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Canadiens Wrap: Trade Deadline Talk, Top Prospects, Olympics
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- Canadiens Wrap: Trade Deadline Talk, Top Prospects, Olympics
Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports
MONTREAL — Every day offers more Montreal Canadiens news to be absorbed, and we're all bound to miss a story or two. On Sundays, we recap the relevant NHL news you may have missed, to help you stay in the Habs loop.
Make sure you don't miss any Canadiens news by signing up to our weekly newsletter! You can also sign up for various other NHL teams, or the daily newsletter covering the most exciting developments in sports.[ Sportsnaut ]
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Montreal Canadiens News And Notes
Owen Beck is the No. 6 ranked prospect in our annual top-20 rankings. His well-rounded game and cerebral approach gives him the inside track when it comes to earning a job in the NHL. [ Canadiens Top 20 Prospects – No.6 Cerebral Owen Beck ]
All things considered, Juraj Slafkovsky enjoyed yet another dominant Olympic tournament. With four goals and four assists in six games, Slafkovsky has produced an impressive 11 goals and four assists in 13 games at the Olympics.
Prospect Alexander Zharovsky scored his 14th goal of the season, yet another powerplay marker.
While Nick Suzuki was surely disappointed with Team Canada's silver medal finish, Oliver Kapanen will arrive in Montreal having won his final game at the Olympics, quite the feather in the cap of the 22-year-old centre
Arber Xhekaj officially has bragging rights when it comes to the heaviest shot on the team.
Shockingly, or not, Lane Hutson was declared the team's fastest skater.
Highly-mobile defenceman Adam Engstrom kicked off the top 5 in our annual Montreal Canadiens prospect rankings. Not only has Engstrom quickly established himself as one of the best defencemen in the AHL, his underlying numbers during his 11-game audition in Montreal suggest he's almost ready for full-time NHL action. [ Canadiens Top 20 Prospects – No. 5 Smooth Skating Engstrom ]
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I'm not sure if Juraj Slafkovsky shares many similarities with Jaromir Jagr, other than perhaps their size. For the most part, Slafkovsky is a unique player, but who am I to argue with one of the best forwards in hockey history?
Prospect Bryce Pickford has recovered from his injury, and returned to his scoring ways. We recently profiled Pickford in our top 20 Montreal Canadiens prospect rankings. [ Canadiens Top 20 Prospects: No.7 – Extraordinary Pickford ]
Oliver Kapanen is back in Montreal, having secured a bronze medal for Team Finland at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games.
Marco Marciano continues to spend as much time as possible with his new clients. It's a little too early to dissect his impact on their numbers, but it won't be long until we put together an analysis article centred on the goaltending coach change.
Former Hab Brett Kulak was involved in another trade on Tuesday. The Colorado Avalanche, a team hungry for another Stanley Cup victory, acquired him in exchange for Samuel Girard and a second-round pick.
Landing at No. 4 in our annual Montreal Canadiens prospect rankings is two-way defenceman David Reinbacher. He's one of the most polarizing young players in the system, and while his injuries and lack of professional experience has led to some labelling him as a bust, it's much too early to give up on the 21-year-old blueliner. If anything, it's time to readjust our expectations. [ Canadiens Top 20 Prospects – No. 4 Enigmatic Reinbacher ]
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Even though Juraj Slafkovsky was a dominant force at the Olympics, Slovakia failed to bring home a medal, leaving a rather sour taste in his mouth. Ideally, he'll use his Olympic frustration to motivate him down the final stretch of the season.
Captain Nick Suzuki was quick to praise two of his Team Canada teammates: Florida Panthers forward Brad Marchand, and Vegas Golden Knights winger Mark Stone.
Injured forward Alex Newhook will be in uniform as the Habs face the New York Islanders on Thursday. This marks an early return from the ankle injury that necessitated a surgical intervention.
Both Adam Engstrom and Jacob Fowler (sick) were unavailable for the Laval Rocket as they faced the Toronto Marlies on Wednesday night. Unsurprisingly, Laval was outshot by a decent margin, dropping a 4-1 decision, with the lone goal belonging to Luke Tuch (9).
