Transaction Notes: Miller, Okhotyuk, Robins
Montreal Canadiens prospect Quentin Miller transferred from the University of Denver to Western Michigan University a week ago, Brad Elliott Schlossman of the Grand Forks Herald reported. He is one of two Canadiens goalie prospects to transfer this week, as 2025 fifth-rounder Alexis Cournoyer left Cornell University to join the Wisconsin Badgers on April 20. Miller, 21, was a fourth-round pick of the Canadiens at the 2023 draft. He won a QMJHL title and Memorial Cup as a backup with the Quebec Ramparts, and has been a tandem goalie at multiple levels for much of his time since being drafted.
Miller went 12-10-2 in 25 games for Denver this season, posting a .916 save percentage and 2.39 goals against average, but lost the No. 1 goalie spot to freshman sensation Johnny Hicks. The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler recently ranked Miller the No. 14 prospect in the Canadiens’ system, writing “The Habs will likely want to see him be the guy somewhere before they commit to signing him.” Miller has a clear lane to being the undisputed No. 1 in Kalamazoo – last year’s starter Hampton Slukynsky has turned pro after two years in college and incoming freshman Owen Lepak hasn’t been a team’s starter since 2023-24, when he led the NAHL’s Maryland Black Bears to the Robertson Cup Final.
Other notes from around the hockey world:
- Former Calgary Flames and New Jersey Devils defenseman Nikita Okhotyuk signed a three-year contract extension in the KHL, keeping him in Russia through May 2029. The Flames still hold Okhotyuk’s signing rights since they qualified him when his last NHL contract expired. The 25-year-old defenseman played in nine games as a Flame and has played in 67 career games at the NHL level, split between Calgary, New Jersey, and San Jose. Over the last two seasons with CSKA Moscow, Okhotyuk has skated in 129 contests and scored 23 points.
- Former San Jose Sharks prospect Tristen Robins plans to sign in North America for 2026-27, according to an official announcement from his former club Rytíři Kladno. Robins was a second-round pick of the Sharks in 2020 and skated in a total of 150 AHL games while a member of the organization. Robins looked to be pushing for an NHL role as recently as 2023, when he scored 38 points in 62 games as an AHL rookie. He earned three NHL games that season and was ranked as the organization’s No. 7 prospect by Scott Wheeler of The Athletic. He wasn’t able to build on that rookie campaign and ended up dealt from the Sharks organization in 2025. Playing on a one-year deal in the Czech league, Robins scored 18 goals and 35 points in 45 games, and will hope to earn another shot in an NHL organization this fall.
What Will The Canadiens Do With Zachary Bolduc?
The Canadiens are tied at one game apiece in their first-round series against the Lightning. They have a number of healthy scratches at forward thanks to their depth, but one young player is looking to leave an impression and avoid sitting out for any length of time.
Zachary Bolduc is a talented forward and pending restricted free agent who is sure to get a raise this summer as his entry-level contract wraps up. How much he gets will depend on several factors, primarily the term he and the Canadiens agree to, as well as where Montreal sees him in the foreseeable future.
When you read that statement, the first thought is: where does Bolduc slot into Montreal’s lineup? There is also the possibility that Montreal uses Bolduc and other assets to try to land a premier second-line center.
Alternatively, Bolduc remains with Montreal into next year and signs a new deal. But does that come in the form of a short-term bridge deal, or have the Canadiens seen enough to ink him long term?
It’s no secret that Montreal wants to address the second-line center position to ease some of the pressure on first-line pivot Nick Suzuki. This season, the Habs relied heavily on Oliver Kapanen, who filled in admirably but has at times been exposed, prompting Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis to shelter him.
Kapanen has also benefited from a PDO well over 100, which has masked some of his shortcomings and made it more tolerable to keep him in the top six. Another season with that kind of luck seems unlikely, so Montreal needs to act this summer, especially with Michael Hage returning to the NCAA for another year. Montreal doesn’t exactly have an internal solution to fill the 2C slot at the moment.
Could Bolduc be part of a package to acquire a center? It depends on which player the Canadiens target. If they covet Robert Thomas of the Blues, St. Louis would surely love to reacquire him after he tallied 19 goals and 36 points for them as a rookie in 2024-25 before being dealt to Montreal last summer. If the Habs are looking elsewhere for a Nico Hischier-type player, Bolduc could be part of a package that includes other prospects and one or two draft picks.
