A theory that might explain why Anthony Mantha isn’t in Montreal

Anthony Mantha did not sign with the Canadiens. He chose the Devils.
We know the Habs were keeping tabs on the situation, but it seems likely that Kent Hughes didn't make an offer to try to bring the Quebec native to Montreal.
The result? The Habs are still looking for reinforcements for their top six.There was some talk that the Canadiens were interested in Anthony Mantha.
Word is that it wasn't that serious and that a legitimate offer was never made.
Mantha is heading to a pretty good situatio

The NHL unveiled its full schedule for the upcoming season on Thursday. We put together a summary of the key dates on that schedule earlier today, but one aspect of the new schedule has raised eyebrows for many people.
Several teams will play games in the middle of the afternoon on certain Mondays.
This is reportedly a way to make the games accessible to people in Europe, a group the NHL hopes to add to its fan base.NHL says it scheduled some more Monday afternoon games this season so they can b

Fourth-line players always have special stories to tell. They experience the game in a very different way from the star players.
This time, it's a story involving Mathieu Perreault, who played 25 games with the Canadiens during the 2021–22 season.
In a YouTube video from Kevin Poulin's channel Les Boys au Green, Laurent Dauphin revealed that Perreault was often frustrated by offside calls caused by his linemate Jesse Ylonen.
 
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In Montreal, Canadiens fans love talented players, but above all, they love players who perform with pride and heart.
That's certainly true of L.J. Mooney, who stood out at the Canadiens' most recent development camp. His high level of play and his tenacity didn't go unnoticed by Michael Hage.
Hage was wearing a microphone during an intrasquad game at camp, and after a collision with Mooney, he admitted to the bench that playing against him is “annoying.”Hage didn't seem frustrated,

August 3 is the trade deadline. And we can all agree that, between now and then, there are several teams to keep an eye on.
Here are five of them. But there are obviously more….
1. San Diego Padres
The San Diego team is currently 3.5 games out of a playoff spot. We know that A.J. Preller loves to make bold moves in the trade market… and that might be exactly what's needed to boost the team's anemic offense.
The next few weeks will tell.
2. Miami Marlins
The Marlins are in a playoff

Since the Canadiens' season ended, we haven't really heard anything from Juraj Slafkovsky.
The young Canadiens player has returned home to train for the upcoming season… and there's a video circulating of him in training.
It's worth a quick look on this summer day. 
In the video in question, we see Slaf showing off his moves. He's on the ice with a coach and Erik Cernak, the Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman (who's also from Slovakia).
And even though this video doesn't tell the whole s

Kent Hughes wrapped up a major deal today.
Kirby Dach has signed a one-year contract with the Canadiens. The player will earn $3.6 million next season.
This clears things up a bit, too. Kirby Dach signs his contract with the Canadiens → https://t.co/1errUfqrHy
— DansLesCoulisses (@DLCoulisses) July 16, 2026With Dach's contract, the Canadiens are now just under $9.8 million ($9,783,924) under the salary cap.
And Kent Hughes's work isn't done yet… because he currently has 21

All right. It’s done.
The Canadiens just announced that the team has agreed to the terms of a one-season contract with forward Kirby Dach.
Dach will earn $3.6 million in the 2026–27 season. The matter is now settled. The Canadiens have agreed to terms on a one-year contract with forward Kirby Dach.
The Canadiens have agreed to terms on a one-year contract with forward Kirby Dach.#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/5fz1cEvVZG
— Montreal Canadiens (@CanadiensMTL) July 16, 2026Basicall

Is Luke Weaver asking for it?
Possibly, yes.
Luke Weaver could be the best reliever on the market if Mason Miller stays put pic.twitter.com/IprTerB7ZB
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) July 16, 2026
Will José Soriano be in the same boat?
The Angels should ask for a high price for José Soriano, says @ByRobertMurray pic.twitter.com/a7z7Ov4skr
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) July 16, 2026
Payton Tolle got married
Great news.
Red Sox pitcher Payton Tolle gets married

Anya Taylor-Joy’s new miniseries, Lucky, debuted the first two episodes on Apple TV+ yesterday. You know I’m watching this series because it co-stars my forever love Timothy Olyphant, but Lucky has not captured me the way Widow’s Bay did. I will watch Lucky, yes, but my more immediate priority is re-watching Widow’s Bay and examining every background detail for more island lore. The paintings tell the story!Anyway, back to ATJ. She is hitting the press circuit hard to pro

