Montreal Canadiens

Montreal Canadians goaltender Carey Price shared that he entered a residential treatment facility for substance use in October in a public statement released on Instagram Tuesday:

Carey Price’s statement on Instagram pic.twitter.com/Kh8x9XRQYE

— Randip Janda (@RandipJanda) November 9, 2021

The NHL and NHLPA announced on Oct. 7 that Price had voluntarily entered the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program.

The 34-year-old netminder helped lead the Canadiens to their first Stanley Cup appearance in 28 years last season.

Canadiens head coach Dominique Ducharme told reporters last week the plan after a month-long absence was for Price to see the team therapists and doctors en route to him ramping up for his return to the ice, although he noted that a definitive timeline was tough to gauge at that moment:

News on Carey Price 👇#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/T3MwRlQuuI

— x - Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) November 5, 2021

As noted by Stu Cowan of the Montreal Gazette, Price arrived Sunday and met with the Canadiens' training staff.

Price also missed the entirety of training camp after undergoing offseason knee surgery.

In speaking with reporters, Ducharme made clear that Price's well-being was most important.

"It’s not about the hockey player, it’s about the human being," he said Monday. "To see that he’s coming back is a positive sign because he’s doing better. So that’s the most important thing. Our guys care about each other and to see a guy like him doing better, that’s positive."

Ducharme also noted that Price wants to return and help the team, which sits last in the Atlantic Division with a 3-10 record:

He wants to come back and play, but there's other things to manage. The injury that he was coming back from, getting back in shape and playing shape, too. So that's one thing. There's many steps to be taken but, yeah, he wants to play, he wants to be part of our group, he wants to help out.

Per Thomson Reuters (h/t CBC), Price met with teammates and coaches at the team facility Tuesday.

"It was good for me to see him and see how he is doing and for the guys too, to see their teammate back," Ducharme said.

"We have a group of guys that care about each other so having him back, just on the personal side, the guys feel pretty good about seeing him and seeing that he is doing good."

Price is entering his 15th NHL season. He has played with Montreal for his entire career and notably won the Hart and Vezina Trophies following a stellar 2014-15 season that saw him win 44 games, post a .933 save percentage and earn a 1.96 GAA.

He shined in last year's playoffs en route to leading Montreal to its underdog run to the Stanley Cup, going 13-9 with a .924 save percentage and 2.28 GAA.

The unlikely rivalry between the Montreal Canadiens and Carolina Hurricanes took an interesting turn Thursday. 

Per ESPN's Greg Wyshynski, the Hurricanes set up a website with the address DidTheHabsLose.com, and they directed their fans to it via social media after Thursday's 4-1 win over the Canadiens at the Bell Centre.

Unfortunately, there was a moment Friday morning when the site was hacked and turned into an anti-Carolina webpage. 

Hate us all you want, but don’t you dare insult @CookOut pic.twitter.com/VPR4nhxVhQ

— x - Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) October 22, 2021

According to Wyshynski, the original site "featured a banner photo with the word 'YES' in bold letters." The website also went beyond bragging about the victory and trolled the organization:

Underneath were two links to buy two Hurricanes player T-shirts: One for center Sebastian Aho, whom the Canadiens unsuccessfully attempted to sign away from Carolina with a free-agent offer sheet in 2019; and one for forward Jesperi Kotkaniemi, whom the Hurricanes poached from Montreal via an offer sheet last offseason. The shirts were on sale for $20—which is Aho's number and Kotkaniemi's signing bonus - for anyone using the promo code 'oui.'"  

Thomas Williams of Yahoo Sports noted the website no longer exists, but it is still accessible through a web archive if any Hurricanes fans want to remember the moment. 

While not exactly a full-fledged rivalry, like the Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs, the Habs and Hurricanes could turn into a fun one to watch. Former Canadiens player Jesperi Kotkaniemi joined Carolina in the offseason after Montreal declined to match an offer sheet in restricted free agency. 

Based on how they reacted to Kotkaniemi on Thursday, fans are holding a grudge against him for leaving.

The 21-year-old got the last laugh during the game by scoring a goal in his return to Montreal. 