What if the Canadiens see Bolduc as a potential top-six fixture? It would be easy to see why, given his offensive abilities and physical presence.
Bolduc has an excellent shot and is a natural goal-scorer who gets into the forecheck and can be difficult to play against. However, as good as he can be, there are questions about consistency and on-ice results.
The 23-year-old had 12 goals and 18 assists in 78 games this year, but much of his scoring came in bunches. There were several five-game (or longer) stretches throughout the year when Bolduc produced no offense, and his physicality was inconsistent as well.
A perfect example is a stretch from Dec. 24 to March 25, during which Bolduc produced exactly zero goals and just nine assists in 31 games. On March 26, he ended his goalless drought at 31 games with a goal and an assist against the Blue Jackets, but then proceeded to be held pointless for another seven games before a two-point game against the Islanders on April 12. It’s that sort of inconsistency and wild variation in production that will give the Canadiens pause about a long-term deal for Bolduc, making a bridge contract far likelier.
What might that look like? Based on AFP Analytics’ projections, something in the range of $3.588MM per year on a two-year deal would make sense.
That wouldn’t be a problem for Montreal, given where they are compared to the salary cap. A short-term deal would give the Canadiens more time to assess what they have in Bolduc and determine whether he’s part of the future or a piece they can leverage to fill other gaps on their roster.
But how does the bridge contract AAV compare to a long-term contract, and would it make more sense to lock Bolduc in for the next seven or eight years before he breaks out and becomes much more expensive? If there’s a team that knows what it’s like to get burned by signing a player, it’s the Canadiens, who once had to pay top dollar to extend P.K. Subban after a contentious bridge contract.
However, in this case, Bolduc is not Subban and doesn’t appear destined to become an award-winning forward. The AAV projection for Bolduc on a long-term contract is also eye-popping to say the least, coming in a shade under $6MM on a six-year deal.
The number on a long-term deal is likely a non-starter for the Canadiens until they see more from the Trois-Rivières, Quebec, native. It’s possible he goes on a tear in the postseason and convinces Montreal to go long term, but at this stage, the inconsistency, offensive droughts, and his inability to drive play are significant question marks that will likely prompt the Habs to opt for a bridge deal to get a longer look before committing to an extended term. That is, if he sticks with the Canadiens beyond this season.
Latest On Noah Dobson
Prior to tonight’s game, Tampa Bay head coach Jon Cooper told reporters, including Eduardo A. Encina of The Tampa Bay Times, that Victor Hedman is still a ways from returning. The Bolts’ captain has resumed skating, and will be joining the team when they head to Montreal, but it’s still unclear when he could be back.
2025-26 has been a year marred by absences for the 35-year-old, as his just 33 games played is a career low for the 17-year veteran. Hedman missed nearly two months in the winter, and again, hasn’t played since March 19 due to illness and personal reasons.
A number of Lightning defensemen have stepped up this year, primarily Darren Raddysh and his incredible 70-point campaign, as well as J.J. Moser whose strong efforts fetched an eight-year contract extension. Their performances continue to show the resilience of the Lightning.
Still, Tampa Bay hasn’t won a playoff round since 2022, and Montreal presents another tall task, especially without their captain and his 170 games of playoff experience, good for sixth among active NHL players.
Elsewhere across the conference:
- Also in Tampa Bay, forward Dominic James returned to the lineup for the opening game of the Canadiens series, while Oliver Bjorkstrand was healthy scratched, noted by Erik Erlendsson of Lightning Insider. James, playing for the first time since late February, had a rough start to his playoff debut. On his first shift, he collided knee-on-knee with Montreal’s Arber Xhekaj and went to the bench in serious pain. It appeared that the rookie had re-aggravated his injury, but thankfully, he eventually returned to the game, back to his role as fourth line center.
- Injured Montreal Canadiens defender Noah Dobson traveled with the team for Game 1 in Tampa Bay, reported by Guillaume Lepage of NHL.com. The first-year Hab injured his hand against Columbus and had to miss the club’s two remaining regular season games. Without the ailment, he could have played in all 82 this season. Nonetheless, it will likely require an extended series against Tampa Bay for the righty to return by the first round, as he’s just traveling to remain with the team in support. Until he can heal up, Montreal is leaning on Alexandre Carrier in a top pairing role alongside Mike Matheson.
