Canadiens Wrap-Up: Hughes’ Strategy, Roy, Slafkovsky, Waivers

MONTREAL — There’s never a dull moment when it comes to the Montreal Canadiens, but many fans lead a very busy life, meaning it’s not always possible to keep up to date with every news story.

But don’t worry, we’re here to help!

Every Sunday we will recap the most exciting and relevant news stories that you may have missed throughout the week.

Monday 

• The Montreal Canadiens may have lost the game, but Juraj Slafkovsky and Kirby Dach gave them hope for the future.
• Canadiens head coach Martin St-Louis is taking a measured approach with prospect Juraj Slafkovsky:
• Habs captain Nick Suzuki is gearing up for a return to play Tuesday night against the Ottawa Senators.
• The Canadiens could use waivers to kill two birds with one stone prior to the start of the season.
• The Montreal Canadiens will have an interesting opportunity to dictate a unique developmental path for their first overall pick, Juraj Slafkovsky and they should take advantage of it.

Tuesday

• The Canadiens make their fourth round of cuts, trimming the roster by 7 players, including prospects Filip Mesar & Mattias Norlinder.
• Former Montreal Canadiens goaltender Patrick Roy was in Brossard on Monday morning to be around the team and meet with the team’s management group.
• Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield finished first and second in team scoring last season, respectively, but the question remains, who will complete the trio?
• Owen Beck had an impressive showing for the Montreal Canadiens during camp this fall, and his efforts have resulted in the signing of a well-deserved entry-level contract.

Wednesday

• The Montreal Canadiens recently announced they had assigned Filip Mesar to the Laval Rocket, but where he plays this season is still to be determined.
• The Canadiens officially signed 2021 1st round pick Logan Mailloux to an entry-level contract, a sign that he’s part of the future moving forward.
• WATCH: Filip Mesar shows all his skill with an incredible shootout deke at practice.
• Depending on the severity of his injury, Canadiens prospect Emil Heineman could be sticking around in North America a little longer than expected, with the potential to stay even longer.

Thursday

• Injuries to key veterans like Paul Byron and Joel Armia now allow the Canadiens to get creative on the look of their roster before the start of the season.
• Ranking the top-5 best Canadiens forward prospects at training camp this fall.
• The new line combinations put forth by Martin St. Louis could be a preview of what the opening night roster will look like and that could be good news for Juraj Slafkvosky and Kaiden Guhle.

Friday

• Details on the timeline for Logan Mailloux‘s contract negotiations, his health and expectations for this season in London.
• As several Canadiens players nurse injuries, a low-pressure opportunity might be in the cards for Juraj Slafkovsky.
  
• Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton have done some quick work in setting the Canadiens in the right direction, earning the praise of league commissioner Gary Bettman along the way.
• The NHL waiver wire is heating up and Canadiens GM Kent Hughes is biding his time for the right fit.

Saturday

• The Montreal Canadiens finally used their priority advantage on waivers to pluck Jonathan Kovacevic on waivers from the Winnipeg Jets.
• Kent Hughes has identified a list of teams that could be forced to place a defenceman on waivers. Here are some of the names that may become available for the Canadiens in the next few days.
• Kent Hughes is far from done tinkering with his roster and is looking to add prospects and most notably another 2023 1st round pick before the end of the season.

Sunday

• Certain prospects are expected to work on their weaknesses once they’re cut from NHL training camps, while others are expected to dominate; that’s exactly what Joshua Roy and Lane Hutson are doing.