NHL: Florida Panthers at Montreal Canadiens
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MONTREAL — Every day brings more Montreal Canadiens content to be absorbed, and we’re all bound to miss some news. On Sundays, we recap the relevant NHL news you may have missed, to help you stay in the Habs loop.

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Montreal Canadiens News And Notes

Forward Oliver Kapanen was named to Finland’s Olympic squad, a nice reward for his excellent start to the season. The 22-year-old rookie has produced an impressive 12 goals and nine assists in 41 games this season. Finland has good depth down the middle of the ice, which means he may end up playing on the wing once the 2026 Winter Olympics begin.

It appears Nick Suzuki will wear No.10 for Team Canada at the Olympics. Bo Horvat, who is four years older than Suzuki, seems to be the player who will end up wearing No.14.

Rob Suzuki, who does a great job interacting with Canadiens fans on social media, was quick to remind me that it wouldn’t be the first time his son used No.10 while playing hockey.

Prospect Alexander Zharovsky may end up playing with the same centre as Ivan Demidov did during his rookie campaign in the KHL. Evgeny Kuznetsov asked his KHL team to place him on waivers, and rumours are pointing to a possible contract with Zharovsky’s team, Salavat Yulaev Ufa.

Speaking of Zharovsky, draft-eligible prospect Viktor Fyodorov had nothing but great things to say about his teammate. The Rookie Of The Month in the KHL currently leads his team in scoring, with 11 goals and 18 assists in 33 games to his credit. [Canadiens Prospect Zharovsky Enjoying All-Star Rookie Season]

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.

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.

There’s plenty of hockey left to play, but as it stands, the Canadiens are in a great situation when it comes to their playoff hopes. They also have a relatively easy strength of schedule down the final stretch of the season. [Canadiens Playoff Odds At Midway Point Of Season]

The Habs enjoyed one of their best games of the season when they faced the Calgary Flames. Jacob Fowler was stoic, as per tradition, while Oliver Kapanen (14), Alex Texier (4), Lane Hutson (8), and Cole Caufield (21) scored in the 4-1 win. [Canadiens Highlights: Dominant Win By Young Habs]

Hutson had a great game on Wednesday, though that’s par for the course. Texier, on the other hand, is not expected to put together dominant efforts for the Habs, and yet, that’s exactly what he’s been doing while playing on a bargain contract.

Top prospect Michael Hage was clearly among the best players at the 2026 World Junior Championship.

The Canadiens were loosely linked to Calgary Flames forward Blake Coleman. At 34 years old, Coleman doesn’t fit Montreal’s ideal age group, but he has managed to maintain fairly solid underlying numbers on a struggling team. [Canadiens Rumour Roundup: Evaluating Trade Link To Coleman]

Alex Texier stole the show on Thursday night, scoring a hat trick to power the Canadiens to a dominant 6-2 win over the Florida Panthers. With the win, the Habs ascended to the top spot of the Atlantic Division. [Canadiens Highlights: Texier Hat Trick Powers Statement Win]

Evgeny Kuznetsov didn’t waste any time finding chemistry along top Habs prospect Alexandre Zharovsky. The 19-year-old winger now has 12 goals and 18 assists in 35 games for Salavat Yulaev Ufa this season.

Injured forward Kirby Dach took to the ice on Thursday, but he’s not expected to return to the lineup in the near future.

Nick Suzuki discussed Alex Texier’s addition to the lineup, and how quickly he became a crucial player for the team. Texier is fresh off a three-goal effort that secured a big 6-2 win over the Florida Panthers.

Speaking of Texier, his play on the first line has shored up the first line, which is now back to producing high-end underlying numbers. [Canadiens Analysis: Comparing Texier To Other First Line Wingers]

Jake Evans skated on Friday morning, joined by fellow injured players Kirby Dach and Kaiden Guhle.

Anton Lundell was fined $5,000 for his high-stick on Texier, confirming the Department of Player Safety does watch Panthers games from time to time.

The Laval Rocket are playing with a severely depleted lineup, but they still managed to beat the Rochester Americans 3-2. Sean Farrell (8), William Trudeau (5), and Filip Mesar (4) scored for Laval in the win.

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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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