At Least Eight Teams To Carry Overage Penalty Into 2026-27
The NHL adds contract performance bonuses to the salary cap hit of each team at the end of the season. Any price over the salary cap is carried over to the team’s cap hit in the following season. Performance bonuses are broken up into two categories. A-level bonuses are paid out for reaching set numbers of goals, assists, points, plus-minus, or time on ice per-game. End-of-season accolades, such as an All-Star or All-Team nomination, are also A-level bonuses. B-level bonuses are worth up to $2MM and can include leaderboard rankings, minimum stats reached, or award wins. More details about performance bonuses can be found on PuckPedia.
At least NHL teams will carry an overage penalty into the 2026-27 season per PuckPedia. That number is down from 11 in the 2025-26 season and 15, an NHL record, in the 2024-25 season. This year’s list includes:
New York Islanders: $3.5MM
The Islanders paid out every last bit of rookie phenom Matthew Schaefer‘s potential $3.5MM performance bonus. He was awarded $1MM for his per-game scoring and ice time, then earned an additional $2.5MM by finishing in the top-10 of defensemen scoring. The Islanders utilized long-term injured reserve to exceed the salary cap at the end of the season. That will leave all of Schaefer’s performance bonus as overage headed into next season.
Colorado Avalanche: $2.29MM
Colorado lands an overage penalty thanks to Brent Burns‘ performance on an age-35+ contract. Burns had a potential for $4MM in performance bonuses on his deal and earned $3MM of that by playing in 10 games this season. Colorado utilized LTIR earlier in the year but finished the season with a little more than $700K in cap space. That space will help offset the cost of Burns’ bonuses just a bit, though Colorado will still carry a penalty into 2026-27.
Dallas Stars: $2.08-$3.08MM
The Dallas Stars paid out $80K in bonus to Justin Hryckowian for reaching 70 games this season. Captain Jamie Benn also earned $2MM of a potential $3MM in bonuses for playing in 50 games. That includes appearing in the season finale, which netted him $500K on its own. Benn has the potential to earn an additional $1MM in bonus – $500K each if Dallas wins the Western Conference Finals and Stanley Cup. That will sit the Stars with just over $2MM in overage currently and the potential for $3MM if they win it all.
Montreal Canadiens: $1.93-2.07MM
The Montreal Canadiens finished the year with less than $50K in cap space, in part thanks to their mid-season acquisition of Phillip Danault. Rookie Ivan Demidov landed $1MM in bonuses, of a potential $2MM, for his per-game scoring and ice time totals. Oliver Kapanen also earned $250K in bonuses for his per-game totals. He could earn an additional $137.5K if he is named to the NHL All-Rookie Team – a feat that seems unlikely with rookie forwards like Demidov, Beckett Sennecke, Benjamin Kindel, and Jimmy Snuggerud also in the running. Montreal also paid out $400K in bonuses to star defenseman Lane Hutson for a variety of reasons and $80K to rookie goalie Jacob Fowler for reaching 10 games. They will sit just shy of $2MM in overage penalty and could crest that mark if Kapanen earns all-team honors.
Ottawa Senators: $0-1.41MM
The Ottawa Senators will have to sign some big checks if they go on a playoff run. They have already paid out $1MM to Claude Giroux, and $750K to Lars Eller, for playing in 60 games and reaching the postseason. Giroux will earn an additional $500K if Ottawa wins in the first round – a cost that would be absorbed by their end-of-year cap space. But Giroux and Eller will also be eligible for $250K in bonuses if Ottawa wins the second round, and Giroux can net an additional $500K for wins in each of the Eastern Conference Finals and Stanley Cup Finals. That will leave Ottawa with four potential outcomes: no overage penalty, $414K in overage penalty (third-round loss), $914K in overage penalty (Stanley Cup Final loss), or $1.414MM in overage penalty (Stanley Cup win).
New Jersey Devils: $1.25MM
The Devils paid out two bonuses that pushed them into the red. Young defenseman Simon Nemec earned $750K in bonuses for his scoring, plus-minus, and ice time per-game totals. Winger Evgenii Dadonov landed $500K for scoring at least one point, $250K for playing in 10 games, and an additional $250K for reaching 20 games. He did not play in his 20th game of the season until March 29th, earning the 37 year old a late-season chip. Now, the Devils will carry more than $1MM in overage penalty into next season.
