Habs Daily: Dev Camp Invite, Impact Of New Goalie, Mock Draft

Published

5 months ago

June 5, 2024

Marc Dumont

Here are the Montreal Canadiens news items, highlights, and stories from Tuesday.

We have our first taste of Montreal Canadiens development camp news, as Josh Nadeau (Maine, NCAA) will be among those invited to join the festivities. Nadeau, 20, earned 18 goals and 27 assists in 37 games as a freshman for the Black Bears. Josh is the older brother of Bradley Nadeau, the player who was chosen with the 30th overall pick at the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, a pick that originally belonged to the Habs. The first thing people will point out is that Nadeau is only 5’8, but the most important number to pay attention to is his 1.21 points per game during his first year in the NCAA. It’s not a fluke, either, seeing as Nadeau has a track record of putting up excellent production no matter where he plays. [Nadeau Invited To Canadiens Camp]

The Habs made a surprise signing, offering a one-year deal to 27-year-old goaltender Connor Hughes (no relation to Kent). It was a necessary trade that will give the Laval Rocket a chance to focus on their upcoming season rather than the goaltending woes that plagued them at the start of the last campaign. [How New Goaltender Hughes Will Impact Canadiens Organization]
It’s that time of year! Mock drafts are in full force, which means we’re due for some healthy prospect debates and flat-out speculation as to the desired players for various teams. Our first article covers the top four picks, with Montreal’s pick to be published later this afternoon. [2024 NHL Mock Draft – Predicting Picks At The 2024 Draft (Part 1)]

The Utah Hockey Club, which will wear black and light blue colours but has yet to pick a nickname or mascot, has raked in nearly double the number of season ticket holder deposits as there are seats in the Delta Center. The NHL’s previously least-watched team, when they were the Arizona Coyotes, now has tens of thousands of potential season ticket holders.CEO Chris Barney told local reporters the team had accepted over 34,000 season-ticket deposits. [Utah Hockey Club]
When asked how much importance he put on the Florida Panthers having recent experience of playing in the Stanley Cup Final, Edmonton Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch compared them to a team that famously could not seal the deal. Yes, the Buffalo Bills. [Florida Panthers]
The internal expectation is that the Philadelphia Flyers and two-time NHL All-Star forward Travis Konecny will reach an agreement and sign a contract extension this summer. Konecny, who turned 27 years old on March 11, is heading into the final year of the six-year, $33 million ($5.5 million AAV) contract. [Philadelphia Flyers]
New Jersey Devils General Manager Tom Fitzgerlad has not backed off his wishlist for goaltenders in a Devils trade. The Devils’ GM remains interested in acquiring Calgary Flames goaltender, Jacob Markstrom, or Boston Bruins goaltender, Linus Ullmark. [New Jersey Devils]