Habs Daily: Canadiens Goaltending Situation, Top Prospects

Here are the Montreal Canadiens news, highlights, and stories you may have missed on Thursday.

Montreal Canadiens News

• Our Montreal Canadiens ‘State Of The Rebuild’ series continues with a closer look at the goaltending situation going forward. Both Samuel Montembeault and Cayden Primeau have shown enough potential to hold the fort, leaving the Habs with many more options from a salary cap perspective.  [Canadiens State Of the Rebuild – Current NHL Talent – Goaltenders]

• ICYMI: Montreal Hockey Now interviewed top 2024 NHL Draft target, Berkly Catton. Say what you will about his size, but there’s no doubt he possesses the type of offensive instincts the Canadiens could use in their lineup.  [Berkly Catton To Be a Top Canadiens Draft Target This Summer]

• We also spoke to another very talented player who will hear his name called early this summer, Cayden Lindstrom. [Cayden Lindstrom a Prime Draft Target for the Montreal Canadiens]

• Check out this Juraj Slafkovsky fan art by our very own Annik Lemire.

In case you’re missing Slaf: #gohabsgo @CanadiensMTL @NHL @jurislaff #habs pic.twitter.com/lVF2kuq9XI

— Annik (@alemiredesigns) May 2, 2024

National Hockey Now Network

• From Pittsburgh Hockey Now’s partner WPXI Channel 11 and their reporter, Jenna Harner, the Pittsburgh Penguins are going to cut personnel on the business operations side of the business. The report does not reference any hockey operations staff changes. WPXI has learned the Pittsburgh Penguins have made more than a dozen cuts to their business operations staff on Wednesday, including letting go of multiple high-level executives. [Pittsburgh Penguins]
• New Jersey Devils General Manager Tom Fitzgerald has his work cut out for him this summer. He’s certainly going to need to acquire a goaltender and a defenseman. After trading Tyler Toffoli to the Winnipeg Jets at the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline, the Devils need another top-six forward as well. [New Jersey Devils]
• If you weren’t tuning in this season, you could make a case that the Calgary Flames didn’t move the needle much in terms of on-ice results. A lower finish in the standings – 16th last season vs 23rd this season. More goals against. 267 this year vs 247 with Darryl Sutter coaching in 2022-2023. Surprisingly, Sutter’s slow-boiled five-man zone exits, and entries slightly edged that mark with 258 in his final year as head coach of the Flames. [Calgary Flames]