Some hacker got the ultimate measure of revenge on the Hurricanes, though it's unclear if that person is a Canadiens fan. 

The Montreal Canadiens announced Tuesday that they signed forward Nick Suzuki to a contract extension.

The Habs noted that it is an eight-year deal worth $63 million that will keep him under contract with the team through the 2029-30 season.

Regarding the decision to lock up Suzuki, Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin said: "We are very happy to secure Nick's services for the next eight seasons."

Although he is only 22 years of age and set to enter his third NHL season, Suzuki is already an alternate captain for the Habs and one of their best players.

Acquired in a trade with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2018, Suzuki made his NHL debut during the 2019-20 season, registering 13 goals and 28 assists for 41 points in 71 games.

He was even better last season, as he matched his 2019-20 point total of 41 but did it in only 56 games. He also set a new career high with 15 goals in a top-six forward role for Montreal.

Perhaps even more impressive was Suzuki's performance during the postseason. After putting up seven points in 10 playoff games in 2020, Suzuki followed that up with seven goals and nine assists for 16 points in 22 playoff games last season.

Suzuki was Montreal's leading scorer both in terms of goals and points during last season's playoffs, as the Canadiens shocked the hockey world and made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Final before falling to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Each of the past two regular seasons were truncated because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but with a full 82-game schedule on tap for 2021-22, Suzuki is poised to enjoy a career year.

Now that Suzuki is set to earn $7.875 million annually, the Habs are banking on him being their go-to guy offensively.

Suzuki is likely to center the top line with veteran Tyler Toffoli and rookie Cole Caufield flanking him.

Caufield is among the top candidates to win the Calder Trophy as NHL Rookie of the Year, and if Suzuki continues to progress as expected, the Canadiens could have another star on their hands in Caufield.

The NHL and NHL Players' Association announced Thursday that Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price is taking leave from the team to voluntarily enter the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program.

According to the Associated Press, the player assistance program was created in 1996, and it assists players and their families with "mental health, substance abuse and other matters."

Price was already expected to miss the start of the 2021-22 regular season because of a non-COVID illness and recovery from offseason knee surgery.

Angela Price, Carey Price's wife, released the following statement on Instagram regarding Carey's entrance into the program:

Message from Angela Price on IG. pic.twitter.com/mnAn8YpxP4

— Arpon Basu (@ArponBasu) October 7, 2021

While addressing the media Thursday, Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin said Price will miss a minimum of 30 days, but it "could be longer."

Bergevin also said he was caught "off guard" by the news since he just learned of it Wednesday, but added: "Today I'm not thinking of Carey Price the Montreal Canadiens goalie, but Carey Price the human being."

The 34-year-old Price has been one of the NHL's top goaltenders for the past 14 seasons, and he is coming off a magical 2020-21 campaign.

Price split time with Jake Allen during the regular season, starting 25 games and going 12-7-5 with a 2.64 goals-against average, .901 save percentage and one shutout, but it was during the playoffs when he truly stepped up.

Starting 22 games, Price went 13-9 with a 2.28 GAA, .924 save percentage and one shutout as the Habs shockingly made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Final before falling to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Despite his remarkable performance, Price was left unprotected in the expansion draft, but the Seattle Kraken did not select him, ensuring he would remain in Montreal.

During his successful NHL career, Price has appeared in 707 regular-season games, going 360-257-79 with a 2.50 GAA, .917 save percentage and 49 shutouts.

He is a seven-time All-Star and won both the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's top goalie and the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP at the conclusion of the 2014-15 season.

Price is also in elite company on the international stage, having won gold in the Olympics, World Junior Championships and World Championships for Team Canada.

With Price away from the team, Allen is in line to take on the lion's share of the work between the pipes until he returns.

The Habs are in good hands given that Allen won a Stanley Cup during his time with the St. Louis Blues and has a career 2.50 GAA and .913 save percentage in eight seasons.

Logan Mailloux, the Montreal Canadiens' first-round draft pick in July, has been suspended by the Ontario Hockey League. 

