Habs Daily: Allen Trade Rumour Debunked, Slafkovsky’s Record

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

Habs News

• There was a rumour circulating that the Colorado Avalanche were getting ready to complete a trade involving Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jake Allen. The rumour was debunked by all the hockey insiders, but there is some truth to the idea that Colorado has examined the possibility of acquiring Allen.

There is no Jake Allen deal to Colorado. The two clubs haven’t spoken in days but there has been previous discussions. Nothing close at this stage.

— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) February 15, 2024

• The Canadiens lost against the New York Rangers, which is far from surprising given the discrepancy in talent between both teams. But they played well against a much stronger team, always an encouraging sign for a team in the midst of a rebuild. It should be noted Juraj Slafkovsky set a franchise record for a teenager by registering a point in his seventh straight game. [Slafkovsky Sets Canadiens Record In Losing Cause Vs. Rangers]

• Darren Dreger suggested the Columbus Blue Jackets would be wise to enquire as to Jeff Gorton’s availability now that Jarmo Kekalainen has been fired. I don’t want to speak on behalf of Geoff Molson, but there’s little to no chance the team would let Gorton walk at this point of the rebuild.

As speculation builds…Not sure how the Canadiens would feel about this, but why wouldn’t CBJ call Montreal and ask permission to speak with Jeff Gorton? History with Davidson and a GM at heart. Geoff Molson might hang up, but is there harm in asking?

— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) February 15, 2024

• Habs prospect Florian Xhekaj scored his 10th goal in as many games. As a reminder, Xhekaj is one of the prospects eligible to fill out the 9th and 10th spots on our Canadiens prospect power rankings. Make sure to vote! [Canadiens Prospect Power Rankings: Fan Vote Time!]

• Speaking of prospects, Owen Beck continues to play excellent hockey for the Saginaw Spirit. Now that he’s not focused solely on defensive play, his scoring prowess has surfaced in a big way. [Canadiens Prospect Report: Hutson And Beck Increased Scoring]

Beck puts the @SpiritHockey in front! 🚨#GoHabsGo prospect @owenbeck92 extends his goal streak to four games and Saginaw takes their first lead of the night! pic.twitter.com/Gf9zKy5Kx7

— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) February 16, 2024

National Hockey Now Network

• For now, it sounds like the New Jersey Devils are out on Calgary Flames goaltender Jacob Markstrom. However, the belief is that general manager Tom Fitzgerald will pivot on the goaltending market. [New Jersey Devils]

• Patrick Roy has only been the head coach of the New York Islanders for eight games, and he’s already pinpointed the biggest issue that has plagued the team since the beginning of the season.. [New York Islanders]

• For weeks now, Nashville Predators general manager Barry Trotz has been telling anyone who will listen that he is open to hearing out any trade offer for star goaltender Juuse Saros, but unless a team is willing to hand him the moon and the stars, a deal is unlikely to happen. But during a radio interview with 102.5 The Game on Tuesday, Trotz’s tune changed ever so slightly. [Colorado Avalanche]