The Canadian men’s team returned to action and put in a trio of respectable performances. John Molinaro has four key takeaways from the latest international window.

In the end, it proved to be an exercise in message-sending — Connor Zary needs to be better and do things differently. As do the rest of the Flames. Eric Francis has the story.

It won't be easy for the Canadiens to replace Ivan Demidov. His exceptional playmaking and crucial presence on the power play surely will be missed for the next two to four weeks.

Thanks to a humbling start for both Connor Zary and the Flames, the relationship between team and player degenerated to the point where the 25-year-old was placed on waivers.

When the Canadiens play their home opener against the champion Hurricanes Tuesday, it'll be anything but just one of 84 games. For coach Martin St. Louis, that means some difficult lineup decisions are in store, writes Sportsnet's Eric Engels.

Outscored an unfathomable 16-3 in its first three games, Calgary's loss on Sunday showed just how far it is from playing the type of hockey needed to keep games close during this rebuild.