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Canadiens Wrap

Habs Wrap: Prospect Vote, Allen Trade Talk, Bergevin, Slafkovsky

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2 months ago

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MONTREAL — Every day brings Montreal Canadiens news, but it’s not always possible to stay up to date with every breaking story. Every Sunday we recap the most exciting and relevant NHL news stories that you may have missed throughout the week so that you can stay in the Habs loop.

Monday

  • ICYMI: The Montreal Canadiens lost 3-2 to the Dallas Stars on Saturday. For the most part, the Habs were outplayed, but the top line of Juraj Salfkovsky, Nick Suzuki, and Cole Caufield continued to produce great results despite playing in losing causes.[Canadiens Recap: Slafkovsky, Suzuki, Caufield Continue To Score]
  • The Habs can’t seem to play a game without losing a player. Unfortunately, winger Rafael Harvey-Pinard had to leave Saturday’s game after he suffered a lower-body injury. This led to a call-up for the team’s top forward prospect, Joshua Roy. [Montreal Canadiens Recall Top Forward Prospect From AHL]
  • The top line kept up their momentum by scoring against the St.Louis Blues on Sunday, but that’s about it in terms of good news. The Canadiens gave up a touchdown during the second leg of their back-to-back matinee games. [Fights, Injuries, & Penalties Leave Bitter Taste in Canadiens Mouth]
  • Montreal lost two defencemen on Sunday. Jordan Harris left the game after a hit led to a violent fall on the ice. Kaiden Guhle was forced to retreat to the locker room late in the third when a useless hit left him unable to continue. Both players will require further evaluations. As for Harvey-Pinard, the Habs announced he would miss four to six weeks.

 

Tuesday

  • If either Kaiden Guhle or Jordan Harris miss significant time with their latest in uries the Montreal Canadiens may have to look to the Laval Rocket for defensive reinforcements. The options are limited, which could lead to prospect Logan Mailloux making his NHL debut. William Trudeau and Justin Barron are also available. [Canadiens Defenceman Recall Options In The AHL]
  • Chris Johnston’s trade bait board no longer features four Habs players. Tanner Pearson and David Savard are absent from the list, and Sean Monahan was traded to the Jets, but goaltender Jake Allen is still among the top players available. As a reminder, despite all the criticism and hatred sent Allen’s way he’s still performing better than the vast majority of the goaltenders in the NHL when it comes to goals saved above expected. [Chris Johnston]
  • Habs captain Nick Suzuki scored four goals and two assists in his last three games, making him the third star of the week in the NHL.

 

Wednesday

  • Don’t look now, but phenom Lane Hutson is currently eclipsing his record-setting results from last season. And he’s also improved his defensive play by leaps and bounds.  [Canadiens Prospect Report: Hutson And Beck Increased Scoring]
  • Cayden Primeau was given the start against the Anaheim Ducks, just his first game since mid-January. [Canadiens Game 53: Cayden Primeau Given Start Versus Ducks]
  • Ladies and gentlemen, it appears that Montreal Canadiens forward Juraj Slafkovsky has arrived. The 19-year-old winger put together one of the best games of his young career against the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday night. He scored a goal and added two assists, but more importantly, he drove the play with confidence. [Canadiens Juraj Slafkovsky Dominant In Exciting Win Over Ducks]
  • Slafkovsky’s recent uptick in results is particularly impressive given that he’s developing in the NHL as a teenager, never an easy task.

  • It was lost in all the excitement, but Primeau played very well considering he was rusty. Sure, it wasn’t the most difficult game in which to pitch a shutout, but Primeau rarely receives run support when he starts games for the Canadiens. The relatively easy first-career shutout was well-deserved. The game also featured Brandon Gignac’s first career NHL goal, a fitting reward for a player who worked incredibly hard every night in the AHL to make it back to the big leagues.

 

Thursday

  • Take a look at the latest edition of the Montreal Canadiens prospect power rankings and make sure to vote for the Habs prospects you think should be ranked ninth and 10th on the list! We changed things up a little since there’s very little movement due to the larger sample size, and there are several good candidates available for the final spot, including Florian Xhekaj, Vinzenz Rohrer, Cedrick Guindon, and Oliver Kapanen. [Canadiens Prospect Power Rankings: Fan Vote Time!]
  • Defenceman Arber Xhekaj discussed the impact his fights have throughout the locker room. “I feel appreciated by the whole team. It’s honestly the best feeling in the world when the crowd and your teammates react like that after a fight.”

  • Both Josh Anderson and Nick Suzuki were absent from practice on Wednesday, preferring to take a therapy day to mitigate any chances of an injury in the next stretch of games. [Canadiens Practice Notes]
  • Speaking of Suzuki, don’t look now, but the centre who was often described as a No.2 or 3 centre on a ‘good team’ is currently 15th in scoring among NHL centres. He’s also been listed by several data analysts as a player who should receive Selke votes this season. Most of the attention has been given to Juraj Slafkovsky and Samuel Montembeault this year, but there’s no denying Suzuki is enjoying a career season as he enters his prime years.

 

 

Friday

  • 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.

  • 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]

 

Saturday

  • Former Montreal Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin was not a favourite among alumni when he decided a strict set of rules was in order to limit their interactions with the current players on the team. Bergevin went as far as telling a security guard to advise franchise greats Jean Béliveau and Guy Lafleur that they should not walk near the locker room because it bothered the players. [Former Canadiens GM Reportedly Disrespected Team Legends]

 

  • Habs prospect Lane Hutson will once again be in the hunt for the Hobey Baker Award as the top collegiate hockey player. He’ll have some stiff competition, as fellow Terrier Macklin Celebrini will also be in the mix. [Hobey Showdown]
  • The underpowered Laval Rocket beat the Hartford Wolf Pack 5-2 thanks to a hat-trick effort by Jared Davidson. Despite losing a half dozen players to the Canadiens, the Rocket are inching closer to a playoff berth.

 

  • Florian Xhekaj can’t stop scoring for the Brantford Bulldogs. The 2023 fourth-round pick now has 26 goals this season, including 10 goals in the last 9 games. Don’t forget, Xhekaj is one of the prospects eligible to fill out the 9th and 10th spots on our Canadiens prospect power rankings. [Canadiens Prospect Power Rankings: Fan Vote Time!]

  • Xhekaj isn’t the only prospect on a heater. Owen Beck is loving life with his new team, the Saginaw Spirit.  His offensive prowess for the net has been on full display since joining the Memorial Cup hosts.

 

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