Claude Lemieux passed away at the end of May.
His death shocked the hockey world… he passed away just three days after carrying the torch for a Canadiens playoff game in Montreal.
And today, details regarding his death have emerged.
According to TMZ, Lemieux's family noticed that he was acting strangely.
His wife confronted him because she suspected he had started drinking again, even though he had been sober for over 12 years. Lemieux admitted to her that she was right, and his wife then

The ESPY Awards, the most prestigious participation trophy in the world, were last night, bringing out superstar athletes across many disciplines and countries, but most especially Olympic standouts, gold medalists Simone Biles, Alysa Liu, and Eileen Gu.
I’m going to start with Eileen Gu, because she wore Guo Pei, who designed Rihanna’s iconic golden omelet Met Gala cloak, and Guo Pei is one of those designers I wish we saw more of in the west. Her designs are sumptuous and theatrica

The Cincinnati Reds just pulled off a great move.
They've convinced Chase Burns, one of MLB's top young players, to delay free agency by two years.
Instead of becoming a free agent after the 2031 season, Burns has agreed to a contract that keeps him with the Ohio-based team through the end of the 2033 season.
The deal, which begins in 2027, will pay him $105 million over seven years. Jon Morosi was the first to report the news, noting that this is a record amount for a young player with less tha

On June 29, the Montreal Canadiens traded Brendan Gallagher to the Vancouver Canucks.
The news wasn't exactly a huge surprise because we knew it was coming. 
It's going to feel strange to see him play for a team other than the Habs. Even though he's already wearing the Canucks' colors while training at the CN Complex in Brossard…Will Montembeault still be with the Habs on September 29 in Toronto? #gohabsgo pic.twitter.com/t60iyo440m
— DansLesCoulisses (@DLCoulisses) July 16, 20

NEW RELEASES1. Heartstopper: Volume 6 , by Alice Oseman. 2. We Were Forbidden , by Jacqueline Harpman.3. Flesh: A Novel , by David Szalay. 4. I Survived The Bombing of Pearl Harbor, 1941: The Graphic Novel , by Lauren Tarshis, Peter Wartman. 5. Unico: Lost (Volume 3) , by Osamu Tezuka, Samuel Sattin, Gurihiru. 6. We Are Busy Being Alive: Fictions , by Rishi Midha. 7. The Mysterious Affair of Judith Potts: A Novel , by Robert Thorogood. 8. Country People: A Novel,by Daniel Mason. 9. Sleepless ,

Billy Bragg remembers the first time he played the Vancouver Folk Music Festival as an early career highlight in 1987.While his first three albums were regularly played on the University of B.C.’s CiTR radio, the greater public hadn’t caught up to the singer’s rising star as a punk folk firebrand.By the end of that first weekend, Bragg built a devoted fan base that crossed generations of festivalgoers. When he returned in 1989, meeting the legendary Pete Seeger and performing

1.A False and Fatal Claim: A Lane Winslow Mystery — Iona Whishaw (Touchwood Editions).3. The Astronaut Children of Dunbar Street: A Memoir— Wiley Wei-Chium Ho(Douglas and McIntyre).3. Unceded: Understanding British Columbia’s Colonial Past and Why It Matters Now — George M. Abbott, foreword by Steven Point (UBC Press).4. Dead Bees Still Sting: Tales of Life at the Edge of Nature— Susan Cormier (Greystone Books).5. Fiddlehead Forest — Jana Curll (Greystone Boo

The 2026 Canadian Football League season is already beginning to show some trends after six weeks of play.
While several teams are still trying to find their identity, three teams appear to have pulled ahead with identical 4-1 records: the Edmonton Elks, the Saskatchewan Roughriders, and the Montreal Alouettes.
In the East, the situation is particularly interesting, as Montreal currently appears to be dominating the division. Meanwhile, the other contenders are grappling with several uncertainti

Surrey Fusion Fest When: July 18-19Where: Holland Park, 13428 Old Yale Rd, SurreyInfo:surreyfusionfestival.caBamboo poles clap together as dancers dart between them, their footwork timed to the beat. It’s one of the signature moments audiences can expect when Anahaw Filipino Canadian Performing Arts Society of B.C. takes the stage at Surrey Fusion Festival.The Vancouver-based troupe will present a 20-minute showcase of traditional Filipino dances from across the archipelago, from the famou

OK Taika Waititi joined Rita Ora at The Descendants: Wicked Wonderland premiere, they are fine.View this post on InstagramA post shared by RITA ORA (@ritaora)
I saw the Julia Garner/Mark Foster split news on Instagram before I saw it on TMZ. Julia is 32, a very in-demand actress and has her starter marriage to a musician out of the way. She is ready for the Madonna biopic.View this post on InstagramA post shared by Apple TV (@appletv)
And if Jennifer Garner, Regina Hall, Chloe Sevigny, D’A

