Canadiens Wrap-Up: Habs 2023 Draft Gamble, NHL Trade Talk

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

• Could the Montreal Canadiens win both lotteries in the 2023 NHL Draft Lottery? It’s possible, here’s how.
• With the World Junior Championship just around the corner, it’s time to take a look at the players that will likely make the trip to Halifax and Moncton to play for their national teams.
• Team Canada announced their final roster for the upcoming World Junior Championship, and it only includes one Canadiens prospect.

Tuesday

• The salary cap is not expected to rise very much next season, which will complicate things for many NHL teams, but the Canadiens should be in a perfect position to take advantage of the situation.
• Even if he spent most of his time on the 4th line, Juraj Slafkovsky compares well to a few other first-overall picks in the NHL.
• Kent Hughes is in the business of “selling high and buying low” and there are a few former top picks across the league that fit the bill.
  
• The Canadiens got some good and bad news when it came to the health of certain players, most notably Cole Caufield.
• The top-3 most pleasant surprises for the Canadiens so far this season, including Arber Xhekaj and more.

Wednesday

• The Canadiens are soon to find themselves an interesting position come NHL Trade Deadline, as the NHL trade market is in disarray this season.
• With rumblings of expansion in the air, and Quebec City always a possibility, Canadiens owner Geoff Molson provided an interesting stance on the situation.
• Team Slovakia released their World Junior roster and Canadiens forward Juraj Slafkovsky was NOT on it.
  
• This week’s Canadiens Prospect Power Rankings has skilled forward Filip Mesar making the biggest jump up the list, and Jared Davidson forcing his way into the top 10.

Thursday

• The Canadiens aren’t outright shopping their veterans, but one of them is now confirmed to be on the Edmonton Oilers‘ radar.
  
• With the Canadiens eyeing the 2023 NHL Draft with great interest, MHN has put together their preliminary 2023 NHL Draft Rankings.
• Many names were tossed around during the Canadiens’ search for a new General Manager last year, including Anaheim Ducks‘ Assistant GM, Martin Madden Jr.
• Martin St-Louis channelling his inner John Tortorella after the game on Wednesday against the Ottawa Senators.

Friday

• The Canadiens came close to signing John Klingberg this summer, and they’ll have another opportunity to do so next offseason.
• The Canadiens were nearly involved in a sign & Trade with Edmonton Oilers this summer.
• Lane Hutson has officially made Team USA’s 2023 World Junior roster. He’s among several Habs prospects that should play an important role for their national teams later this month:
• Two Canadiens players are generating some trade buzz, with the odds increasing that they’ll be on their way out by March 3.
• Martin St-Louis is having himself a heated week, as he has hilarious reaction to “Reverse Retro Curse”.

Saturday

• It’s getting hard to find reasons to keep these Habs players down with the Laval Rocket.
• Jordan Harris isn’t included in many headlines, but his excellent play this season is worth celebrating.
• When the Montreal Canadiens acquired an unprotected 1st-round pick from the Florida Panthers, GM Kent Hughes had a plan in place; and it just might work.

The Season So Far

If you’d like to go back and comb over some of the biggest news so far this season, here’s a list of each weekly Wrap-Up so far:

Dec 13th – Habs Interest In Boeser, Prospects at WJC

Dec 4th – Caufield Extension, Montreal’s Plan For 2023 Draft

Nov 27th – Habs Trade Talk, Monahan’s Growing Value

Nov 20th – Kent Hughes Active, NHL Trade Rumours

Nov 13th – Hughes’ Trade Strategy, Kirby Dach’s Growth

Nov 6th – St-Louis Strategy, Caufield, Slafkovsky

Oct 30th – Habs Trade Talk, Roster Shuffle & Waivers

Oct 23rd – Juraj Slafkovsky Impressing, Xhekaj And More

Oct 16th – Hughes’ LTIR Strategy, Carey Price, Waivers

Oct 9th – Hughes Roster Strategy, Roy, Slafkovsky