Habs Daily: Gurianov’s Usage, Injury Updates, UFA Options

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

Habs News

• Montreal Canadiens prospect Emil Heineman will be coming over to North America, as he’s set to join the Laval Rocket for the rest of the season. [Heineman To Report To Laval]
• The Montreal Canadiens got some good news on Monday morning, as three veterans returned to practice in non-contact jerseys. Kirby Dach, Brendan Gallagher and Jake Evans, all of whom have been out of the lineup for over a month, returned to the Canadiens’ practice after rehabbing lower-body injuries. [Canadiens Practice Notes: Familiar Faces Return To Practice]
• Check out the Habs Mailbag, which covered several topics, including the best usage for Denis Gurianov, what to expect from Emil Heineman, the lack of transparency from the Canadiens on injuries, unrestricted free agents the Canadiens may pursue, and more. [Canadiens Mailbag: Gurianov’s Usage, Potential UFAs, Injury Woes]

National Hockey Now News

• Retired Boston Bruins captain Zdeno Chara is always looking for new challenges and it seems he’s found a new figurative mountain to climb in the Boston Bruins.. [Boston Bruins]
• The Pittsburgh Penguins’ playoff hopes are collapsing like a waterlogged tissue. Their 2-1 loss to Ottawa at PPG Paints Arena Monday night was their fourth defeat in a row — all in regulation — and, coupled with Florida’s 5-2 victory in Detroit, dropped the Penguins out of the Eastern Conference playoff field. [Pittsburgh Penguins]
• The Philadelphia Flyers’ rebuild is underway. They made their second of four allowed recalls Monday, bringing up defenseman Egor Zamula from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. [Philadelphia Flyers]
• The Florida Panthers officially has a new all-time leading scorer as captain Sasha Barkov holds the title. Barkov got his 614th point in the second period of Florida’s game in Detroit on Monday night by assisting on a goal by defenseman Gus Forsling. [Florida Panthers]
• Detroit Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde said Simon Edvinsson was the team’s “best D” in his team’s 5-2 loss to the Florida Panthers. The bad news is he was injured in his second NHL game. [Detroit Red Wings]
• Washington Capitals defenseman John Carlson is one step closer to making his return from a 90MPH slapshot to the face. [Washington Capitals]
• The Vegas Golden Knights, even as an expansion team, have had one of the most complex goalie situations in the National Hockey League recently. [Vegas Golden Knights]