Three offseason trade targets for the Habs

The Montreal Canadiens made significant offseason acquisitions during the last two summers. With draft picks and prospect ammunition, they’re expected to do the same this offseason to accelerate the rebuild.

During the 2022 NHL Entry draft, General Manager Kent Hughes shocked many when he traded Alex Romanov to the New York Islanders for a first round pick, which was 13th overall. He then flipped that pick to acquire Kirby Dach from the Chicago Blackhawks. Dach was a former third overall pick but was deemed expandable by Chicago who wanted to overhaul their top six and set up a tank that would lead to the drafting of Connor Bedard. It’s been mixed results for Dach in Montreal mostly due to injury but it did seem like he was on the verge of a breakout season and there’s still plenty of hope he’ll be able to blossom with the Habs.

Prior to the 2023 NHL draft, the Canadiens once again flipped one their extra first round picks (the one acquired in the Ben Chiarot trade to Florida which was 31st overall) and their second round pick which was 37th to pick up Alex Newhook from the Colorado Avalanche. Funny enough, Newhook was part of the same draft class Dach (and Cole Caufield). Newhook has had an up and down season, playing different positions and missed more than six weeks with a high ankle sprain. His ability to fit in the top-6 is debatable but Newhook still provides a ton of speed which is something the Canadiens don’t have an abundance of at the forward position.

So… Who’s going to be the player the target this summer?

Martin Necas, Carolina Hurricanes

Martin Necas is a heck of a player and would check off all the boxes for what the Canadiens are looking for. Larry Brooks of the New York Post has reported that the Carolina Hurricanes are listening to offers. Necas is arbitration eligible and is a free agent this summer.

He’s only 25-years-old and just entering his prime. Last season was a breakout year for Necas who scored 28-goals and 70-points. He should finish this year with comparable numbers. Necas plays with great energy, poise and offensive instincts. He’s an okay defender and he makes up for his shortcomings with his high compete and second efforts. It would be a great fit next to Dach, giving the Canadiens offensive punch on the second line.

Alex Holtz, New Jersey Devils

Alex Holtz isn’t as much of a guarantee as Necas is. There’s still question marks about his defensive game and overall commitment. It appears that he’s on the outs with head coach Lindy Ruff and plays under 12-minutes a game despite being in his third year pro. Even with the limited ice time, Holtz has been able to score 12-goals and 24-points this season. It must be hard to produce much playing with Chris Tierny and Colin Miller on New Jersey’s fourth line. He was a top-10 pick in the 2020 draft and he could be a buy low candidate for Montreal. His shot is by far his best attribute and the Canadiens are starved for goals.

Kent Johnson, Columbus Blue Jackets

Kent Johnson is another player who hasn’t yet lived up to his draft day hype but his skills are undeniable and there’s a reason the Blue Jackets used a top-5 pick to select the Michigan Wolverines standout. Johnson is the biggest project player of the three listed here. He still needs time to round out his defensive game and often tries to do too much rather than make a simple play. It was a bit of shock when the Blues Jackets decided to start Johnson in the American Hockey League to start the season but he was quickly called up after picking 15-points in only 10 games. New management will be coming into Columbus and they will want to bring in their own players. It’s also possible that the team becomes impatient with his development curve…

Just a couple names to add to the list of potential pickups and hopefully we can stop talking the possibility of Trevor Zegras in Montreal.

29th Feb 2024 0

Post Game 50: One line team

It’s official.

The Montreal Canadiens are a one line team.

But that line exceled Tuesday night in Washington, beating the Capitals by a score of 5-2.

The team seemed to come together in the first game without Sean Monahan who was traded to the Winnipeg Jets during the bye week. They took advantage of a disheveled looking Capitals team in the first period, jumping out to a 3-0 lead.

Although Washing pushed back in the second and third periods, the deficit was too great to overcome especially with Sam Montembeault once again showing flashes of a potential star goaltender of the future.

