Montreal Canadiens news and notes
- Patrik Laine worked out ahead of Canadiens practice yesterday, then stayed on the ice for part of the full-team session, his first since his knee sprain. [Canadiens.com]
- Martin St-Louis believes Laine could be ready to play sometime in the next couple of weeks. [Journal de Montreal]
- With six A-grade or better players under the age of 24 in the organization, Montreal leads TSN’s Core 4 rankings. [TSN]
- The Canadiens aren’t putting pressure on SKA to release Ivan Demidov, but simply waiting until he’s ready to come to North America for next season. [RG.org]
- Last month’s long break was spent addressing team-wide issues. A month later, with the overall play much improved, attention is shifting to individual details. [Journal de Montreal]
- For no player is that more important than Alex Newhook. St-Louis says he needs to play a less “one-and-done” style of offence and work to prolong his line’s stay in the offensive zone. [TVA Sports]
- Not far behind on that list is Kirby Dach. In his case, he needs to work on his puck touches, the coach explains. [TVA Sports]
- After two rough starts earlier in the season, Samuel Montembeault returned to the rink after a restless night, heard from goaltending coach Eric Raymond that his technique remained sound, and went back to business. [La Presse]
- Arber Xhekaj is using his stick more to defend, and it’s leading to a steady progression in his overall play. [Journal de Montreal]
- Less time in the penalty box is one reason for Brendan Gallagher’s strong start. [Journal de Montreal]
- Several Habs legends are current players have joined Sport’Aide, an organization that promotes things like managing emotions in sports and respecting others, which is being adopted all across Quebec. [Radio-Canada]
Around the league and elsewhere
- “[I]f we had done our job in here, he would still be around,” Brad Marchand said a day Jim Montgomery was fired. [NHL.com]
- The NHL has seen its first coaching change. Who is most at risk of being the second? [The Athletic]
- Sports betting’s rise is leading to more harassment of the players, with fans who lose money reaching out to players directly, demanding refunds. One player says that’s particularly bad in games versus the Toronto Maple Leafs. [The Athletic]
- Alex Ovechkin is week-to-week with a leg injury. [NHL.com]
- Thatcher Demko is making slow, steady progress in his recovery from a knee injury. [Sportsnet]
- Seth Jones will miss four weeks with a foot injury. [NHL.com]
- Which team would land John Gibson if he’s available in a trade? [TSN]
- We are two weeks away from the roster reveals for the 4 Nations Face-Off. [NHL.com]
- Kalen Anderson got to make saves on her favourite player, T.J. Oshie, at Capitals practice thanks to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. [NHL.com]
