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Canadiens Recall Florian Xhekaj, Joshua Roy Remains With Team

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5:15 p.m.: In a somewhat confusing update, Montreal has amended their previous announcement by sharing that Roy remains with the team. That gives Montreal 14 forwards for tomorrow’s contest unless another move is made.

5:01 p.m.: The Montreal Canadiens have recalled one of the toughest-nosed players, having yet to play in the NHL. According to a team announcement, the Canadiens have recalled Florian Xhekaj and reassigned Joshua Roy in a corresponding roster move.

Montreal drafted Xhekaj with the 101st overall pick of the 2023 NHL Draft. He plays an eerily similar game to his brother Arber Xhekaj, albeit on offense.

He was drafted relatively high, given his playstyle, scoring 13 goals and 25 points in 68 games for the OHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs during his draft season. However, Xhekaj exploded on offense the following campaign, registering 34 goals and 65 points in 63 games with a +17 rating.

Even through his transition to professional hockey, Xhekaj looked back. He was one of the most exciting prospects to watch for the Canadiens last season, scoring 24 goals and 35 points in 69 games for the AHL’s Laval Rocket with a whopping 175 PIMs. This season, he has managed two goals and four points in 16 games, with 44 PIMs.

Xhekaj butters his bread in the crease. Reminiscent of Detroit Red Wing Tomas Holmstrom in the early-to-mid 2000s, Xhekaj’s net front presence has become exceptional in the AHL, with most of his goals coming from high-skill deflections. It’ll play well in Montreal, since blue-liners Noah Dobson and Lane Hutson are no strangers to firing the puck on net.

Unfortunately, Xhekaj’s recall comes with some bad news for Roy. The 22-year-old forward has gone scoreless in three games for the Canadiens this season, averaging 9:47 of ice time per game. He’s fared much better with AHL Laval, scoring four goals and seven points in 10 contests.

Montreal Canadiens Reassign Marc Del Gaizo

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Nov. 18th: Montreal announced they’ve returned Del Gaizo to AHL Laval. He did not suit up in last night’s contest. Per the new league rules regarding paper transactions, Del Gaizo must play in at least one game for the Rocket before he’s eligible to return to the Canadiens’ active roster.

Nov. 17th: The Montreal Canadiens have brought up some injury insurance ahead of tonight’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Canadiens announced earlier today that they’ve recalled defenseman Marc Del Gaizo from the AHL’s Laval Rocket.

Although he’s expected to draw into the lineup this evening, Montreal only has six healthy defenseman on the active roster. As an away game, teams typically ensure they have an additional forward and defenseman on hand in case of an unexpected absence.

The former Nashville Predators draft pick is in his first season with the Canadiens, registering four assists in 11 games with AHL Laval with a +4 rating. Despite being recalled by Montreal on two separate occasions this season, he has yet to suit up for the Canadiens.

Before this season, the New Jersey native and University of Massachusetts alumnus had spent the first five years of his professional career with the Predators organization. He was drafted by the Predators with the 109th overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft and signed with the organization after his junior collegiate campaign.

Throughout his time with the Predators organization, much of Del Gaizo’s time had been spent with the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals. He scored 25 goals and 105 points in 248 games with the Admirals with a +24 rating, and two goals and 12 points in 55 games with Nashville as a depth defenseman.

Canadiens’ Kirby Dach Out Four-To-Six Weeks With Fractured Foot

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The Montreal Canadiens have announced that forward Kirby Dach will miss the next four-to-six weeks after fracturing his right foot. In his place, Montreal has recalled winger Joshua Roy from the AHL. This marks the third-straight season that Dach has sustained a long-term injury, after facing season-ending knee injuries in each of the last two years.

This injury is luckily not related to any of Dach’s prior absences – but the hits keep on coming for the oft-injured 24-year-old. He was working his way back into a core role in Montreal’s offense this season, with five goals and seven points through 15 games so far. That scoring pace is well above last season, when Dach scored 20 points in 57 games. He is now seven years into his NHL career, but hasn’t yet appeared in more than 70 games in a single season. That healthiest year came in 2021-22, when he scored 26 points with the Chicago Blackhawks. Dach’s career year came in the following season, when he potted 38 points in 58 games in his first year with the Canadiens, before late-season injuries cut his year short.

