Canadiens Wrap-Up: Caufield Extension, Montreal’s Plan For Draft

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 Canadiens’ recent success has management altering their strategy for the upcoming 2023 NHL Draft, but in a way that differs from their predecessors.
  
• Juraj Slafkovsky needs to be given some growth opportunities.
• It’s been one year since the Habs fired Marc Bergevin and hired Jeff Gorton. Take a look at the top 5 moves in the last year.
  
• The  Canadiens have surprised, but so too have some of their prospects; in ways perhaps even Kent Hughes didn’t see coming.

Tuesday

• The Montreal Canadiens’ Draft lottery odds are improving as concerns over the Florida Panthers‘ slow start begin to surface.
• Cole Caufield has been labelled a steal for a while now, but how high could he go in a re-draft of the 2019 class? Not high enough, apparently.
• Canadiens prospect Cedrick Guindon was a 4th round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, and now sits fourth in scoring in the OHL.

Wednesday

• The Canadiens are looking to start negotiations with Cole Caufield on an extension, one that, if things continue, could make him the richest skater on the team.
• Lots of movement in this week’s Canadiens Prospect Rankings: Engstrom jumps up a few spots, Mailloux drops off the list, and much more.
• The Montreal Canadiens have been fun to watch, but new season projections are predicting the Canadiens could have a very interesting 2023 NHL Draft.
• Who are the more optimal players to put on a line with Juraj Slafkovsky?

Thursday

• With the NHL holiday roster freeze on the horizon, the Montreal Canadiens have a soft deadline and a perfect opportunity to fix the longstanding roster logjam.
• The remaining NHL schedule could put the Montreal Canadiens in an enviable position.
• Montreal Canadiens Head Coach Martin St-Louis worked around a less-than-ideal situation with his forwards, but his focus now shifts to the back end.

Friday

• A trio of Montreal Canadiens prospects could be making Team Canada go Bleu, Blanc, Rouge at this year’s World Juniors, a first in 23 years.
• The trade that brought Sean Monahan to the Canadiens was a stroke of genius by Kent Hughes. But the deal almost never happened.
• The Canadiens have many young prospects surpassing expectations, putting some older Habs prospects at risk of falling down the depth chart.
  
• The Top-3 most deserving call-up candidates from the Laval Rocket.

Saturday

• The Montreal Canadiens haven’t yet decided what they’ll do with Sean Monahan before the NHL Trade Deadline, but his resurgence in Montreal has an added benefit that could last beyond this spring.
• It’s a poorly kept secret the Ottawa Senators have been sending a curious number of employees to Montreal Canadiens games.
• The Canadiens benefitted greatly from trading Brett Kulak to the Edmonton Oilers last season, but came close to doubling their value over the summer.