San Jose Sharks: $918.7K
The San Jose Sharks finished the year with $4.8MM in cap space but still land on the list of overage penalties. Much of that is thanks to their young stars. Macklin Celebrini earned every bit of his $3.5MM in potential bonuses with his franchise record-setting scoring. Will Smith earned $1MM, and William Eklund earned $450K, in bonuses for their scoring and ice time per-game. Those marks also earned Sam Dickinson $250K and Collin Graf reached his contract cap of $500K in bonuses. That amounts to $5.425MM, pushing the Sharks into the red for next season.
Edmonton Oilers: $250K
The Edmonton Oilers will face their second-straight season with $250K in overage penalty next year. This time, it is a result of rookie Matthew Savoie, who earned $250K with his ice time per-game. Edmonton finished the year utilizing LTIR to exceed the salary cap.
Florida Panthers: $150K
Defenseman Jeff Petry earned $150K in bonuses for reaching 50 games played with the Florida Panthers before the Trade Deadline. He earned an additional $60K for reaching 60 games, though that bonus came after his trade to the Minnesota Wild.
Photo courtesy of Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
Canadiens Assign Vinzenz Rohrer To AHL
With his season in Switzerland now over, Canadiens prospect Vinzenz Rohrer is off to his next team. The Canadiens announced today that they’ve assigned the forward to AHL Laval.
Montreal selected the 21-year-old in the third round back in 2022, picking him 75th overall. At the time, he had just completed his first season in North America with OHL Ottawa. He returned to the 67’s the following season but then made the decision to leave junior hockey while still having eligibility to begin his professional career.
That led Rohrer to Zurich where he spent the past three seasons in the NL. He had 19 points in his rookie year, followed by 25 in 52 games in 2024-25. That performance, along with two good showings at the Worlds in as many years, was good enough to get his entry-level deal from the Canadiens, along with a training camp invite. Ultimately cut in the preseason, Rohrer struggled upon his return to Zurich and wound up with a quiet showing overall, one that saw him limited to four goals and eight assists in 41 games.
Unlike many prospects who have been assigned to the minors in recent days, Rohrer is eligible for recall to Montreal since his contract started this season. However, a promotion almost certainly won’t be in the cards and instead, he’ll look to get into the lineup with the Rocket before the playoffs get underway next week.
Assessing This Summer’s Buyout Candidates
Every summer, several NHL teams issue buyouts to veteran players who have significantly underperformed on their often high-priced contracts. It is usually difficult for a team to admit this mistake and make such a move, as it often reflects poorly on management’s initial decision to acquire the player. As Kyle Dubas once said, “buyouts are a last resort.”
There will undoubtedly be some this year, though, and it’s probably not who you would expect to see be bought out. Most fans might expect Darnell Nurse, Jonathan Huberdeau, Tristan Jarry, Elias Pettersson, or even Ryan Graves among the buyout candidates. However, those five players all have contracts with large signing bonuses, making their buyout prospects slim. Still, several underperforming players on big contracts could find themselves in the buyout discussion.
The first player has become a lightning rod for criticism within the Toronto Maple Leafs. No, it isn’t Auston Matthews; it’s defenseman Morgan Rielly. The 32-year-old Rielly was once a top offensive defenseman, but he’s never been particularly strong defensively.
Now his offensive game has declined, exposing many of his defensive flaws even more. When Rielly led Toronto’s transition game, you could accept everything he sacrificed defensively as the cost of his offensive contributions, but without elite offense, he’s a middle-tier offensive defenseman who struggles in his own zone.
You could argue that Rielly’s defensive struggles are mainly due to being on a poor defensive team, but the truth is that he wasn’t strong defensively even when the Maple Leafs had a solid possession numbers. Still, is it worth buying him out? Probably not. Rielly currently earns $7.5MM a year and has four years left on his contract. Despite the cost, he might be worth keeping or trading.
A Rielly buyout would have Toronto paying him $3.5MM per season for the next four years, followed by $2MM annually for the subsequent four years. Sure, the cost savings over the next four years would be $4MM annually, but then the team needs to find a top four defender to replace Rielly, and the Maple Leafs likely won’t find one for less than the savings amount. A trade would be the best option for Toronto, but Rielly still has the leverage for the next two years with a full no-movement clause, which could complicate any potential trade.