The OHL announced an indefinite suspension for Mailloux stemming from conduct that resulted in a criminal fine while he was on loan to SK Lejon in Sweden in 2020. 

Per the league's announcement, Mailloux will be eligible to apply for reinstatement on Jan. 1, 2022. 

"A decision regarding reinstatement will be based in part on his conduct since his return to Canada and the appropriate treatment, counselling, mentoring and or education he receives from the date of this decision," the statement reads.

There was a lot of controversy around Montreal's decision to select Mailloux with the No. 31 pick. 

Prior to the draft, The Athletic's Katie Strang and Corey Pronman reported Mailloux was "issued a summary fine, akin to a conviction in Swedish court, for 'Kränkande fotografering' (offensive photography constituting an invasion of privacy) and 'Förtal' (defamation)."

The fine stemmed from Mailloux taking a photograph of a woman—without her consent—performing a sex act and circulating the image among some of his teammates with SK Lejon. 

"I do not think that Logan has understood the seriousness of his behavior," the woman told Strang and Pronman in an email. 

Mailloux announced on July 20, three days prior to the draft, that he was renouncing himself from this year's class because he didn't feel he'd "demonstrated strong enough maturity or character to earn that privilege in the 2021 Draft."

Despite not wanting to be selected by any team, the Canadiens decided to select the 18-year-old with their top pick. 

"It was totally irresponsible and a stupid act that I committed without thinking twice,"  Mailloux told reporters in a statement after the draft. "I know I caused a lot of harm to this person and her family, and I regret doing this stupid and egotistical act. I deeply regret it. What I did is now unfortunately a part of both of her life and mine. I've apologized to her, but nonetheless this will follow her for the rest of her life. For that, I deeply and sincerely regret it."

Canadiens owner Geoff Molson did announce that Mailloux was not going to participate in rookie training camp or main training camp, and they would "reassess Logan's readiness to be part of our organization" at a later date.

Mailloux was expected to start the 2021-22 season with the London Knights in the OHL.    

The Carolina Hurricanes' signing of Montreal Canadiens center Jesperi Kotkaniemi to a one-year, $6.1 million offer sheet on Saturday was a gift to the hockey world. The late-summer weeks are typically slow for hockey content, with the 2021 Women's World Championship the only relevant activity scheduled during that time this year.

Any offer sheet is noteworthy because they are uncommon and usually features a player of consequence. The optics of revenge for Montreal's offer-sheeting of Sebastian Aho in 2019 add a whole new dimension to the storyline. During what is expected to be the quietest period on the hockey calendar, the Hurricanes blindsided everyone with absolute chaos.

The move is a major win for neutral observers who are served with unexpected entertainment, but it's one that has significant implications for two Eastern Conference teams that, in differing ways, will have spotlights on them for the 2021-22 season. The Canadiens are coming off a run to the Stanley Cup Final. The Hurricanes are expected to be a top contender next season.

The fate of a 21-year-old former top prospect, as well as a first- and third-round pick, hangs in the balance. The Hurricanes took a massive risk by initiating this process and left the Habs in a vulnerable position with only a few days to choose between a rock and a hard place. It's a decision that will have significant consequences for the two teams both immediately and in the long term.

      

The Hurricanes' Big Risk

At least in concept, the Hurricanes' offer sheet for Kotkaniemi is perfectly executed. They found a young player left unsigned on a team with little wiggle room under the salary cap. He's a player who, while a good one, is not so integral to the Canadiens that general manager Marc Bergevin will be willing to move mountains to keep. They made an offer that the Habs might have a tough time justifying in spirit and an even more difficult time making work logistically.

In contrast to the Canadiens' offer sheet for Aho, which the Hurricanes matched without hesitation, in this example the Hurricanes are exploiting a situation where the other team may be out-leveraged.

But this particular deal for Kotkaniemi is a massive risk. He has had a roller-coaster career since the Canadiens drafted him third overall in 2018. He was good enough to make the NHL team as an 18-year-old in 2018-19 and played fairly well, then he suffered a sophomore slump severe enough for Montreal to demote him to the AHL.

