dlbalr

Depends on the term of the deal. He indicated last year he was more than willing to overpay in free agency as long as it was a short-term contract.

I think he has another year left in Zurich but an NHL contract would supersede it.

I don't think it's an issue with having 7 D but rather what type of player that 7th D is. Would it make sense for that to be more of a veteran-type player on a back end that's about to lose its most experienced player? If they go and get another veteran guy (or Reinbacher/Mailloux gets a full-time spot), then someone likely has to move.

They had their 6-game winning streak over the last month with him benched for 5 of the 6 games (and he didn't crack 10 minutes in the one he did play). I'm not sure the with/without record is the argument to make if you want him back in the lineup.

Zibanejad has a full NMC (taking the Goodrow/Trouba waiver threat off the table) and seemingly no desire to move to the point where it was suggested that management asked for his playing time to be cut in the hopes that he might want out. Trocheck goes to a 12-team NTC in July.

That's exactly what it is. There's a pretty big difference between the two teams. Montreal can do well to keep up for a few shifts here and there but it's hard to think that's going to be enough to win most nights.

We know they inquired but Buffalo wanted a similar centre in return, hence the trade with Ottawa as Norris as the centrepiece. Montreal didn't have that similar centre to spare.

I'd have been surprised had Arseneau been in the playoff lineup but this ensures he'll be out for probably a couple of rounds at least.

Washington has ruled out Martin Fehervary for the rest of the series (and all of the playoffs). He's not a well-known blueliner but he's an important part of their back end.

That's more my speculation than anything else. If he has a chance to play a semi-decent role there, that might be better than him being in and out of the lineup in Laval. (I think he'd be worth a full-time spot but it'd be hard for the coaching staff to do that.)

It seemed like an awful lot of those were landing on net compared to a normal game. I'd lean toward a lot of that being more of a fluke than a plan.

I'm not even sure he's going to play in the OT. It wouldn't shock me if they go to three lines primarily with the Evans line working as a matchup line defensively. The misfit line (Laine-Newhook-Demidov) is going to have a very short leash if they even get a chance.

The challenge is that Xhekaj and hitting smartly hasn't always happened. It's the dumb hits he tries to make that lead to goals that will make the coaching staff hesitant to put him in. Plus, he doesn't kill penalties so Savard sitting means Matheson plays the full 2 minutes shorthanded.

The Habs haven't played that poorly so far. I didn't have high hopes heading into this one but they're hanging in there. They're going to need to figure out how to get some more quality shots through though, those have been few and far between. And on the randomness of the giveaway stat, Matheson and Laine have combined for one. That feels more than a little light.

He sort of does have it, just not as a performance bonus. If he wins the Calder, he will get $212,500 (unless that went up in the CBA extension). He'll actually get something even if he doesn't win but finishes in the top three. The amount will be paid by the league, however, not the team, and it won't count against the cap.