Sliding east of Toronto, the Canadiens have a potential buyout candidate in veteran forward Brendan Gallagher. Including the 33-year-old on this list will upset some, but his decline since 2021 has been well-documented.
Prior to 2021, Gallagher was one of the most consistently effective 5-on-5 scorers in the NHL. However, Father Time is undefeated, and Gallagher is no longer a top-nine forward, even though he still earns like one. With just six goals and 16 assists in 76 games this season, he has been a healthy scratch for Montreal this week, which could be a sign of what’s to come. Montreal boasts a strong group of forwards, with more young prospects on the way, and it could become a numbers game that Gallagher loses.
The other side of the argument with Gallagher is that he has only one year left on his contract, with a cap hit of $6.5MM, but he is owed just $4MM in actual salary. It’s possible he could be traded to a team trying to reach the salary cap floor or swapped for another problematic contract. If Montreal considers a buyout, it would save them $2.67MM next season but add a $1.33MM cap charge in 2027-28.
Since Montreal has most of its core signed and over $12MM in cap space available this summer, it has no immediate need to part ways with Gallagher unless it plans a major move. There’s also a potential morale issue if the Canadiens decide to release a popular veteran who has given everything to the organization, the fans, and the city.
Staying in Canada shifted the focus westward. Oilers forward Trent Frederic and his contract sent shockwaves through the NHL just 12 months ago when it was signed. Many pundits were left scratching their heads when the Oilers inked Frederic to an eight-year, $30.8MM contract extension just days before free agency opened.
The $3.85MM cap hit was a bit high for many people’s tastes, but not outrageous, given that Frederic was a pending UFA. However, the length of the deal seemed excessive for a role player, especially one who wasn’t very effective last season.
This year, Frederic has four goals and three assists in 70 games. That’s poor offensive production for anyone, let alone a player earning nearly $4MM annually. Some of this can be attributed to an unusually low shooting percentage of 5.7%, about half of his typical success rate. If he regresses to the mean next season, he should score more goals, but it’s not just his offensive numbers this season that are concerning.
Aside from one season when he tallied 40 points, Frederic has never been a significant offensive contributor or a player who drives or controls the pace of play, making the eight-year contract a particularly poor decision.
There is just a lot wrong with Frederic’s game, and in an era where making mistakes on mid-tier contracts can be disastrous due to the parity in the NHL, this one is particularly bad. That said, Edmonton would have to absorb a 14-year cap hit if it bought out the 28-year-old, which means he’s probably staying beyond this season.
Finally, we come to the most obvious candidate: Jesperi Kotkaniemi, who is somehow still just 25 years old. When the Hurricanes sent an offer sheet to Kotkaniemi back in August 2021, they were betting on his potential to become a top-six center.
After all, Kotkaniemi was a third overall pick in 2018 and had the skill set to elevate his game and move up the lineup. However, the offer sheet was very ill-advised, with the idea reportedly coming from Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon in response to the Montreal Canadiens’ offer sheeting Sebastian Aho two years prior.
Kotkaniemi never really developed an offensive side to his game, and at this stage of his career, he is what he is – a reasonably good defensive center (although his numbers there have dipped this season as well) who doesn’t score much. This year, Kotkaniemi has two goals and seven assists in 38 games. Although he put up 43 points a few years ago, it doesn’t seem likely that he’ll become a consistent 40-point player. At $4.82MM a year for four more seasons, the Hurricanes have an opportunity to save some serious cash by buying him out.
Due to his age, Carolina could buy out Kotkaniemi this summer for just 33% of the remaining money on his deal, which is about $6.8MM. That would save Carolina almost $4MM next season, and $4.35MM in each of the three years after that.
Now, the Hurricanes are usually not a cap team, but they have only $14MM available this summer (as per PuckPedia) and four players to sign. If they want to add to the lineup and improve their chances in the quest for the Stanley Cup, this could be a way to create some much-needed breathing room under the salary cap.
Photo by Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports
Noah Dobson Out Week-To-Week, Canadiens Recall David Reinbacher
Montreal Canadiens defenseman Noah Dobson left last night’s loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets with an apparent thumb injury, reports Eric Engels of Sportsnet. Dobson appeared to suffer the injury after blocking a shot, his league-leading 188th blocked shot of the 2025-26 season.
