‘A place where they can dream big': New basketball court opens in Halifax
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CTV News
19 minutes ago
- CTV News
Canadiens trade defenceman Logan Mailloux to Blues for forward Zack Bolduc
BROSSARD — Zack Bolduc is joining the team he grew up cheering for with mixed emotions. The Montreal Canadiens acquired Bolduc from the St. Louis Blues for defenceman Logan Mailloux minutes before NHL free agency opened at noon ET on Tuesday. 'I met some great people and created friends for life in St. Louis,' the forward said during a video conference. 'But on the other hand, the Montreal Canadiens are the team I grew up watching. I'm super excited.' Bolduc later added he wasn't expecting the trade 'at all.' The 22-year-old from Trois-Rivières, Que., found it strange when his phone lit up with a call from Blues general manager Doug Armstrong soon after a workout Tuesday morning in Quebec City, where he trains during the off-season. 'I said to myself, 'he doesn't call often, why is he calling?'' said Bolduc, who's entering the final season of his entry-level deal. 'At the start of the conversation everything seemed normal, then at one point he mentioned that he traded me. 'When he said he'd traded me to the Canadiens, I was a bit shocked. Super excited, but shocked, because to be honest, it's a childhood dream.' Bolduc had 19 goals and 17 assists in 72 games with the Blues last season, adding one assist in seven playoff games. The six-foot, 187-pound winger described himself as a strong skater and shooter who's not afraid to impose himself physically. Canadiens GM Kent Hughes highlighted Bolduc's skating, potential and style of play. 'We saw a lot of improvement in his physical play this season,' Hughes said at the Canadiens' practice facility. 'He also has potential offensively. In junior, he was a really good offensive player … and while playing less than 13 minutes a game, he almost scored 20 goals this past season.' Mailloux, of Windsor, Ont., produced 12 goals and 21 assists in 63 games with the American Hockey League's Laval Rocket last season. He was an AHL all-star in 2024 and 2025. The 22-year-old right-shot blueliner added two goals and two assists in seven games with the Canadiens in the NHL. Bolduc was drafted 17th overall by the Blues in 2021. That same draft, then-Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin made the controversial decision to select Mailloux with the 31st overall pick, despite the blueliner publicly asking not to be chosen following an incident in Sweden. While on loan to SK Lejon in 2020, Mailloux was fined by Swedish authorities after admitting to two charges related to sharing, without her consent, a photo of a woman performing a sexual act. Mailloux said Tuesday he's tried to turn that negative situation into a positive. "It's not just in the rearview for me, I think it's something that I carry with me every day. It's something that I want to make a positive impact," he said. "In the past few years I feel like I've grown a lot as a person off the ice. I've been around the community in Montreal and I look forward to getting to St. Louis and being able to make a positive impact around the community there. "Being able to turn that into a positive is something I've really tried to do." The trade comes a few days after the Canadiens acquired Noah Dobson from the New York Islanders and signed the right-shot defenceman to an eight-year, US$76-million contract. Via free agency, the Canadiens also added goalie Kaapo Kahkonen and forward Samuel Blais on one-year contracts Tuesday. The value of each deal was not announced. Montreal later signed forward Alex Belzile and defenceman Nate Clurman to one-year, two-way deals. The Canadiens exceeded expectations last season by reaching the playoffs ahead of schedule in their rebuild. Hughes wouldn't guarantee Montreal's return to the post-season, but believes his group is better-placed to reach the playoffs than 12 months ago. "I hope we make the playoffs. I think that as a roster, we probably have a better chance than maybe what we did last year at this time,' he said. 'We found our way in and other teams that maybe were expected to didn't, so you still got to play the games. 'We still have work to do here from a management perspective to get to where we want to be, but I like the direction we're heading.' Meanwhile, centre Christian Dvorak is leaving the Canadiens and joining the Philadelphia Flyers on a one-year, $5.4-million contract. Dvorak, 29, had 12 goals and 21 assists in 82 games last season. Winger Joel Armia, who had 11 goals and 18 assists in 81 games in Montreal last season, signed a two-year, $5-million deal with the Los Angeles Kings. Hughes said he discussed extensions with both players, noting that Armia 'wanted to stay in Montreal.' 'If we were able to equal the offer, I think Armia would have chosen to stay,' he said. Next up, Hughes has a second-line centre on his wish list, but said he's comfortable with a mix of Nick Suzuki, Kirby Dach, Alex Newhook, Jake Evans and Owen Beck down the middle. 'We were always going to address the centre position on the trade market,' he said. 'We haven't done it yet, we're ready to start the season like this, but at the same time we'll keep working the phones.' Hughes wouldn't reveal any details about contract negotiations with rookie-of-the-year Lane Hutson and veteran defenceman Mike Matheson, who both became eligible for contract extensions Tuesday afternoon. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 1, 2025. Daniel Rainbird, The Canadian Press
