Montreal Canadiens news and notes
- Pascal Vincent doesn’t believe there’s a goalie controversy in Laval because he expects both Cayden Primeau and Jacob Fowler to be important for the team throughout the post-season. [Journal de Montreal]
- Vincent sees no scenario in which David Reinbacher doesn’t become an impactful defenceman. [Journal de Montreal]
- The coach said Laval was “overstimulated” in its first home playoff game on Sunday afternoon and settled down for Game 4. [Journal de Montreal]
- Owen Protz has joined the Rocket on an amateur tryout contract. [RDS]
- Lane Hutson silenced a lot of doubters by being one of the Canadiens’ best players in the playoffs. [The Athletic]
- Emil Heineman will play for Sweden at the World Championship. [Canadiens.com]
- Chris Nilan is preparing himself to tell his life story in a four-night monologue at Maison Principale in Saint-Henri. [La Presse]
- Most of the talk regarding the Montreal Victoire centres on Marie-Philip Poulin, Laura Stacey, and Ann-Renee Desbiens, but Erin Ambrose says her defensive group is just as strong as those other positions. [La Presse]
- Rookies Jennifer Gardiner and Cayla Barnes are excited for their first playoff game as professionals. [Le Devoir]
- Poulin says “it would be a dream” to win the Walter Cup. [Radio-Canada]
Around the league and elsewhere
- The Toronto Maple Leafs have gotten out to a 2-0 series start over the Florida Panthers. [NHL.com]
- Mikko Rantanen continued to terrorize his Central Division competition with a hat trick to steal home-ice advantage from the Winnipeg Jets. [NHL.com]
- The team in Salt Lake City is now officially called the Utah Mammoth. [NHL.com]
- Kirill Kaprizov could become the NHL’s highest-paid player. [Sportsnet]
- Jonas Johansson signed a two-year contract extension with the Tampa Bay Lightning. [NHL.com]
- Giving up top prospects for veterans who didn’t pan out may be what ultimately cost Rob Blake his job as Los Angeles Kings general manager. [La Presse]
- The New York Islanders are searching for a general manager and Marc Bergevin might be near the top of their list. [Sportsnet]
- How does Matthew Schaefer stack up versus recent first-overall picks? [The Athletic]
- Eric Staal has joined the Buffalo Sabres as a special assistant to general manager Kevyn Adams. [NHL.com]
