After making a strong impression during Montreal Canadiens development camp last year, Bogdan Konyushkov returned home and signed a contract extension with Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod, clearly betting on himself and his development in Russia. This decision will also shorten his ELC term to just one year most likely when it is signed, making sure he will avoid AHL time as the team would want to evaluate him against NHL opposition.
His overall season with Torpedo was a success. The point total ...
Montreal Canadiens news and notes
Ivan Demidov has two choices when the Canadiens offer him a contract extension this summer: become very rich or become very, very, very rich. [ Journal de Montreal ]
Brendan Gallagher will be given an opportunity to play out the final season of his contract with another team but the pain of his final months with the Canadiens won’t be healing any time soon. [ Sportsnet ]
If the Canadiens choose to move on from Kirby Dach, finding a trade partn...
As disappointingly as the 2025-26 season ended for the Montreal Canadiens, it was easy for many to focus on how badly the Carolina Hurricanes beat them in the end. A game one win breathed hope into the city, two consecutive overtime losses were a gut punch that left it breathless, and then the more experienced team just took over the series completely.
We even learned afterwards of the the impending loss of franchise mainstay Brendan Gallagher. One of the toughest clips to watch in some t...
Montreal Canadiens news and notes
This isn’t how Brendan Gallagher’s time with Canadiens should have ended. [ Montreal Gazette ]
His teammates have high praise for the ostensibly departing Gallagher. [ Montreal Gazette ]
After giving his all, Gallagher leaves via the side door. [ Radio-Canada ]
Cole Caufield is “nowhere near satisfied” with his post-season totals. [ Montreal Gazette ]
Will the Canadiens be tempted by the free agent market? [ RDS ]
The Habs need ...
2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs
Stanley Cup Final Game 1: Carolina Hurricanes vs. Vegas Golden Knights
How to watch
Start time: 8:00 PM EDT / 5:00 PM PDT In Canada: CBC, Sportsnet (English) TVA Sports (French) In the U.S.: ABC Streaming: Sportsnet+
The Carolina Hurricanes have reached the Stanley Cup Final having dropped just a single game through three rounds. That one loss did come in the opening game of round 3 with the Montreal Canadiens in town, so you know they’ve been talk...
Montreal Canadiens News and Notes
It seems like Brendan Gallagher is preparing to move on. [ TSN | Sportsnet | TVA Sports | Montreal Gazette | La Presse | Radio-Canada | Radio-Canada | NHL ]
The past, the present, and what is to come. [ The Athletic | Canadiens ]
Gallagher still has value to offer. [ Yahoo Sports | TVA Sports ]
Patrik Laine is looking to the future. [ TSN | Sportsnet | La Presse ]
Cole Caufield and the first line were disappointed with their own perf...
The Montreal Canadiens’ magical run to the Eastern Conference final ended with a sour taste after a five-game series loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.
Recency bias is normal, but there aren’t many Habs fans who would have expected a trip to the third round of the playoffs when training camp started last fall. The Canadiens still have holes to fill, but showed impressive progress, making the playoffs for a second consecutive season.
It will surely be a busy and important summer for the...
The Montreal Canadiens’ magical run to the Eastern Conference final ended with a sour taste after a five-game series loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.
Recency bias is normal, but there aren’t many Habs fans who would have expected a trip to the third round of the playoffs when training camp started last fall. The Canadiens still have holes to fill, but showed impressive progress, making the playoffs for a second consecutive season.
It will surely be a busy and important summer for the...
Over 20,000 people crowded downtown Montreal and the Quarter des Spectacles as the Montreal Victoire celebrated their first Walter Cup championship in style.
Today we have a gallery of photos from the event. All photos are by Sheila P.
The photos provide a glimpse of the atmosphere that is hard to put into words. Players were obviously enjoying themselves, but there are also moments where they are clearly trying to soak it all in. If you’re wondering why defender Amanda Boulier had a...
In his first professional season, Alexander Zharovsky stood out for all the right reasons, not only points but in overall play and skill that transferred well from the Juniors into the pro ranks. The thing that benefited Zharovsky the most was the fact that Salavat Yulaev is a relatively small-market team within the KHL and the team had some financial difficulties at the start of the season. Because of that, the door was left open for Zharovsky to play a bigger role than he would have in a big...
Montreal Canadiens news and notes
Ivan Demidov’s play was one of the positives from this year’s playoff run. [ Montreal Gazette ]
Kent Hughes will be busy with negotiations on several fronts this off-season. [ La Presse ]
Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, and Jakub Dobeš showed their support for the PWHL champion Montreal Victoire at a Luke Combs concert on Saturday. [ TVA Sports ]
Hayden Paupanekis spent his season with the Kelowna Rockets working on his consistency and using ...
When the red double-decker bus taking the Montreal Victoire from the Verdun Auditorium turned on Ste-Catherine street, Victoire goaltender Ann-Renée Desbiens was at the front of the bus, eager to see what awaited them. What she saw, down the famous street no stranger to parades celebrating professional hockey teams, was a sea of people. So many that in her own words, she couldn’t even see pavement.
That’s when the 32-year-old goaltender, known for her calm, stoic, unflappable, and compose...
Montreal Canadiens news and notes
Mike Matheson wishes the Canadiens could have pushed themselves to take a 3-1 series lead in the opening two rounds when they had the chance on home ice. [ RDS ]
The poor home performances in a run that featured seven road wins played a significant part in Montreal’s exit. [ NHL.com ]
Phillip Danault admits that the combination of fatigue and the suffocating system of the Carolina Hurricanes discouraged the Canadiens as the series went on. [ J...