Last season was a mixed bag encapsulated by his performances during the team's run to the Stanley Cup Final, where he was sometimes among the team's top contributors and at other moments played his way into the press box.

When Kotkaniemi is at his best, he's a cerebral two-way center with the hands to make plays in the offensive zone. Despite some hiccups in 2019-20, the defensive component of his game has, at least comparatively, been there. It's offensively where he's struggled the most, registering just 22 goals and 40 assists in 171 career regular-season NHL games. 

It's not the draft-pick compensation potentially headed to Montreal that causes concern, although that has to be accounted for. Kotkaniemi, despite his struggles, is a former top prospect who has had his moments in the NHL. He holds way more upside than that of what will likely be late picks in the first and third rounds in 2022.

The contract, and others necessary in coming years, is where this has the potential to blow up in Carolina's collective face. Even if Kotkaniemi presents the best version of himself, he won't be worth that $6.1 million next season. The Hurricanes themselves have to know this. It's suboptimal for 2021-22, but they have the cap space to deal with it.

It could pose much more of a problem long term. The following season, the Hurricanes will have to present him with a $6.1 million qualifying offer or he will become an unrestricted free agent. In theory, this would continue every offseason until 2026. 

Former NHLer Georges Laraque reported on 91.9 Sports that Kotkaniemi and Carolina have a handshake agreement on a contract in the ballpark of $4 million annually for the following season.

If true, that makes the situation more manageable, but it still sets the standard for Kotkaniemi as a top-six center at a time when he is still searching for enough consistency to remain in the lineup every night.

The 21-year-old has the talent to make this work, and the Hurricanes' style as a cycle-heavy team may suit him better. It's possible that he ends up justifying the contracts, but anything less than peak development will make him an expensive third-line center. 

On Kotkaniemi
Young enough that there is still a wide range of possibilities for him. Might not amount to much, but at 20 still has low-end 1C potential. Likeliest outcome right now is solid 3C pic.twitter.com/hFb6Ig5Mza

— dom 📈 (@domluszczyszyn) August 29, 2021

 

The Hurricanes are effectively overpaying Kotkaniemi in the short term as a means to an end for acquiring a 21-year-old center with the talent to become a really good NHLer over the subsequent decade. There's logic in that, but this is a team that needs to get over the hump and realize its potential as an immediate contender. There is a path for Kotkaniemi to play a role in that pursuit, but with little margin for error, there are many ways in which this could backfire.

       

The Canadiens Are in a No-Win Situation

Kotkaniemi's signing of Carolina's offer sheet is literal insult to injury for Montreal. As the Hurricanes openly mock the Habs with no-so-subtle references to the prior Aho offer sheet, the Canadiens now face a major dilemma in an offseason in which an already rickety Carey Price underwent knee surgery, Shea Weber headed for pseudo-retirement and center Phillip Danault left for Los Angeles. 

LOLhttps://t.co/OXX6n4WK57

— x - Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) August 28, 2021

 

Danault's departure is particularly relevant in assessing the predicament in which Bergevin finds himself. He was integral to shutting down the opposition's top players during the Canadiens' unexpected Stanley Cup run.

As it were, the Habs were already vulnerable down the middle after the initial frenzy of free agency. That the Habs were going to rely on Kotkaniemi to jump into a second-line role behind fellow youngster Nick Suzuki was itself an uneasy scenario.

Without Kotkaniemi, the Habs are in crisis at the center position. Suzuki is very good, but the cupboard behind him would be empty. Jake Evans and Cedric Paquette are nowhere near good enough for second- and third-line roles, respectively. Prospect Ryan Poehling has upside but isn't ready to even attempt such a prominent role. 

Yet the financial implications of matching the offer sheet are abysmal. Where the Hurricanes are overpaying for a luxury they can afford, the Habs don't really have the space to make this work. Paul Byron's hip surgery will push him to long-term injured reserve, opening up just enough cap space to squeeze Kotkaniemi in at $6.1 million with a smaller roster, but upon the latter's expected return a few months into the season, the team would need to move a notable salary in order to stay cap compliant. 

