Marc Dumont
The Montreal Canadiens are among the hottest teams in the NHL, and they could be receiving a very interesting reinforcement in the form of NCAA star Michael Hage.
Hage, 19, enjoyed a fantastic sophomore season with the University of Michigan, to the tune of 13 goals and 39 assists in 39 games. He finished the season with 52 points, more than Gavin McKenna (Penn State), Porter Martone (50 pts, Michigan State) and James Hagens (47 pts, Boston College).
But it’s not just a matter of production for Hage.
His style of play epitomizes dynamic hockey.
He executes his plays at full speed, combining elite playmaking with high-end vision. It’s the driving force behind Hage’s No.1 ranking among Montreal Canadiens prospects, as voted on by Habs fans.
In that vein, despite the fact that he’s only spent two seasons in the NCAA, and is yet to play a single game of professional hockey, you could argue that Hage is among the team’s most NHL-ready prospects.
“Michigan lost, the Michael Hage clock is on,” explained Elliotte Friedman on his latest 32 Thoughts podcast. “We’ll see where that goes in the next few days.”
Michael Hage Situation
We can expect Hage to sign a contract in the very near future, though the nature of said contract may vary. As established by Nicolas Cloutier, the contract won’t necessarily be in the NHL, even if it is the most likely scenario. There is a chance Hage and the Canadiens will want to test the waters in the AHL, via an amateur tryout, before signing an NHL deal.
However, in all likelihood, Hage will want to burn one year of his entry-level contract by signing in the NHL, which would lead to a few important decisions when it comes to Montreal’s lineup.
Hage is currently nursing an injury that forced him to miss some playoff games for the University of Michigan, therefore, haste is not a priority when it comes to signing a contract, but once he’s ready to play, head coach Martin St-Louis will have to establish the ideal usage for the talented prospect.
It’s a situation that is complicated by the team’s injuries, or lack thereof.
The Habs are a remarkably healthy team at this exact moment, a rare occurrence for an organization that is best known for overstocking the infirmary.
On the flip side of the coin, just because a player is given the green light to play in the NHL, it doesn’t necessarily mean they’re not dealing with minor issues. Many, if not most NHL players have consistent health issues that aren’t severe enough to keep them out of the lineup.
With that in mind, the Canadiens may be able to afford resting some of its players down the final stretch of the season. Of course, the fact that first place in the Atlantic Division is still up for grabs may influence Montreal’s roster decisions, but I digress.
Montreal Canadiens Forward Situation
The only forward who is still on the mend is Patrik Laine, leaving 14 healthy players fighting for 12 spots. That number will rise to 15 if Hage signs a contract, leading to at least three forwards watching games from the press box as healthy scratches.
It’s also important to remember Hage is expected to eventually blossom into a top-six player for the Canadiens, which means the ideal usage would involve playing in that role as soon as possible. Hopefully, the days of forcing a very talented young player to grind it out on the fourth line in a role that is ill-suited for his skill set are over.
Seeing as there’s very little chance St-Louis will want to disrupt his elite first line (again), the second line beckons for Hage.
And yet, given that the only two relatively permanent players on the second line happen to also be first-year players (Ivan Demidov and Oliver Kapanen), there’s some logic in suggesting that running a trio with three rookies is begging for trouble.
But if there is one coach in the NHL that would give the experiment a legitimate chance, it’s certainly St-Louis.
