Montreal Canadiens news and notes
- “I think our visit helped him psychologically,” says Juraj Slafkovský’s father about his Montreal visit in mid-November that helped start his turnaround. [Journal de Montreal]
- Jean François Houle assesses the top defencemen he’s coached this season: Logan Mailloux, Jayden Struble, and Arber Xhekaj. [TVA Sports]
- Struble is a rare player who has looked better with each increase in level. [TVA Sports]
Around the league and elsewhere
- Steven Stamkos is headed for free agency in the off-season, but don’t expect him to show up on another team’s roster at the trade deadline. [NHL.com]
- Jack Eichel is week-to-week after surgery to repair a lower-body injury. [NHL.com]
- “Forty-two games in, I still have a lot of questions, quite honestly, about who is going to go out and you can say for certain is going to get the job done for us,” says Sheldon Keefe about his Toronto Maple Leafs. [Sportsnet]
- How the Edmonton Oilers exposed the Leafs’ issues. [Sportsnet]
- The Winnipeg Jets are looking at centre and defence depth ahead of the deadline. [TSN]
- The Buffalo Sabres-Chicago Blackhawks game was postponed due to the latest bout of lake-effect snow hitting Buffalo. [TSN]
- Tyler Ennis has announced his retirement. [Daily Faceoff]
- The San Jose Sharks will retire Joe Thornton’s #19 next season. [TSN]
- Cody Hodgson has signed an AHL PTO with the Milwaukee Admirals. [TSN]