Pluses:

Cole Caufield continues getting points. Everyone thinks of the goal scoring prowess when it comes to Caufield, but his passing continues to be underrated. The pass to Nick Suzuki on the opening goal of the game was pure filth.
Nick Suzuki didn’t looked burnt out from having to attend the all-star game. Two goals for Montreal’s captain who will be leaned on even more heavily (if possible) with the subtraction of Monahan.
Juraj Slafkovsky… Nicest two goals of his career. Also, first two goal game for the number one pick of the 2022 NHL entry draft. Games like this will influence people to believe Montreal made the right pick.
Michael Pezzetta goes post and in leading to Charlie Lindgren getting the hook. This game was not on Lindgren, the Capitals were a disaster in front of him.
Sam Montembeautl… Feels like we can just copy and paste his name in the plus category after a win. His back-to-back saves on Dylan Strome and Rasmus Sandin… Pure larceny
Brandon Gignac… Welcome to the NHL, here’s 15-minutes of ice time on the second line. Didn’t look out of place, but many areas to clean up.
David Savard …. BOOM! Most blocked shots again with four, and one of the blocks took a sure goal away from Max Pacioretty.

Minuses:

An absolute fire drill in their own zone at times, especially in the second period.
Tough game for Tanner Pearson who took two penalties and looked sluggish.
On paper, this team is thin. Alex Newhook’s return and Brendan Gallagher’s suspension coming to an end in three games will help, but the Canadiens will go as far as the top line will take them. At some point, it’s going to be too much for them to handle and the losses will pile up. But at least for one night, they took advantage of a team that looks like they are in complete disarray.

Next up for the Canadiens is a home date at the Bell Centre against the Dallas Stars on Saturday afternoon at 1pm.

7th Feb 2024 0

Post Game 43: Canadiens spoil Drouin’s return

The Montreal Canadiens are the most unpredictable team in the NHL.

Or maybe they aren’t…

They always seem to save their best performances for the best teams. And with the Colorado Avalanche in town (second in goals per game), this game was no exception.

Montreal was impressive and went toe-to-toe with the Avalanche winning by a score of 4-3 Tuesday night at the Bell Centre.

The recipe for the Habs isn’t complicated… Get good goaltending, get contributions on special teams and have the first line involved. They checked all three boxes and were rewarded.

“All those guys, I feel are going through a process to becoming elite and they’re doing it the right way with a team-first approach,” said head coach Martin St Louis about his top line.

Pluses:

The top line had a great game. Both Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky scored powerplay goals while Nick Suzuki had a pair of assists. The Canadiens aren’t a deep team and need their top players going if they want any chance to win.
Jake Allen held the fort. Sometimes it isn’t about how many saves you make but when you make them. Montreal’s goaltender of the night came up with a pair of huge stops on Nathan Mackinnon with just four minutes remaining. Game changing.
Joel Armia with another goal putting him at seven on the season. He’s having a solid year and although the consistency of his effort level is questionable at best, he battle hard for a loose puck in traffic to score the winning goal. “What we want from Army is just that consistency and we’re getting that right now and I hope he keeps going,” said Martin St Louis.
Pairing Kaiden Guhle with Mike Matheson for the last two games was a great adjustment. David Savard appears to be lumbering right now and with two great skating teams in town, it was smart to have Guhle log big minutes. And he didn’t disappoint keeping Colorado’s top line in check at 5-on-5.
The powerplay has looked good with goals in back-to-back games. Caufield is starting to heat up and find his touch and the movement has been fluid once they settle down and set up.
It took 16-games but Rafael Harvey-Pinard finally scored his first goal of the season.
Montreal fans showed their great class. When Jonathan Drouin was put on the big screen with the welcome back message, the fans stood up and applauded him. Drouin spent six seasons with the Canadiens and it was a roller coaster ride, he was never ever to live up to the big expectations management placed on his shoulders when they traded a blue chip prospect to bolster their offense. But even after the hard times, the fans showed their appreciation for his time with the team. Of course, when the game got back underway, they booed him every time he touched the puck. Perfect.

Minuses:

The Canadiens allowed the first goal of the game… To add salt to the wound, Drouin picked up an assist on the Ross Colton goal.
Jake Evans took an embellishment penalty that led to 4-on-4 hockey. Colorado is a dangerous team with extra space and this led to the game tying goal by Devon Toews. It is Emmy season after all.
Jesse Ylonen left to concussion protocol, hopefully nothing serious.
The bench was cut down in the third period and Joshua Roy played under 10-minutes in his second NHL game. It was an understandable decision based on where the game was at, but disappointing nonetheless.

