Thursday Habs Headlines: Phillip Danault among NHL’s elite faceoff men

Montreal Canadiens news and notes

• Phillip Danault continues to impress with his faceoff skills. [Canadiens]
• Max Domi’s “agitator” role with the Canadiens is one that has been rarely filled in recent years. [Athlétique]
• Habs’ goalie prospect Cayden Primeau has been nominated for the Hobey Baker, along with his teammate, Jeremy Davies. [Northeastern]
• ICYMI: Paul Byron publicly accepted responsibility for charging Panthers’ defenceman MacKenzie Weegar after receiving a three-game suspension from the league. [EOTP]
• Josh Gorges, who announced his retirement this week, has fond memories of his time with the Habs, and teammates have fond memories of him, as well. [Canadiens]/

View this post on Instagram

Congratulation @joshgorges2018 on a successful career! Played the game incredibly hard, and competed his ass off every night. Cheers gorgy! 🍻 Ps. You taught me a lot those first couple years, but I think the thing I’m most appreciative of were the great skating tips you shared with me. (Slide over for video evidence)

A post shared by Brendan Gallagher (@bgally.11) on Jan 16, 2019 at 7:52am PST

• How many Mike and Ikes is a puck from Max Domi worth?/

Mike n Ike for a puck, straight up? Yup. He overpaid actually. Reds my favourite colour. 😎#thanksbuddy pic.twitter.com/zTGJPwQNou

— Max Domi (@max_domi) January 16, 2019

Around the league and elsewhere

• The main players are emerging as the NHL trade deadline nears. [31 Thoughts]
• Are there really players in the league who rack up points without helping their team win? [Raw Charge]
• Larry Murphy can sympathize with Jake Gardiner. [CBC]
• Pending UFA Matt Duchene doesn’t plan to let his contract be a “distraction” in the room. [TSN]
• John Scott is thankfully okay after falling through the ice in Michigan over the weekend. [Second City Hockey]
• Skaters and goalies shared the real dirty about what goes in “the dirty area” in front of the goaltender. [The Athletic]
• The AHL is keeping this simple and classic for this year’s All Star Game./

Be careful touching our 2019 #AHLAllStar jerseys.

They're sharp.https://t.co/wkBt0AZxjx pic.twitter.com/4VMxBuI7YC

— AHL (@TheAHL) January 16, 2019

• Harrison Browne dropped the puck for the Hurricanes/Rangers game on Tuesday, which also marked the first time players have used Pride Tape on their sticks for a ceremonial puck drop. [Twitter]
• The NHL and NHLPA have reached an agreement that there will not be a World Cup of Hockey in 2020. [NHL | NHLPA]/