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NHL: Boston Bruins at Montreal Canadiens
Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images

MONTREAL — It feels like every hour features more Montreal Canadiens news, and we’re all bound to miss a story or two. On Sundays, we always recap the relevant NHL news you may have missed, to help you stay in the Canadiens loop.

Seeing as the Habs played on Sunday, this edition of the Wrap is scheduled for Monday morning.

Make sure you don’t miss any Canadiens news by signing up to our weekly newsletter! You can also sign up for various other NHL teams, or the daily newsletter covering the most exciting developments in sports.[Sportsnaut]

Montreal Canadiens News And Notes

The Habs opted to recall defenceman Adam Engstrom from the Laval Rocket. Engstrom, 22, leads all Rocket defencemen in scoring, with 10 goals and 24 assists in 45 games. This suggests there may be an injury to another defenceman, or that the team intends on using Arber Xhekaj on the fourth line as they face the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday night. [Canadiens Top 20 Prospects – No. 5 Smooth Skating Engstrom]

Rookie netminder Jakub Dobes was named the First Star of the Week in the NHL, thanks to perfect 3-0 record, not to mention a fantastic .962 save percentage. [Jakub Dobes Earns First Star Honours]

There was some encouraging news on the injury front, as injured forward Kirby Dach was spotted skating in Brossard.

In other injury-related news, Alexandre Texier also spent some time stretching his legs on Monday.

Canadiens power forward Juraj Slafkovsky turned 22 on Monday, having already banked 273 games worth of NHL experience.

Both Jakub Dobes and Jacob Fowler have improved their results since the Canadiens hired goaltending coach Marco Marciano earlier in the year. It’s fair to say his presence has greatly benefited both rookie netminders.[Impact Of New Goaltending Coach On Dobes And Fowler]

Maple Leafs Sports And Entertainment President and CEO Keith Pelley admitted his franchise underestimated teams in their division, noting that both the Canadiens and Buffalo Sabres surprised the Leafs with their success. All things considered, Buffalo finally breaking free from the basement of the NHL was somewhat of a surprise, but everyone in the NHL was well aware that the Canadiens are a team on the rise. [Leafs President Admits He Didn’t See The Canadiens Coming]

There was some unfortunate news on the injury front. Veteran defenceman Alex Carrier was unable to play on Tuesday, sidelined with an upper-body injury that will keep him out of action for 2–4 weeks. [Canadiens Preview: Carrier Injured]

Cole Caufield scored his 47th goal of the year, while rookie netminder Jakub Dobes made 36 saves to secure an important 4-1 win versus the Tampa Bay Lightning. It was a statement win for the young Canadiens, as the Lightning have given them fits in past games. [Canadiens Highlights: Caufield Hits 47 Goals In Statement Win]

The future is especially bright in Montreal. All the players listed as their core are 26 or younger, and have all signed long-term deals. This, of course, ignores other talented young players, such as Ivan Demidov, Oliver Kapanen, and Jacob Fowler, not to mention encouraging prospects such as Michael Hage or Alexander Zharovsky.

Just like every other coach who has had the pleasure of having Nick Suzuki in his lineup, Jon Cooper had nothing but good things to say about Nick Suzuki at the Olympics.

important lessons worth keeping in mind for the Montreal Canadiens as they attempt to become legitimate Stanley Cup contenders. [Top 5 Lessons The Canadiens Can Learn from Toronto’s Demise]

ICYMI: Maple Leafs Sports And Entertainment President and CEO Keith Pelley admitted his franchise underestimated teams in their division, noting that both the Canadiens and Buffalo Sabres surprised the Leafs with their success. All things considered, Buffalo finally breaking free from the basement of the NHL was somewhat of a surprise, but everyone in the NHL was well aware that the Canadiens are a team on the rise. [Leafs President Admits He Didn’t See The Canadiens Coming]

Pierre Lebrun suggests the Canadiens will want to sign head coach Martin St-Louis to a contract extension, sooner than later. It’s important to note that Lebrun was just speaking out loud, rather than reporting. The Habs exercised a two-year option with St-Louis when his contract was up for renewal in 2024, which means it is set to expire in 2026-27.

