If the CMJ ended today, several players would be in the conversation for the tournament MVP.
My pick: Zayne Parekh.
He’s clearly the best defenseman on Team Canadiens and, tied with Gavin McKenna, Michael Hage, and Tomas Chrenko, finished first in scoring with eight points in four games in the qualifying phase.
His challenge in the NHL will be his play in his own territory, but it’s clear that his offensive game is not a problematic aspect of his game.
Today, the right-hander admitted that in Calgary, he can’t be himself, as the team has asked him to keep his answers simple when talking to the media. At CMJ, he can do “whatever he wants.”
I find it pretty ordinary that the Flames are asking the future of its organization to be someone it’s not.
At the same time, I’m sure the club isn’t entirely happy that Parekh admitted this publicly… But hey, the 19-year-old, who has one assist in 11 games with Calgary this season, believes it takes more to grow the sport.
I see NHL players as robots with no personality. – Zayne Parekh
Hopefully, the Flames organization will modernize and allow the organization’s youngsters to be more themselves, especially during interviews.
We’re talking about the Flames in this text, but many teams probably say the same thing to their players. It just hasn’t come out publicly…
Overtime
– Still.
The Habs are 8th in the NHL’s latest Super 16 power rankings https://t.co/m3LUD0gsJp
– /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) January 1, 2026
– Coming up.
Frank Seravalli: If anything, I could see the Blackhawks not deleting much outside of Connor Murphy, potentially, on the backend, but adding; I’m not talking about a big significant splash; I could see the ‘Hawks try to bolster their lineup – Insider Notebook (12/30)
– NHL Rumor Report (@NHLRumorReport) January 1, 2026
– Read more.
New for @Sportsnet:
My analysis of Team Canada’s final roster. Bennett, Cirelli, Horvat, Schaefer/Bouchard vs. Parayko/Sanheim etc etc.https://t.co/DsqlwyvYq8
– Justin Bourne (@jtbourne) January 1, 2026