The team announced Sunday morning that Dobson sustained an upper-body injury and would be re-evaluated in two weeks. The team also announced that 2023 No. 5 pick David Reinbacher has been recalled from the Laval Rocket.
The news is a brutal development for a team that, at this moment, looks to be one of the league’s most promising. It’s difficult to overstate just how important Dobson is to the Canadiens.
The 26-year-old has been the Canadiens’ No. 3 defenseman in terms of ice time this season, averaging 22:29 per game. While that puts him behind Mike Matheson and Lane Hutson in Montreal, that’s a number high enough to rank No. 1 or No. 2 on other teams.
Dobson brings an immense amount of value to the Canadiens on a nightly basis, on both ends of the ice. His pairing with Matheson weathers some of the team’s most difficult defensive matchups, and he’s often relied upon when the team is defending a late lead. He’s also a key penalty killer, and he pairs that defensive ability with a strong offensive touch, putting up 12 goals and 47 points in his debut campaign as a Canadien.
Montreal surrendered a high price to the Islanders to acquire Dobson – two first-round picks and a solid NHL-ready young forward in Emil Heineman. The way Dobson has played has more than justified that asset expenditure, as well as the $9.5MM AAV contract extension he received.
But at this moment, Dobson’s value only serves to reinforce just how catastrophic this injury could be to the Canadiens’ hopes of making a deep playoff run. His injury exposes the most significant lineup weakness in Montreal: a lack of capable right-shot defensemen. Veteran Alexandre Carrier has already been sidelined with an injury of his own on a week-to-week basis, meaning that after Dobson’s injury, the Canadiens were left without a single right-shot blueliner in their lineup. Hutson and Arber Xhekaj, both lefties, played on the right side of the team’s defense last night.
Dobson’s injury left Montreal without a single healthy right-shot defenseman on their roster just a few days before the start of the playoffs. That’s not an ideal situation for any team to be in, let alone a club with designs on having an extended stay in the postseason, and it’s why they recalled Reinbacher.
The Canadiens are lucky that several of their left-shot defensemen, namely Hutson, Kaiden Guhle, and rookie Adam Engstrom, have real experience on the right side. But both Hutson and Guhle have also demonstrated that while they can certainly handle playing on the right, both players are not quite as effective when forced to play from that side.
With that said, the Canadiens appear to not have an appetite to dress a defense made up entirely of lefties. As a result, Reinbacher has been recalled. While the Austrian blueliner’s development has been slowed due to injuries, he’s still made steady progress with the Rocket and has emerged as their best all-around defenseman. On another team, it’s entirely possible he’d have been in the NHL already, and with Dobson’s injury, he’ll get the chance to make his NHL debut.
Is it ideal for Reinbacher that he might make his NHL debut in such important, high-stakes games for the Canadiens? Probably not, as it doesn’t leave him much room for error. But this injury to Dobson has forced Montreal’s hand in the matter.
At the very least, it’s not as though Reinbacher is without experience. While he hasn’t yet played in the NHL, he does have considerable experience at the pro level, starting all the way back in 2021-22 when Reinbacher helped EHC Kloten win promotion to the top division of Swiss hockey. He also skated in 13 playoff games for Laval last season, helping the club reach the AHL’s Eastern Conference Finals.
The hope for Montreal will be, undoubtedly, that Dobson’s injury does not end up being as severe as it may have initially looked, and that his absence is limited to just a few games. But if he does indeed miss time on a more extended basis, the impact on the Canadiens will be significant – and all eyes will point to one of the team’s top prospects to help fill the significant hole created in Montreal’s lineup by Dobson’s absence.
Photos courtesy of Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Canadiens’ Michael Hage Expected To Return To College
The Montreal Canadiens will have to wait another season before they can entertain signing one of their top prospects. Center Michael Hage is expected to return to the University of Michigan for his junior season per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Hage and the Michigan Wolverines recently lost a double-overtime matchup against the Denver Pioneers in the Frozen Four. The Montreal prospect had one assist in the 3-4 loss.
Another season in college will give Hage a chance to push for Michigan’s first National Championship since 1998. More than that, the high-energy Hage will be a top candidate for Michigan’s captaincy after senior T.J. Hughes signed a deal with the Colorado Avalanche. Hage has been an integral part of the Wolverines’ offense since moving to school in 2024. He scored 13 goals and 34 points in 33 games with Michigan in his freshman season – becoming just the 10th Michigan freshman to score above a point-per-game since 2000.
