Montreal Canadiens news and notes
- Jean-François Houle says he isn’t feeling any heat, but this is a pivotal contract year for the Laval Rocket head coach. [RDS | Google Translate]
- Can the Canadiens compensate for a lack of firepower at the top of the lineup by loading up the bottom of the lineup? [The Athletic]
- What will the identity of the fourth line be? [RDS]
- The state of the Habs blue-line prospects has come a long from six years ago when Victor Mete was the best option to play with Shea Weber on the top defence pairing. [Montreal Gazette]
- Sean Farrell continues to work on transitioning from the college game to AHL. [Montreal Gazette]
- Cole Caufield is embracing his status as a fan favourite. [Sportsnet]
- Three reasons for the Habs to be better this season than last. [Daily Hive]
- It’s far too soon even to wonder if Juraj Slafkovsky is a bust. [The Hockey News]
- Arber Xhekaj still needs to prove that he can take on the league’s best forwards. [La Presse]
- David Reinbacher’s Swiss League coach compared him to Jeff Petry. [Daily Hive]
- Jared Davidson scored twice as the Laval Rocket defeated the Toronto Marlies in preseason action. [La Presse]
- Nathan Légaré still sees himself as a scorer. [RDS]
- Blake Biondi is back at UMD and ready for his senior year. [The Rink Live (Audio)]
Around the league and elsewhere
- Listening to commissioner Gary Bettman, you don’t have to squint very hard to see the NHL expanding in the not-so-distant future. [Daily Faceoff]
- What is it like for an NHL player to be sent down to the minors? [The Athletic]
- Finding hope for the NHL’s ten most hopeless teams this year. [The Athletic]
- ‘It’s like I’ve already been here a year.’ Inside Pierre-Luc Dubois’ dream-like transition to the Los Angeles Kings. [Daily Faceoff]
- Former NHL player Myles Jack and his mother LaSonija have finalized the purchase of the ECHL’s Allen Americans, making them the second African American majority owners in professional hockey history. [Daily Faceoff]
- A preliminary deal for a new $1.2-billion event centre and entertainment district that includes a new rink for the Calgary Flames has been finalized. [Sportsnet]
- What we think we know about every team in the Atlantic Division. [Sportsnet]
- High stakes and big opportunities await undrafted hopefuls invited to PWHL training camps. [CBC]
