Here are the Montreal Canadiens news items, stories, and content you may have missed on Tuesday.
Montreal Canadiens News
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Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki is still the front-runner for the Selke Trophy, according to ESPN.
“Nick Suzuki. That’s the list,” one voter stated. “Big fan of his two-way game this season. Shows growth and likely earned him that Olympic nod,” said another.
In addition to being the top candidate for the Selke, Suzuki was also mentioned in the Hart Trophy discussion, while Lane Hutson was discussed in the Norris Trophy section. Finally, Ivan Demidov sits behind Matthew Schaefer when it comes to the Calder Trophy vote. [ESPN]
The second struggled to produce encouraging underlying numbers at first, but things have changed considerably since the last time we discussed their results. Juraj Slafkovsky, Oliver Kapanen, and Ivan Demidov have certainly done a good job improving their chemistry in late December and early January. [Canadiens Analysis: Recent Improvements From The Second Line]
Kaiden Guhle took part in practice on Tuesday, which means he’s almost ready to return from his latest injury. With that in mind, the Canadiens will have to modify their pairings, and they may want to consider splitting up the Mike Matheson and Noah Dobson combination. [Canadiens Defensive Impact Of Guhle Returning]
Slafkovsky had nothing but praise to offer when discussing Oliver Kapanen’s play.
Juraj Slafkovsky today when asked if he believes Oliver Kapanen can be the Habs future 2nd line centre:
— /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) January 6, 2026
“Yeah for sure. It’s not a question to ask to me. I like the guy, I like him as a player. He’s good defensively, he’s got a great shot. He’s a smart player…” pic.twitter.com/BbFBCvCq0g
Here’s your daily reminder that Lane Hutson is definitely among the NHL’s elite, even if he wasn’t considered good enough to take part in Team USA’s 2026 Olympic roster.
Who controls the puck? @NHL pic.twitter.com/yFds1hTf6W
— Meghan Chayka (@MeghanChayka) January 6, 2026
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You’d be hard-pressed to find another example of fans turning on their own player as New Jersey Devils fans did on Sunday night at the Prudential Center hosting their division rival, the Carolina Hurricanes. [New Jersey Devils]
The Florida Panthers had some new faces on the ice Monday morning but lost one of their top players to injury before kicking off a six-game road trip. Defenceman Seth Jones is going to miss a few weeks after taking a puck off the collarbone area during the Winter Classic last Friday. [Florida Panthers]
The Toronto Blue Jays introduced their newest free agent splash Kazuma Okamoto to the media on Tuesday, and the Japanese star immediately endeared himself to his chosen North American city. He even said his daughter chose the Blue Jays logo as her favourite of all 30 teams. But Okamoto’s signing has left a couple of big question marks around the club as well. With the Japanese slugger likely manning third base, what would happen to Ernie Clement’s role IF Bo Bichette were to return and play second base? [Sportsnaut]
