Subj : Canadiens News & Rumors: Price,;Kotkaniemi
To : All
From : The Hockey Writers
Date : Mon Jun 29 2020 04:40 am
In today's Montreal Canadiens news and rumors roundup, Carey Price is named the
Habs' 2019-20 Molson Cup Player of the Year for the ninth time in his career.
Jesperi Kotkaniemi is available to participate in Montreal's training camp.
Plus, will the risk of contracting COVID-19 make head coach Claude Julien think
twice about being behind the bench against the Pittsburgh Penguins? In other
play-in series news, will Matt Murray be the starting goaltender for the Pens
against the Habs?
What will Max Domi's next contract look like? And off the ice, Tomas Tatar
shows off his tennis skills.
Carey Price Named Canadiens' Player of the Year
For the ninth time in his career and second year in a row, Price has been named
the Habs' 2019-20 Molson Cup Player of the Year thanks to a 27-25-6 record, a
2.79 goals-against average (GAA), and a .909 save percentage (SV%) in 58 games
this season. Price finished ahead of Brendan Gallagher and Nick Suzuki in the
Molson Cup Standings, which are calculated based on post-game star selections.
Carey Price, Montreal Canadiens (Photo by David Kirouac/Icon Sportswire)
Price led the league in minutes played (3439:49) for a second consecutive
season. He ranked first in the NHL in games played (tied with Connor Hellebuyck
of the Winnipeg Jets) as well as fifth in wins. The 32-year-old netminder also
notched his 47th career shutout in February, which moved him past Ken Dryden
for third place in team history in that category.
Price will need to be even better and more consistent during Montreal's play-in
series against Pittsburgh if the Canadiens hope to pull off a big upset and
advance to the playoffs. Speaking to the media via conference call, Price said
he is looking forward to competing for the Stanley Cup:
"It';s motivating, without a doubt. It's a great opportunity if we get to play,
and for me to come into a playoff scenario well-rested - that';s been well
documented. I';m just trying to prepare myself as well as possible for any
situation." Carey Price
Jesperi Kotkaniemi Is Healthy and Ready to Play
Arpon Basu of The Athletic reported on Friday night that Kotkaniemi is
completely healthy and will be returning to Montreal in the coming days
intending to participate in the Canadiens' training camp instead of continuing
to rehab his spleen injury.
EXCLUSIVE: Jesperi Kotkaniemi will be coming to Montreal for training camp, and
he's not coming to continue his rehab.
He's coming to play.
Read more:
https://t.co/OScXE1vxoE- Аrpon Basu (@ArponBasu) June 26, 2020
Kotkaniemi injured his spleen during a game in March but did not require
surgery. He was not expected to return this season, but the COVID-19 pause and
the NHL's Return to Play Plan has allowed him to play.
Related: Habs' Kotkaniemi Is Not a Bust
Before getting injured, the 19-year-old was playing in the American Hockey
League (AHL) with the Laval Rocket. He put up 13 points in 13 games after being
sent down.
Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Montreal Canadiens (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)
The question now is if and where Kotkaniemi will slot in the lineup against
Pittsburgh. He might be put in the third-line centre spot, which would move
Domi to the wing. Or maybe he goes to the fourth line to give that trio an
offensive threat. Regardless of where he plays, the fact that Kotkaniemi is
healthy is welcome news for the Habs and getting some playoff experience will
be important for his development.
Will Claude Julien Coach Against the Penguins?
Pierre LeBrun spoke to several older coaches in the NHL for a recent article in
The Athletic as Phases 3 and 4 of the league's Return to Play Plan to find out
how safe they feel about going back to their jobs amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Head coach Claude Julien (Photo by Dave Reginek/NHLI via Getty Images)
Among those that LeBrun spoke to is Canadiens' head coach Claude Julien who
turned 60 in April. While he fully expects to be behind his team's bench
against the Penguins, he will weigh his options to protect himself and his
family (from ‘LeBrun: Amid safety concerns, older NHL coaches weigh-in on
return to play', The AthleticNHL - 06/24/20).
