Habs Daily: Kotkaniemi Saga, Cole Eiserman, Kaiden Guhle

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

Montreal Canadiens News

• ICYMI: The Canadiens made the right decision when they chose not to match the offer sheet to Jesperi Kotkaniemi, but they also proceeded to panic, which led to a gross overpayment for Christian Dvorak, to the tune of a 2022 first-round pick and a 2024 second-round pick. [Canadiens Lessons Learned From The Jesperi Kotkaniemi Saga]
• Although he may not be the favourite of the public scouting community, many NHL scouts remain intrigued by how good a player Cole Esierman could become down the line, as he seeks to diversify his game at the college level. [2024 NHL Draft Targets: The Intrigue Of Cole Eiserman]

• There comes a time when every young player in the NHL is at a crossroads. Will they become the player they are expected to be when drafted, or will they fail to meet expectations? Gearing up for his third full season in the NHL, Kaiden Guhle is at the aforementioned crossroads.[How Kaiden Guhle Can Take The Next Step In His Career]
• Speaking of Guhle, the 22-year-old defenceman jumped into action to defend fellow Canadiens Dylan Cozens, but was perhaps a little too aggressive in his response.

Kaiden Guhle 🇨🇦gets a 2 min minor penalty for this crosscheck on Kevin Fiala 🇨🇭, who got a 5 min major game misconduct for a dangerous knee on knee hit on Dylan Cozens 🇨🇦 pic.twitter.com/F2AtsB2pcv

— /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) May 19, 2024

• Cole Caufield was kept off the board in Team USA’s crushing 10-1 win versus Kazakhstan, but Juraj Slafkovsky managed to generate an assist in Slovakia’s 3-2 shootout loss to Latvia.

Another assist for Juray Slafkovsky at the #MensWorlds?

Sure, why not! #GoHabsGo
pic.twitter.com/IGFFTs63Dn

— Cam Weitzman (@Cweitz99) May 19, 2024

National Hockey Now Network

• Jonathan Drouin, who hasn’t been able to dress in the postseason due to an injury he suffered during the final game of the regular season, took to the ice on Monday during morning skate wearing the same jersey as the rest of the top powerplay unit. [Florida Panthers]
• Devils captain Nico Hischier suffered a quite a scary injury. Playing for Team Switzerland, Hischier — similarly to his role with New Jersey — is one of the Swiss’ top forwards.[New Jersey Devils]
• Philip Tomasino knew the journey all too well. When the Nashville Predators sent him to the Milwaukee Admirals on Feb. 12, it was the ninth time Tomasino had been reassigned to the AHL during his three-year tenure with the Predators organization. [Nashville Predators]