Canadiens Wrap-Up: Habs Prospects Ranked, AHL, Guhle, Trades

MONTREAL — There’s never a dull moment when it comes to the Montreal Canadiens, but it’s not always possible to keep up to date with every breaking news story.

Every Sunday we will recap the most exciting and relevant NHL news stories that you may have missed throughout the week.

Monday

• As we discuss the merits of having various players in the lineup, we must keep in mind that certain players will have to go through waivers if they’re to be assigned to the AHL, whereas others will not. [How Waiver Eligibility Will Impact Canadiens Projected Lineups]
• In the early edition of the Montreal Canadiens Mailbag, we discuss Adam Engstrom’s potential, the defensive group, how I fell in love with hockey, the Alexis Lafreniere dossier, my favourite all-time Habs, and more. [Habs Mailbag: Prospect Potential, Defence, Lafreniere, Beliveau]

Tuesday

• The Montreal Canadiens have announced that they will once again be heading to New York State to participate in the Prospect Challenge, hosted by the Buffalo Sabres at the LECOM Harborcenter. [Canadiens To Participate In 2023 Prospect Challenge In Buffalo]

Wednesday

• Former Montreal Canadiens forward Alex Galchenyuk has announced he has entered the NHL/NHLPA’s Player Assistance Program. [Former Canadiens Galchenyuk Enters Player Assistance Program]
• To get a better idea of where some of the Canadiens’ top prospects rank against the prospects hailing from other teams, we can reference Scott Wheeler’s recent top 50 prospects rankings. [Two Montreal Canadiens Prospects Among Top 50 In NHL]
• There’s some concern regarding the lack of potential elite talent, but for now, to get a better idea of what each prospect may bring to the table, we can use a simple formula called NHLe, which levels the playing field for every player in the system. [Top Canadiens Prospects Ranked By NHL Equivalency]

Thursday

• The Montreal Canadiens have already signed the majority of the players they planned on extending this summer, with the exception of one forward: Jesse Ylonen. [What Jesse Ylonen’s Extension With Canadiens Could Look Like]

Friday

• One of the most common questions regarding Montreal Canadiens prospects is whether they qualify to play in the CHL, AHL or NHL. It’s a particularly interesting topic for the Canadiens, who have several of their top forward prospects ready to make the jump to another league this summer. [Montreal Canadiens Prospect AHL Eligibility for 2023-24]
• In the second weekly edition of the Habs Mailbag, we discuss which Canadiens players would fit as members of The Sopranos cast, projected lineups for the Habs, possible trade options, Emil Heineman’s potential, the return of the Expos, Owen Beck, and much more.[Habs Mailbag: Canadiens As Sopranos, Projected Lineups, Trades]

Saturday

• Few players in the history of the NHL were given a more difficult rookie assignment than Kaiden Guhle. Not only was he thrust into the Canadiens’ top pairing with little to no professional experience, but he was also paired with defencemen who, historically, have struggled to control the flow of the game whenever they’re on the ice. [Montreal Canadiens Defenceman Kaiden Guhle Poised To Flourish]
• We had so many good questions submitted this week for the Habs Mailbag that we decided to publish a second series of answers. In part two we covered the many goaltending options heading into the 2023-24 season, the options for the top line, what will happen with players like Joel Armia, Christian Dvorak, and Mike Hoffman, a trade offer from the Nashville Predators, as well as a look ahead at the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. [Top 3 Montreal Canadiens Prospects At Risk Of Falling Behind]