Habs Daily: Management Stability, Demidov Impact, Dryden

Here are the Montreal Canadiens news items, stories, and content you may have missed on Tuesday.

Montreal Canadiens News

You’d be hard-pressed to argue the five-year contract extensions given to Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton were unwarranted. Now that the team has their core players locked in, not to mention the architects of the impressive rebuild, the Canadiens can enjoy a level of stability rarely seen in the NHL. [Hughes & Gorton A Stark Contrast To Former Habs Management]

The top line continues its excellent play at 5v5, as evidenced by Cole Caufield’s two-goal effort versus the Seattle Kraken. Without taking any of the credit away from Caufield, Nick Suzuki, and Juraj Slafkovsky, it was super rookie Ivan Demidov who stole the show on Tuesday. He kicked things off with a great assist, and was the author of a very nice game-tying goal in the dying minutes of the third period. [Canadiens Highlights: Demidov Steals The Show In Home Opener]

The Canadiens held a nice tribute to legendary netminder Ken Dryden, one of the greatest Canadians of all time. [Canadiens Legend Ken Dryden Represented The Best Of Us]

ICYMI: The Canadiens have a decent amount of cap space this season, but the real opportunity will come in 2026-27. With their core players locked in for the foreseeable future, Kent Hughes has plenty of financial manoeuvrability due to the healthy salary-cap situation. [Canadiens Long-Term Salary Cap Situation Including Hutson]

National Hockey Now Network

The Florida Panthers had to know the Flyers were going to come out with their hair on fire in their home opener on Monday night, yet that does not mean they were all that ready for it. [Florida Panthers]

Harrison Brunicke was a healthy scratch Tuesday when the Pittsburgh Penguins face the Anaheim Ducks at the Honda Center. However, the 19-year-old rookie’s scratch is not a punishment but part of a preplanned effort to keep Brunicke fresh. [Pittsburgh Penguins]

Heading home with a 2-1-0 record after a three-game season opening road trip should leave smiles on the faces of the New Jersey Devils. The Devils are off on Tuesday, but by Wednesday, those smiles should be wiped. Yes, Thursday’s home opener will bring excitement, but the Devils’ biggest test is still ahead of them. [New Jersey Devils]