Habs Daily: 2024 Draft Targets, Suzuki’s Team Canada Decision

Published

2 weeks ago

April 22, 2024

Marc Dumont

Here are the Montreal Canadiens news, highlights, and stories you may have missed during the weekend.

An early (and additional) look at some of the interesting players that could be available to the Montreal Canadiens once they take to the podium at the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. [More Emerging Montreal Canadiens 2024 NHL Draft Targets]

Habs captain Nick Suzuki has decided not to take part in the World Championship, declining Team Canada’s invitation. Michel Bergeron criticized the decision, but it must be said that few players have displayed the same type of effort as Suzuki while maintaining such a heavy workload. He’s certainly earned a little break. [Suzuki’s Decision Not To Play At Worlds Is Justified]

The Laval Rocket’s season ended on a disappointing note, which makes the decision whether to extend head coach Jean-Francois Houle a little more complicated. It’s a lot more complicated than simply stating he could have done better. Coaching in the AHL is an incredibly difficult job. [ Canadiens Analysis Evaluating Whether J-F Houle Is The Right Coach For Laval Rocket]

The PWHL Montreal chapter set a record this weekend with over 21,000 fans in attendance for a women’s professional hockey game. The ovation given to Marie-Philip Poulin was particularly impressive.

Bell Centre welcomes Marie-Philip Poulin pic.twitter.com/iDwEQZ1POV

— Kyle Cushman (@Kyle_Cush) April 20, 2024

There was much more at play this weekend for the PWHL than the result between Montreal and Toronto. [PWHL Montreal]

Now that the NCAA season has ended, teams will slowly begin looking at their reserve list to determine which of their unsigned graduating college prospects are to be signed by the Aug. 15 deadline. One of the main issues the NHL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement does not outright address is when a fifth-year graduate transfers schools. This topic has magnified importance, especially in the age of name, image and likeness (NIL) and the transfer portal. Because of this incongruence, the Predators could potentially face a dilemma with prospect Gunnarwolfe Fontaine. [Nashville Predators]
New Jersey Devils General Manager Tom Fitzgerald made one thing clear at his end-of-season conference. He won’t leave any stones unturned. One of those stones will be to shop for a goaltender that will work in tandem with Jake Allen who has one year remaining on his contract. [New Jersey Devils]
The hockey gods toyed with the Pittsburgh Penguins’ emotions until the very end. For the Penguins to return to the postseason, they needed the Detroit Red Wings and Washington Capitals to lose. Alas, it was not meant to be. [Nashville Predators]