journal de Montreal]
• The ten last players selected with the fifteenth overall selection in the NHL Entry Draft. [Journal de Montreal]
• “Take your kids to work day” isn’t a once-a-year occasion with the Montreal Canadiens. [Montreal Canadiens]/

Around the league and elsewhere

• George McPhee says that the NHL apologized for the call on Cody Eakin in game 7. [Sportsnet]
• The burning question in the Centre of the Universe: is it time to fire Mike Babcock? [Pension Plan Puppets]
• Babcock wasn’t helped by his biggest stars coming up short. [TSN]
• The Tampa Bay Lightning’s future up front look bright with a pair of hidden gems in the AHL. [The Athletic]
• Six things we learned in round one. [Sportsnet]
• A look at some stunning numbers from a stunning first round. [ProHockeyTalk]
• Analyzing the chaos that was a first round for the ages. [The Athletic]
• The eight deadly sins of the first round — one for each eliminated team. [Deadspin]
• Early favourites for the Conn Smythe Trophy. [ProHockeyTalk]
• Peter Laviolette offered a comprehensive response when faced with questions about the Nashville Predators power play woes. [Robby Stanley]/

I asked Peter Laviolette about the power play, why it didn't work and what can be done to fix it. He had an incredibly long response: pic.twitter.com/kn2VLvYg4v

— Robby Stanley (@RStanleyNHL) April 24, 2019

• The tragic post-hockey life of Todd Ewen. [The Athletic]
• The officials for round two have been selected. [Scouting the Refs]/

Friday’s game schedule

Toronto Blue Jays vs. Oakland Athletics

Vladimir Guerrero, Jr.’s debut
Start time: 7:07 PM EDT / 4:07 PM PDT
In Canada: Sportsnet One, MLB Network, MLB.tv (free game)

Game 1: Carolina Hurricanes @ New York Islanders

Start time: 7:00 PM EDT / 4:00 PM PDT
In Canada: CBC, Sportsnet (English), TVA Sports (French)
In the USA: NBCSN
Elsewhere: NHL.tv / Rogers NHL Live

Game 1: Colorado Avalanche @ San Jose Sharks

Start time: 10:00 PM EDT / 7:00 PM PDT
In Canada: CBC, Sportsnet (English), TVA Sports (French)
In the USA: NBCSN
Elsewhere: NHL.tv / Rogers NHL Live