Habs Daily: Top-Line Concerns, Hage Is Dominating, Heineman

Take a look at the Montreal Canadiens news items, highlights, and stories you may have missed throughout the weekend.

Montreal Canadiens News

You’d be hard-pressed to suggest the Canadiens have the type of depth that allows them to stack their first line, making Martin St-Louis’ decision to break up his best trio last season an interesting experiment. But at this point, it’s starting to become clear the change has failed to yield positive results, especially in regard to the youngest player in the lineup, Juraj Slafkovsky.

Breaking up Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield & Juraj Slafkovsky has hurt…Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield & Juraj Slafkovsky.

The Habs had one good thing going last season. Just put the three of them back together at this point. pic.twitter.com/R2lJaCSVlX

— /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) November 24, 2024

Don’t look now, but Michael Hage can’t stop scoring for the University of Michigan, as evidenced by his five-point effort on Saturday. He’s the Wolverines’ top-scoring player, not to mention the most productive rookie in the league. To put a fine point on his dominance, he’s currently scoring more often than several blue-chip prospects who were drafted a year earlier. [Canadiens Prospect Michael Hage Setting NCAA On Fire]

ICYMI: 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]

The Canadiens were hoping to extend their winning streak to three games for the first time in 2024-25, but a strong start versus the Vegas Golden Knights made way for a shambolic second period in which the road team scored five goals. It was a tough loss to swallow, but there was some good news, as Emil Heineman was rewarded for his underrated start to the season. [Habs Highlights: Heineman Rewarded For Strong Start To Season]

Former Hab Tomas Plekanec visited Canada for Shea Weber’s Hockey Hall of Fame introduction ceremony, but decided to stick around by spending some time in Montreal and Laval. While there’s no word on whether he’s looking for a job, it wouldn’t be surprising if the 42-year-old is starting to make plans for his post-hockey career.

Tomas Plekanec on IG:

“Six years had passed since I attented a Habs game at the Bell Centre. I want to thank the Montreal Canadiens organization for their incredible hospitality, and also for allowing me to see the way the Laval Rocket organization works. It was a very… pic.twitter.com/d66IXqeDmx

— /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) November 24, 2024

National Hockey Now Network

When the Philadelphia Flyers traded former captain Claude Giroux to the Florida Panthers for a package that included Owen Tippett, the hope was that Tippett, still a youngster, would blossom into a future cornerstone in Philadelphia. So far, things have gone terribly. [Philadelphia Flyers]

The Vegas Golden Knights have mastered the craft of cap and roster flexibility in recent years and did so again with the extension of forward Brett Howden, setting the bar for several other players in the league. [New Jersey Devils]

The Pittsburgh Penguins are falling apart. The team that has seven wins in 23 games is devolving into a disorganized group of players whose poor defensive zone coverage only serves to mask a weak-willed team that has laid down for opponents so often that it seems like their natural position.[Pittsburgh Penguins]