Canadiens Wrap-Up: Habs Youth Movement, NHL Draft Lottery

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 Habs’ odds for the 2023 Draft Lottery keep improving due to their difficult schedule and recent surges by competing teams. [Canadiens Tank Tracker]
• Canadiens head coach Martin St-Louis discussed the importance of having puck-moving defencemen like Mike Matheson in the lineup, seeing as he serves as a good example for young players like Jordan Harris, Kaiden Guhle, and Justin Barron. [MSL On The Importance Of Mobile Defencemen]
• Versatile forward Artturi Lehkonen and the Avalanche faced the Canadiens on Monday night, giving us a perfect opportunity to reflect on the trade that brought Barron to Montreal. [Review Of Lehkonen Trade]
• Lehkonen scored the 100th goal of his career, while Josh Anderson scored his 20th of the season, and Denis Gurianov scored his third in a Canadiens uniform in an entertaining loss ot the Avalanche. [Lehkonen Shines In Habs Loss]

Tuesday

• The Canadiens have a handful of prospects that are on the cusp of jumping to the NHL or AHL in the immediate future; which will help inject some excitement for fans. [Canadiens Prospects Turning Pro]
• Habs captain Nick Suzuki reached 50 points for the second consecutive season, making him the first player to do so before the age of 24 since former captain Saku Koivu. The comparisons don’t end there, either. [Suzuki and Koivu]
• How many points will the Canadiens register in March? Take a look at their remaining schedule to get a better idea of the potential outcomes. [March Schedule and Lottery Odds]
• Denis Gurianov, Justin Barron, and Jonathan Drouin led the charge in the Canadiens’ exciting 6-4 win over the Penguins. [Canadiens Earn First March Win]

Wednesday

• 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]

Thursday

• The emergence of Samuel Montembeault this season could possibly alter the Montreal Canadiens’ strategy when it comes to structuring their goaltending depth. [Samuel Montembeault]
• Recent Montreal Canadiens call-ups likely to force general manager Kent Hughes’ hand this offseason: [Kent Hughes]
• Stop me if you’ve heard this one before, but there are a pair of NCAA players in the Montreal Canadiens prospect pool that continues to impress: Lane Hutson and Sean Farrell. [Canadiens Prospects]

Friday

• In this week’s edition of the Canadiens Mailbag, we’ll be looking at the fate of Lane Hutson & Sean Farrell, what to do with the Florida Panthers’ 1st-round pick, some big questions about the 2023 NHL Draft and more. [Canadiens Mailbag]
• The Montreal Canadiens have lost eight of their last nine games and are slowly cementing their place in the bottom ranks of the NHL. [Canadiens Tank Tracker]
• It may not look like it now, but the Habs organization is about to get a serious influx of young talent in the coming months. [Canadiens Prospects]
• Canadiens head coach Martin St-Louis disciplined Jonathan Drouin for missing a team meeting. [Jonathan Drouin]

Saturday

• The Canadiens’ NHL Draft Lottery outlook improved a great deal last night, and they didn’t even play a game. [NHL Draft Lottery]
• The Montreal Canadiens just signed Jayden Struble out of the NCAA and Sean Farrell could be doing the same in the coming weeks. [Sean Farrell]
• The Habs’  run into injuries as of late has exposed one of their more glaring organizational weaknesses. [Canadiens Weakness]

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:

Mar 12th – Habs Prospect Rankings, 2023 NHL Draft

Mar 6th – Habs Trade Analysis, NHL Draft Lottery

Feb 26th – Habs Trade Proposals, NHL Trade Rumours

Feb 19th – Habs Trade Outlook, 2023 Draft Targets

Feb 12th – Habs Likely Trade Chips, Prospects Thriving

Feb 5th – Habs To-Do List, NHL Trade Rumous

Jan 29th – Habs Prospects Take Over, NHL Trade Talk

Jan 22nd – 2023 Draft Plans, NHL Trade Chatter

Jan 15th – Trade Deadline Targets, NHL Trade Rumours

Jan 8th – 2023 Draft Odds, Habs Prospects Traded

Jan 1st – Big 2023 Draft Lottery Odds, 2019 Re-Draft

Dec 25th – Popular Habs In Trade Talks, Xhekaj Fights

Dec 18th – Habs 2023 Draft Gamble, NHL Trade Talk

Dec 11th – 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