CTV News
20 minutes ago
- CTV News
Senators sign forwards Lars Eller, Nick Cousins to one-year contracts
Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz (41) pokes the puck off the stick of Ottawa Senators' Nick Cousins (21) during second period NHL playoff action in Ottawa, on Thursday, April 24, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang The Ottawa Senators signed forwards Lars Eller and Nick Cousins to one-year contracts on the opening day of NHL free agency Tuesday. Eller joins the Senators on a US$1.25-million deal after producing six goals and nine assists in 63 games with the Washington Capitals last season. The 36-year-old centre from Denmark will play for his sixth franchise after previous stints in St. Louis, Montreal, Colorado and Pittsburgh. Cousins re-signed on a $825,000 contract after recording 15 points (six goals, nine assists) in 50 regular-season games for Ottawa in 2024-25. He also suited up in five of six games during the team's first-round appearance against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The 31-year-old had signed a one-year, $800,000 deal to join the Senators last summer after winning the Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers in 2023-24. Cousins was a third-round pick (68th overall) in the 2011 NHL Draft by the Philadelphia Flyers. The five-foot-11, 186-pound centre has amassed 195 points (77 goals, 118 assists) in 642 career games having also spent time in Arizona, Montreal, Vegas and Nashville. The Senators did not retain goalie Anton Forsberg and defenceman Dennis Gilbert. Forsberg signed a two-year, $4.5-million contract with the Los Angeles Kings a day after Ottawa inked 22-year-old goalie Leevi Merilainen to a one-year extension. Merilainen will backup Linus Ullmark next season. Gilbert, who joined the Senators from the Buffalo Sabres in the Dylan Cozens-Josh Norris swap at last season's deadline, put pen to paper on a one-year, $875,000 deal with the Philadelphia Flyers. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 1, 2025.
National Post
an hour ago
- National Post
Raptors shore up centre position with Jakob Poeltl contract extension, free agency signing
NBA free agency opened Tuesday with plenty of pomp and circumstance, including a rare buyout of a superstar's contract. Article content But as expected, the Raptors shopped in the bargain aisle. Article content Article content Which isn't to say they didn't do a little in-house work. Article content All signs had pointed to Toronto working out a long-term deal with starting centre Jakob Poeltl this month, and that's what happened. Article content Article content Poeltl and the Raptors agreed to a four-year deal worth $104 million U.S., ESPN first reported. It's a raise for Poeltl, who had a year remaining worth $19.5 million on his contract with the option to opt in for another, which was never going to happen because he was worth more on the market. The Raptors and Poeltl's representatives just saw talented Minnesota big man Naz Reid get $125 million over five years and agreed to a similar type of valuation (Reid is four years younger which is partly why he got an extra year most likely). Poeltl was drafted ninth overall by the Raptors in 2016 and initially developed behind Jonas Valanciunas before both centres were dealt in separate 2018-19 deals that resulted in Toronto winning the NBA title. Article content Poeltl was brought back in February of 2023 to finally solve the massive hole in the middle that had held back the Raptors since Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka left. Article content Toronto now has its core locked in, but further moves will likely have to be made to get the payroll in a more reasonable area considering the group's upside. Article content Article content Earlier in the day, tight to the NBA's punitive luxury tax and first apron, Toronto, in its first move without having Masai Ujiri in charge since 2013, agreed to terms with centre Sandro Mamukelashvili. Article content The 26-year-old is a 6-foot-11, 240 pound big man who is a threat to stretch the floor, something the Raptors, second-worst in the NBA in three-point makes per game last season, badly need behind starting frontcourt players Poeltl and Scottie Barnes. Mamukelashvili hit 37.3% of his three-point attempts last season and has nailed 34.8% over four years and 191 games in the NBA. Article content Article content Born in New York City, Mamukelashvili and his family moved to Tbilisi in their native Georgia when he was a baby. He played in Italy as a teenager before heading to Montverde Academy in Florida, where in a coincidence, he played with now Raptors teammate RJ Barrett. He then played four years at Seton Hall before being drafted 54th overall by Indiana in 2021 and traded that week to Milwaukee.
