An on-ice and off-ice rivalry for the Montreal Canadiens

The Montreal Canadiens start the year against the Carolina Hurricanes which will be fiery given the multi-layered rivalry formed between the two clubs.

Did you watch the Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Ottawa Senators game? Sure it’s nice to see a game between two divisional rivals, but there was something that took place way before puck drop that should’ve caught the Montreal Canadiens‘ eyes.

Sportsnet had an intro video for the season showing the St. Louis Blues championship win and several storylines that took place over the summer. One of those storylines was the Carolina Hurricanes offer sheet. With all the hype it got, it still seems like the league doesn’t want to let the Habs off the hook for it.

But it is interesting to see how that single event re-triggered a fiery battle between the Canadiens and the Hurricanes. Offer sheets are in the CBA and its shame it took this long for one to be used. Carolina did match the (objectively low) offer, and Sebastian Aho is signed for five years; however, that’s not the only thing that came to light afterwards.

There is some fire between both organizations. The final two weeks of the regular season may have started it off as the Montreal Canadiens dropped that crucial game to them after being up for the majority of the night. That in combination with the loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets sealed their fate.

It continued on to Jake Gardiner. Marc Bergevin didn’t hide the fact that the Habs tried to sign the defenceman who chose to sign with the Carolina Hurricanes instead. That said, Montreal may have dodged a bullet as tightness kept him out of the rest of training camp.

Now we move on to the regular-season opener against the Canes which will see brother vs. brother. Cale Fleury (Habs 2017 third-round pick) and Haydn Fleury (2014 first-round pick) will be in the lineup adding more fuel to the fire and don’t forget the Hurricanes drafted Nick Suzuki’s brother 28th overall in the 2019 NHL draft.

Maybe it’s only social media-fueled and a reason for us at A Winning Habit to yell at the Cardiac Cane folks. Either way, this will be an interesting opener given everything that’s happened.

In Case You Missed It

Are the Montreal Canadiens in a window to contend for a Stanley Cup?

Geoff Molson may believe the Montreal Canadiens are in a window to compete, but expectations vs. reality has beaten many teams before.

Montreal Canadiens Made Right Call Sending Down Ryan Poehling

Sending Ryan Poehling down to the Laval Rocket was a tough pill to swallow for the fanbase, but it was a necessary move by the organization.

Montreal Canadiens Made Final Cuts But Still Need To Sort Out Crowded Blue Line

The 23-man roster for the Habs is set; however, there are might be too many bodies, especially on defence.

Top 8 Montreal Canadiens who should be first to get a recall this season

The Laval Rocket has a number of ‘call up worthy’ players in its ranks, and there are eight who deserve it over the rest.

Morning Habits

Canadiens have put a lot of emphasis on improving their power play (Gazette)

Specialty teams make a difference, especially the power play and the Montreal Canadiens need to find a way to ensure theirs is effective.

Best Sports Bars To Watch The Montreal Canadiens For Free This Season (MTL Blog)

A good read for those looking for a place to enjoy the Habs outside of your home.

Q&A: Claude Julien says Canadiens are ‘hungry’ to return to playoffs (Sportsnet)

That’s great to hear because the fanbase is hungry for playoff hockey as well.