• The Canadian Press

    NHL reinstates Bowman, Quenneville after being banned for their role in Blackhawks assault scandal

    The NHL lifted its ban on longtime coach Joel Quenneville and executives Stan Bowman and Al MacIsaac on Monday, clearing the way for their return to the league more than two years after they were punished in the fallout from the Chicago Blackhawks sexual assault scandal. Bowman, MacIsaac and Quenneville can sign contracts with an NHL team after July 10. “For more than the last two and a half years, these individuals have been ineligible to work for any NHL team as a result of their inadequate re

  • The Canadian Press

    Montreal Canadiens sign Juraj Slafkovsky to eight-year contract extension

    BROSSARD, Que. — Juraj Slafkovsky got a Canada Day payday. The Montreal Canadiens signed the forward to an eight-year, US$60.8-million contract extension beginning in 2025-26. The deal for the six-foot-three, 230-pound winger inked Monday as NHL free agency opened carries an average annual value of $7.6 million. Slafkovsky, who put pen to paper the first day he was eligible for a maximum-term agreement, had 20 goals and 50 points in 82 games with the Canadiens in 2023-24. Selected first overall

  • The Canadian Press

    NHL releases 2024-25 home openers, with several Canadian clashes on tap

    NEW YORK CITY — A series of Canadian clashes will feature early in the NHL calendar next season, including a tilt between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre. The league released each team's home opener Thursday, revealing that six of the seven Canadian clubs will face off on Oct. 9. The Leafs will visit the Habs, the Oilers host the Winnipeg Jets in Edmonton and the Canucks entertain the Calgary Flames in Vancouver that night. The Ottawa Senators are set to hold th

  • The Canadian Press

    Canadiens send Kovacevic to Devils in exchange for 2026 fourth-rounder

    MONTREAL — The Montreal Canadiens have traded defenceman Johnathan Kovacevic to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for a 2026 fourth-round pick. The pick will be the best of the three fourth-round picks currently owned by the Devils in 2026. The 26-year-old Kovacevic joined the Canadiens on waivers back in October 2022. He had six goals and seven assists in 62 regular-season games for Montreal in 2023-24. Kovacevic has one more year remaining on a three-year, US$2.3 million deal. The six-foot-fiv