Habs Daily: Mailloux & Hutson Dazzle, Tuch ELC, Gallagher Value

Here are the Montreal Canadiens news, highlights, and stories you may have missed on Tuesday.

Montreal Canadiens News

• As expected, the Montreal Canadiens signed prospect Luke Tuch to a two-year, entry-level contract. There was a delay in the announcement as the parties agreed upon the start date, but Tuch’s camp finally acquiesced to a contract that kicks in next season.[Montreal Canadiens Sign NCAA Prospect To Entry-Level Contract]

• Both Lane Hutson and Logan Mailloux played a starring role during the final game of the season. The youth movement appears to be in fine shape, as Juraj Slakovsky, Nick Suzuki, and Cole Caufield also made their mark. There is a lot of work left to do when it comes to the rebuild, but it is fair to say the Habs finished the season on a high note despite the shootout loss. [Canadiens Youth Movement Offers Glimpse Into Promising Future]

• Brendan Gallagher no longer produces as much as he once did, but the rumours of his demise have been greatly exaggerated. The veteran is finding new ways to help his team despite the drastic change in his usage.[Veteran Brendan Gallagher’s Value To The Montreal Canadiens]

• The youngest player in the lineup reached two important milestones on Tuesday night. Not only did Slafkovsky score his 20th goal of the year after tipping a Hutson point shot, but it also happened to be the 50th point of his season.

Lane Hutson gets points in back-to-back games and Juraj Slafkovsky scores his 20th goal of the year.

The #GoHabsGo are providing a glimpse into the future tonight. pic.twitter.com/2qwuOpckPF

— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) April 17, 2024

National Hockey Now Network

• It took him until the final game of the season, but Nashville Predators defenseman Jeremy Lauzon sits alone at the top of the NHL record book. The 26-year-old blue-liner entered Monday’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins needing nine hits to break Matt Martin’s decade-long record for single-season hits, and he got exactly that. [Nashville Predators]

• New Jersey Devils interim head coach Travis Green began Monday night’s postgame press conference explaining that although this season was a disappointing one, the future remains bring. “This team has a very bright future. It’s extremely young,” Green explained to the Devils media. However, the shadow of disappointment casts a shadow far larger than Green’s optimistic twist. [New Jersey Devils]

• The Pittsburgh Penguins will now sit out the Stanley Cup playoffs for the second consecutive spring because Washington beat Philadelphia, 2-1, at Wells Fargo Center Tuesday evening. Sure, that was enough to formally eliminate the Penguins from contention for a playoff berth, but the harsh reality is that they played their way into this outcome much earlier in the season. [Pittsburgh Penguins]