"No doubt you're thinking of the different options you may have, whether it's
wearing a mask, to what extent you are going to deal with your team and
players. I know it may be a challenge behind the bench more than anywhere else
but my thinking is that I need to be ready to adjust and have options when that
time comes depending on where we are at with COVID and our hockey
circumstance." - Claude Julien
Related: Canadiens' Likely Lineup for the Penguins Play-in Series
It would be odd not to see Julien coaching when play resumes and could put them
at a disadvantage should he choose not to return. It will also be worthwhile
to follow whether any other coaches or team staff choose not to go back to work
for safety reasons.
Matt Murray Expected to Start Versus Canadiens
The Athletic reported last week that two-time Stanley Cup champion Murray is
likely to be the starting goaltender for the Penguins in their play-in series
against the Canadiens.
Matt Murray, Pittsburgh Penguins (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)
Murray lost his starting job to Tristan Jarry earlier this season, but was
between the pipes for four of Pittsburgh's final five games before the pause
and won three of them. Overall, he was 20-11-5 with a 2.87 GAA and a .899 SV%.
Pittsburgh head coach Mike Sullivan expects Murray to be at the top of his
game:
"We have extremely high expectations for Matt. He has shown the ability to play
at his very best when the stakes are at their highest, and I can';t think of a
better characteristic to have for an athlete."Mike Sullivan
Sullivan can't be faulted for wanting to lean on Murray's past playoff
experience and expect more impressive performances in these upcoming postseason
games. It would be interesting to know how Canadiens players reacted to the
news and if they would prefer to face the more inexperienced Jarry.
Max Domi's Next Contract
In his latest Canadiens mailbag, Eric Engels of Sportsnet fielded a question
from a reader about how the current stoppage in play and uncertain future will
affect Domi's next contract with the Canadiens.
Related: Canadiens' Draft Targets if They Beat the Penguins
He predicts that the pending restricted free agent will sign a short-term deal,
most likely with a one-year term.
Max Domi, Montreal Canadiens (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)
This path seems to be the best solution for both sides given the current
situation and it would certainly help general manager Marc Bergevin keep his
cap flexibility. This will allow him to be more aggressive in both the trade
and free agent markets this offseason, given that so many other teams will
likely be in cap distress.
Tomas Tatar Showcases Tennis Talent
Tomas Tatar showed he has great skills both on the ice and on the court at the
Leon Pro Summer Cup 2020 tennis tournament in Bratislava, Slovakia last
weekend.
Competing against other hockey players, Montreal's leading scorer this season
took home the trophy after defeating Ondrej Rusnák, who used to play in the
Slovakian league, 6-2, 7-5 in the final.
View this post on Instagram Každý deň stúpame v rebríčku
😅😝. 🏆 #idemedalej #nemamcas #dazdnezastavis #tennis Ďakujem
všetkým fanúšikom a trénerom 🤣🤣🤣. 🥇🥈🥉 A post shared
by Tomas Tatar (trto90) (@tomastatar90) on Jun 20, 2020 at 6:35am PDT
Tatar comes from an athletic family. (from 'Stu on Sports: Canadiens'; Tomas
Tatar shows off his tennis skills,'; Montreal Gazette, 06/22/2020)His father
played soccer as a kid and coached tennis. His mother was a gymnast and his two
older brothers both played pro hockey in Slovakia.
Even though there are still details to be ironed out before Phase 4 of the
Return to Play plan gets the green light, it';s going to be an exciting summer
for the Habs and their fans. Not to mention, they also have the Phase 2 Draft
Lottery to look forward to and the chance to possibly draft Alexis
Lafrenière with the no. 1 overall pick.
The post Canadiens News & Rumors: Price, Kotkaniemi & Domi appeared first on
The Hockey Writers.
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