Habs Daily: Organizational Needs, Harris’ Great Year, Kidney

All the latest Habs news, recent Montreal Canadiens stories, as well as information from around the National Hockey League.

Habs News

• The Montreal Canadiens continue the slow process of building out their roster to become a sustainable winner, with some major holes to fill. As they continue the process of rebuilding the club, there are key positions in the lineup that will become a major focus for the organization moving forward. [Canadiens Biggest Organizational Needs]
• Habs prospect Riley Kidney is up to his old tricks. And in Kidney’s case, that means he’s one of the most productive playmakers in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. [Canadiens Prospect Report: Riley Kidney’s Playmaking Shines]
• Despite arriving at training camp with very little fanfare, rookie Jordan Harris ended up being one of the most surprising, and impressive defencemen on the team. [Jordan Harris’ Surprising Rookie Campaign]

National Hockey Now News

• Game one did not go the way the Colorado Avalanche expected it to against the Seattle Kraken. While the home team generated 35 shots on goal, the general consensus from the players was that it was a little too much “one and done” and that more traffic is needed.. [Colorado Avalanche
• ]Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Jan Rutta is recovering from core-muscle surgery. His recovery time is expected to be 8-10 weeks, which means he should have time to prepare for training camp in September. [Pittsburgh Penguins]
• The Florida Panthers played a complete game against the Boston Bruins on Wednesday night, giving up just two special team goals — one off a turnover, the other off a deflection — in the meaningful parts of what ended up becoming a 6-3 win in Game 2 of their best-of-7 playoff series. [Florida Panthers]
• The Red Wings like bigger players and need right-shot defensemen. The signing of 6-foot-5 Antti Toumisto checks off two boxes on the Detroit want list. [Detroit Red Wings]
• The Vegas Golden Knights held practice Wednesday morning at City National Arena after their 5-1 loss to the Winnipeg Jets in game one of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. A couple of notable absences were at practice as the VGK attempt to get fully healthy for this playoff run. [Vegas Golden Knights]
•  A Stanley Cup playoff series doesn’t really feel like it’s gotten going until things get nasty on the ice, and that absolutely happened for the Boston Bruins and the Florida Panthers on Wednesday night. [Boston Bruins]