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Habs Wrap: Hutson Excels, Demidov’s Dwindling TOI, Waivers

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MONTREAL — 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 preseason mercifully came to an end on Saturday, making it one of the least useful tune-ups in recent Montreal Canadiens history. The Senators beat the Habs 4-3 on Saturday night, in a game that was much less tumultuous than when they met earlier in the week. [Canadiens Instant Recap: Xhekaj Fights Again In Preseason Finale]

The Senators recalled tough guy Zack MacEwen in an attempt to find someone that could match Canadiens defenceman Arber Xhekaj in the physicality department. MacEwen did convince Xhekaj to fight, but it was an easy win for the Sheriff.  [GOTTA SEE IT: Canadiens Arber Xhekaj Fights Zack MacEwen]

With the start of the season right around the corner, we published our projected Canadiens lineup for the 2024-25 season, which features 14 forwards and seven defencemen. Prospect Oliver Kapanen does indeed make the team in our projection.  [Projecting The 2024-25 Montreal Canadiens Opening Roster]

Speaking of Kapanen, if the Habs include him in the lineup there’s no rush to return him to the SHL, as his entry-level contract will kick in no matter where he plays this season.  [Oliver Kapanen’s Contract Situation Improves Roster Odds]

There were a few interesting names added to the waiver wire on Sunday, including 2019 first-round picks Jakob Pelletier and Ryan Suzuki. Additionally, the Edmonton Oilers placed Raphael Lavoie on waivers as well, using the busiest waivers day of the year to try to sneak him back to the AHL.  [First-Round Picks Available To Montreal Canadiens On Waivers]

The rebuild has a lot riding on the development of their prospects, and the growth of their youth in Laval at the centre of it all. The Canadiens will already be counting on the development of more mature prospects like Joshua Roy and Oliver Kapanen at the NHL level, but the true work will be happening with the Laval Rocket. [Canadiens Prospects That Have Most To Prove In Laval]

Tuesday

The Canadiens unveiled their 23-man roster on Monday, making Joshua Roy, Adam Engstrom, Logan Mailloux, and Jakub Dobes the final cuts at camp. Prospects Emil Heineman and Oliver Kapanen both made the roster at the expense of Roy, who admittedly had a difficult preseason. [Canadiens Make Final Cuts, Reveal 23-Man Roster]

The ensuing practice revealed new lines and pairings, with phenom Lane Hutson lining up alongside Uncle Savard on the second pairing. The top line of Juraj Slafkovsky, Nick Suzuki, and Cole Caufield remained intact, but the remaining trios were all new. For now, Heineman is set to play on the third line, while Kapanen is slated to be an extra skater. [Montreal Canadiens New Lines At Practice Following Cuts]

Michael Hage enjoyed a fantastic start to his NCAA career, earning four points for the University of Michigan in just two games. His ability to execute plays at top speeds makes Hage a prospect to watch. Literally. He’s incredibly entertaining any time he gets an opportunity on the rush. On the flip side of the coin, Ivan Demidov’s ice time continues to dwindle with SKA, despite solid production to kick off his professional hockey career.   [Habs Prospect Report: Hage Dominant, Demidov Decreasing TOI]

I had a chance to watch Demidov in action on Monday, though action is probably a misnomer, as he was given exactly 15 seconds of ice time in the second and third periods. After a handful of shifts, Demidov’s line was given a defensive zone start, which quickly backfired as Lokomotiv scored shortly after the draw. You’d be hard-pressed to argue the goal against was due to Demidov, or that the fourth line should have been given crucial defensive zone starts when they’re ice-cold, but such is life in the KHL. The fourth line was essentially removed from the game at that point, leaving Demidov with a little over 5 minutes of total ice time.

If we want to be unreasonably critical, we can blame the goal on Demidov’s faceoff loss, but that means ignoring the terrible coaching, not to mention the sub-par defensive play by his linemates.


The reasoning behind Roman Rotenberg’s decision to once again bench Demidov leaves a little (lot) to be desired, even if it’s clear some of the explanation was lost in translation.

Wednesday

Juraj Slafkovsky has his eyes on the prize, so to speak. The 20-year-old forward wants his team to qualify for the playoffs. [NHL – FR]

This is not the first time prospect Joshua Roy has been challenged by his coach. Talent has never been an issue, but the 21-year-old will need to find a new gear if he’s to return to the NHL, and more importantly, stay there.[Canadiens Prospect Joshua Roy In Familiar Situation]

Roy was disappointed to be the last forward cut at camp, but he’s also aware he has to work hard to make it back to the NHL.

“It was a hard pill to swallow, but it’s a new start this morning. I want to work on my game and myself. My goal is to get back up there [to the NHL].”

Thursday

Goaltender Samuel Montembeault started the season on the right foot. Not only did not allow any goals from the Toronto Maple Leafs, the first time in 227 that they were blanked, he also set an NHL record by saving 48-shots in his season-opening shutout. Some reports indicate he made only 47 saves, but it doesn’t really matter, as the Leafs held a huge advantage in high-danger chances, to the tune of 15-3 at 5v5.

