WHAT IF: Could Montreal Canadiens have drastically CHANGED history by drafting Kopitar over Price? Friday Habs mailbag

What if the Montreal Canadiens had drafted Anze Kopitar instead of Carey Price? Laura Saba and Ian Boisvert break down how this alternate history could have reshaped the team’s identity, from Jaroslav Halak’s role to Saku Koivu’s future and the evolution of Montreal’s centre depth. The hosts debate whether a different approach in the front office and supporting cast might have delivered a championship or left the Canadiens searching for answers in net. Other hot topics include frustrations with the NHL’s expensive TV deals and their impact on Canadian fans, plus listener mailbag questions ranging from ideal all-time Canadiens lineups to realistic trade scenarios for Kirill Marchenko and Elias Pettersson. The episode also tackles ongoing negotiations with Arber Xhekaj, future roster moves under Kent Hughes, and which young Hab deserves fans’ loyalty in the post-Gallagher era. Can Montreal’s management make the right moves to return to contention? 00:00 Montreal Canadiens' hypothetical scenarios 03:44 Montreal Canadiens roster and strategy 06:52 Team leadership changes and TV deals 11:34 Complaints about TV broadcasting changes 14:26 Daily Dingers MLB predictions 20:07 Praising Nathan MacKinnon's intensity 21:41 Player's performance against Montreal 27:06 Canadiens trade possibilities 30:54 Pettersson's personal and professional struggles 33:10 Draft decisions and Canadiens' strategy 35:54 Discussing Columbus Blue Jackets Strategy 38:45 Discussing Montreal Canadiens Players 41:36 Countdown to puck drop Photo credit: James Guillory - Imagn Images Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms… 🎧 https://link.chtbl.com/LOCanadiens?sid=YouTube Locked On NHL League-Wide: Every Team, Fantasy, Prospects & More 🎧 https://linktr.ee/LockedOnNHL Find Locked On Canadiens anywhere:https://lintr.ee/LockedOnCanadiens Also make sure to follow Locked on Canadiens and their hosts on Bluesky! Locked on Canadiens: https://bsky.app/profile/lockedoncanadiens.bsky.social Find Ian on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/maybeitsian.bsky.social Find Laura on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/theactivestick.bsky.social #NHLHockey #MontrealCanadiens #Habs #nhl #nationalhockeyleague #canadiensmtl #canadiens Everydayer Club If you never miss an episode, it’s time to make it official. Join the Locked On Everydayer Club and get ad-free audio, access to our members-only Discord, and more — all built for our most loyal fans. Click here to learn more and join your team’s community: https://lockedonpodcasts.com/everydayerclub Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! FanDuel Today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel. Join all the action at https://FANDUEL.COM to play Daily Dingers and make your free pick on who’s hitting a homer this MLB season. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.