Even worse are the consequences in future seasons. Kotkaniemi may have a verbal agreement with Carolina on a lower future contract as a condition of their submitting the offer sheet, but the center would have zero obligation nor the incentive to give the same compromise to the Canadiens should they match.

They will be forced to offer Kotkaniemi that one-year, $6.1 million qualifying offer through 2026 unless a different agreement can be found while holding little leverage. 

The Canadiens seem to be planning for damage limitation by seeking out a separate trade in which they'd acquire a center, perhaps using the draft picks Carolina would be handing over. Jack Eichel would obviously be a dream scenario, though that situation is as complex as ever.

The more realistic name in the rumor mill is Arizona's Christian Dvorak. The Canadiens could do worse than acquiring the 25-year-old as a replacement.

Dvorak has been a strong driver of offensive possessions the last couple of seasons, but his offensive output has been underwhelming, albeit on brutal Coyotes teams, his defensive impacts have been OK and he's already suffered some notable injuries in his young career. 

Other potential options could include Sean Monahan (Calgary), Ryan Strome (New York Rangers) and Evgeny Kuznetsov (Washington). But early September is not the time to be in the market for a splash, with most teams having already conducted their big business early in the summer. And with every team aware of Montreal's sudden, desperate need, the market won't be a favorable one.

It's possible that Montreal does indeed find a suitable replacement, but this is still far from an ideal scenario. The Habs invested a third overall pick in Kotkaniemi just three years ago and despite some turbulence, his upside remains high. They became too cavalier in their negotiations with Kotkaniemi and, thanks to Carolina, now find themselves between a rock and a hard place.

Montreal Canadiens chairman Geoff Molson released a statement on Wednesday supporting his club's decision to select Logan Mailloux No. 31 overall in last week's draft while attempting to assure fans the franchise takes seriously the defenseman's criminal conviction in Sweden during his time playing club hockey abroad. 

According to Katie Strang and Corey Pronman of The Athletic, the 18-year-old was "investigated and issued a fine for 'Kränkande fotografering' (photographic activity constituting an invasion of privacy) and 'Förtal' (defamation)" after a woman reported Mailloux to local police for sharing a photo taken without her consent while engaging in a sexual act.

Molson said:

Our selection of Logan was never intended to be disrespectful towards [the woman] or her family, or more generally towards women or other victims of similar situations. Our decision was not intended, in any shape or form, to be an endorsement of the culture of violence against women.  

Logan is a young man who committed a serious transgression. He is genuinely remorseful about the pain he has caused. He is committed to becoming a better person and we will work with him through this process." 

The chairman's comments were published on the team's website 30 minutes before NHL free agency opened.

The 50-year-old Molson laid out three immediate steps the franchise will take in the wake of the draft. First, the Habs will spend the next few months working with local experts to develop a "comprehensive plan to raise awareness and educate young men and women about this serious issue." The defenseman will not report to rookie training camp this summer or main training camp this fall. Montreal is not guaranteeing Mailloux a spot in the organization, explaining he will have to earn the privilege to play in the NHL. Finally, the Canadiens said they will oversee and support Mailloux's commitment to "becoming a better person." 

No steps or concrete actions were laid out explaining how the club will help him or how the front office will determine if he's cleared to join the organization. 

In an email to The Athletic, the woman said she has not forgiven Mailloux and does not believe he has shown remorse for his actions. 

"I do not think that Logan has understood the seriousness of his behavior," the woman wrote. "... Logan says that I want to ruin his career. I have never said that. All I have wanted is to get justice for the actions he has taken against me. If his actions ruin his career, it’s up to him. It’s not my fault."

The woman added that despite seeking a written "heartfelt apology," Mailloux responded with a text message containing three sentences. Subsequent apology attempts, she said, were made "at the behest" of Mailloux's former club, SK Lejon. 

