Canadiens Wrap
Habs Wrap: Patrik Laine’s Recovery, Guhle’s Impact, Slafkovsky
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 Habs enjoyed one of their best outings of the season, a well-deserved 5-1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets. The incredibly entertaining game featured fights, a demotion, as well as yet another key play by Nick Suzuki. [Habs Highlights: Suzuki Goal, Xhekaj Fight, Slafkovsky Demoted]
Even though he was clearly frustrated with the decision, Juraj Slafkosvky reacted well to the message sent by Martin St-Louis on Saturday night. The youngest player in the lineup was benched midway through the game, but was returned to the top line in the third period.
Juraj Slafkovsky on briefly getting benched last night:
“Obviously I wanted to play & I was a little mad at myself cause I knew that I had a couple of bad shifts. Just move on & focus on the next game. It’s already in the past so I can’t do much about what happened.” pic.twitter.com/52tVzMFUkE
— /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) November 17, 2024
Patrik Laine is expected to be ready to play in the next few weeks, but fans will have to be patient when it comes to his form. 2024-25 will serve as a tune-up for the sniper, with the real test coming next season. [Potential Impact Of Patrik Laine’s Return To Canadiens Lineup]
ICYMI: 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. [Habs Highlights: Suzuki Goal, Xhekaj Fight, Slafkovsky Demoted]
Tuesday
It initially appeared top prospect Ivan Demidov scored a goal in SKA’s 6-3 win over Amur, but the goal was later credited to his teammate, as the puck deflected off Ivan Zinchenko. Demidov had gone through a slight production drought in recent games, making his assist on Monday the first point he’s generated in the last seven games. He currently has six goals and 14 assists in 29 games. Coincidentally, or not, the downtick in scoring closely correlated with the lowered ice time given to Demidov.
#gohabsgo Ivan Demidov scores off the draw, quick shot with a deflection. pic.twitter.com/N0srkrpyUU
— Matt Drake (@DrakeMT) November 18, 2024
The Canadiens honoured legendary broadcaster Pierre Houde prior to the puck drop against the Edmonton Oilers. Houde is well known as one of the best play-by-play men in hockey history, and was recently awarded the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award at the Hockey Hall of Fame. [Canadiens Tribute: Pierre Houde Represents The Best Of Us]
Quelle belle ovation pour le récipiendaire du prix Foster-Hewitt de cette année 👏 Félicitations encore, @PierreHoudeRDS!
Standing ovation for the recipient of this year’s Foster Hewitt Memorial Award 👏 Congrats again, Pierre!
#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/keD7KoZ4XI— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) November 19, 2024
Don’t look now, but thanks to a complete team effort on Monday night against the Edmonton Oilers, the Habs now have a little momentum in their corner. The 3-0 win was one of the most impressive games from Martin St-Louis’ team in the last few years, both offensive and defensively. Samuel Montembeault has also found his rhythm of late, and has done a great job improving the odds he will end up as Team Canada’s start at the 4 Nations Faceoff. [Habs Highlights: Total Team Effort Leads To Great Canadiens Win]
Cole Caufield made a crucial play in the game when he outworked Leon Draisaitl, which eventually led to Kaiden Guhle’s second goal of the year. He didn’t score, but his hot start to the season ranks well against many former Habs greats.
Though kept off the goals scoresheet in Saturday’s @CanadiensMTL win vs CBJ (contributing a pair of assists nonetheless), Cole Caufield’s been a vital contributor to the Habs’ offence so far in 2024-25 and for much of his NHL career as he currently ranks behind just 6 names here pic.twitter.com/MZTaK2Y7hJ
— StatsCentre (@StatsCentre) November 18, 2024
Patrik Laine is back to practising, but the other injured Hab, David Reinbacher, is not expected to return any time soon. Fortunately, Reinbacher has the added mental health benefit of being around the team as he recovers from his injury, [Potential Impact Of Patrik Laine’s Return To Canadiens Lineup]
Though kept off the goals scoresheet in Saturday’s @CanadiensMTL win vs CBJ (contributing a pair of assists nonetheless), Cole Caufield’s been a vital contributor to the Habs’ offence so far in 2024-25 and for much of his NHL career as he currently ranks behind just 6 names here pic.twitter.com/MZTaK2Y7hJ
— StatsCentre (@StatsCentre) November 18, 2024
Wednesday
After a slow start to the season, it appears goaltender Samuel Montembeault is back to the form that had put him in contention for Team Canada’s roster at the 4 Nations Faceoff. He’s saved 84 of the last 87 shots sent his way, which has pushed his season save percentage to .906, which is slightly higher than last season (.903). It should also be noted that two of the three shutouts in his career have come in 2024-25, including Monday’s dominant 3-0 win over Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers. [Habs Highlights: Total Team Effort Leads To Great Canadiens Win]
Let’s give a round of applause to these goalies! 👏@pepsi Goalies of the Week pic.twitter.com/aUJmL5GuPg
— NHL (@NHL) November 19, 2024
Speaking of turning a corner, the Habs have also enjoyed an uptick in several important stats. Compared to their results in October, the underlying numbers in November have been incredibly encouraging, both offensively and defensively. There’s still a lot of work to be done, but it’s certainly a step in the right direction. [The Montreal Canadiens Are On The Upswing, Here’s The Proof]
The Boston Bruins decided to fire the coach with the best results in the NHL since he’s been on the job, Jim Montgomery. The Montreal-native had a sparkling 120-40-23 record with the Bruins, which represents a .715 win percentage. Of course, the Bruins have struggled in the playoffs, and they have stumbled out of the blocks this season, but you’d be hard-pressed to argue the playoff losses and the slow start are due to inadequate coaching.
