Habs Daily: NHL Scouts At The Bell Centre, Suzuki Selke Votes

Check out all the latest Montreal Canadiens news, highlights, and stories you may have missed on Monday.

Habs News

• More than 20 scouts were in attendance to watch the Montreal Canadiens face the Ottawa Senators. As a reminder, the NHL’s trade deadline is quickly approaching, which means we might see a few deals materialize before March 8.

There are a lot of scouts in Bell Centre press box tonight for #Habs vs. Senators. Needed two pages #HabsIO pic.twitter.com/9oU2S2bkop

— Stu Cowan (@StuCowan1) January 23, 2024

• Defenceman Arber Xhekaj returned to the lineup, playing his first game in the NHL since mid-November. In addition to Xhekaj, Jonathan Kovacevic and Tanner Pearson also faced the Sens, with defenceman Jordan Harris watching the game from the press box. [Canadiens Game 47: Arber Xhekaj Is Back, Lineup Changes]
• The Canadiens had an opportunity to avenge their embarrassing loss to the Senators last week, but they failed to show up once again. The one-sided loss to Ottawa should serve as a wake-up call for the Canadiens. The rebuild is far from over.  [Another Lifeless Loss To Senators A Wake-Up Call For Canadiens]

• It has not been an easy season for the Canadiens, but there is a silver lining. Captain Nick Suzuki continues to drive the offence, but he’s also putting up some of the best defensive numbers in the NHL, which could end up leading to some Selke votes at the NHL’s award ceremony. [Canadiens Nick Suzuki Improved Crucial Aspects Of His Play]

The best defensive forwards. Of course we know that players like Foerster or Foligno have not a chance to win this trophy among voters, but we don't care. We have selected the 10 best defensive forwards of the first half of the season in our opinion. pic.twitter.com/H9vBaF9l4c

— Andy & Rono (@ARHockeyStats) January 23, 2024

National Hockey Now Network

• New Jersey Devils general manager, Tom Fitzgerald, has agreed to a multi-year extension to remain the Devils’ GM, the team announced on Tuesday. In addition to the general manager title, Fitzgerald is also being promoted to the President of Hockey Operations.[New Jersey Devils]
• It’s only been a few days since Patrick Roy took the helm of the New York Islanders, but by all accounts, players are responding well to him. And as Roy continues to further change the Islanders into his vision, players will only get more and more comfortable. [New York Islanders]
• Kyle Dubas said last month that he expected to know by the NHL all-star break how to proceed with the Pittsburgh Penguins’ personnel this season. No need for him to wait that long. Oh, the Penguins still have a pair of home games — Friday against Florida, versus Montreal one night later — before the break, but it’s become all too obvious that Dubas, the Penguins’ president of hockey operations and general manager, is facing a Sophie’s choice of unappealing options. [Pittsburgh Penguins]