HabsWorld.net -- 

To the surprise of no one, the Montreal Canadiens and Edmonton Oilers have come to terms on a 1-year affiliation agreement with the Hamilton Bulldogs.  3 years ago, a similar affiliation existed, as the Canadiens joined up with the Oilers after they folded their AHL franchise, the Quebec Citadelles.  The Oilers moved their team to Toronto the following season, before leaving less than a year after to Edmonton, where they recently placed that franchise in dormancy. 

In 2001-02, both teams placed roughly the same amount of players on the team, however, this time, it will be different.  The agreement calls for Edmonton to send a maximum of 7 players to Steeltown, and no more than 1 goaltender.  The Oilers are expected to announce another affiliation agreement with the newly formed Iowa Stars in the coming days.  That team will feature up to 5 Bulldogs from last season, Dan Ellis, Dan Jancevski, Trevor Daley, Steve Ott, and Antti Miettinen.

In other news…Bulldogs G Yann Danis may not be in the AHL to start next season.  It has recently been released that Montreal’s recently-acquired backup Cristobal Huet is out until at least mid December, after undergoing knee surgery to replace a partially torn ACL.  With the new salary cap in place for the NHL, the Habs may simply elect to use Danis as their backup, rather than signing a temporary replacement, or trading for one.