Habs Wrap: Monahan Trade Options, Canadiens Value, Prospects

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

• ICYMI: Montreal Canadiens prospects Lane Hutson and Jacob Fowler had very encouraging performances in the NCAA. As per usual, Hutson stood out for all the right reasons. [Canadiens Prospects Hutson And Fowler Shine In NCAA]
• Teams rarely receive healthy returns when trading goaltenders, but injuries could lead to opportunities for the Habs, who currently have three netminders on their roster. [Canadiens Could Capitalize On The NHL’s Goalie Trade Market]
• The Canadiens pulled off yet another exciting comeback win, this time against the Winnipeg Jets. Jake Allen was excellent, as was Sean Monahan. But the big story was how well defenceman Kaiden Guhle performed in his return to the lineup. [Canadiens: Monahan, Allen, Guhle Excel In Win Versus Jets]

Tuesday

• Samuel Montembeault was given the start against the Vegas Golden Knights, who had yet to lose a game in regulation heading into Monday night’s matchup with the Montreal Canadiens.  [Canadiens Game 8: Montembeault Gets Start, Matheson Skated]
• The Habs did not manage to break the Golden Knights’ undefeated streak, but they did play well enough to earn a point. Kaiden Guhle looked great, as did the top line, and, of course, Sean Monahan, who has found a new gear this season. [Canadiens Push Golden Knights To Limit In Entertaining Game]
• Captain Nick Suzuki played in his 300th NHL game against the Golden Knights.

“It doesn’t seem like that many but it’s gone fast. That’s what all the older guys say, ‘your career goes fast & you just gotta enjoy it when you can.’ To hit 300 [games] tonight is pretty cool & hopefully many more to come.” – Ironman captain Nick Suzuki earlier today. pic.twitter.com/FE9lSbnmRU

— /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) October 30, 2023

• Goaltending prospect Jacob Fowler has his eyes on the prize. The 18-year-old prospect has won five of his first six starts in the NCAA and currently sports a .919 save percentage. He’s also lost almost 20 lbs since being drafted by the Habs. [FR – TVA Sports]

Jacob Fowler on his ultimate NHL motivation: to become the Habs #1 goalie of the future.

👇👇👇 pic.twitter.com/LHM0I78IwB

— /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) October 31, 2023

Wednesday

• Sean Monahan is having yet another strong start to the season, which might force the Montreal Canadiens to reconsider their plan moving forward.  [Canadiens Face Conundrum With Future of Sean Monahan]
• Former Montreal Canadiens centre Tomáš Plekanec recently announced his retirement from professional hockey. As a Hab, he went through several management changes, top-of-the-league and bottom-of-the-league seasons, but he remained one of the most constant and reliable players, year in, and year out. [Au revoir “Pleky” – A Tomáš Plekanec Canadiens Tribute]

• Forward Kirby Dach underwent successful surgery on his knee, and will now focus on rehab and recovery.

Surgery done ✔️. Thanks everyone for all the support over the last few weeks. Road to recovery starts now! pic.twitter.com/Zb5mM8u6ab

— Kirby Dach (@kdach77) October 31, 2023

Thursday

• The fan votes have been counted, and it’s now time to reveal the initial power rankings for Montreal Canadiens prospects. Unsurprisingly, phenom Lane Hutson took the top spot, but things got very interesting after that. [Montreal Canadiens Prospect Power Rankings: Top 10 Fan Vote]
• Two former member of the Montreal Canadiens are having a hard time finding their rhythm with a new team. Both Jonathan Drouin and Tomas Tatar were expected to be healthy scratches as the Colorado Avalanche faced the St-Louis Blues on Wednesday night.[Former Canadiens Forwards Struggling With New Team]
• The Canadiens are not expected to change much as they face the Coyotes in Arizona, but it appears that Jesse Ylonen will replace Michael Pezzetta, while Gustav Lindstrom will replace Jordan Harris. [Habs Practice Notes: Lineup Changes May Be Coming]
• According to Sportico, the Montreal Canadiens are now worth $2.5 billion, which is a record for a standalone franchise valuation in the NHL. The valuation was revealed when former Habs minority owner Michael Andlauer was forced to sell his shares to purchase the Ottawa Senators. [Canadiens Receive Record Franchise Valuation]

