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July 28, 2024

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

ICYMI: As of now, top Habs prospect Ivan Demidov is expected to play for SKA Saint Petersburg next season, however, if he ends up as the odd man out the Canadiens could end up engaging in a discussion to establish his transfer fee. Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes mentioned he would be happy if Demidov ends up playing in the KHL, but would have to reconsider things if the team’s top prospect was not given a roster spot in the league. Seeing as Demidov only has one year left on his contract, SKA is not allowed to loan him to another KHL team.  [Montreal Canadiens Top Prospect Ivan Demidov’s Future Unclear]

 

We all know the rules. If Demidov is mentioned, it must be followed by a highlight video.

Habs forward Rafael Harvey-Pinard was reportedly injured at an event involving former Canadiens players and current Laval Rocket skaters. The report is yet to be confirmed by the Habs, so we will have to take it with a grain of salt for now, but according to Tout Sur Le Hockey it was yet another lower-body injury. [RHP Reportedly Injured (FR)]

This is a pretty cool video. 2024 first-round pick Michael Hage was a lifelong Canadiens fan, following in the footsteps of his father, who tragically passed away before he could witness his son don la Sainte-Flanelle. Hage dedicated his 2023-24 season to his father, which is why the raw emotion as the Habs called his name is incredibly poignant, yet heartwarming.

It’s always a good time to check out another great Jacob Fowler highlight.

Tuesday

It’s time to discuss the impressive group of Montreal Canadiens prospects! The first edition of our Montreal Canadiens prospect rankings discusses the players who did not make the cut, as well as the team’s prospects ranked from No.40 to No.31. [Top Montreal Canadiens Prospect Rankings – 2024 Edition]

Stu Cowan spoke to Florian Xhekaj about his NHL aspirations. As is custom in the family, Xhekaj is brimming with confidence as he prepares for what should be his first legitimate NHL training camp. Xhekaj did participate in last year’s camp, but was cut early, on September 24, along with Quentin Miller and Cedrick Guindon. [Montreal Gazette]

ESPN mentioned top Canadiens prospect Lane Hutson as one of the players who could end up winning the Calder Trophy next season. It’s always encouraging to see a player named among the league’s best young hopes, but first and foremost, Hutson will have to earn his NHL job. Some may take it for granted given his elite skill set, and there’s merit to that logic, but he’ll have plenty of competition at training camp. [ESPN]

Wednesday

The Montreal Canadiens are in uncharted territory; for the first time in over six years, they’ve got a significant amount of real cap space and don’t need to use it. That kind of wiggle room not only sets up the Canadiens nicely on the trade front either this summer or at the 2025 NHL trade deadline, but it also could help out a great deal next summer. [Canadiens Quiet Free Agency To Provide Cap Advantage For 2025]

Ivan Demidov is yet to take to the ice for SKA Saint Petersburg during their development camp. He’s still dealing with the lower-body injury that took place during his impressive playoff run last season.

We’re used to seeing a highlight video following every mention of Demidov, but this time around we’re going to switch it up and post a video of Demidov and his girlfriend trying American candy.

Okay fine, have another Demidov highlight, you fiends! This one was edited by one of my favourite scouts, Hadi Kalakeche.

 

There are five guarantees in life. Death, taxes, being bad at math, and athletes playing in Canada complaining about taxes! Jokes aside, Michael Pezzetta is one of the most affable players in the lineup. He’s also quite polite when it comes to any sort of media matter, and few players around the league practice harder than he does.

Thursday

We discussed the possibility that the Montreal Canadiens would have to reconsider their options if top prospect Ivan Demidov did not manage to earn a roster spot in the KHL with his parent club, SKA Saint Petersburg. It’s worth mentioning we never suggested Demidov was NHL ready, as was widely publicized on Twitter. We simply pointed out Hughes himself said he’d re-evaluate the situation if Demidov was not bound for the KHL. Remember, SKA cannot loan Demidov to another team as they did with Matvei Michkov in the last two seasons. Players must have two or more years left on their contracts if they’re to be loaned to another KHL organization. The good news is that SKA head coach Roman Rotenberg had a conversation with Canadiens management, which seemed to suggest Demidov will indeed have a roster spot in the KHL.

We all know the drill. Mentioning Demidov in the Daily means we’re legally bound to follow it up with one of the many highlight videos featuring the top prospect in the organization.

 

The 2024 Montreal Canadiens prospect rankings continued on Wednesday, with players ranked No.30 to No.26. The list included players who are known for their physical play, a well as two very interesting goaltenders.  We encourage fans to give their opinions on the rankings, as it leads to very interesting conversations. We will also give fans an opportunity to vote for their very own list once we’re done evaluating all prospects in the organization. [Montreal Canadiens Prospect Rankings – Truculence & Goaltending]

Friday

We continue our deep dive into the top Montreal Canadiens prospects by featuring a handful of players who have a family member that made it to the NHL ahead of them, including Aatos Koivu. While there’s some logic to drafting players who have pedigree, we must remember Koivu is not his father, and the expectations should be reasonable in his case. As for the more encouraging aspect of his development, it’s worth pointing out his production has improved by leaps and bounds recently, a fairly good indication that he’s in the midst of a healthy upward trajectory.  [Canadiens Prospect Rankings – Family Trees & Pedigrees]

 

Top prospect Ivan Demidov is yet to return to the ice, as he’s still nursing a lower-body injury, but he was spotted working hard at the gym, an encouraging sign for the 18-year-old forward.

Like many Habs fans, I own a rather extensive library of Canadiens-related books. This means it’s quite rare to find a picture that was not published in one of the many books covering the team’s impressive history. On that note, full marks to Andrew Zadarnowski for finding this interesting picture of former Canadiens owner Leo Dandurand.


Francis Bouillon joined the Poche Bleue podcast, hosted by former Habs Max Laperriere and Guy Latendresse. One of the topics that surfaced was blue-chip prospect Lane Hutson. It’s a French podcast, but suffice it to say he’s very excited about Hutson’s potential, not to mention his jaw-dropping skill set.

Saturday

There was some unfortunate news on Friday when the Montreal Canadiens announced forward Rafael Harvey-Pinard would miss at least four months of action due to a surgical intervention to repair a broken leg. Given that he had a difficult time in 2023-24, the injury will only further complicate things for the 25-year-old winger, as his contract is set to expire next summer. The silver lining is that his absence should lead to an opportunity for one of the many Canadiens prospects looking to earn a full-time job in the NHL, including Alex Barré-Boulet and Emil Heineman.  [Harvey-Pinard Injury Opens Door For A Canadiens Prospect]

Columbus Blue Jacket forward Patrik Laine is looking for a change of scenery. The Canadiens are looking to improve their offensive firepower. There’s a match there in principle, but there are several factors that must be considered if the Habs are to engage in a serious discussion that could bring the former 40-goal scorer to Montreal. [Canadiens Trade Talk: Exploring A Potential Patrik Laine Trade]

This isn’t Canadiens news per se, but it will eventually have an impact on some of their most important prospects. The NCAA announced a significant expansion to the allotted scholarships per program, which means there will be an additional six scholarships available per team.

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By Marc Dumont
Marc has been covering the Habs for over a decade. He previously worked for Journal Metro, The Athletic, The ... More about Marc Dumont

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