As for those who are hoping he will join the Canadiens, it’s incredibly unlikely. The Habs are not ready to move on from Martin St-Louis, and Montgomery will have his pick of the litter when it comes to head coaching jobs, therefore the odds that he would accept an assistant coaching job are microscopic.
Interestingly, the decision to fire Montgomery means St-Louis is now the fifth-longest tenured head coach in the NHL, behind Jon Cooper (Tampa Bay, March 2013), Mike Sullivan (Pittsburgh, December 2015), Jared Bednar (Colorado, August 2016), and Rob Brind’Amour (Carolina, May 2018). Technically, Andre Tourigny has been at his post longer than St-Louis, but Utah is considered a new franchise, therefore the clock has been reset.
Either way, it’s quite the comment on the coaching carousel in the NHL when St-Louis’ February 2022 hiring makes him one of the longest tenured head coaches in the NHL. [Boston Hockey Now: Bruins Fire Head Coach Jim Montgomery]
The Canadiens announced Rafael Harvey-Pinard would be loaned to the Laval Rocket. The move is considered a long-term injury conditioning loan. Harvey-Pinard injured his leg this offseason in a non-team related event. [Canadiens]
Thursday
Newcomer Patrik Laine skated with the team on Wednesday morning, yet another encouraging sign when it comes to his recovery, which was originally expected to last at least until early December. Of course, given that he has not played an NHL game since 2023, even if Laine does return early, patience will be in order from the fans. Missing that much hockey means Laine will be dealing with a serious rust build-up.
Bon mercredi à tous, mais surtout à Patrik Laine, qui était de retour sur la glace avec l’équipe ce matin
Happy Wednesday to everyone, but especially Patrik Laine who was back on the ice with the team this morning#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/jAwMihw22w
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) November 20, 2024
The youngest player in the lineup, Juraj Slafkovsky, is not having a bad year when we consider he’s producing roughly as many 5v5 points per 60 minutes of ice time as Cole Caufield, but there’s clearly an issue when it comes to the 20-year-old’s goal scoring. With just one goal this season, Slafkovsky is on pace for five goals during the entire season, which would be a big step back when we consider he finished with 20 goals in 2023-24. The issue is rather evident, as well. Slafkovsky needs to take more shots if he’s to become an impact player in the NHL on a nightly basis. [The Biggest Issue Holding Back Juraj Slafkovsky’s Goal Production]
The Habs stumbled out of the gates, but there are still some silver linings at play when evaluating the play from various individuals in the organization, including a pair of prospects. [Top-5 Most Surprising Canadiens To Start The Season]
The Montreal Canadiens were named the top team in the NHL by TSN for their ‘Under-24 Core 4’. The players in question are Cole Caufield (23), Juraj Slafkovsky (20), Lane Hutson (20), and Jacob Fowler (19). Head coach Martin St-Louis was asked about the ranking, and was quick to give credit to both Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton. [TSN Video]
According to Pierre LeBrun, when Marc Bergevin hired Claude Julien as the head coach of the Canadiens, he was also considering Gerard Gallant. [FR]
Friday
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.
Patrik Laine’s shot looks so dangerous yet effortless 🔥
— /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]
Saturday
It’s still very early in his career, but as it stands, defenceman Lane Hutson projects to be a dominant NHL player. Considering he’s still a few years away from hitting his prime, we can also safely suggest the best is yet to come.
Lane Hutson update!! pic.twitter.com/z4H8HLDspE
— Byron Bader (@ByronMBader) November 22, 2024
Some former members of the Canadiens are thriving, such as Sean Monahan, however, others are having a hard time fitting in with their new teams. Defenceman Jordan Harris’ usage with the Blue Jackets has led to a very difficult start to the year. [How Former Canadiens Players Are Performing With New Teams]
Prospect Michael Hage scored his sixth goal of the year for the University of Michigan. With the goal, Hage has maintained his point-per-game pace in the NCAA as a freshman (10GP, 6G, 4A)
Hage’s sixth of the season from Werner and Schifsky pic.twitter.com/ckMNVVK9PF
— Michigan Hockey (@umichhockey) November 23, 2024
There was a heartwarming scene at practice, involving David Savard and his children. The veteran connected with the human side of sports by bringing his three kids and his wife onto the ice for a skate.
David Savard, accompagné de ses trois enfants et de sa conjointe, prolonge son entraînement.
— Anthony Martineau (@Antho_Martineau) November 22, 2024
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