Habs Daily: Vote For The Most Underrated Player, Playoff Lessons

Here are the Montreal Canadiens news, highlights, and stories you may have missed on Monday.

Montreal Canadiens News

• Introducing our newest series, ‘Habs Fan Votes’. Every few days we will run a new poll to give Montreal Canadiens fans an opportunity to have their say. The first poll centers on the most underrated member of the current NHL lineup. As it stands, with over 500 votes in the bank, players like Johnathan Kovacevic, Jordan Harris, Jake Evans, and Arber Xhekaj are leading the underrated charge. Make sure to cast your vote by clicking on the link following this sentence.  [Habs Fans Vote: Canadiens Awards – Most Underrated Player]
• We often suggest that certain teams have set the tone for success in the NHL playoffs, but attempting to chase the meta rarely leads to success. By the time a team has caught up, the reality in the NHL has played. Truth be told, building a contender is much more complicated than simply drafting in the top 5 a lot or developing high-end players. [Canadiens Analysis: Lessons From The NHL’s Final Four]
• Prospect Daniil Sobolev signed a two-year, two-way contract in the KHL with Spartak Moscow. The Habs were unlikely to offer him an entry-level contract. On that note, the Canadiens will still maintain Sobolev’s NHL rights until June 1st, 2025.

#GoHabsGo prospect Daniil Sobolev signs two-year contract with Spartak #KHL pic.twitter.com/48Vr0aWm6H

— Hockey News Hub (@HockeyNewsHub) May 25, 2024

• According to Dans Les Coulisse, Laval Rocket head coach Jean-Francois Houle is expected to sign a contract extension to stay in place as the team’s bench boss. Despite not qualifying for the playoffs, you’d be hard-pressed to argue Houle was working with a full deck given how many injuries and call-ups took place in the last two seasons. [Evaluating Whether Houle Is The Right Coach For The Laval Rocket]

• Justin Barron is out there living his best life. There’s nothing wrong with heading to the Caribbean for a relaxing vacation, but personally, I enjoy travelling much more than vacationing. To each their own, of course.

Hey Justin 👋 pic.twitter.com/oeqjFtKB0F

— /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) May 27, 2024

National Hockey Now Network

• After playing the first two games close to the vest, the Florida Panthers and New York Rangers certainly opened things up in Game 3 on Sunday. The Panthers rallied from a two-goal deficit and tied the score in the third — only New York scored 5:35 into overtime for a 5-4 win. New York now holds a 2-1 series lead after winning two straight in OT. [Florida Panthers]
• Since when did Mikko Rantanen become the whipping boy for Colorado Avalanche fans? Going back to before the playoffs even began, a very vocal portion of the fanbase has been calling for the Avalanche to potentially trade the back-to-back 100-point scorer this offseason, opening up some cap space with the idea of spreading the wealth around the lineup a little bit. I don’t believe it’s a large portion of the fanbase, but they’re out there, as I get a few messages a day floating the idea out there. I just have one question, though. Have people forgotten how hard it is to find elite talent? [Colorado Avalanche]
• The 2024 NHL Draft is just about one month away, and shortly after that, NHL free agency will open on July 1. For the rebuilding Philadelphia Flyers, this is undoubtedly the most important time of year. As is tradition, there has been no shortage of Flyers trade rumours, and NHL rumours in general, with most teams planning their offseasons during the Stanley Cup playoffs. And there are quite a few off-season rumours that make perfect sense for the Flyers. [Philadelphia Flyers]