The Montreal Canadiens are looking to improve on the player development front and, according to rumors, it appears they are looking to do so at the expense of another Canadian franchise.
According to Sportsnet insider Eric Engels, the Canadiens are expected to announce the hiring of coach Adam Nicholas in the coming days. Nicholas is the founder of player development company Stride Envy and has worked with notable NHL players like Jack Eichel, Charlie Coyle, Zdeno Chara, Conor Garland, Jordan Greenway, Clayton Keller and more again.
It seems, according to Engels, that this appointment is made at the expense of another Canadian franchise, the Toronto Maple Leafs. Nicholas has served as a skills consultant since 2019, but it looks like his time with the Leafs is about to end. It's unclear what the Canadiens offered to entice him to join their organization, but Engels describes it as "a big step in player development" for the Canadiens organization.
Nicholas is a former hockey player, while he played in the NCAA. He also spent three years coaching Umass-Lowell as an assistant coach. He founded Stride Envy at the age of 24 and has worked as a skills trainer ever since.
The Canadiens are arguably the worst team in the National Hockey League this season, which has led to drastic changes on the club's 2nd floor, as Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes have taken the place of Marc Bergevin. It would seem that the acquisition of Nicholas is just the latest step in the new direction of the team, and the fact that it comes at the expense of the Leafs will likely only serve to fuel the rivalry between what is arguably the two most popular hockey clubs in Canada.