As news of Mailloux's conviction made its way to NHL scouts, The Athletic reported that at least 11 teams took him off their draft boards. Not long after, the defenseman put out a statement renouncing himself from the NHL Draft.

https://twitter.com/loganmailloux_/status/1417454073582850048

The Canadiens drafted him anyway, reportedly believing another team would do so if they passed:

Multiple NHL teams had indicated they might pick Logan Mailloux in the 2nd round of the 2021 Draft despite his renouncing himself from being selected, source tells ESPN.

Given that @CanadiensMTL didn't pick again to No. 63, imagine that's why they took him at No. 31.

— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) July 24, 2021

The pick received near-immediate negative reaction, including from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau—a Montreal fan—who chimed in during a press conference Tuesday.

"I think it was a lack of judgment by the Canadiens organization," Trudeau said. "I think they have a lot of explaining to do to Montrealers and fans right across the country."

It's also the second consecutive season an NHL team has drafted a player with a significant criminal conviction. In 2020, the Arizona Coyotes selected Mitchell Miller No. 111 overall despite a prior conviction in juvenile court of bullying and abusing a Black developmentally disabled classmate. After initially defending the pick, mounting public backlash led to the team renouncing Miller's draft rights. 

Montreal's selection of Mailloux also comes amid an investigation into the Chicago Blackhawks after two players claimed the team's front office covered up sexual abuse by then-video coach Bradley Aldrich in 2010. Chicago is facing two lawsuits related to Aldrich, one from a former player who alleged the team refused to report Aldrich to local police in 2010 and another from a former high school player in Michigan who Aldrich plead guilty to sexually abusing in 2013. The second lawsuit alleges the Blackhawks gave Aldrich positive references to the Michigan high school where the coach was later convicted of sexual assault. 

In a post-draft press conference last week, Mailloux said the Canadiens have committed to helping him grow as a person. Molson reiterated that notion in his Wednesday statement just before the team announced it signed David Savard and Mike Hoffman in free agency. 

"We gave Logan a second chance but in doing so, we failed to properly assess the impact of our decision on the victim and on anyone who have suffered in similar circumstances," Molson said. "Once again, I want to apologize to everyone impacted by our decision. I repeat, our actions will speak louder than our words. We will work to continue proving we are an organization this community and our fans can be proud of."  

Marc Bergevin made a hockey decision Friday night. The Montreal Canadiens general manager got up in a room full of his employees during the NHL's virtual draft and announced the club's first-round pick at No. 31: defenseman Logan Mailloux.

I'm not sure what the mood was like in Montreal, but those of us watching the broadcast watched in horror as Bergevin chose a player who was fined for a crime of a sexual nature and asked teams not to pick him as a result.

Mailloux, at 17 years old, took a photo of a woman he was engaged in a consensual sexual act with in Sweden without her consent and showed his teammates on Snapchat without her knowledge. He was not arrested but fined for offensive photography constituting an invasion of privacy and defamation.

There was quite a bit of consternation about it in the NHL, and Mailloux was asked about it in his predraft interviews. He received backlash in the Swedish press and eventually decided to renounce his draft rights.

"The NHL draft should be one of the most exciting landmark moments in a player's career, and given the circumstances, I don't feel I have demonstrated strong enough maturity or character to earn that privilege in the 2021 draft," he wrote in a statement on Twitter. "I know it will take time for society to build back the trust I have lost, and that is why I think it is best that I renounce myself from the 2021 NHL draft and ask that no one select me this upcoming weekend."

There is no formal mechanism in place to withdraw from consideration in the NHL draft. Once the paperwork is submitted to the NHL's central registry, he is free to be drafted, so the Habs were always free to make this pick.

"You cannot remove yourself from the draft," Bergevin said after selecting Mailloux. "Even if he said so, you're eligible to be drafted, so that was clear with the league."

But there is an easy way to get around that: Take him off your draft board, as 11 teams did, according to The Athletic.

Instead, Bergevin and his director of amateur scouting, Martin Lapointe, chose to do the opposite. It was more than just tone-deaf, it was an insult to every woman in the organization, every woman in Montreal and every female NHL fan who has ever experienced sexual assault or harassment. The Habs made a calculated decision that Mailloux was worth the backlash, indicating they don't really care about his behavior off the ice and what kind of message that sends to their fans and their community.

