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Habs Wrap: Trade Talk, Prospect Rankings, Guhle and Xhekaj

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1 month ago

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Montreal Canadiens GM Kent Hughes

MONTREAL — Even in the dog days of summer there’s always Montreal Canadiens content to absorb, but there are only so many hours in a day. On Sundays, we recap the most exciting and relevant NHL news stories that you may have missed throughout the week so that you can stay in the Canadiens loop.

Monday

The Montreal Canadiens have two 1st rounders in the 2025 NHL Draft, but Calgary’s apparent rebuild could prompt them to trade one of them. Owning both their own and the Calgary Flames 1st-rounders for the next draft, it would be the fourth draft in a row that the Canadiens would go into late June with two picks in the top-32. When Calgary was still a middle-of-the-pack team in the NHL, the prospect of receiving a pick within the first 11 to 17 picks of the 2025 NHL Draft was a very real possibility. However, Calgary’s recent teardown and surprising turn to rebuilding has changed the outlook and could alter the Canadiens’ strategy with the pick they acquire almost two years ago. [Calgary Rebuild Could Prompt Canadiens To Dangle Pick In Trade]

We’ve reached the top 20 of the Montreal Canadiens prospect rankings, which means we’re starting to discuss the players who are expected to fight for a roster spot in the near future, including Emil Heineman, Sean Farrell, Florian Xhekaj, and others. Bogdan Konysushkov’s name also surfaced even if he’s set to continue his encouraging development in the KHL for the next two seasons. [Canadiens Prospect Rankings: Skilled Forwards On The Cusp]

It’s hard to imagine anyone from Toronto being happier than Michael Hage was when he was selected by the Montreal Canadiens with the No. 21 pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. But the 18-year-old forward knows his late father would have been right there to share the joy of that glorious moment if not for fate. [NHL.com]

Juraj Slafkovsky already has a leg up on the competition, as he already has an Olympic medal, but you never know when an opportunity to win another will pop up!

Tuesday

The Montreal Canadiens want to establish a meritocracy as they pivot and head toward the phase of their rebuild that will hopefully lead to significantly better results, but contract details will come into play when building the roster for 2024-25. Lane Hutson, for example, could end up playing for the Laval Rocket even if he’s destined to become a key part of the lineup for the foreseeable future. [Montreal Canadiens Waiver Eligibility Impact On Roster Decisions]

These days it seems like most lists created by major outlets are designed with built-in grenades that lead to legitimate fan ire. Keeping Carey Price off a list of top players in the 21st century isn’t the worst omission in ESPN history, but it’s certainly questionable.

Top Habs prospect Ivan Demidov is yet to hit the ice, missing SKA Saint Petersburg’s development camp, as well as the start of their main camp. Fortunately, it seems like he’s ready to lace up his skates now that the lower-body injury that closed out his very productive playoff run last season is in the rearview mirror.

Wednesday

The Montreal Canadiens announced they extended defenceman Arber Xhekaj to a two-year contract. Despite the injuries and the relatively sheltered usage in his case, a longer contract could have been a safe bet, seeing as he provides such a unique boost to the lineup. That boost goes beyond his fighting skills, which are beyond reproach. Xhekaj holds more value when he’s on the ice than when he’s in the penalty box. [Xhekaj Extension Could Be Missed Opportunity For Habs]

We continue our deep dive into the Habs summer prospect rankings. Our latest article covers prospects such as Oliver Kapanen, who I probably wrote off a little too early, as well as players like Filip Mesar, who will require more patience from the fan base. Take a look at our Canadiens prospect rankings for players ranked No.15 to No.11. [Canadiens Prospect Rankings – The Talented And Underrated]

Xhekaj brings a lot to the table, but one of the most underrated aspect of his presence spreads confidence throughout the lineup, and that leads to more team unity.

Xhekaj also stated he was recovering nicely from the shoulder surgery that forced him to miss the remainder of the 2024-25 season.

Thursday

General manager Kent Hughes finished up his internal summer business by signing defenceman Kaiden Guhle to a six-year contract extension. There are no guarantees Guhle will end up becoming a top pairing defenceman, but there are definitely several benefits to signing him to a long-term deal, as it lines up with the rest of the contracts offered to core players on the team. It also allows Hughes and Co. to focus on the future, rather than worrying about the present. [Guhle Extension: Canadiens Pro-Active Approach Offers Benefits]

Guhle met with the media to discuss his extension on Wednesday afternoon. Like most Habs fans, he’s excited to see what the group of young, talented Canadiens players can do in the near future. [Kaiden Guhle Media Availability]

TVA Sports spoke to Allain Roy, Guhle’s agent, and it turns out the Habs were not interested in signing an eight-year-deal. It was a non-starter in the contract extension negotiations. [Nicolas Cloutier]

SKA Saint Petersburg, Ivan Demidov’s KHL team, signed forward Evgeny Kuznetsov to a four-year contract extension. The organization recently stated Demidov would be given every opportunity possible to earn a roster spot, which means it’s much too early to start worrying about his usage next year. [Kuznetsov Signs Four-Year Deal]

Friday

Former Montreal Canadiens goaltender Michael McNiven has retired from professional hockey. He will join the BCHL’s Powell River Kings to serve as part of their coaching staff.  [Coaching Addition To Powell River Kings]

The Montreal Canadiens are in a prime position to take advantage of their cap-strapped rivals thanks to their substantial salary cap space and strategic use of Carey Price’s contract. With all their free agents signed, the Canadiens have over $5.5 million in cap space, providing them with significant flexibility. This financial room is crucial because several teams are right up against the salary cap and may need to offload some contracts to become cap-compliant. [Canadiens’ Best Trade Partners For Cap-Dump Summer Deals]

Aatos Koivu is enjoying life as a newly drafted member of the Montreal Canadiens organization. [TSN]


Top prospect Ivan Demidov is yet to hit the ice in Russia due to a lower-body injury, but the talented forward is not showing any signs of long-term issues with his knee/leg. [Habs Reddit]

Saturday

Prospect Aatos Koivu, picked 70th overall in 2024, scored a goal for Finland in their game against Team Canada at the 2024 World Junior Summer Showcase. In case you’re wondering, yes, he also wears No.11, just like his father.

We’ve reached the top 10 in our Montreal Canadiens prospect summer rankings, which means we’re discussing some of the most promising young players in the organization, including Michael Hage and Owen Beck. The top 10 also starts off with profiling three defencemen who will be fighting for ice time in the near future. [Montreal Canadiens Prospect Rankings – Entering The Top 10]

Here’s your mandatory daily content involving top Habs prospect Ivan Demidov.

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