Canadiens Wrap-Up: Habs Trade Rumours, Caufield, Slafkovsky

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

• With 15 healthy forwards on the main roster, the Canadiens will need to decide what to do with Juraj Slafkovsky: send him to Laval or make room by waiving a veteran.
  
• Head coach Martin St-Louis gives his thoughts on Juraj Slafkovsky’s progress this season.
• Cole Caufield and Christian Dvorak drove the Canadiens’ offence last week, but it was the play from a rookie pairing that impressed the most.
• The Canadiens will lose their waiver priority as of November 1, with the 2022-2023 NHL standings now deciding the new order.

Tuesday

• Kirby Dach is off to a good start with the Montreal Canadiens, but is it sustainable? The numbers tell a very interesting tale.
• The abundance of forwards has forced the Canadiens to start rotating veterans out of the lineup, and head coach Martin St-Louis offered some advice based on his experience.
• Lane Hutson takes the top spot on the inaugural Canadiens Prospect Power Rankings

Wednesday

• The status of Montreal Canadiens forward Evgenii Dadonov has been of interest as of late, and general manager Kent Hughes has cleared the air.
• Juraj Slafkovsky looks like a far more dangerous player over his last few games, and his confidence continues to grow thanks to his time on the power play.
• Which Canadiens player fits best alongside Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield?
  
• It’s still very early, but Lane Hutson‘s current scoring pace would place him alongside some of the best 18-year-old defencemen in NCAA history.

Thursday

• The Canadiens were forced to put Evgeni Dadonov on injured reserve in order to get back down to 23 players, but that’s just delaying the inevitable.
• The imminent return of Montreal Canadiens defenceman Joel Edmundson will force the Canadiens to have to make a trade or waive a veteran soon.
• The Montreal Canadiens are active on the NHL trade market, chatting with many teams around the league, most notably the Washington Capitals, looking to unload one of their many veterans.

Friday

• Both the Canadiens and Capitals are over $10M over the salary cap, so a trade between the two will be tricky.
• Nick Suzuki is quickly providing excellent value in the early stages of his new eight-year contract.
• General manager Kent Hughes is looking to make a move, but who are the likeliest candidates to move if a trade does materialize in the coming days?
• Cole Caufield has become one of the best 5v5 goal scorers in the league, but there’s a lot more to his game than just goals.

Saturday

• Canadiens forward Josh Anderson was given a major penalty for boarding after a dangerous hit on Alex Pietrangelo.
• The Canadiens hosted the Vegas Golden Knights at the Bell Centre on Saturday night, in yet another-defence optional game that featured a bevy of goals.
• Martin St-Louis discusses the challenges involved in finding ice time for his overcrowded lineup.
• Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes is actively working the phones on a deal with a few teams, but who is looking to deal right now?
• With the NHL season beyond the 10-game threshold, it’s a perfect opportunity to evaluate the play of the many rookies that currently find themselves on the Canadiens blue line.