Could Canadiens make move on RFA Ducks center Mason McTavish?

Jared Bednar, and if only the Avs could take a mulligan

Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette: (mailbag) Firing head coach Jared Bednar might have crossed management’s minds, but don’t believe that it was seriously considered. Finding an upgrade that is available may not have been there. David Carle would have made sense, but he’s still unknown in the NHL. Bednar is on notice, though.

I they could have a do-over, bet the Avs would have liked the Hurricanes to have an extension in place with Mikko Rantanen before they made the trade. That would have eliminated the possibility of him playing in the West for the next eight seasons.

Two Washington Capitals assistants will get some interest

Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic: Once their season is over, Washington Capitals assistant coaches Mitch Love and Kirk Muller could draw some interest.

Love was a two-time AHL coach of the year. Muller was the head coach of the Hurricanes from 2011 to 2014 and may be interested in another head coaching position if the right fit is found.

The Montreal Canadiens will need some penalty kill help and find that No. 2 center

Pat Hickey of the Montreal Gazette: The Montreal Canadiens could have a big hole on their penalty kill that would need filling. Defenseman David Savard is retiring, and forwards Christian Dvorak and Joel Armia are pending UFAs.

Armia is more likely to return than Dvorak. Dvorak is coming off a $4.45 million cap hit, with Armia coming off $3.4 million. How much of a pay cut would either be willing to take?

The Canadiens also need to find a second-line center. One option is to find a pending UFA who is in their 30’s for a two or three years until one of their younger prospects is ready to step up. This type of option would include the likes of John Tavares, Matt Duchene and Brock Nelson.

A long-term free agent could include soon-to-be 29-year-old Sam Bennett.

Offer sheeting Anaheim Ducks RFA Mason McTavish may be a better ploy for the Canadiens. Would he like to escape the losing in Anaheim and have the opportunity to play beside Ivan Demidov?