Feb 12, 2022; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Columbus Blue Jackets left wing Patrik Laine (29) plays the puck against Montreal Canadiens right wing Josh Anderson (17) during the first period at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports
Here are the Montreal Canadiens news items, highlights, and stories you may have missed on Wednesday.
Montreal Canadiens News
Newcomer Patrik Laine skated with the team on Wednesday morning, yet another encouraging sign when it comes to his recovery, which was originally expected to last at least until early December. Of course, given that he has not played an NHL game since 2023, even if Laine does return early, patience will be in order from the fans. Missing that much hockey means Laine will be dealing with a serious rust build-up.
Bon mercredi à tous, mais surtout à Patrik Laine, qui était de retour sur la glace avec l’équipe ce matin
The youngest player in the lineup, Juraj Slafkovsky, is not having a bad year when we consider he’s producing roughly as many 5v5 points per 60 minutes of ice time as Cole Caufield, but there’s clearly an issue when it comes to the 20-year-old’s goal scoring. With just one goal this season, Slafkovsky is on pace for five goals during the entire season, which would be a big step back when we consider he finished with 20 goals in 2023-24. The issue is rather evident, as well. Slafkovsky needs to take more shots if he’s to become an impact player in the NHL on a nightly basis.
The Habs stumbled out of the gates, but there are still some silver linings at play when evaluating the play from various individuals in the organization, including a pair of prospects.
The Montreal Canadiens were named the top team in the NHL by TSN for their ‘Under-24 Core 4’. The players in question are Cole Caufield (23), Juraj Slafkovsky (20), Lane Hutson (20), and Jacob Fowler (19). Head coach Martin St-Louis was asked about the ranking, and was quick to give credit to both Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton.
According to Pierre LeBrun, when Marc Bergevin hired Claude Julien as the head coach of the Canadiens, he was also considering Gerard Gallant. [FR]
National Hockey Now Network
The Philadelphia Flyers have an injury problem on defence. A regression to the mean, if you will, after surviving nearly unscathed until March of last season. As a result, top defence prospect Helge Grans made his NHL debut against the Colorado Avalanche in a 3-2 loss. [Philadelphia Flyers]
What’s perhaps most alarming about the 7-9-2 start to the season for the Detroit Red Wings is that unlike the teams beating them of late, they aren’t a rebuilding club opting to let a group of kids learn the hard way, on the fly. [Detroit Red Wings]
The trap door beneath the Pittsburgh Penguins has opened and instead of being near the top of the Eastern Conference, which is where they would be if they had even modest lead-holding capabilities. [Pittsburgh Penguins]
Marc Dumont
