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Friday Habs Headlines: Johnathan Kovacevic is a steady hand at the wheel

In today’s links, Kaiden Guhle’s absence opens the door for others in the Canadiens’ blueline corps, Arber Xhekaj talks about his parents’ immigrant experience, and is time catching up with Alex Ovechkin?

Credit: David Kirouac-USA TODAY Sports

Montreal Canadiens news and notes

  • Johnathan Kovacevic’s ‘not sexy’ game is blossoming with the Habs. [Montreal Gazette]
  • The Canadiens will be counting on Kovacevic and Jordan Harris to step up. [Sportsnet]
  • Martin St. Louis says he has confidence that his team’s depth can withstand the absences. [CBC Sports]
  • How can the Habs cope with the injury bug? [La Presse]
  • Kaiden Guhle’s injury opens the door for Justin Barron. [Montreal Gazette]
  • Arber Xhekaj knows how starting a new life in a new country comes with its share of obstacles. He’s trying to smooth the way. [La Presse]
  • Xhekaj isn’t the biggest fan of his “Wifi” nickname. [Daily Hive]
  • The Habs are betting on patience with Samuel Montembeault. [Radio-Canada]
  • The three goalie rotation isn’t the best outcome for Cayden Primeau. [A Winning Habit]
  • As the Canadiens’ front office brass settled in to watch Filip Mesar, they got an eyeful of Jiri Kulich. [La Presse]
  • Mesar is mentally prepared for a return to the OHL, if that’s the decision made by the Canadiens. [Radio-Canada]

Around the league and elsewhere

  • Calgary Flames prospect Topi Rönni is taking a leave from his club Tappara Tampere after receiving a court summons in connection with an allegation of rape, the Finnish team announced Thursday. [TSN | Tappara Tampere (Finnish)]
  • The latest on Phil Kessel, Zach Parise, and other free agents. [The Athletic]
  • Four ideas to improve the NHL on-ice product. [The Hockey News]
  • The Winnipeg Jets and Buffalo Sabres are just two of the NHL teams struggling with attendance early in the 2023-24 campaign. [Daily Faceoff]
  • Eight notable upcoming RFAs and what their next contracts could look like. [The Athletic]
  • Is it panic time for Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals? [Daily Faceoff | Radio-Canada]
  • Patrik Laine… at centre? That, and six other experiments around the NHL. [The Athletic]
  • In 1973, a cartoon puck teaching the ins-and-outs of hockey became an instant hit. Fifty years later, Peter Puck is gearing up for a comeback. [The Hockey News]

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