The club quickly released a statement after the selection. The statement said the club will not minimize Mailloux's actions and that he had admitted to a serious mistake. Bergevin doubled down on this "mistake" narrative in his press conference following the draft.

Canadiens statement on selecting Logan Mailloux.https://t.co/g04PZd2sF8

— x - Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) July 24, 2021

"We understand, and we're fully aware and we as an organization think it's very unacceptable," Bergevin said. "But also, it's a young man that made a terrible mistake. He's 17 years old and he's willing and he understands and he's remorseful and he has a lot of work to do, but he already started to put it behind him and have a hockey career."

Really, if you have to release a statement like this, then you should probably realize it's the wrong pick. The Canadiens seem to think this is just a mistake that can be undone if Mailloux just gets a chance to get on with his life and play some hockey. But it can never be undone for the woman in Sweden, who told The Athletic she doesn't "think that Logan has understood the seriousness of his behavior" and that all she has "wanted is to get justice for the actions he has taken against me."

"I know I caused a lot of harm to this person and their family, and I regret doing this stupid and egotistical act," Mailloux told reporters Saturday morning. "I deeply regret it. What I did now is unfortunately a part of both her life and mine. I've apologized to her but, nonetheless, this will follow her for the rest of her life. And for that, I deeply and sincerely regret it."

Mailloux said he is attending counseling, and he expressed remorse. But this entire incident further exposes how broken this culture is.

It's not just hockey culture that is broken, it's sports culture in general. For too long the men in charge of sports have been willing to overlook these things as long as elite athletes remain elite.

In one example among many, Trevor Bauer is under criminal investigation after a woman filed a restraining order against him. The Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander, who won the National League Cy Young Award with the Cincinnati Reds last season, has been accused of choking the woman until she lost consciousness on multiple occasions, punching her in several areas and injuring her to the point of hospitalization over the course of two sexual encounters earlier this year.

Bauer's co-agents, Jon Fetterolf and Rachel Luba, have refuted the allegations and deny the woman's account of what happened.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred acted slowly in placing Bauer on administrative leave. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said the league recommended the team let Bauer make his regularly scheduled start on July 4 against the Washington Nationals. The Dodgers, not wanting to get slapped with a grievance from the MLBPA, complied and said they would not skip his start.

After Roberts told reporters the issue was "out of [the Dodgers'] hands," the wife of an MLB player messaged me. Being a victim of sexual assault herself, she asked how she was supposed to feel going to her husband's games. The issue itself was triggering, and she felt as if MLB were giving a big middle finger to all of the women who had experienced similar atrocities and was essentially saying "it's not our problem."

What can they do about serious allegations against their players? It's out of their hands!

Bergevin is sending a similar message. But if you look at his track record, he always has.

This is the general manager of a team that was reportedly interested in Slava Voynov after he was suspended indefinitely after pleading no-contest to misdemeanor corporal injury to a spouse in 2015. His wife told police that Voynov choked her, pushed her to the ground and kicked her multiple times, and shoved her into a television screen on Halloween in 2014.

This is the general manager of a team that reportedly had an interest in signing problematic defenseman Tony DeAngelo a few months ago. Among other issues, in 2014, DeAngelo was suspended in the OHL for directing slurs at a teammate.

This is the same general manager who recently hired Sean Burke, who pleaded guilty to assaulting his wife in 1997, as the Habs' director of goaltending.

It wouldn't have been hard to pass on Mailloux. A lot of other teams did it.

There were rumors that Mailloux might be taken in a later round, and Bergevin was likely worried he would lose his guy. By selecting him in the first round and being "proud" to do so, Bergevin might as well have gotten on Zoom and told all of the women on the call that they don't matter and that he doesn't care if he's alienating an important part of the fanbase.

Hockey is not safer with Bergevin in it, and the sad thing is, he isn't alone. It's the culture. Look at the lawsuits against the Chicago Blackhawks, the team he previously worked for.

