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Canadiens Wrap

Canadiens Wrap: First-Round Draft Targets, Pick Order, Suzuki

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2 months ago

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MONTREAL — There’s always Montreal Canadiens news to be absorbed on a daily basis, 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 opted to send goaltender Cayden Primeau and forced Oliver Kapanen to the AHL, giving the Laval Rocket a nice dose of talent as they attempt to capture the Calder Cup. As a reminder, Montreal’s farm team established the best regular-season record in the AHL, setting a few franchise records in the process.

Unfortunately, Laval dropped Game 3 of their best-of-five series versus the Cleveland Monsters on Sunday afternoon. The Rocket outshot their opponents 37-25, but Jet Greaves had a dominant afternoon to keep his team in the AHL playoffs. Primeau saved 22 of the 25 shots sent his way.

Kapanen was also in the lineup, featuring on the third line alongside Joshua Roy and Owen Beck. It’s probably fair to suggest Kapanen looks much more comfortable in the AHL than he did during his two auditions in Montreal.

Speaking of playoff action, the Montreal Victoire finished as the top team in the PWHL, giving them an opportunity to pick their first-round opponent. Montreal chose to face the Ottawa Charge, with the first game set to take place on May 8.

Tuesday

As you may have heard by now, Lane Hutson put together a historic rookie season, and while the Montreal Canadiens clearly needed to add someone of his talent-level to the lineup, his upcoming contract is going to be a big one. With a little help from our friends at Cap Wages, we projected Hutson’s upcoming contract extension. [Comparable NHL Contracts For Hutson Mega Extension]

The NHL announced the finalists for the Calder Trophy, a mere formality in Hutson’s case. With all due respect to his counterparts, voting for the rookie of the year should be an easy decision. Dustin Wolf and Macklin Celebrini had very encouraging rookie seasons. Hutson knocked on doors only opened by former NHL legends. [Phenom Lane Hutson Among NHL Calder Trophy Finalists]

The league also held the Draft Lottery on Monday evening, which means we now know the team’s draft order. The Canadiens will pick back-to-back in the first round (16th, 17th), in addition to having 10 other picks in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft. [Canadiens Draft Pick Order Set For 2025 NHL Entry Draft]

Jeff Gorton’s son goes straight for the jugular!

Wednesday

Jacob Fowler helped the Laval Rocket secure a 3–1 series win over the Cleveland Monsters, which means they will now face the Rochester Americans in the North Division Final. It’s difficult to predict how Pascal Vincent will react to Fowler’s dominance, but all signs point to him being the team’s designated starter, as evidenced by his unbeaten record (3-0) that is paired with a very nice .953 save percentage.

If Fowler takes over, it won’t be because Cayden Primeau faltered. Unfortunately, his promotion to the NHL opened the door for Fowler, and the former Boston College Eagles netminder quickly slammed it shut once he made his way to the Rocket crease.  [Phenom Lane Hutson Among NHL Calder Trophy Finalists]

For what it’s worth, the only goal Cleveland scored in their 4-1 loss to Laval was clearly offside, and that hurts when you consider it cost Fowler another playoff shutout. On the flip side, we didn’t have to spend 25 minutes watching grainy reviews, and that’s a win in my books.


The New York Islanders are reportedly interested in Jeff Gorton, the current vice president of the Montreal Canadiens. They’re also considering former Habs general manager Marc Bergevin for the job opening. The good news for Habs fans is that Gorton is intent on finishing the job with the Montreal Canadiens before moving on. [Islanders Interested In Current & Former Canadiens Management]

Defenceman Mike Matheson will be joining Canada for the World Championship, which is currently taking place in Denmark and Sweden. Matheson will represent Canada alongside Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, and Marc-Andre Fleury, among others. [Hockey Canada]

Thursday

The 2025 NHL Entry Draft is set to take place next month, which means it’s time to start discussing the players who may be available at 16th and 17th overall. Our first group includes talented winger Justin Carbonneau.  [NHL Draft Prospects Habs Could Target 16th & 17th Overall]

The first two games of the Laval Rocket’s third-round series versus the Americans will take place in Rochester, with the final three games set for Place Bell. Unfortunately, the first game of the series is a week from now, which means Rochester will have roughly two weeks off between series. I’m not saying it’s necessarily an advantage or disadvantage, but it’s definitely an unreasonable timeframe.

Defenceman Owen Protz signed an amateur tryout with the Rocket. If you haven’t had a chance to watch the 102nd overall pick from the 2024 NHL Entry Draft in action, just know that he’s a big fan of inflicting the maximum amount of pain on his opponents via heavy hits, which means he’ll fit in nicely with a lineup that also features Jared Davidson and Florian Xhekaj.

Friday

Nick Suzuki is dealing with nagging injuries, and consequently, the top scoring Montreal Canadiens player will not represent Team Canada at the World Championship. Mike Matheson, on the other hand, will join Sidney Crosby and Nathan McKinnon. Suzuki is sure to garner some criticism, but you’d be hard-pressed to suggest he doesn’t deserve a little time to completely recover from his injuries  [Canadiens Captain Suzuki Won’t Play For Team Canada]

As a reminder, Suzuki hasn’t missed a hockey game since he joined the league, and the push for the playoffs this season certainly put more stress on his already well-travelled body.

Some prospects will be making their way to Laval next season, while others will be in Montreal trying to earn a roster spot at training camp. Players such as Joshua Roy will have their opportunity, but we shouldn’t overlook hard-working players like Jared Davidson, Florian Xhekaj, or Owen Beck. As for Jacob Fowler, there are no guarantees in professional sports, but a season or two in Laval wouldn’t do him any harm. [Canadiens Prospects Who Are Knocking On NHL & AHL Door]

Saturday

Emil Heineman got off to a solid start at the World Championship. The 23-year-old Swede set up Mikael Backlund’s goal in a 5-0 win over Slovakia.

The third-round series between the Laval Rocket and Rochester Americans doesn’t get underway until next week, which means we have plenty of time to reacquaint ourselves with some of the key prospects in the lineup. Sean Farrell had an underwhelming rookie season in the AHL, but he’s now a mainstay on the team’s top line alongside Laurent Dauphin and Alex Barre-Boulet, marking a significant step forward in his development.[Canadiens Forward Prospects In The Laval Rocket Playoff Lineup]

Speaking of Laval, head coach Pascal Vincent was asked about David Reinbacher’s play so far in the postseason. Reinbacher hasn’t necessarily struggled, but he’s yet to put together a dominant outing. The first thing I noticed when watching him play was that he has a tendency to hesitate a little too long, and the second thing I noticed is that we’re probably paying way too close attention to every minor decision he makes.

Vincent suggested that the 20-year-old defenceman is on an upward trend, and that the key is keeping things simple.

Nicolas Roy avoided suspension for his vicious cross-check, following a common theme in these playoffs: cross-checks to the face aren’t a big deal.

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