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Habs Wrap: Historic Demidov, Guhle injury, Salary Cap

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MONTREAL — There’s always Montreal Canadiens news to be had on a daily basis, but there are only so many hours in a day. On Sunday (and sometimes Monday), 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.



Tuesday

Top prospect Ivan Demidov had a hell of a night in the KHL. He scored a hat trick during SKA Saint Petersburg’s 4-1 win over Vityaz. The first goal was interesting, as Demidov took a hit to make the play, and then quickly made his way to the net to open the scoring.

The second goal was almost too easy for the 19-year-old forward, who is just three points behind Sergei Plotnikov for the team lead in scoring.

His three-goal effort also included an empty-net goal, pushing his season totals to 19 goals and 21 assists in 48 games, which is rather impressive when we remember his coach decided to sandbag him earlier in the season by giving him a few minutes of ice time per game.

The Habs had no answer for Connor Hellebuyck’s dominance on Tuesday night. Despite outshooting and outchancing the Winnipeg Jets, one of the best teams in the NHL, the Canadiens dropped a 4-1 decision. To make matters worse, defenceman Kaiden Guhle had to leave the game after an awkward fall in the third period which left him hobbling.  [Habs Highlights: Hellebuyck Stands Tall, Kaiden Guhle Injured]

Martin St-Louis’ reaction to the initial Guhle diagnosis was far from encouraging.

The Canadiens initially tweeted that Guhle had a lower-body injury, and would be “evaluated on a daily basis”, leaving a little hope that it wouldn’t be a long-term injury.

But they quickly deleted their tweet, suggesting Guhle will “need further evaluation.”

If Guhle is forced to miss significant time, except defenceman Jayden Struble to be recalled from the Laval Rocket. The Canadiens could also take a look at either Adam Engstrom or Logan Mailloux, but they have to recall Struble in a little over a week anyhow, as his conditioning stint runs out after 14 days.

The good news is that Struble has played well alongside anyone not named David Savard. If the Habs want him to succeed, reuniting him with Arber Xhekaj is the right call. [Finding A Role For Canadiens Defenceman Jayden Struble]

Wednesday

The Habs announced defenceman Kaiden Guhle would be out of action indefinitely after a surgical intervention to repair a lacerated quadricep. This is yet another unlucky injury for the 23-year-old, who already has an unfortunate history of painful injuries early in his career.

Losing Guhle for the rest of the season will lead to a significant uptick in ice time for most of the defencemen in the lineup, as he was the second-busiest defenceman on the team (5v5). If the Habs look to the Laval Rocket for reinforcements before their West Coast trip, expect either Adam Engstrom or Logan Mailloux to receive a call-up.   [Impact Of Long Term Kaiden Guhle Injury On Canadiens Lineup]

Not only is Ivan Demidov scoring highlight goals, he’s already among the top producers in league history (U-20). Given that he’s been given less ice time than all his historic counterparts, Demidov is officially producing at a higher rate than any other U-20 player in KHL history. [Top Canadiens Prospect Ivan Demidov Is Making History]

ICYMI: Jayden Struble was recalled from the Laval Rocket, and despite the harsh perception of his play this year, he has played well alongside anyone not named David Savard. If the Habs want him to succeed, reuniting him with Arber Xhekaj is the right call. [Finding A Role For Canadiens Defenceman Jayden Struble]

Marie-Philip Poulin scored a hat trick to power the Victoire to a 4-1 win over the Ottawa Charge. With the hat trick, Poulin is back to leading all PWHL players in goals (8), while the Victoire reclaim top spot in the standings, surpassing the Minnesota Frost.

There was some good news on the health front, as prospect David Reinbacher was once again spotted skating with some of his teammates. He probably won’t be ready to play in the very near future, but his skating seems to be coming along nicely.

Thursday

The Florida Panthers placed defenceman Adam Boqvist on waivers, an interesting option for a team that just lost one of their most important defencemen for an extended stretch. He’s useful in the offensive zone, but the 8th overall pick in 2018 still has a lot of work to do before he can be trusted in the defensive zone.    [NHL Waivers: Top 10 Drafted Defenceman Available To Canadiens]

Ivan Demidov scored yet another great goal. This time around it took place during the shootout, and it secured SKA Saint Petersburg’s 4-3 win over Spartak. Not only is he producing at an impressive rate in the KHL, he’s currently enjoying the highest scoring pace in the history of the league (U-20). [Top Canadiens Prospect Ivan Demidov Is Making History]

His shootout goal on Thursday wasn’t the only weapon in Demidov’s arsenal. The 19-year-old phenom has a few other tricks up his sleeve.

