Habs Daily: Laine’s Skating, Guhle’s Evolution, Laval’s Momentum

Here are the Montreal Canadiens news items, highlights, and stories you may have missed on Thursday.

Montreal Canadiens News

Patrik Laine was once again back on the ice, practising with the main squad. He’s still wearing a blue no-contact jersey, but his skating seems to be coming along nicely, whereas his shot remains excellent. As we discussed earlier in the week, Laine’s return should have a significant impact on the lineup. [Potential Impact Of Patrik Laine’s Return To The Canadiens Lineup]

Patrik Laine’s shot looks so dangerous yet effortless 🔥

pic.twitter.com/uR7pEzO0UW

— /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) November 21, 2024

Kaiden Guhle has been the youngest defenceman in the lineup from the time he entered the league to when newcomer Lane Hutson finally joined the fold. In that time, he faced a high level of competition while being paired with defencemen who had a history of producing poor numbers. On top of the difficult assignment, he was used on his offside, making it a hat-trick of hellish usage. Midway through November, head coach Martin St-Louis returned Guhle to his natural side, and the results have been jaw-dropping, both for the player and the team.  [The Long Overdue Canadiens Decision To Help Kaiden Guhle]

While the Habs started the season on the wrong foot, their AHL affiliate, the Laval Rocket, faced a polar opposite situation. The Rocket are the best team in the AHL by a wide margin, and are currently enjoying the best start for a Canadiens AHL affiliate in the last 50 years. Key changes made to the management group this offseason are a big reason for the team’s success.  [The Laval Rocket Are A Top AHL Team Thanks To Key Changes]

National Hockey Now Network

If you have been wondering whether the Pittsburgh Penguins’ rough start to the season has team captain Sidney Crosby ruminating over things even when he’s away from the rink, you would be right. [Pittsburgh Penguins]

Despite being in the second year of the official start of the proverbial rebuild, the Philadelphia Flyers prospects have yet to vault into the upper echelon of young cores around the NHL. [Philadelphia Flyers]

There’s little doubt that before the beginning of the 2024-25 regular season, many wrote off the Carolina Hurricanes as regression candidates. However, the New Jersey Devils’ division rival sits near the top of the Metropolitan Division in a four horse race for first place. With recent injuries in net, one insider suggests they could be seeking a goaltender in an NHL trade to compensate for the void. [New Jersey Devils]