Friday

• When the Montreal Canadiens acquired Sean Monahan in the summer of 2022, they created the most complicated trade in modern NHL history. Take a look at some of the conditions and possible scenarios when it comes to the resolution of the trade. [Ideal Scenario For Canadiens Sean Monahan Trade Conditions]
• Forward Jesse Ylonen was inserted into the lineup for Thursday’s game against the Arizona Coyotes. Other changes were expected, but head coach Martin St-Louis opted to keep most of his lineup intact from the previous outing.[Canadiens Game 10: Two Changes To Lineup Expected Vs Coyotes]
• It’s time for the Montreal Canadiens to bite the bullet and send Juraj Slafkovsky to the Laval Rocket. On a lighter note, Sean Monahan continues to be a dominant presence for the Habs. [Canadiens Third Line Shines, Second Line Struggles Vs. Coyotes]

Saturday

• The Montreal Canadiens don’t necessarily need to call up a player, yet. But as we all know, injuries are inevitable, and eventually they’ll be looking to their AHL affiliate, the Laval Rocket, for reinforcements. Here are three players that could be recalled without necessarily disrupting anyone’s development. [Canadiens Prospects Most Likely To Receive Call-Up From AHL]
• After a relatively slow start to the year, Owen Beck has found his rhythm in the OHL. Beck only registered one point in his first six games with the Peterborough Petes this season, but has since earned eight points in his last five outings, including this goal against the Oshawa Generals on Thursday night.

Owen can't stop won't stop scoring on the Gens#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/xbZN30voq2

— Peterborough Petes (@PetesOHLhockey) November 4, 2023

• Habs prospect Luke Tuch is heating up. He’s much older than most of his teammates, which means a certain level of offence is expected, and it doesn’t hurt to play on a line with Macklin Celebrini, but it’s worth noting that Tuch is currently doubling his production from last season, with eight points in seven games.
• That’s it for Habs prospect highlights from Boston. Okay, okay, fine, here, you can have another Lane Hutson highlight. As a treat.

Here's a look at Lane's third goal of the season.

Watch on ESPN+: https://t.co/ba2GKFN8ip@hockey_east |@espn pic.twitter.com/EPXvRTgC8I

— BU Men's Hockey (@TerrierHockey) November 4, 2023

• It’s too early to celebrate, but it seems that Rafael Harvey-Pinard’s injury isn’t as serious as originally anticipated. For now, the Canadiens are calling it a day-to-day issue. [Canadiens]
• There’s a clear discrepancy when evaluating the offence from the various lines this season. Let’s just say that the third line is doing more than its fair share when it comes to scoring. The second line, on the other hand, not so much.

Habs offensive production from their lines this season. pic.twitter.com/MhvESruKdR

— /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) November 3, 2023

• ICYMI: Jacob Fowler was named the goaltender of the month in Hockey East.

Stopping pucks and earning dubs.

Congrats to @jacobfowler24 on Hockey East Goaltender of the Month honors 🤝 pic.twitter.com/2AQocLg0rR

— BC Men's Hockey (@BC_MHockey) November 1, 2023

• The Laval Rocket snatched victory from the jaws of defeat, scoring four goals in the third period to complete the comeback against the Toronto Marlies.

LAVAL TAKES THE LEAD WITH 70 SECONDS LEFT!

Logan Mailloux has his shot deflected in by Philippe Maillet and it's a 4-3 game! pic.twitter.com/DxZehqvR9i

— Scott Matla (@scottmatla) November 4, 2023