Montreal Canadiens news and notes
- Juraj Slafkovský has been the Canadiens’ best player in December. [Montreal Gazette]
- Slafkovský entered this season wanting to make a point. [The Athletic]
- A more understated role for Brendan Gallagher. [La Presse]
- Five reasons to be optimistic about 2026 (and five reasons to be pessimistic). [Journal de Montreal]
- 17-year-old Makayla Wight is one of the youngest in-game hosts in the NHL. [Montreal Gazette]
- For collectors, the New Year’s Eve game between the Canadiens and the Soviet Union occupies a sacred space. [Sports Collectors Daily]
Around the league and elsewhere
- The Professional Hockey Players’ Association membership has ratified a new, five-year collective bargaining agreement with the ECHL. [Sportsnet]
- Inside Jakob Chychrun’s breakout season. [ESPN]
- Charline Labonté has joined the Vancouver Goldeneyes hockey operations staff as a Player Development Consultant. [PWHL]
- The existence of the PWHL has altered how the Canadian and American women’s national teams prepare for the Olympics. [Toronto Star]
- Who will be the last to make Team Canada on the men’s side? [RDS]
- Is Ivar Stenberg a contender to go No. 1 in 2026 NHL Draft? [The Athletic]
- Nine NHL storylines we’re watching in 2026. [Sportsnet]
- The Pittsburgh Penguins have placed defenceman Ryan Graves on waivers. [Daily Faceoff]
- Meet Alberts Šmits, the no-nonsense top NHL prospect from Latvia poised to become the highest-drafted ever player from his nation. [Daily Faceoff]