Shockingly, or not, the Canadiens have looked much better since reuniting their best players on the first line. There was some logic in wanted to spread the wealth throughout the lineup, but that was essentially messing with as close as it gets to perfection, a cardinal sin in hockey roster management. The forwards, along with Lane Hutson, were among the most productive players in March.

Speaking of the first line in March, Cole Caufield managed to score 12 goals, becoming the first Habs forward to do so since Guy Lafleur in 1976.

He also scored a go-ahead goal for the 27th time of the season, the third-most in NHL history, trailing only goal-scoring legends Brett Hull and Pavel Bure.

No one can stop Cole Caufield from scoring. He registered his 48th and 49th goals of the year on Thursday night to power the Habs to yet another win, their seventh in a row! [Habs Highlights: Caufield Reaches 49 In Seventh Straight Win]

With his 25th goal on the road, Cole Caufield became the first player to do so since Guy Lafleur, in 1979-80. It’s always a good sign when The Flower’s name starts being thrown around in Canadiens scoring statistics.

Another impressive Caufield-related stat: he’s the first player since Maurice Richard to score 28 goals in 27 games.

According to Marco D’Amico, the Canadiens are among the many, many teams interested in Michigan University forward T.J. Hughes. The 24-year-old centre enjoyed a fantastic season in the NCAA, scoring 21 goals and 35 assists in 39 games. [RG]

These things tend to get worked out in most situations, but as it stands, some French games scheduled for next season are yet to be confirmed. RDS has re-upped with the league, but TVA Sports is yet to pull the trigger, having dealt with significant financial losses in recent years. [Montreal Gazette]

here’s no doubt Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki have played important roles in Montreal’s seven-game winning streak, but the greatest positive impact has come from their rookie netminders: Jakub Dobes and Jacob Fowler. [The Most Important Number Powering Canadiens Win Streak]

Sure, most statistics relating to Caufield’s excellent season are impressive, but it should be noted he’s yet to score a particular type of goal this season. Despite scoring 49 times, Caufield is yet to register an empty-net goal this year, a testament to his affinity for scoring crucial goals for the Canadiens.

Lost in all the excitement, Caufield may love playing hockey more than any other NHL player, and that includes Lane Hutson and Ivan Demidov. He also has fun out there, a rather important factor that many veterans tend to ignore.

Don’t assume Caufield is a one-trick pony. While it’s true he’s at his best in the offensive zone, his defensive rating is also elite. It’s the perfect evidence to support the argument that a good offence is the best defence.

Neither Kaiden Guhle nor Phillip Danault were present at practice on Friday, with both players listed as taking a therapy day.

Cole Caufield played an important role in Montreal’s 4-3 shootout win over the New Jersey Devils, however, he did not score a goal. The elite sniper registered two assists, helping the Habs secure their eighth straight win. The team also reached the 100-point mark with the victory. [Canadiens Highlights: 100-Point Season Secured In Exciting Win]

While most of the attention in the Calder Trophy race has been centred on Beckett Sennecke or Matthew Schaefer, it’s worth pointing out Ivan Demidov is the first rookie to hit the 60-point mark.

All prospect Bryce Pickford does is score goals. Okay, to be more accurate, he does a bunch of stuff between scoring goals at an impressive rate, but that’s not as catchy.

It was relatively surprising to see veteran Samuel Montembeault serve as Montreal’s backup on Saturday, though it should be noted that Jacob Fowler is expected to start the second-leg of the back-to-back games on Sunday, which explains why Montembeault dressed.

It’s fair to say many NHL stars have Montreal as their ideal backup plan. Of course, it would be better if the Habs became their ideal destination, but that’s a situation that still needs a little work. Thankfully, since Kent Hughes and Company took over, Montreal has slowly but surely become a city in which star skaters want to play.

It’s official! The Montreal Canadiens will participate in the NHL Playoffs for the second consecutive season. Unlike last year, the Habs won’t have to worry until the last game to clarify whether springtime hockey is on the menu. [Canadiens Clinch 2026 NHL Stanley Cup Playoff Berth]

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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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