from Ryan S. Clark of The Athletic,

What has it been like to have the best year of your career in what must be one of the most challenging years of your life?

It’s actually not. It’s not the most challenging year of my life. Not by a long shot. I have taken a lot of relief and the best I have felt in a long time. Yes, it’s been stressful to deal with a lot of the bankruptcy. It’s definitely been stressful. But it was a relief because I didn’t have to try and hide it anymore. I didn’t have to try to pretend. It was a big weight off my shoulders in a way. For years, I was dealing with all these things. It’s having that constant stress. Everybody has stress. But once I made that decision (to file for bankruptcy), people think it is the start of something. Really, it’s the end of this chapter of my life. I think that is where the big misconception is about this. I have a wife that I’ve been married to for almost three years. I have my daughter who turned 10 months two days ago. When you grow up, there’s different decisions you have to make. They are not always easy. But for me, it was the best decision I have made in a long time.

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THREE HARD LAPS

* The final playoff spot, Presidents’ Trophy and last division crown all are up for grabs on a nine-game Monday in the NHL.

* The Canadiens can lock up the 16th and final spot in the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs when they face the Oilers at Bell Centre. Montreal will clinch if they get at least one point.

* The Golden Knights will look to claim their third division title and first Presidents’ Trophy when they battle the Avalanche at T-Mobile Arena. Vegas would clinch both with a victory of any kind.