The Montreal Canadiens will play their next three games on the road starting with a clash against the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday night.

16th Jan 2024 0

Post Game 19: That’s how you bounce back

The Montreal Canadiens started their California road trip with a solid bounce back effort against a team in similar spot to themselves by beating the Anaheim Ducks by a score of 4-3 on Wednesday night.

Following their miserable effort against the Boston Bruins on Saturday, head coach Martin St Louis had them grind it out with a couple days of tough, skating heavy practices. It seemed to pay off, Montreal had what was possibly their best first period of the season jumping out to a quick 2-0 lead and having an edge on the shot clock. The first period hasn’t exactly been kind to Montreal this season.

It helps that they once again got top tier goaltending from Sam Montembeault.

Pluses:

The quick start! Two first period goals 38- seconds apart from Alex Newhook and Kaiden Guhle… It’s a lot easier to win a game when you’re not chasing it.
Alex Newook is heating up and looked dangerous all night long. That’s three goals in his last two games.
Monteambeault made some ridiculous saves. This was especially the case in the third period when Anaheim played more desperately. His nicest was the glove save on Frank Vantrano taking away what look like a sure goal.
Jake Evans’ game might quietly go under the radar and it shouldn’t. Even though it was a secondary assist on the Guhle goal, he started the play. And then a 2-on-1 pass that was perfectly executed to Newhook for the game winner. Almost 60 per cent in the face off circle and did it all with limited minutes.
Jayden Struble just solid, especially being his NHL debut. It felt like nothing bad happened when he was on the ice. Credit to the coaching staff here as well because they did an excellent job on the road sheltering him and getting him favorable matchups.
A win in regulation! (That’s only the third this year)

Minuses:

That will be a game Johnathan Kovacevic wants to forget. He was fighting it and it was an adventure every time he was on the ice.
Nothing is happening for Cole Caufield. Another five shots on goal but nothing to show for it. One would hope that when he get his next goal, he’ll go on a scoring frenzy. But five goals on the season and just one at 5-on-5 is extremely disappointing.
Josh Anderson will never score again. Another chance in the third period where you’re left wondering.. “How did that NOT go in?!”

The Montreal Canadiens will continue their trip through California with an afternoon match-up against the LA Kings at 3:30pm on Friday.

23rd Nov 2023 0

Post Game 13: He did it again (3)

The Montreal Canadiens snapped their four game losing streak with a near perfect road game, beating the Detroit Red Wings 3-2 in overtime Thursday night.

The lines went into a blender, Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield were split up and both seemed to respond to the move. They each had goals and even though they came on the powerplay while on the ice together, their play at 5-on-5 apart was solid.

“I didn’t just like Cole (Caufield) on the powerplay or in overtime, he was good 5-on-5 as well,” said head coach Martin St Louis. “He looked engaged and committed defensively.”

Changes on the blueline as well, Kaiden Guhle and Justin Barron were separated, likely in an effort to get a couple other struggling defenseman going, specifically Mike Matheson.

And Cayden Primeau got his second start of the season in his home state of Michigan. With four games this week it was smart to get him some game action.

Pluses:

Great all around team effort and one of the better games start to finish of the season. On a couple of occasions they could have easily let things slip away, but stayed with the game plan. As perfect of a road game as you can play.
Cayden Primeau was solid stopping 27 of 29 shots faced and gave his team a chance to win. Much like in previous games, the goalie needs to play near perfect for them to have a chance at to win. Maybe the JT Compher goal wasn’t great, but was it still a well placed shot.
Mike Matheson, welcome back. Clearly there was an imposter wearing #8, because this looked more like the player we saw to start to year. He contributed a goal and two assists.
Cole Caufield, another overtime winner. How many players are more dangerous to a score a goal in overtime than Montreal’s sniper? The list is a short one (no pun intended).
Nothing on the scoresheet, but a solid showing from Juraj Slafkovksy. Many were pointing at him not getting shifts in the final moments of the game. This had little to do with Slafkovksy performance and more to do with St Louis wanting two players on the ice who can take faceoffs, especially with Suzuki struggling in the circle. Don’t worry, it’s going to be aright.