The second-line flowed through Hage’s shooting ability in his freshman year. As a sophomore, he grew into a true starring role. Hage took over Michigan’s top-line center role and matched his 13 goals, en route to 52 points in 39 games – second-most on the Wolverines to Hughes’ 57 points. Hage proved to be a capable and confident playmaker, a mantra he carried through to his first international tournament. After being passed over at younger tournaments, while playing in America’s USHL, Hage finally made his Team Canada debut at the 2026 World Junior Championship. He stood out as the team’s star, leading the tournament with a staggering 13 assists and 15 points in seven games.
The World Juniors performance brought Hage’s stock to international acclaim – but the Michigan star is in no rush to turn that into pro hopes. The Canadiens are already stocked with young, emerging forwards – like Ivan Demidov and Oliver Kapanen – while the Laval Rockets’ depth chart is crowded by Owen Beck, Sean Farrell, and Joshua Roy. Rather than fight through that crowd, Hage will return to one of the highest roles in college hockey. He will be a candidate for 20 minutes a night in his junior season and could set his sights on putting together a season worthy of the Hobey Baker Award. Those hopes will only be bolstered by Michigan’s additions, including the return of Henry Mews from injury and top 2026 NHL Draft prospect J.P. Hurlbert. The young Montreal roster has time on their side, a privilege Hage will use to chase another National Championship.
Canadiens’ Kirby Dach, Alexandre Texier Cleared To Play
The Canadiens will be able to get forwards Kirby Dach and Alexandre Texier back into the lineup down the stretch if they so choose, Eric Engels of Sportsnet reports. Both were given final clearance Tuesday morning and could dress as soon as tonight against the Panthers.
Dach has been out since March 15, sustaining an upper-body injury on a hit from Ducks winger Jeffrey Viel that night. He was given a two- to four-week return timeline, so his reincorporation is right on schedule. Since there’s no roster limit after the trade deadline, there was never a need to place him on injured reserve.
Injury-plagued seasons are nothing new for Dach, who’s hit the 60-game mark just twice in his seven-year career. The 25-year-old has been limited again this season to 32 appearances, missing two months with a foot fracture earlier in the year. When dressed, he’s taken a step forward from last year’s woeful performance with an 8-6–14 scoring line and an even rating. He’s yet to reach the heights of his 14-goal, 38-point debut season with Montreal in 58 games in 2022-23, though. He tore his MCL and ACL in his right knee early in the following season and hasn’t been as effective ever since.
Now 25, the Habs will appreciate Dach’s versatility. The 6’4″, 221-lb center is comfortable on the wing as well and can play virtually anywhere in Montreal’s top nine. His defensive impacts this season are middling, logging a 48.7% Corsi share and a 49.7% expected goals share to rank around the team median in both.
Texier, 26, hasn’t played since March 24. He’s missed the last seven with a lower-body issue. Before that, he proved to be a valuable plug-and-play option. He’s been healthy scratched for stretches this season, but has eight goals and 19 points in 38 games for the Habs since signing with Montreal in November following his release from the Blues. His 0.50 points per game are tied with Mike Matheson for eighth on the team.
The Habs have already clinched a playoff berth but are still fighting to see if they can eke out home-ice advantage in the first round. The Sabres’ win over the Lightning last night put them back over Montreal for second place in the Atlantic. Montreal is two points back of both the Lightning and Sabres, who are tied for the division crown, but Tampa sits in first on points percentage with one game in hand on Buffalo. With five games left on the schedule, the Habs also have a game in hand on the Sabres that they’ll look to use to their advantage tonight against the lottery-bound Panthers.
Alexandre Texier Still Sidelined With Lower-Body Issue
- After clinching a playoff berth earlier in the day thanks to some outside help, the Canadiens were quiet at home last night in a 3-0 loss to the Devils. They did so without the services of depth winter Alexandre Texier, who has now missed a seventh straight game with a lower-body injury, per Eric Engels of Sportsnet. He remains listed as day-to-day but has only played eight times since Jan. 29 due to injuries and a string of healthy scratches. He’s still been an efficiently productive find for Montreal this season after he opted to walk away from his contract with the Blues in November, recording an 8-11–19 scoring line in 38 games since his pickup.