Montreal Canadiens news and notes
“Even though we feel close, we’re still so far away,” Lane Hutson said, recognizing the gap between the veteran Carolina Hurricanes and the Canadiens. [ Journal de Montreal ]
“Being stretched mentally and physically for seven weeks is a great opportunity to grow. I’m glad we went through that,” Martin St-Louis said after the team’s third-round exit. [ Journal de Montreal ]
The top moments of Claude Lemieux’s career. [ La Presse ]
Around...
First period
Right off the opening puck drop the Carolina Hurricanes get a two-on-one rush, but the shot gets sent high and wide by Jackson Blake.
Finally out of their zone after allowing the first three shots, Lane Hutson spins away from Andrei Svechnikov, who sticks out his foot and trips him, so Montreal will head to the game’s first power play.
Let’s go ahead and call these the most important two minutes of the season.
An attempted pass gets deflected and flutters to ...
2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs – Eastern Conference Final
Game 5: Montreal Canadiens (A3) @ Carolina Hurricanes (M1)
CAR leads 3-1
Start time: **8:00 PM EDT / 5:00 PM PDT** In Canada: CBC, Sportsnet (English), TVA Sports (French) In the United States: TNT, truTV Streaming: HBO Max, Sportsnet+
The Montreal Canadiens looked frustrated with the Carolina Hurricanes’ pressure at the end of the Game 4, but the were also facing the biggest deficit they’ve had in the series so far...
2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs – Eastern Conference Final
Game 5: Montreal Canadiens (A3) @ Carolina Hurricanes (M1)
CAR leads 3-1
Start time: **8:00 PM EDT / 5:00 PM PDT** In Canada: CBC, Sportsnet (English), TVA Sports (French) In the United States: TNT, truTV Streaming: HBO Max, Sportsnet+
Since the Montreal Canadiens began the Eastern Conference Final with a rather shocking 6-2 win, their performances have progressively gotten worse. They had a close match in Game 2 th...
Montreal Canadiens news and notes
Claude Lemieux has passed away at the age of 60. [ Sportsnet | The Athletic | La Presse | RDS ]
Lemieux was an “impact player” who was ready to do anything to win. [ La Presse | RDS ]
Jakub Dobeš has stabilized the Canadiens’ crease by steadying his emotions. [ Sportsnet ]
Despite the deficit, Dobeš is still standing tall. [ NHL.com ]
Are there reasons to believe in a Habs comeback? [ RDS | La Presse ]
The Canadiens must overcom...
Montreal Canadiens news and notes
Lane Hutson will stop at nothing to deliver the win the Canadiens need right now and the rest of the team should follow his lead. [ Sportsnet ]
Jake Evans believes the team needs to get back to using one of their greatest assets — speed — to crack the Carolina Hurricanes’ stingy defence. [ TSN ]
Stanley Cup champion Brian Skrudland thinks the Canadiens have stayed competitive thanks to their goaltending and strong buy-in under Martin St. ...
First period
Jakub Dobeš makes the first big play of the night with a breakaway stop on Jackson Blake.
Carolina gets a few more chances after two weak clearance by the Canadiens. They haven’t learned that lesson through three games.
Another nonchalant pass from Noah Dobson gets picked off for another shot. The Habs are just asking to get scored on first once again with these defensive-zone plays.
The crowd reacts as Nick Suzuki is cross-checked in the back to the ice in h...
2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs – Eastern Conference Final
Game 4: Montreal Canadiens (A3) vs. Carolina Hurricanes (M1)
CAR leads 2-1
Start time: **8:00 PM EDT / 5:00 PM PDT** In Canada: CBC, Sportsnet (English), TVA Sports (French) In the United States: TNT, truTV Streaming: HBO Max, Sportsnet+
For the first time since the opening game of the series versus the Buffalo Sabres, and just the second time in this post-season, the Canadiens fins themselves trailing in a series. ...
2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs – Eastern Conference Final
Game 4: Montreal Canadiens (A3) vs. Carolina Hurricanes (M1)
CAR leads 2-1
Start time: **8:00 PM EDT / 5:00 PM PDT** In Canada: CBC, Sportsnet (English), TVA Sports (French) In the United States: TNT, truTV Streaming: HBO Max, Sportsnet+
For the third consecutive game in the Eastern Conference Final, the Montreal Canadiens held the Carolina Hurricanes to two goals through 60 minutes of play. Jakub Dobeš played a han...
Montreal Canadiens news and notes
Martin St-Louis expects the team ‘to show up’ in Game 4 of the Eastern Final. [ Montreal Gazette ]
“We’re not dead,” says the head coach. [ RDS ]
The Canadiens are looking to find ‘balance’ with the puck in Game 4. [ NHL.com ]
“It would be nice to be up 2-1, but we’re not because of me,” says Lane Hutson. [ TSN ]
How the Carolina Hurricanes are stifling Hutson. [ Sportsnet ]
Sooner or later, the Habs will have to help their...
After accomplishing the mission of winning at least one game in North Carolina, the Montreal Canadiens returned to the Bell Centre for game three on Monday night. It was a classic Carolina Hurricanes performance, dominating the shot total and forcing the Habs to be opportunistic as they battled their way to overtime. Unfortunately, once there, a well placed point shot handed the Habs their first consecutive losses of these playoffs, and a 2-1 deficit in the series.
Absolute joke offi...
These are always the posts that I enjoy writing the least. It means another AHL season has come to a close in the Calder Cup playoffs, and it means that Laval Rocket coverage is winding down until late summer. It is a season coming to a close much sooner than the Laval Rocket, their coach, and their fans would have liked as they lost Game 5 of the division semifinals to the Toronto Marlies.
The loss to the Marlies in the deciding game was a near perfect distillation of all the issues that...