Minuses:

Another goal taken away from Montreal because of the ability to challenge offsides… I might be on an island by myself on this one but I can’t stand it. Let them call it on the ice and if they get it wrong, too bad!
Josh Anderson might never score again…
Penalties came in bunches, four powerplays given to the Red Wings.

Montreal’s next matchup will be with the rival Boston Bruins on Saturday night back the Bell Centre.

9th Nov 2023 0

Post Game 12: Ticked off Tampa

The Tampa Bay Lightning are always a tough matchup for the Montreal Canadiens. Add in the fact that Tampa Bay blew a 4-1 lead against Toronto the night before playing in Montreal, the outcome Tuesday night at the Bell Centre was predictable.

The Lightning got four first period goals, including one just 22-seconds into the game and beat the Canadiens 5-3 in a game where the final score didn’t tell the whole story… It wasn’t close.

Even with a late third period push by Montreal, the game was over 13-minutes in after Michael Eyssimont scored a terrible goal from behind the goal line on Jake Allen, forcing Montreal to make a goaltender change. Funny enough, Allen was named the Molson Cup winner for October given to the team’s best player.

Although that goal was a bad one to give up, the game was not on Allen. It’s on the team as a collective who didn’t look ready to start the game or match the intensity of the opposition. It doesn’t help that Tampa Bay is more experienced and talented as well.

“We have too many pockets where we let our foot off the gas, miss an assignment, we don’t manage the risk, it’s a combination of many things,” said head coach Martin St Louis after the game. “Teams go through that, you just got to tighten it up.”

Just eight days after St Louis praised his team for playing their best game since his appointment as head coach, they’ve lost three straight in regulation and all to teams who played the night before.

Pluses:

Montreal didn’t quit, even though it would have been easy to mail it in for the third period and look ahead to Thursday night in Detroit. Instead, they pushed and made the Lightning sweat just a little bit. They won the final frame and showed the never say die attitude that has been a constant this season.
Sam Montembeault wasn’t expecting to play but was solid in relief. Named the third star of the game, things probably get out of hand with a lopsided score if he doesn’t come in and make some big saves, especially in the second period. Also made a highlight reel right pad save on Brayden Point
Christian Dvorak scored in just his second game back. The goal was in garbage time, but it’s always good to get that first one out of the way when coming back from a long injury.

Minuses:

The slow starts, particularly on the scoreboard. That’s six straight games where Montreal allows the first goal. “We kind of dug the hole too fast and weren’t able to fill it up so it’s something to learn off of for sure,” said Tanner Pearson.
The struggles continue for Mike Matheson and Jordan Harris. Even though one of the goals was a powerplay marker, the pair managed to be on the ice for all four first period goals. Matheson is logging too many minutes and the workload is affecting his play.
Terrible discipline, best outlined by Arber Xhekaj taking taking two penalties and putting Tampa Bay on the powerplay when Montreal had clear momentum, just because he wanted to settle a score with Tanner Jeannot. “Whatever you do on the ice, the actions you take have them taking care of the team mentality, not necessarily what you want to do at that time; what does the team need you to do at that time,” said St Louis. “I thought we were pretty good at that and to me that slipped away.”
When the goalies don’t steal the game, the Canadiens don’t have a shot to win. Allen wasn’t at his best but at some point the team will have to learn to win without the goalie standing on their head.

Montreal’s next opponent is in Detroit on the road taking on the Red Wings.

8th Nov 2023 0

Post Game 11: Slafkovsky gets his shot

The Montreal Canadiens wrapped up their three game road trip with a 6-3 loss to the St Louis Blues on Saturday night.

It looked like a prime spot for the Habs to pick up their first win on the trip against a lackluster offense. Instead, many of the things that have plagued them all season, caught up with them again.

Pluses:

Juraj Slafkovsky was promoted and got first line minutes. He scored his first goal of the season but it was a powerplay goal after a nice give and go play with Alex Newhook. Good patience in tight and solid finish. The former first all overall pick did look more involved and engaged throughout the game. It’s just one game but encouraging nonetheless.
Martin St Louis continues to polish the apple… “He looked comfortable and for me, I thought whenever he was on the ice, I felt like something was happening.”
Brendan Gallagher now has four goals in 11-games this season. The line featuring Tanner Pearson, Sean Monahan and Gallagher has been the most consistent for the Canadiens. If one thing is evident, it’s the fact that all three are the healthiest they’ve been in years.
Montreal didn’t take any penalties…? Go ahead, double check the box score, it’s true.

