Habs Daily: Defensive Prospects Give Options, Draft Lottery Set

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

Montreal Canadiens News

• While the Montreal Canadiens clearly lack high-end talent in their forward prospect pool, that’s certainly not the case among defencemen. From Lane Hutson to David Reinbacher, and everyone in between, the Habs have an embarrassment of riches among their recently drafted prospects. This abundance could lead to change down the road, as Kent Hughes attempts to use his surplus to solidify areas of weakness throughout the organization. [Canadiens Checklist: State Of The Rebuild – Defensive Prospects]

• We now know the date for the 2024 NHL Draft Lottery. It will take place on Tuesday, May 7.  The event will be broadcast on TVA Sports and Sportsnet, however, the exact time has not yet been set. As a reminder, the Draft Lottery actually takes place before the broadcast, as the NHL Network wants time to plan the live show. As a reminder, the Habs will have an 8.5 percent chance of being given the No.1 overall pick. Click on the linked article to check out the rest of the Montreal Canadiens Draft Lottery odds.   [Montreal Canadiens Draft Lottery Odds Officially Locked In]

• Canadiens prospect Yevgeni Volokhin enjoyed one of the easiest shutouts of his career, as he only had to make 14 saves in Russia’s 12-0 drubbing of Kazakhstan at the Liga Stavok Future Cup, taking place in Novosibirsk.

FINAL
Russia U20 12-0 Kazakhstan U20#GoHabsGo prospect Yevgeni Volokhin 14 save shutout 🥅#LetsGoPens Mikhail Ilyin Hat Trick#2024NHLDraft Nikita Artamonov 2A#GoAvsGo Mikhail Gulyayev 🥳 2A#SjSharks Yegor Rimashevsky 1A #2024NHLDraft Anton Silayev 1A pic.twitter.com/mAhl7TDKQN

— Hockey News Hub (@HockeyNewsHub) April 26, 2024

• Thanks to the strong interest in women’s hockey, the PWHL Montreal franchise will play its playoff games at Place Bell, In Laval. Place Bell can host up to 10,000 fans.

LPHF Montréal disputera toutes ses rencontres éliminatoires à domicile à la Place Bell, à Laval. 🏠

Les partisan.e.s intéressé.e.s à joindre la liste d’attente pour des billets de saison peuvent le faire via ce lien: https://t.co/DQ5jXPbCDj

PWHL Montréal will play all its home… pic.twitter.com/zlsTRHYUN0

— x – LPHF Montréal (@PWHL_Montreal) April 26, 2024

National Hockey Now Network

• Will the Boston Bruins stick to their goalie rotation despite Jeremy Swayman improving to 2-0 with a 30-save performance in their 4-2 Game 3 win? For once, the goalie rotation wasn’t the main topic surrounding the Boston Bruins heading into Game 3 in Toronto on Wednesday, as it was Swayman’s turn. Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery was actually spared having to answer a direct question about his Game 4 starter on Thursday as well. [Boston Bruins]
• New Jersey Devils General Manager Tom Fitzgerald has his work cut out for him this summer. He’s certainly going to need to acquire a goaltender and a defenseman. After trading Tyler Toffoli to the Winnipeg Jets at the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline, the Devils need another top-six forward as well. [New Jersey Devils]

• If you weren’t tuning in this season, you could make a case that the Calgary Flames didn’t move the needle much in terms of on-ice results. A lower finish in the standings – 16th last season vs 23rd this season. More goals against. 267 this year vs 247 with Darryl Sutter coaching in 2022-2023. Surprisingly, Sutter’s slow-boiled five-man zone exits, and entries slightly edged that mark with 258 in his final year as head coach of the Flames. [Calgary Flames]