Montreal Canadiens news and notes
- Lane Hutson goes where the offensive play takes him. Jayden Struble aims to be mistake-free in covering for him defensively. The dynamic is creating a very successful pairing for Montreal. [La Presse]
- Nick Suzuki “has the same presence as a 10-year veteran,” Alex Newhook says of his captain. [TVA Sports]
- Suzuki has been strong defensively this season, but probably not in the Selke conversation. [TVA Sports]
- Patrik Laine received an immediate reward of more ice time after playing well at both ends of the ice the past couple of games, and knows that’s the blueprint for his and his line’s play going forward. [La Presse]
- Laine says he no longer hates Brendan Gallagher as he did in his first eight years as an NHLer. [TVA Sports]
- Josh Anderson decided to wear full cut-resistant pants on Tuesday. That night, he took a skate blade to the Achilles, and came away uninjured. [RDS]
- Anderson’s grandmother is always watching his games, even the ones played in the Pacific Time Zone. [Montreal Gazette]
- Alex Newhook was given a list of tasks to complete on team photo day. [Canadiens.com]
- Kent Hughes is expecting another off-season of important decisions on defence. [YouTube]
- How the lineup has evolved during Hughes’s tenure. [TVA Sports]
- Eight things the Canadiens have proven wrong this season. [La Presse]
- Two nights after playing the most important game of the season, the Canadiens are set to play the most important game of the season. [La Presse]
Around the league and elsewhere
- A new NHL.NHLPA collective bargaining agreement will be negotiated starting in April. [Radio-Canada]
- Gary Bettman says no changes to the NHL’s playoff format will be coming anytime soon. [La Presse]
- The 4 Nations Face-Off’s success is forcing the league to re-evaluate its all-star game format. [NHL.com]
- The top 50 prospects as ranked by NHL Central Scouting will be invited to attend the decentralized draft in Los Angeles this summer. [NHL.com]
- The draft could be the only one of its kind if the GMs decide they want to return to the old format of everyone being under one roof. [Sportsnet]
- Miro Heiskanen could miss the first round of the playoffs. [NHL.com]
- Re-signing Matthew Knies should be the Toronto Maple Leafs’ top priority. [Sportsnet]
- The 2010s were mostly a nightmare for Canadian teams trying to make the post-season, but things have begun to turn around. [Journal de Montreal]
- Kyle Dubas, whose team featuring Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Erik Karlsson won’t qualify for the post-season, is expected to be named general manager of Canada’s World Championship team. [TSN]
