According to Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff, expect fireworks when the Montreal Canadiens and Carolina Hurricanes meet up this season. The reason? Apparently, the Canadiens alerted the NHL that the Hurricanes did not play a mandated amount of preseason hockey games to open the year and some are suggesting the Canadiens want to know why the Hurricanes were able to get away with it.
According to Seravalli, teams are required to play at least six preseason games. For whatever reason, the Hurricanes only played four. Speculation is that Carolina figured the pandemic was going to change the rule, or at least relax it when it came to how many games these teams wanted to play. Because each team is responsible for making up their own schedule and organizing their own preseason calendar, the NHL never would have noticed. Thanks to the Canadiens, now the NHL knows.
The fact that this is a story is interesting. In part, the two teams already have a rivalry heading into the year as Carolina poked fun at the Canadiens as they grabbed Jesperi Kotkaniemi via an offer sheet this offseason. It was a move the team made, not only because they wanted the player, but because Carolina was happy to get back at the Canadiens who extended a failed offer sheet to Sebastian Aho just a couple of seasons earlier. There’s no love lost between these two clubs and this is just another petty situation that is entertaining for the fans and will add to this battle during the year.
What Comes Next for the Canadiens and Hurricanes?
Essentially, Montreal made an offer sheet to Aho. The Hurricanes matched but never forgot. The Hurricanes made an offer sheet to Koktaniemi and the Canadiens didn’t match, losing the player. Now, the Canadiens are telling on the Hurricanes for not playing enough preseason games and possibly being the “fresher team” going into the year.
It’s wildly entertaining and completely silly stuff. It goes to show that two teams can be at odds with each other over pretty much anything. It sure makes it clear that the regular season is getting closer!
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