Montreal Canadiens news and notes
- With David Reinbacher still clearly in need of more development, analyzing at what age other first-round defencemen started their NHL careers. [La Presse]
- Revisiting the other pre-season question marks a couple of games into the tune-up schedule. [La Presse]
- Martin St-Louis is using video from the opening pre-season matches to reinforce what he’s trying to instill in the group ahead of the season. [RDS]
- Florian Xhekaj looked strong in his first audition to make the Canadiens’ roster. [TVA Sports]
- Simona Xhekaj was planning to watch the Canadiens game at home when she returned from work, but her boss told her to take the day off and go see her sons in person. [The Athletic]
- While Mrs. Xhekaj was watching Florian, Vinzenz Rohrer’s father was watching his son make a strong impression on Tuesday as well. [Radio-Canada]
- “I don’t know how long I can play this game for, so every day I enjoy and try to have fun,” Jakub Dobeš explains as the reason for his jovial attitude. [Montreal Gazette]
- The six rookies starting out as Calder Trophy options this season. [NHL.com]
- Nick Suzuki is the guest on the Never Offside podcast with Julie Petry and Cat Toffoli:
- NBA champion Luguentz Dort discusses his hockey fandom and the similar passion between Habs and Oklahoma City Thunder fans. [Canadiens.com]
Around the league and elsewhere
- A guide to watching prospects in the 2025-26 season. [The Athletic]
- The loopholes that could be exploited with the new post-season salary cap. [The Athletic]
- How the pool of playoff teams could change this season. [Sportsnet]
- With Zach Hyman still out, the Edmonton Oilers are expected to load up the top line with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. [NHL.com]
- Vasily Podkolzin was granted a leave of absence to return to Russia following the death of his father. [TSN]
- The pre-season injury report. [NHL.com]
- Joé Juneau and Luc Gélinas are releasing a book based on the short-lived hockey development program Juneau helped set up for the Nunavik region. [La Presse]
- Prince Edward Island is hoping that a green arm band for referees under the age of 18 deters fans and parents from directing abuse at the young officials. [Radio-Canada]
