Habs Daily: Canadiens 2024-25 Salary Cap Outlook, Devils Trade

Here’s the latest Montreal Canadiens news, highlights, and stories you may have missed on Monday.

Habs News

• Now that the trade deadline is in the rearview mirror we have a better understanding of what Montreal Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes will be working with in terms of financial maneuverability. The outlook for 2024-25 is very interesting. Not only will the Habs have plenty of cap space, but they’ll also have a plethora of draft picks that they can use to acquire a player who is ready to make an immediate impact, as they did when they traded for Kirby Dach and Alex Newhook.  [Canadiens Salary Cap Outlook Gives Team Many Exciting Options]

• The Habs made a trade with the New Jersey Devils on Monday morning. Nathan Legare will be heading to New Jersey, while the Canadiens will be receiving 25-year-old Arnaud Durandeau in exchange. Since it was a post-trade deadline deal, neither player can be recalled or participate in the NHL playoffs. Durandeau projects as a player with a little more offensive talent than Legare, which bodes well for the Laval Rocket’s current playoff push.  [Montreal Canadiens Swing Post-Deadline Trade With Devils]

• Habs defenceman Jordan Harris is a great person, both on and off the ice. The young man will take part in the NHL Player Inclucsion Coalition. Here’s the information from the NHLPA’s website. “The National Hockey League (NHL) and National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) today announced the completion of a Leaguewide educational tour led by members of the NHL Player Inclusion Coalition (NHL PIC). Beginning at the start of the 2023-24 season, NHL PIC members hosted one-hour guided conversations with active Players in all 32 locker rooms where discussions focused on diversity and inclusion, emphasizing how inclusion builds the foundation for stronger and higher-performing teams.” [ NHLPA]

• Forward Juraj Slafkovsky continues to deal with a lingering injury. The 19-year-old did not participate in practice on Monday.

L'attaquant Juraj Slafkovsky ne participera pas à l'entraînement d'aujourd'hui (journée de traitements).

Forward Juraj Slafkovsky will not participate in today's practice (therapy day).

— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) March 11, 2024

National Hockey Now Network

• It’s difficult to find any positivity in the weekend beatdown the Calgary Flames received at the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes.  Outscored 12-3.  Outchanced 125-88; a 41CF%.  And, of course, zero points gained in the standings. The product on the ice was tough to watch, but unfortunately for the narrative-seekers and pro-tank crowd, this up-and-down rollercoaster has been going for months; since far before Noah Hanifin and Chris Tanev were moved out. [Calgary Flames]

• The NHL trade deadline always raises plenty of questions about what teams can or cannot do contract-wise, as well as how certain moves impact different teams. This year, the most intriguing move for the Nashville Predators seemed to be the Colorado Avalanche moving former Predator Ryan Johansen to the Philadelphia Flyers, who then waived him minutes later.[Nashville Predators]

• Even though he eventually traded for Jake Allen, Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald took too long to make changes. One of the Devils’ division rivals is proving exactly why New Jersey’s GM should have acted sooner.  [New Jersey Devils]