Montreal Canadiens news and notes
- “We’re young, hungry players,” Alexandre Carrier says of the team looking for an even better season. [Journal de Montreal]
- The Canadiens’ average age has been coming down since 2021-22, and they now rank as the youngest roster in the NHL. [Radio-Canada]
- Lane Hutson took the blame for the game-winning goal last night. [RDS]
- Hutson’s contract negotiations are now being undertaken by a team of QUARTEXX agents and not just the defenceman’s personal representative. [Journal de Montreal]
- Hutson won the team competition to predict the first scorer of the season, choosing Oliver Kapanen. [Canadiens.com]
- Kent Hughes has a long-term vision, but the actual plan is a fluid one that needs to adapt on the fly. [Journal de Montreal]
- Hughes says patience is needed with newcomers Noah Dobson and Zachary Bolduc, as well as David Reinbacher. [Radio-Canada]
- How Dobson will make the Canadiens a better defensive team. [TSN]
- Zachary Bolduc left the USHL to play in the QMJHL after Sidney Crosby called him to vouch for Rimouski. [Montreal Gazette]
- Juraj Slafkovský says he trained harder this off-season than ever before by doing all the work requested by Adam Nicholas and his strength coach. [The Athletic]
- Montreal’s forward corps is ranked “below average.” [The Athletic]
- Montreal Alouettes linebacker Geoffrey Cantin-Arku predicts 45 goals for Cole Caufield, 90 points for Nick Suzuki, and a Calder Trophy for Ivan Demidov. [Journal de Montreal]
- Alex Belzile says he’s getting better each year, and is holding on to his dream of playing in the NHL. [RDS]
- Michael Hage is one of the top players to watch in the NCAA. [NHL.com]
- Pierre Houde discusses his 50 years in the business in this audio interview. [Radio-Canada]
Around the league and elsewhere
- The Vegas Golden Knights extended Jack Eichel’s contract by eight seasons. [NHL.com]
- Kyle Connor inked an extension for eight more years with the Winnipeg Jets. [NHL.com]
- Previous long-term agreements from Mark Scheifele and Connor Hellebuyck convinced Kyle Connor to sign a similar deal with the Jets. [TSN]
- Free agent Jack Roslovic signed a one-year contract with the Edmonton Oilers. [NHL.com]
- Mattias Ekholm signed a three-year extension with Edmonton. [NHL.com]
- Gary Bettman praised Connor McDavid for thinking of his team’s financial flexibility when negotiating his new contract. [Sportsnet]
- Leon Draisaitl scored goal #400 in the season-opener. [NHL.com]
- The St. Louis Blues signed goaltender Georgi Romanov to a two-way deal. [TSN]
- Cam Atkinson is retiring after 13 NHL seasons. [NHL.com]
- Willie O’Ree was honoured by the San Diego Gulls, one of the final teams he played for in his career, ahead of his 90th birthday. [NHL.com]
- The Detroit Red Wings will wear a jersey patch in honour of Alex Delvecchio. [NHL.com]
- Looking back at the first NHL game in Detroit. [NHL.com]
