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Canadiens Wrap

Habs Wrap: Canadiens Trade Talk, NHL Waiver Priority, New Lines

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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

Patrik Laine was spotted skating, an encouraging scene considering he was originally expected to miss 2–3 months due to his knee injury in late September. TVA Sports analyst Renaud Lavoie speculated Laine may even return to play by the end of November, however, as is always the case with injuries, it’s best to set expectations as low as possible. If Laine does happen to return early, it will be a pleasant surprise. [Injured Canadiens Forward Patrik Laine Spotted Skating]


The Habs lost 4-1 to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday, a predictable outcome given the disparity in talent between both teams. Unfortunately, unlike previous seasons, the Canadiens are fairly difficult to watch, in addition to losing most games. A lack of entertainment on the ice paired with a lack of success in the standings will always draw the ire of fans.  [Canadiens Instant Recap: Something’s Gotta Give]

Following the loss, head coach Martin St-Louis decided to mix things up in the top six. He split up captain Nick Suzuki and sniper Cole Caufield at practice on Sunday, a necessary step seeing as the two failed to rekindle their dominant chemistry from seasons past. Juraj Slafkovsky is expected to take Caufield’s place on the top line as the Habs face the Buffalo Sabres on Monday, at 12:30 pm ET. [Montreal Canadiens Split Up Caufield and Suzuki, New Lines]

Suzuki, like most other players in the lineup, has struggled in November, which means he understands why St-Louis is attempting to kick-start the offence with new line combinations. That being said, he still hopes to one day be reunited with Caufield.


The Nashville Predators placed right-handed defenceman Dante Fabbro on waivers Sunday, a decision that was bound to lead to a waiver claim, since RHDs rarely hit the waiver wire. The Canadiens opted not to put in a claim, but the Columbus Blue Jackets quickly put an end to the guessing game by giving the defenceman a new home.


Carey Price discussed former Canadiens captain Shea Weber’s impact on the team ahead of the November 16 ceremony to celebrate the rough-and-tumble defenceman’s induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame.  [Shea Weber Inducted To Hockey Hall Of Fame]

ICYMI: The Montreal Canadiens are still very much a work in progress, and one trade isn’t going to fix the issues on this club. With their main offseason acquisition in Patrik Laine out until at least December, and no major upgrade anywhere else in the lineup, expecting this club to be a playoff bubble team may have been a little too optimistic. Trades could be part of the solution, but they’re not the only way forward. [Why The Montreal Canadiens’ Woes Are Not A One-Trade Fix]

Tuesday

On Monday afternoon former Canadiens forward Georges Laraque suggested Kent Hughes and Martin St-Louis met with Gerard Gallant in Toronto, using one of his friends as the source for the information. This was meant to lead us to believe the Habs are looking for a veteran coach to help St-Louis in the near future, which would definitely be a logical step forward for the organization. Laraque also said he saw a picture confirming the meeting.

Shortly after Laraque’s announcement, Renaud Lavoie claimed the information was false.

The rumour was then officially shot down by Guillaume Lefrancois, who discussed the situation with Hughes himself. “I have never spoken to Gallant in my entire life,” explained the Canadiens GM. “The last time I saw him was at the awards ceremony in Las Vegas, when he won the Jack Adams. This is not accurate information.”

Not only did the Canadiens finally earn their first win of the month on Monday against the Buffalo Sabres, they responded quite well to the multiple instances of adversity.

In many games this season, the Canadiens immediately close down the shop once opposing team’s take control of the momentum, but that was certainly not the case during the much-needed 7-5 win. It should also be noted Cole Caufield now leads the NHL in goals (12), and the newly formed top line of Kirby Dach, Nick Suzuki, and Juraj Salfkovsky had a great.  [Canadiens Instant Recap: Top Line Chemistry, Caufield Leads NHL]

Wednesday

Former Canadiens captain Shea Weber will be part of the 2024 Hockey Hall of Fame induction class this week, but we should not forget about play-by-play legend Pierre Houde, who will enter the HHoF alongside Scott Burnside. Houde will be recognized with the  Foster Hewitt Memorial Award for outstanding contributions as a hockey broadcaster. [Canadiens Tribute: Pierre Houde Represents The Best Of Us]

With over a month of NHL action in the books, it’s time to take a look at how Canadiens players performed from an individual standpoint. While the team continues to struggle as a whole, there are some silver linings at play.[Canadiens Analysis: Tiered Rankings For Individual Performances]

Thursday

It’s much too early to discuss a possible return to play, but newcomer Patrik Laine was once again spotted skating in solo practice sessions. Comparator the first clip we saw on Friday, his agility seems to have improved significantly.

Several current and former Canadiens players were in attendance as Shea Weber was officially inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Karl Alzner, Ben Chiarot, Carey Price, Jeff Petry, Paul Byron, and several other players were among those who made the trip to the Big Smoke.

Juraj Slafkovsky took time to praise captain Nick Suzuki’s selfless approach to the game, including how he opted out of scoring a third goal in an empty-net situation versus the Buffalo Sabres.

Friday

Prospect Oliver Kapanen played his first game in the SHL since being loaned to Timra IK by the Habs. He was a crucial player in the lineup, as he assisted on both the game tying and game-winning goals. It would be unrealistic to expect him to produce more than a point per game throughout the entirety of the season, but there’s no doubt this was a great debut for the 21-year-old forward.

Prospect Logan Sawyer scored his first goal of the season for Providence College (NCAA). He now has one goal and five assists in 10 games.


Even though Cole Caufield is among the best goalscorers in the NHL, he’s not a guaranteed a spot on the American roster for the 4 Nations Tournament. According to Pierre LeBrun, Caufield is being considered, but for now he’s not part of the projected team. [TSN]

Martin St-Louis turned to Samuel Montembeault on Thursday in an attempt to beat the high-flying Minnesota Wild. [Canadiens Preview & Lines: Montembeault Faces Wild]

There was some good news against the Wild, as the Habs did a much better job from a defensive standpoint, one of their biggest issues this season. Unfortunately, their offence also dried up, as evidenced by the shutout. [Canadiens Instant Recap: Hutson Not Enough To Prevent Loss]

Caufield had a special guest in attendance to watch him play in Minnesota.

Saturday

While things aren’t going according to plan in the NHL, the Canadiens’ AHL affiliate can’t be stopped. The Laval Rocket beat the Syracuse Crunch 4-3 on Friday, with hard-working Jared Davidson playing the starring role. He scored two goals, pushing his season totals to six goals and two assists in 10 games, roughly twice the scoring pace he set in 2023-24. Davidson also scored the only goal in the shootout to secure the win for the Rocket, who now own the best win percentage in the AHL. Laurent Dauphin and Adam Engstrom also notched two points in the win.

If you haven’t had a chance to watch Davidson play, you should know one of his biggest offensive weapons is his ability to launch a barrage of one-timers at the opposition from anywhere on the ice. It’s a skill that very few players have perfected.

According to Tony Marinaro, the Montreal Canadiens shopped Joel Armia when Kent Hughes first took over as the general manager. It’s not particularly surprising, given that Hughes quickly traded several veterans, nor was the part where no NHL teams showed genuine interest.

Several Montreal Canadiens prospects are off to a great start to the NCAA season. Jacob Fowler, Sam Harris, and Michael Hage are all on pace for a fantastic year with their respective teams. Speaking of Fowler, the usually stoic netminder received a 10-minute misconduct on Friday night when he decked a forward following a goal against. [Canadiens Prospect Report: Hage, Harris, Fowler Excel In NCAA]

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