Thursday was a night to forget for the #GoHabsGo, but there was one excellent moment between Canadiens fans and Marc-Andre Fleury. The Bell Centre faithful offered the Minnesota Wild goaltender an ovation in appreciation of an impressive career. [Habs Highlights: Canadiens Fans Give Marc-Andre Fleury Ovation]

Canadiens players made sure to take time to offer their congratulations to Fleury after the game, despite being shutout by the 40-year-old goaltender.

Laura Stacey’s three-point effort for the Montreal Victoire helped secure their 4-3 win over the Toronto Sceptres.

Friday

Forward Rafael Harvey-Pinard was assigned to the AHL. The 26-year-old was given less than nine of ice time in his only NHL game of the season.

The Habs opted not to call-up anyone from the farm, which means they’re heading on their California trip with just 12 forwards and six defencemen. It’s a curious decision that leads me to believe they plan to call up either Owen Beck or Logan Mailloux, or perhaps even both.

Beck and Mailloux will also be in California, representing the Laval Rocket at the AHL All-Star Game, which takes place on Monday evening. The Canadiens have enough healthy bodies to face the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday, with their next game set for Tuesday, versus the San Jose Sharks.

The prospects can take part in the All-Star festivities while also being available to the Canadiens on short notice.

Speaking of Beck, he opened the scoring for the Rocket during their 3-1 win over the Hartford Wolfpack.

The NHL announced salary cap estimates, and it’s pretty exciting news for Habs fans. They’re expecting a 10 percent increase per year, over the course of the next three years, culminating with a $113.5 million salary cap in 2027-28. By then, both Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield’s contracts should be considered an absolute steal, which will allow for plenty of financial manoeuvrability in Montreal. [Impact Of NHL Salary Cap Increase On Montreal Canadiens Future]

The New York Rangers and Vancouver Canucks made a splash on Friday night. The Canucks sent disgruntled forward J.T. Miller to the Rangers, one of the teams likely to compete with the Habs for the final Wild Card spot in the East. This will be Miller’s second stint with the Rangers. He was originally drafted by New York, 15th overall in 2011.

My first impression is that it’s the exact type of trade the Canadiens should avoid going forward, at least from a Rangers perspective. There’s no doubt Miller is a decent player, but he’s clearly in decline, and paying futures for a 31-year-old player who is yet to hit the 10-goal mark reeks of desperation.

Prospect Jacob Fowler was expected to start for the Boston College Eagles as they faced UMass, but the talented goaltender ended up sitting out the game, which ended 4-0 in favour of the Eagles.


The Canadiens opted not to claim defenceman Adam Boqvist on NHL waivers. The very next team in the waiver-wire priority, the New York Islanders, did put in a claim. [NHL Waivers: Top 10 Drafted Defenceman Available To Canadiens]

Saturday

The Montreal Canadiens did not call up anyone prior to departing for their annual California trip. However, as we predicted, they did end up recalling Owen Beck and Logan Mailloux on Saturday. Originally, I had assumed they would recall Beck and Mailloux after Sunday’s game, but seeing as both Alexandre Carrier and David Savard missed practice, the Habs are in need of some warm bodies.

Beck and Mailloux were set to represent Laval at the All-Star Weekend, which is coincidentally taking place in California, but I doubt either will bemoan their promotion to the NHL.

Don’t look now, but top prospect Ivan Demidov tied the KHL record for the most points by an Under-20 player in league history. Demidov registered two assists in SKA’s 4-3 win over Dynamo, and given that he’s set to feature in many more games this year, it’s safe to say he’ll finish the year as the highest-scoring U-20 player in KHL history.  [Top Montreal Canadiens Prospect Ivan Demidov Ties KHL Record]

Florian Xhekaj scored the game-winning goal to secure a big win for the Laval Rocket against the Hartford Wolf Pack. Laval was down 4-1, but mounted an impressive comeback to ensure goaltender Cayden Primeau maintained his perfect record (9-0).

Full marks to Xhekaj and Co., as they’re seized their opportunities while dealing with adversity, but we also have to send some praise Pascal Vincent’s way. The Rocket head coach is trusting young players in key roles, unlike, well, any of his predecessors. The era of hired mercenaries in the AHL seems to be mercifully coming to an end.

Nick Suzuki and Juraj Slafkovsky, noted goons!

 

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