Minuses:

The road trip was tough one for Mike Matheson, capped off with his worst game as a Montreal Canadien. Not only was he fumbling the puck and trying to do too much, Matheson was directly responsible for three goals against. He needs to quickly regain his form from early in the season when he looked like Montreal’s best offensive defenseman since PK Subban.
The game was put away after a blatant missed trip on Justin Barron that led to a shorthanded goal. How the referees can miss something right in front of them, when it isn’t away from the play or puck is beyond me. Or they’re just to scared to make a call putting a team down two men. Brutal.
The Canadiens allowed six goals to a team that had only scored 19 going into the game. Nothing good from a team perspective, the compete was disappointing, they managed the puck poorly and were awful defending in their own zone.
First time this season Montreal looked like the team we saw most of last season. Not a good sign.
After a terrific start to the season, the Canadiens picked up one of a possible six points on the road trip. Things won’t get easier with tough matchups coming in the next couple weeks.

Next up for the Canadiens is a matchup with the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday night at the Bell Centre.

5th Nov 2023 0

Post Game 9: Is this for real?

The surprising start to the season continues for the Montreal Canadiens.

They didn’t win Monday night in Las Vegas, but they were the better team, controlled play and deserved better. The defending Stanley Cup Champion Golden Knights won in a shootout 3-2 but the Habs gave them everything they could handle.

There’s always reluctancy to celebrate morale victories but this game is an exception. The Vegas Golden Knights are the standard and Montreal was right there with them.

Montreal’s locker room was in good spirits post game, and head coach Martin St Louis gave the team high praise.

“Since I got the job this is the best game I’ve seen start to finish,” said St Louis after the game. “Even if you don’t get the result, it’s a game where we raised our standards.”

Pluses:

Nick Suzuki is rolling and the chemistry with Cole Caufield is back. Sorry for suggesting a whole week ago that they should be split up…. It’s going to be interesting to see what they do with the first line when Christian Dvorak returns. Monahan? Newhook? There will be a couple more options at least. Oh, and how about another goal in the shootout? Seriously, is he the best shootout player in the league?
The Canadiens continue to get solid goaltending, Sam Montembeault matched what Jake Allen did a couple nights ago. He was particularly great in overtime with a penalty shot save on Jack Eichel (he stopped him again in the shootout) and a right pad save on Alex Pietrangelo.
Kaiden Guhle looks like a stud top-4 defenseman right now. Looks like the game is coming easy to him.
Sean Monahan won 19 of 23 faceoffs… lol. And he scored shorthanded.

Minuses:

Another tough one for Juraj Slafkovsky. It’s just not happening for him.
Two crossbars for Alex Newhook, he deserved better.
Josh Anderson looked like he was flying, but still hasn’t scored.
Brendan Gallagher getting time with Suzuki and Caufield… No.

The Montreal Canadiens have a couple days off before taking on the Arizona Coyotes on Thursday night.

31st Oct 2023 0

Post Game 8: Habs do it again

The Montreal Canadiens have another team leaving Bell Centre wondering, “what went wrong?”

For consecutive games, the Habs were able to overcome a 3-1 deficit and win a game in which they never had the lead, 4-3 the final over the Winnipeg Jets Saturday at the Bell Centre.

Nick Suzuki had the winner in the shootout, while Justin Barron, Sean Monahan and Joel Armia scored goals in regulation.

“Really bad start for us in the second period but I like how we responded,” said Suzuki following the game. “We didn’t quit, we’re a team that likes to keep pushing when we’re down and I think we showed a lot of character coming back from down 3-1.”

