Montreal Canadiens HvL (S2E25): Tanking through injuries

MONTREAL, QC - MARCH 15: Paul Byron
MONTREAL, QC - MARCH 15: Paul Byron /
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The Montreal Canadiens have gone through a lot of injuries this season, and in many ways, it’s fanning the flames of the tank.

Habsfan vs. Leafsfan – Season 2 Episode 25 (Montreal Canadiens vs. Toronto Maple Leafs).

It’s the final stretch of the 2017/18 season and the boys of Habsfans vs. Leafsfan have a lot to fight about. The Toronto Maple Leafs have had their ticket to the playoffs virtually punched for the last few months while the Montreal Canadiens are counting down the days to that final game in April. The Habs, in particular, have played a handful of well-fought games lately despite the growing notion from the fan base to lose more.

The ‘tank’ word has been thrown around a lot, and the injuries the team has sustained has helped. You might expect that Habs management would be upset by all this, but it may be the exact opposite. As always, HvL is your access to exclusive audio around the league, and episode 25 starts with behind the scenes footage of Marc Bergevin speaking with the team doctors on the number of injured players (0:00).

Shapiro and Rehman’s full-fledged SportsDesk made another appearance discussing news and gossip around the Leafs, Habs, and the rest of the NHL (2:51). Some of the hot topics on cue were Shea Weber, the wrench in Geoff Molson’s management strengthening, James van Riemsdyk‘s future, and Nikita Scherbak‘s highlight reel goal (and probably healthy scratching).

Just in case you missed it, the NHL is considering extending the number of teams who make the playoffs. The probable expansion (Seattle Starbucks?) would have the league set at 32 placing the odds at 50% to lock in an opportunity to compete for the Stanely Cup.

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However, Rehman shared some thoughts on that (7:21). The NHL has struggled to reach the heights of other professional sports leagues, decisions like these may be part of the reason why.

The episode finished off with an interview with sports broadcaster and journalist Sam Mendelsohn (@Mendy_Island) of the Oshawa Generals (10:44) to talk with Shapiro about the Leafs and their mentality heading into the playoffs.

Follow @HabsvsLeafs and co-hosts Ari Shapiro (@ari_shapiro) and Kamal Rehman (@kamalrehman10), and look for new episodes as the season continues.

Check out previous episodes down below:

Next: What Saved Bergevin's Job?