Things went from bad to worse for Engstrom, as he will be forced to miss four weeks of action with an upper-body injury.
the Canadiens, it wasn't enough, as the Islanders mounted a late-game comeback, before clinching an overtime victory. [ Canadiens Highlights: Dobson Scores Twice To Secure A Point ]
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We've reached the top 3 in our annual Montreal Canadiens prospect rankings. Kicking things off is supremely talented winger Alexander Zharovsky, who is enjoying a fantastic rookie season in the KHL. He's a dynamic presence in the offensive zone, and the mere fact that he's producing in a professional hockey league at such a young age is worthy of praise. [Canadiens Top 20 Prospects – No. 3 Brilliant Alexander Zharovsky ]
Speaking of Zharovsky, the 19-year-old forward scored a beautiful shootout goal on Thursday to help secure a win for Salavat.
Michael Hage took to the ice on Thursday night, but it was L.J. Mooney who stole the show. Hage produced one assist in the battle of Habs prospects, while Mooney registered a goal and an assist in Minnesota's 4-2 win over the University of Michigan. Another Canadiens prospect, Luke Mittelstadt, also had a great night, earning two assists for the Gophers. As a reminder, Mooney was voted the No. 8 prospect in the organization by Habs fans. [ Canadiens Prospect Rankings – No. 8 Highly-Skilled L.J. Mooney ]
Okay, we missed Throwback Thursday, but it's never too late to include a clip of current Canadiens head coach Martin St-Louis scoring on former Canadiens goaltender Patrick Roy.
The Laval Rocket will have to play without several of their top players on the weekend. Adam Engstrom is going to miss four weeks of action, while Jacob Fowler, among many others, is not cleared to play.
With the NHL Trade Deadline a week away, we will soon delve into the many rumours surrounding the Canadiens, but for now, we can discuss one of the most recent talking points. Elliotte Friedman linked the Habs to Philadelphia Flyers defenceman Rasmus Ristolainen, however, it's important to note that he did not suggest it was a concrete report. Friedman made it clear that a player like Ristolainen could interest the Habs, but that's about it.
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"The Canadiens, I do think they've looked at some of these D," said Friedman in his latest edition of the 32 Thoughts Podcast . "Guys like Ristolainen, or, guys like that."
He's a big, right-handed defenceman, the type of player that would interest most NHL teams, however, he also carries a $5.1 million cap hit that runs until 2026-27. Given his recent downtick in underlying numbers, not to mention the fact that he's on the wrong side of 30, I have a hard time believing the Habs are interested in paying a high price for a player of his ilk.
With only two players left to reveal in our annual top 20 Montreal Canadiens prospect rankings, we've reached one of the most important young players in the system: netminder Jacob Fowler. All things considered, he's shown he can be a dominant presence in every league, from the USHL to the NHL, but we should guard against thrusting him into the NHL spotlight too early. He still needs to absorb as much experience as possible in the AHL before the pressure of becoming Montreal's starter comes into play. [Canadiens Top 20 Prospects – No. 2 Stoic Fowler ]
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Craig Button suggested the Canadiens should trade for Sergei Bobrovsky, a goaltender who comes with a $10 million cap hit, and currently has the exact same save percentage as Samuel Montembeault (.874). With all due respect to Craig, that's a questionable suggestion that would not improve the team, while forcing them to move assets to absorb his expensive contract. It's a lateral move, at best.
The Laval Rocket are finding ways to win despite missing half their roster. Okay, that's an exaggeration, but they were without Adam Engstrom, Jacob Fowler, Florian Xhekaj, and Laurent Dauphin, among others, when they faced the Rochester Americans. Laval emerged victorious, winning 9-3, with Tobie Bisson (3), Joshua Roy (14), Vincent Arseneau (5), Samuel Blais (5,6), Alex Belzile (25), Filip Mesar (7), Owen Beck (7), and Will Dineen finding the back of the net for the Rocket.
Shockingly, or not, Michael Hage improved his season tally on Friday night. The dynamic prospect now has 13 goals and 33 assists in just 34 games. For reference Hage produced 13 goals and 21 assists in 33 games during his rookie season with the University of Michigan.
Cole Caufield set the tone, putting together his usual dominant performance on Saturday night to help the Canadiens secure a big win versus the Washington Capitals. [ Habs Highlights: Mr. Saturday Night, Cole Caufield ]
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