So? Are you looking forward to the Montreal Canadiens' next season?
We've been waiting for July 16 because that's the day the team's schedule for the upcoming season was unveiled.
And there are some important dates to keep in mind.
Basically, keep in mind that the Habs will play 84 games starting this season. The Canadiens' regular-season schedule kicks off on September 29 in Toronto… and wraps up on April 10 against the Sens. Here are the other dates to remember:Home opener at the Bell C

The National Football League (NFL) has just suffered a major setback in court in the case filed by former coach Brian Flores.
A federal judge rejected the league's latest attempt to have the case transferred to arbitration, confirming that the lawsuit will proceed in civil court.
This decision marks another procedural victory for Brian Flores, who is suing the NFL as well as several teams, including the Miami Dolphins, the New York Giants, the Denver Broncos, and the Houston Texans. Former coach

Here we are! The unofficial midseason mark is now behind us as the All-Star break draws to a close.
So without further ado, here's the latest edition of Passion MLB's power rankings. Last week's rankings are shown in parentheses.
1 – Los Angeles Dodgers (1)
2 – Milwaukee Brewers (2)
3 – Tampa Bay Rays (4)
4 – Atlanta Braves (3)
5 – New York Yankees (7)
The next few days will be decisive. https://t.co/Qjb8bwl2r4 https://t.co/SOg3soLlMq
— Passion MLB (@passion_m

I really, really liked Matt Reeves’ The Batman when it came out in 2022, since then, it has only risen in my estimation. I think it’s one of the best superhero movies ever made, and arguably the best Batman movie ever made. The film, released into the only-just-starting-to-recover theatrical landscape of spring 2022, did okay financially, but again, in the years since, its place in pop culture has only grown. People are super into Matt Reeves’ Batverse, and Robert Pattinson&rsq

Steve Yzerman is no longer the general manager of the Red Wings.
We can all agree that at this point, it's clear the executive isn't all good. His handling of star players (starting with Martin St. Louis in Tampa Bay) has never been perfect.
And that's even though Dylan Larkin certainly isn't entirely blameless either. Sulking because you weren't named captain fast enough for your liking is pretty strange.There's a belief that the rift between Dylan Larkin and Steve Yzerman began after Henrik Ze

The hottest topic of the summer for the Canadiens is clearly the Kirby Dach situation.
I know, you'd like me to write about something else… that the hottest topic should have been the second-line center, the right-handed defenseman, or the much-sought-after physical winger, but you know as well as I do that this isn't the summer Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton will fill the remaining gaps needed to call themselves Stanley Cup contenders.
That's why, yes, the Kirby Dach situation is the hottes

As the 2026 NFL season approaches, Myles Garrett is establishing himself more than ever as the gold standard among pass-rushers.Thanks to a historic season and his recent trade to the Los Angeles Rams, the veteran comfortably tops the Associated Press's ranking of the best players at his position.
The poll, conducted among eight NFL beat writers, places Garrett at the top without any dispute. He received all first-place votes, confirming his status as the league's most feared defensive player.
L

The premiere for The Odyssey is over, but the press obligations continue right up until the movie hits theaters. Zendaya and Tom Holland are still in New York, continuing to make the press rounds.
Zendaya sported two gold looks, first in high-necked Jitrois…Zendaya out in New York, July 15, 2026Then in a gold suit by Zuhair Murad for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.Zendaya out in New York, July 15, 2026She’s still rocking the pre-Raphaelite hair and natural makeup looks, whic

The Los Angeles Dodgers won their second consecutive World Series title last year by defeating the Toronto Blue Jays in a nail-biter, having to overcome a deficit in the very last moment of the final game.
One of the heroes of that game was undoubtedly outfielder Andy Pages, who made a historic catch over his own teammate, Kiké Hernandez, in the bottom of the ninth inning to send the game into extra innings.
Hernandez later admitted that he thought the play had been missed and that the Bl

As the 2026 NFL season approaches, one name is on everyone's lips: Jaxon Smith-Njigba.After an exceptional season capped by a Super Bowl victory with the Seattle Seahawks, the 24-year-old wide receiver is now considered the gold standard at his position.
A poll conducted by the Associated Press among eight sports journalists confirmed this trend. Smith-Njigba received the highest number of points thanks to several first-place votes, finishing ahead of other league stars such as Ja'Marr Chase, Pu