Pluses:

The Canadiens don’t win this one without some heroics from Jake Allen. If there was a competition to get the bulk of work between the pipes, early on it’s not even close. Allen’s 43-saves earned him third star of the game honours, and it he should be been the first star. He currently leads the NHL in goals saved above expected.
Great to see Kaiden Guhle back in the lineup and he picked up right where he left off. The young blueliner was terrific at both ends of the ice, picking up two assists and leading all Montreal skater’s in ice time.
There’s no way it’s been easy for Armia, being sent down to Laval to start the season and then waiting in limbo for a week after a call up to the big club. It seems like he’s popular with his teammates and there was a little extra on the celebration on the bench when he capitalized off a nice pass from Guhle.
The powerplay got another one! That’s five straight games.
For a second straight game the penalty kill came up huge after a late penalty that carried into overtime.

Minuses:

Juraj Slafkovsky struggled mightily. In fact, it may have been the worst game he’s played in the NHL. When he has the puck, it looks like he’s guessing. The play is going to fast and he’s managing the puck extremely poorly. They don’t want to send him to the AHL but if his play continue to be this bad when Christian Dvorak returns, they won’t have a choice. And let’s be clear, it’s not the end of the world if he gets some big reps and minutes on the farm. It doesn’t mean he’s a bust and it won’t shatter his confidence. Let him develop his game away from the spotlight, like most players who are only 19-years-old get to do.
The start to the second period was comical, two goals allowed in 18-seconds on boneheaded plays with the puck.
Mike Matheson left in the third period and is day-to-day with a lower body injury. Good thing it doesn’t appear to be serious, because a long term injury would be devastating.

Montreal heads on the road for their first extended trip of the season. It all begins on Monday night in Las Vegas taking on the Golden Knights at 10pm.

29th Oct 2023 0

Post Game Seven: Habs find a way

The Montreal Canadiens showed their resiliency once again, beating the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-3 in overtime Thursday at the Bell Centre.

“I think we’re a resilient group but if you constantly have to come back from behind it just takes a toll on everybody,” said Montreal Canadiens’ coach Martin St Louis.

Montreal never had a lead and had to overcome 2-0 and 3-1 deficits to force overtime. In the extra frame, a little more Cole Caufield magic was on display when he sniped his second game winner of the week.

“I think that was all Marty, he fired us up and said some things that needed to be said,” said Caufield about the greater urgency showed in the second period. “I love how we responded with the first shift and a goal, it obviously got us going and I thought from there we played a full 45-minutes after that.”

Pluses:

Nick Suzuki scored, finally. It took Montreal’s captain seven games to get his first goal of the year and maybe it will be a spark and more will follow. Suzuki capitalized on an egregious Boone Jenner turnover and made no mistake with time and space to pick his spot. He also picked up two assists in the game.
It might not always be pretty, but it was another two powerplay goals for the Montreal Canadiens. Mike Matheson scored a powerplay goal on a nice fake that froze the four Columbus penalty killers, opening up a shooting lane. And Caufield with a set play, a shot/pass to Monahan who had great positioning in front of the net and tipped the puck in.
Justin Barron had another strong outing logging big minutes. His defensive game is coming along and though he might not play as much when Kaiden Guhle comes back from injury, he’s getting precious reps and experience.
Sam Montembeault made some huge saves, but none bigger than a pair in overtime while killing a penalty. The second save on Zack Werensky looked like a sure goal and robbed Columbus of an extra point in the standings. The balancing act with the three goaltenders will continue to be a big talking point if all three keep playing well.

Minuses:

Terrible start that forced Montreal to chase the game. Last week the issue was how they were finishing games, tonight it’s how they started. They’ll play a full 60-minutes at some point…
Juraj Slafkovksy had his worst game of the season. Couldn’t make a play, couldn’t breakout and was taking too long to make decisions. It’s just one game, but the game seemed to be moving way too fast for him.
Josh Anderson can’t buy a goal while on a breakaway. Twice he was all alone with Elvis Merzlikins and couldn’t finish. Anderson is still searching for his first goal and only has one point on the season. He had a strong game but the production is not there.
It was the worst officiated game of the season. The bad calls went on both sides, Kevin Pollock and Cody Beach… Come on! Be better… Enough with the excuses. It’s a fast game, it’s hard being a referee. Wah, Wah, Wah. Make a mistake or two, fine. But you know you’ve made too many mistakes when it’s a talking point after the game.

The Montreal Canadiens will host the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday night. Good timing for the Habs, the Jets have won three straight.

27th Oct 2023 0