Instead of Friday being the first day of the draft in Montreal as originally scheduled, the NHL held the first phase of its lottery instead and helped clarify some scenarios for where the Habs may be drafting in October.
For the Habs to have a shot at beating Pittsburgh, their top guys need to be at their best. That much is obvious. But who or what are some of the X-Factors for Montreal in their play-in series? Our writers offer up their insights.
After Karl Alzner spent most of the season in Laval, the Habs will once again need to decide this offseason whether or not to buy him out. On the surface, the answer may seem like an obvious yes but the numbers suggest that they may be more inclined to keep him.
The Habs haven’t had a lot of players from British Columbia suit up for them over the years but there have been some notable ones. Here are the results from our top line poll, including something that happened for the first time in this series.
The last two seasons have basically been a write-off for Noah Juulsen with recurring vision and headache issues. Despite that, he remains an intriguing X-factor for Montreal’s defence.
Around the league on Tuesday, teams have been announcing the nominees for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy as voted on by the local chapter of the PHWA. Shea Weber was voted as Montreal’s candidate for the award.
Max Domi is getting most of the attention among Montreal’s pending restricted free agents but Victor Mete is another notable one. However, if it wasn’t for mismanagement in his development, he wouldn’t be needing a new contract just yet.
The Habs having a shot at being in the playoffs is something that didn’t look likely before the pandemic. Now that they’re back in it, should they be? Our writers offer up their thoughts on the 24-team return and Montreal’s inclusion.
The Habs have some notable contributions over the years from international players that aren’t a typical hockey power. Those players were grouped into Team Europe for our poll series and here is who our readers voted for as Montreal’s top line.
On Tuesday, the NHL confirmed the 24-team Return to Play format which means that while the regular season is now over, Montreal’s 2019-20 campaign will last a little longer.