Sports

Montreal Canadiens Youth Movement Could Lead To More Trades

Published

1 year ago

July 2, 2023

Given how rarely rookies are given roster spots in the NHL, few were expecting the Montreal Canadiens to enter the 2022-23 season with more than one rookie defenceman in the lineup.

At most, there was discussion that a player like Jordan Harris or perhaps even Arber Xhekaj could end up joining Kaiden Guhle in the opening-night lineup, but the idea that the Canadiens would eventually play up to five rookie defencemen at once seemed impossible.

Now that Xhekaj, Guhkle, Harris, Johnathan Kovacevic, and Justin Barron have gained crucial experience during a rather tumultuous season, not only should they have a better appreciation of what it takes to stick in the NHL, they have convinced Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes that he could trade a player like Joel Edmundson, who served as a mentor for many of the young defencemen.

Now that Edmundson has been traded to the Washington Capitals in exchange for a pair of draft picks, Hughes expects his slightly less inexperienced defencemen to absorb the minutes that would normally be given to Edmundson.

“That’s the plan,” said Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes. “Joel was a big part of our room, he had a leadership role. Our young players learned from him. Defensively, we’re young. We were young last year too. Our young players gained a lot of precious experience last year and they’re ready for more responsibility this season.”

While it’s true the Canadiens added some relief to their salary cap situation by trading Edmundson, the most important aspect of the trade will be the precious ice time the young defencemen who are expected to play a big part in the rebuild will receive.

And when it comes to finding ice time for his younger players, the work is far from done.

To truly turn the page on last season, players such as Mike Hoffman, Joel Armia, and Christian Dvorak will have to be moved. At the very least, Hughes must do everything he can to trade them without having to use important assets to facilitate the negotiations.

Unfortunately, when it comes to some of the players, such as Hoffman, offering his services for free did not yield a single bite from 31 NHL teams, which means it may not be a feasible game plan.

But that doesn’t mean Hughes is done trying.

“It’s a possibility,” said Hughes when he was asked if more veterans should expect to be traded. “It’s more likely to be forwards than defencemen because we have an abundance of forwards.”

Beyond liberating minutes for players like Juraj Slafkovsky, Alex Newhook, and Rafael Harvey-Pinard, simply moving one of the aforementioned forwards would give the Canadiens a significant boon when it comes to their salary cap maneuverability.

And it would signal the Montreal Canadiens are entering the next chapter of their rebuild, one that focuses on growth and chemistry rather than trade deadlines and free agency.

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Sports

Red Wings sign Moritz Seider to 7-year deal worth nearly $60M

Published

1 hour ago

September 19, 2024

Anne Joseph

DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Red Wings made another investment this week in a young standout, signing Moritz Seider to a seven-year contract worth nearly $60 million.

The Red Wings announced the move with the 23-year-old German defenseman on Thursday, three days after keeping 22-year-old forward Lucas Raymond with a $64.6 million, eight-year deal.

Detroit drafted Seider with the No. 6 pick overall eight years ago and he has proven to be a great pick. He has 134 career points, the most by a defenseman drafted in 2019.

He was the NHL’s only player to have at least 200 hits and block 200-plus shots last season, when he scored a career-high nine goals and had 42 points for the second straight year.

Seider won the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie in 2022 after he had a career-high 50 points.

Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman is banking on Seider, whose contract will count $8.55 million annually against the cap, and Raymond to turn a rebuilding team into a winner.

Detroit has failed to make the playoffs in eight straight seasons, the longest postseason drought in franchise history.

The Red Wings, who won four Stanley Cups from 1997 to 2008, have been reeling since their run of 25 straight postseasons ended in 2016.

Detroit was 41-32-9 last season and finished with a winning record for the first time since its last playoff appearance.

Yzerman re-signed Patrick Kane last summer and signed some free agents, including Vladimir Tarasenko to a two-year contract worth $9.5 million after he helped the Florida Panthers hoist the Cup.

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Vancouver Canucks star goalie Thatcher Demko working through rare muscle injury

Published

2 hours ago

September 19, 2024

Anne Joseph

PENTICTON, B.C. – Vancouver Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko says he’s been working his way back from a rare lower-body muscle injury since being sidelined in last season’s playoffs.

The 28-year-old all star says the rehabilitation process has been frustrating, but he has made good progress in recent weeks and is confident he’ll be able to return to playing.

He says he and his medical team have spent the last few months talking to specialists around the world, and have not found a single other hockey player who has dealt with the same injury.

Demko missed several weeks of the last season with a knee ailment and played just one game in Vancouver’s playoff run last spring before going down with the current injury.

He was not on the ice with his teammates as the Canucks started training camp in Penticton, B.C., on Thursday, but skated on his own before the sessions began.

Demko posted a 35-14-2 record with a .918 percentage, a 2.45 goals-against average and five shutouts for Vancouver last season.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.

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Sports

Arch Manning to get first start for No. 1 Texas as Ewers continues recovery from abdomen strain

Published

3 hours ago

September 19, 2024

Anne Joseph

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — No. 1 Texas will start Arch Manning at quarterback Saturday against Louisiana-Monroe while regular starter Quinn Ewers continues to recover from a strained muscle in his abdomen, coach Steve Sarkisian said Thursday.

It will be the first career start for Manning, a second year freshman. He relieved Ewers in the second quarter last week against UTSA, and passed for four touchdowns and ran for another in a 56-7 Texas victory.

Manning is the son of Cooper Manning, the grandson of former NFL quarterback Archie Manning, and the nephew of Super Bowl-winning QBs Peyton and Eli Manning.

Ewers missed several games over the previous two seasons with shoulder and sternum injuries.

The Longhorns are No. 1 for the first time since 2008 and Saturday’s matchup with the Warhawks is Texas’ last game before the program starts its first SEC schedule against Mississippi State on Sept. 28.

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