Here are the Montreal Canadiens news items, stories, and content you may have missed on Thursday.
Montreal Canadiens News
Supremely talented forward L.J. Mooney nabbed the No.8 spot in our annual Montreal Canadiens prospect rankings. He may be small, but he plays big, and he’s easily one of the most skilled players in the organization’s prospect pool. [Canadiens Top 20 Prospects: No.8 – Highly Skilled L.J. Mooney]
Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki has been used in several different situations at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games, a testament to the trust level established with head coach Jon Cooper.
Nick Suzuki yesterday on being trusted by the Team Canada 🇨🇦 coaching staff:
— /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) February 19, 2026
“My role this entire tournament has just been a guy that can move around and play different positions and with different guys. Thankfully, I’ve done enough to get that trust more and more I think.”… pic.twitter.com/pAovxXdUTp
Suzuki and Team Canada will face Oliver Kapanen and Team Finland in the first semifinal, with the puck drop scheduled for 10:40 am ET. It remains to be seen if Finland will actually use Kapanen this time around, while Suzuki’s exact role is yet to be determined. If Team Canada captain Sidney Crosby is not cleared to play, Suzuki is expected to once again take over at centre, anchoring a line between Mitch Marner and Mark Stone.
Sounds like Crosby may go for a quick skate tomorrow morning to see where things are at but is unlikely to play against Finland. If he can’t Suzuki likely to slide into his spot as he did in the 1/4 finals.
— Ryan Rishaug (@TSNRyanRishaug) February 19, 2026
Young star Juraj Slafkovsky will also take part in Olympic semifinal action, as the plucky Slovaks face Team USA at 3:10 pm ET. With three goals and four assists in four games, Slafkovsky is currently tied for fifth in Olympic scoring, though it should be noted he has played fewer games than all the players ahead of him in the scoring race. He’s clearly among the most valuable players in Italy. [NHL]
NHL writer Shawn P. Roarke on Juraj Slafkovsky’s case for Olympic MVP:
— /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) February 19, 2026
“He is the No. 1 target for each team when they game plan. He doesn’t care. He just produces. The Montreal Canadiens forward is the reason Slovakia 🇸🇰 is here. That can’t be said about any other candidate.” pic.twitter.com/wpdljsQBOD
Not only is Slafkovsky one of the best players at the Olympics, he’s also emerging as a leader for the Slovaks, despite only being 21-years-old.
Dalibor Dvorsky on his Slovak teammate Juraj Slafkovsky 🇸🇰:
— /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) February 19, 2026
“You all can see it, right? He has really grown in every aspect, and he’s showing it every game. The pressure on him is probably the biggest on the team…He’s handling it extremely well, and he’s playing awesome.” pic.twitter.com/ywathCFjoX
Sportsnaut Network
Jack Hughes and Simon Nemec are the last New Jersey Devils standing in Milan and will compete in the semifinals on Friday for a chance to play for gold. [New Jersey Devils]
It seems inevitable that the NBA will eventually award an expansion franchise to Las Vegas. The announcement is expected to come later this year after the NBA completes its new media rights deals. There might be a lot of unrealistic expectations heaped upon the new NBA team in Vegas because of the success of the Golden Knights. When taking a step back, the Golden Knights can arguably be considered as the most successful expansion franchise in North American men’s professional sports history. [Vegas Golden Knights]
The Florida Panthers are still a few days away from holding their first practice during the 2026 Winter Olympic break but are only a week away from playing their first game since losing in Tampa on Feb. 5. [Florida Panthers]