Their former skills coach, Paul Vincent, told TSN that in a 2010 meeting, he shared with then-president John McDonough, vice president of hockey operations Al MacIsaac, general manager Stan Bowman and team sports psychologist James Gary that two players had told him then-video coach Bradley Aldrich had sexually assaulted them. Vincent said the executives chose not to go to the police.

Bergevin, the Blackhawks' director of player personnel at the time, has said he was unaware of the allegations and will participate in the independent investigation.

Mailloux said publicly the right things, but Montreal did the wrong thing. The hockey rationale that he was the best player available doesn't hold up in this instance. There were other defensemen they could have taken at No. 31. Lots of them. Bergevin and the Habs gave Mailloux a free pass, excused his actions and showed others that they too can behave badly and still be chosen in the first round of the NHL draft.

This was never just a simple hockey decision because it's not simple for the victim on the other end of this. It's incredibly complex. It's a mess, but it's a mess of hockey's own creation.

Logan Mailloux apologized for taking and sharing a photo of a woman without consent while she was performing a sex act after the Montreal Canadiens selected the defenseman with the No. 31 pick in the NHL draft on Friday.

Mailloux was convicted in a Swedish court of offensive photography constituting an invasion of privacy and defamation while playing overseas, per The Athletic's Katie Strang and Corey Pronman.

Despite Mailloux's asking for his name to be withdrawn from consideration, the Canadiens still picked him in the first round.

"I know I had said that I didn't want to be drafted this year," Mailloux said, per Greg Wyshynski of ESPN. "But as a young man who wants to become a better person, I feel that being accompanied by the Canadiens organization will help me greatly. They've committed to helping me grow as a person."

"I hope the fans there do learn to accept me," he added. "I do feel remorseful. I hope that not only the girl, but the whole fan base knows that as well. It was a stupid, immature mistake to make."

After the selection, the Canadiens released a statement, per David Quadrelli of Daily Faceoff:

By drafting prospect Logan Mailloux with the 31st overall pick, the Montreal Canadiens organization not only selected a promising hockey player, but also a young man who recently admitted to making a serious mistake. The Canadiens are aware of the situation and by no means minimize the severity of Logan's actions. Logan understands the impact of his actions. His recent public statement is a genuine acknowledgement of his poor behaviour and the first step on his personal journey.

We are making a commitment to accompany Logan on his journey by providing him with the tools to mature and the necessary support to guide him in his development. We are also committed to raising awareness among our players about the repercussions of their actions on the lives of others.

Wyshynski noted Mailloux was fined by Swedish authorities for taking and sharing the photo without the woman's consent.

Wyshynski also reported that the defenseman was not aware Montreal was going to draft him until it was announced.

Despite renouncing himself from the 2021 NHL draft, Logan Mailloux was selected in the first round by the Montreal Canadiens. 

Mailloux was taken No. 31 overall on Friday night. The Canadiens said in a statement they "are aware of the situation" he's involved in and they are "by no means" minimizing the severity of his actions. 

The #habs released a statement explaining their decision to draft Logan Mailloux tonight. pic.twitter.com/Bmo3Ux9TE0

— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) July 24, 2021

The 18-year-old issued a statement on social media earlier this week asking not to be drafted by any team:

https://twitter.com/loganmailloux_/status/1417454073582850048

Mailloux's statement came in the wake of a report by Katie Strang and Corey Pronman of The Athletic reporting that he took a photograph of a woman performing a sexual act without her consent and circulated it among some of his teammates. 

“I do not think that Logan has understood the seriousness of his behavior,” the woman told Strang and Pronman in an email.

The woman also said she previously asked Mailloux to issue "a heartfelt apology for his behavior," but he responded with “a text that was no longer than three sentences.”

Frank Seravalli of DailyFaceoff.com reported "multiple teams" put Mailloux on their do-not-draft list as a result of his summary fine of roughly $4,300 for charges of offensive photography and defamation. 

Per ESPN's Greg Wyshynski, there were multiple teams that indicated they might select Mailloux in the second round before the Canadiens made their next pick at No. 63. 

Mailloux spent the 2020-21 season on loan to SK Lejon in Sweden's Hockeyettan. He previously played for the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League.