Habs Daily: Struble Signs, Belzile’s Excellence, Heineman

All the latest Habs news, recent Montreal Canadiens stories, as well as information from around the National Hockey League.

Habs News

• Defenceman Jayden Struble signed his entry-level contract following the conclusion of his NCAA career. The Northeastern alternate captain will also sign a professional tryout, which will allow him to report to the Laval Rocket. [Struble Signs ELC]
• Canadiens call-up Alex Belzile is enjoying a great audition in the NHL. Not only is he the team’s best player when it comes to points per 60 minutes of ice time, he’s among the top-5 most productive players in the NHL. [Belzile Among Top NHLers]
• Now that his team has been eliminated from the SHL playoffs, Emil Heineman is bound for North America. Here are some of the options for the speedy forward. [Canadiens Options For Heineman]
• If the Canadiens did not have bad injury luck, they wouldn’t have any luck at all. Christian Dvorak is the most recent player to have made his way to the infirmary. [Dvorak Out For Season]

National Hockey Now News

• The New York Islanders were strong against the Los Angeles Kings in the first period. But two penalties early in the second period allowed the Kings to take complete control. [New York Islanders]
• If the Stanley Cup Playoffs began Wednesday the Boston Bruins would have hosted the New York Islanders in the opening round. However, as we’ve seen over the last week, that can change in a hurry. [Boston Bruins]
• Defenseman Dmitry Kulikov, one of three players the Pittsburgh Penguins added as the NHL’s trade deadline approached, has been placed on the Long-Term Injured list, retroactive to March 12. [Pittsburgh Penguins]
• Carson Briere, whose father, Danny, was named the Philadelphia Flyers’ interim general manager last week, confirmed Wednesday he pushed a disabled student’s unoccupied wheelchair down the stairs at a bar Saturday. [Philadelphia Flyers]
• The Washington Capitals will again have to wait and see if Alex Ovechkin is healthy enough to draw in, as he will be a game-time decision against the Buffalo Sabres. [Washington Capitals]
• The Vegas Golden Knights traded for two forwards to add to their depth at the 2023 NHL Trade Deadline, Teddy Blueger and Ivan Barbashev. But these past two games, a different kind of “new” player has been turning heads in the Golden Knights lineup, Pavel Dorofeyev. [Vegas Golden Knights]
• The injury to Artturi Lehkonen will be a tough one for the Colorado Avalanche to overcome. Without Gabriel Landeskog around, Lehkonen has filled the role of Nathan MacKinnon’s “skilled worker” on the top line. He digs pucks out of the corner, crashes the net, scores goals, and always battles defensively. [Colorado Avalanche]