The NHL Buyout window opened with three Canadiens on a popular list. Alex Belzile has made his contract demands known. Canadiens designed a mask for an F1 principal.
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NHL Buyout Window
The NHL buyout window opened on Friday and will run until June 30th. Teams will have until 5 pm ET on June 30 to complete any player buyouts prior to the beginning of free agency on July 1st.
CapFriendly listed three Canadiens in their top eight popular buyouts: Brendan Gallagher ($6.5M x 4 yrs.), Mike Hoffman ($4.5M x 1 yr.) and Joel Armia ($3.4M x 2 yrs.)
We're not anticipating any buyouts for the Canadiens in this initial opportunity.
F1 Goalie Helmet
In Thursday's Habs Headlines column, we told you about the Montreal Canadiens arranging a special event as part of the Canadian Grand Prix weekend.
The team principal of Haas Racing, Guenther Steiner, dressed in full goaltending equipment to face Nick Suzuki and Kaiden Guhle on the ice at the Bell Sports Complex in Brossard.
On Friday, the Haas F1 Team released a video of Steiner explaining the elements of his custom goalie helmet, a gift from the Canadiens. The mask was created by Sylvie Marsolais.
Belzile's Demands
Canadiens forward Alex Belzile is a pending unrestricted free agent on July 1st. Belzile is a veteran of 487 games in the ECHL and AHL with just 44 games played in the NHL. With Montreal decimated by injuries, the 31-year-old got into the Canadiens lineup for 31 of those 44 games.
Our colleague Raphael Doucet of La Poche Bleue reports that Belzile is seeking a two-year, one-way contract similar to the deal recently signed by Michael Pezzetta.
According to a source, "His first goal is to stay in Montreal, but he absolutely wants a one-way contract. If it doesn't work, he'll look at his options."
2023 Draft Order
On Thursday, the NHL released the official order of selection for the 2023 NHL Draft which will take place June 28-29 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.
The Montreal Canadiens will select fifth overall and will have a second pick in the first round of the draft at 31st, obtained from the Florida Panthers.
Kent Hughes will have 11 picks for the seven rounds of the draft.
Round 1: pick 5; pick 31 (from FLA - Chiarot trade)
Round 2: pick 37
Round 3: pick 69
Round 4: pick 101; pick 110 (from PIT - Petry trade); pick 128 (from VGK - 2022 pick trade)
Round 5: pick 133; pick 144 (from CGY - Toffoli trade)
Round 6: pick 165
Round 7: pick 197
2024 Stanley Cup Odds
Shortly after the Vegas Golden Knights lifted the Stanley Cup at T-Mobile Arena, their first in franchise history, oddsmakers began to release their favorites for next season's NHL championship.
Bet MGM has listed the Colorado Avalanche as having the best odds to win the Cup at +800. The Avs are followed by Edmonton (+950), Toronto (+950), Boston (+1000), and Carolina (+1200.)
For the Montreal Canadiens odds, you'll need to look at the bottom of the list where the Habs, Anaheim Ducks, Arizona Coyotes and San Jose Sharks are tied with the worst odds of winning the Stanley Cup at (+25000.)