Beyond Montembeault’s excellent play, sniper Cole Caufield stole the show for the Canadiens by scoring the lone goal of the game, and the first while wearing his new jersey number. Caufield switched to No.13 this offseason to honour the late Johnny Gaudreau, and was unable to contain his emotions as he pointed to the sky following the powerplay goal. It was definitely one of those fantastic NHL moments. [Canadiens Instant Recap: Caufield Honours Johnny Gaudreau]

The Habs made a roster move on Wednesday, signing Gustav Lindstrom to a one-year deal, and then proceeding to place him on waivers. The goal is to add a little depth to the Laval Rocket’s blueline, which only currently features two right-handed defencemen. This is the second time in as many seasons that Lindstrom has joined the Canadiens organization. [Canadiens Sign Depth Defenceman, Place On Waivers]

The team also adopted a new attitude at practice, thanks to assistant coach Stephane Robidas.


There were a lot of scouts in attendance at the Bell Centre yesterday, though we should note it was essentially their back-to-school day, which means we shouldn’t take their presence with a grain of salt.

Friday

Top prospect Ivan Demidov’s situation in the KHL is far from ideal, to say the least. While it’s normal to expect a young player to work his way up the lineup, SKA Saint-Petersburg rewarded Demidov’s strong start to his professional career by cutting his ice time drastically. Since the time he was named the Rookie Of The Month to now, Demidov has been given very few opportunities, equating to about four minutes of ice time per game. To make matters worse, Demidov’s rare shifts take place with four liners, as he was also relegated to the bottom of the lineup.

Demidov was held scoreless on Thursday in SKA’s 4-2 loss to Dinamo Minsk, though he was only given four shifts throughout the entire game. It should be noted SKA was struggling to create scoring chances on their way to being out shot significantly, to the tune of 39-23. As a reminder, SKA has one of the best and most expensive lineups in the league, but are currently a mid-pack team, as head coach Roman Rotenberg has been out coached on several occasions.

This is the exact same treatment SKA gave to Matvei Michkov before they loaned him to Sochi, but that’s not an option in Demidov’s case, as players with just one year remaining in their contract cannot be loaned in the KHL.

Oliver Kapanen made his NHL debut on Thursday, playing on the fourth line alongside Jake Evans and Brendan Gallagher. The only other lineup change ahead of the game versus the Boston Bruins was goaltender Cayden Primeau replacing Samuel Montembeault, as it was the team’s second game in as many nights. [Oliver Kapanen Set To Make NHL Debut]

The Habs lost, but rookie Lane Hutson stole the show for the Canadiens on Thursday night, producing two assists to push his NHL totals to four points in four games. Even at this very early stage of his career it’s clear Hutson is one of the most talented players in the lineup, and often times, the ice. His ability to drive the offence via excellent play in transition will be a boon for this team for years to come. On the flip side of the age equation, veteran Brendan Gallagher put together yet another solid performance, a common theme since the midway point of the 2023-24 season. [Canadiens Instant Recap: Lane Hutson Shines In Defeat To Bruins]

The strong start to Hutson’s NHL career puts him in some very good Montreal Canadiens company.


Patrik Laine is doing his best to maintain a positive attitude while he deals with his knee injury. The strong support from Habs fans will do a lot of good from a mental health standpoint.

Saturday

It’s almost time to start publishing the Montreal Canadiens Prospect Power Rankings, but before we start taking a closer look at recent performances from Habs prospects we need to set the initial ranking via a fan vote. The series will begin shortly after the initial list is established.  [Canadiens Prospect Power Rankings: Habs Fan Initial Vote]

Lane Hutson has only played four  games in the NHL, but it’s already clear his skill set will translate nicely to the professional level. The rookie already leads all defencemen in expected goal share at 5v5, and trails only Kaiden Guhle for the highest average 5v5 ice time. His ability to drive quickly drive the offence up ice will come in handy as the Canadiens look to diversify their offensive weapons.


Top prospect Jacob Fowler enjoyed a great start to his sophomore season in the NCAA. The Boston College starter made 24 saves on his way to a season-opening shutout. Admittedly, I had hoped the Eagles wouldn’t be as dominant as they were last season, as it was somewhat difficult to get a great read on Fowler due to the low number of chances BC allowed. That’s not an easy situation either, and he has looked great despite the fact that he rarely got the chance to get into a steady rhythm during games, but it would be interesting to see how he’d react to being peppered on a nightly basis. That being said, there’s very little to dislike when it comes to Fowler’s potential. His agility has improved significantly since he started his NCAA career, and his tracking remains excellent.

The 21st overall pick at the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, Michael Hage, has hit the ground running in the NCAA. The freshman is one of the most entertaining prospects I have watched in a while. He executes all his plays at top speed, and his shiftiness leads to a bevy of scoring chances. Hage scored the third goal of the game in Michigan 4-1 win over Arizona State on Friday, which means he has two goals and three assists in just three games. This time around his goal was thanks to a quick tip in front of the net, not to mention some solid positioning in the offensive zone.


The Laval Rocket opened the season with a 5-2 win over the Providence Bruins. Defenceman Logan Mailloux had a great game, scoring two goals and two assists for the Montreal Canadiens’ AHL affiliate. Mailloux was the Rocket’s representative at the AHL All-Star game last year thanks to am impressive rookie season that included 14 goals and 33 assists in 72 games.

As for Filip Mesar, the 20-year-old began his professional career in earnest on Friday, and he did it in style, scoring a goal and two assists.

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