Indiana is missing that one key piece.

The Canadiens are heading to Buffalo for a second-round series after eliminating the Tampa Bay Lightning with a 2-1 victory in Game 7.

SportsLine's model reveals its Carolina Hurricanes vs. Montreal Canadiens picks for their 2026 NHL playoff matchup on Wednesday

In today’s NHL rumor rundown, we start off with Thomas and the St. Louis Blues.

The Canadiens had two power-play goals in the five games against the Hurricanes, the second coming after falling behind 5-0 in Game 5. They entered the conference final with a 25 percent success rate on the power play (13-for-52) and then went cold (2-of-13, 15.3 percent) against a team that doesn't allow many even-strength goals.

The Montreal Canadiens‘ surprising NHL playoff run may have ended in disappointment, but general manager Kent Hughes made it clear the organization will not abandon its long-term vision in pursuit of a quick fix.

Dylan Larkin's reported trade request has pundits pondering where the Red Wings captain could end up, plus we look at whether the Canucks could land the Canadiens' Brendan Gallagher.

Chris Pronger gave his unfiltered thoughts on the reported blockbuster trade between Toronto and Montreal that fell through.