Montreal was showing restraint with Dach’s minutes, even as his scoring grew. He has only averaged 14 minutes of ice time this season, despite routinely filling a second-line, usually rotating between center and left-wing. That’s proven especially conservative deployment, considering Dach has also appeared on the second power-play unit. But the added care will prove for naught, and Dach will land on the sideline once again.

This could prove a lucrative opportunity for Roy, who hasn’t yet received an extended chance at NHL minutes. The Quebec-native has scored seven points in 10 games for the AHL’s Laval Rockets, good for fifth on the team in scoring. Despite that, he’s only appeared in one NHL game this season, with no notable stat changes. Roy has also received NHL minutes in the last two seasons. He was productive in his first year, netting nine points in his first 23 NHL appearances, but followed it with only two points in 12 games last year. He’s been much more productive in the minors, where he’s totaled 74 points in 98 games across four seasons. If Roy doesn’t stick in the NHL, the Canadiens could turn towards prospect Sean Farrell as their next man up.

Canadiens’ Alex Newhook Out 4 Months, Kaiden Guhle Out 8-10 Weeks

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The Canadiens announced that Alex Newhook underwent surgery to repair the fractured ankle he sustained last night against the Stars. He’s expected to miss four months, putting him out through the trade deadline. In a corresponding move, the Canadiens announced they’ve recalled forward Jared Davidson from AHL Laval. They’ve been operating with a pair of open roster spots since sending Marc Del Gaizo down last week, so there’s no need to open space. Montreal also said defenseman Kaiden Guhle, who’s IR-bound and hasn’t played in nearly a month, underwent an additional procedure on a partially torn adductor muscle and will miss an additional eight to 10 weeks.

Newhook’s ankle fracture was sustained after getting tangled up with Dallas defender Ilya Lyubushkin and colliding with the end boards early in the second period. He needed help from teammates to get off the ice and he didn’t return to the game.

Montreal now gives Davidson the first recall of his career. The 23-year-old middleman was a fifth-round pick in 2022 after being passed over in the 2020 and 2021 drafts. He was selected out of the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds, whom he guided to a championship in his post-draft season and was twice a First Team All-Star. The 6’0″ sniper tallied 80 goals in 124 games across his final two junior seasons before turning pro.

Initially, Davidson didn’t land an NHL contract. He spent the 2023-24 campaign on a minor-league deal with Laval while the Habs, who had two years after drafting him to decide whether to extend an entry-level contract before losing his rights, mulled whether or not to sign him. Injuries limited him to 38 appearances, but he was productive when healthy with 11 goals and 16 points. That was enough for Montreal to ink him to a two-year entry-level deal in May 2024.

The Edmonton native was healthy last year and delivered something of a breakout campaign. He finished the year third on Laval in scoring with 45 points (24 goals, 21 assists) in 69 games, adding a team-high +25 rating to boot. He’s kept the momentum rolling this year with a team-high nine goals in 13 games, including a six-game point streak that came to an end Wednesday night.

With no other healthy extra forwards available on the roster, Davidson will make his NHL debut on Saturday night – in primetime – against the Bruins. It’s quite the test for a name that was listed all the way down at No. 24 in this offseason’s prospect pool rankings by Elite Prospects, albeit in an exceedingly deep Montreal pool.

Where he slots in the lineup remains to be seen. What’s clear is that he’s not expectedly to directly replace what Newhook had been doing in the early stages of the season. A long-term injury couldn’t carry worse timing for the 2019 first-round pick, who was finally finding his footing in a top-six role in Montreal. Through 17 games, he’d rattled off six goals and 12 points and a +7 rating with nearly all of that production coming at even strength, averaging 14:38 of ice time per game on the Habs’ second line alongside Oliver Kapanen and Ivan Demidov.

On paper, the Habs would need major breakthroughs from multiple players in their middle-six forward group to have success this year. Newhook was doing just that, already reaching nearly half of his total output in 82 games last year. He’s the team’s fifth-leading scorer as he exits the lineup – one that the Habs, now 1-2-2 in their last five and on the heels of being outscored 12-1 in their last two games, will struggle to replace. More is needed out of veteran Josh Anderson, who has just four points and a -9 rating in 17 outings despite averaging more ice time than Newhook.

As for Guhle, his initial four-to-six-week recovery timeline was assuming he would be able to rehab his adductor issues without surgery. He’d just gotten back skating but wasn’t adjusting well, leading the Canadiens’ medical staff to pivot, Eric Engels of Sportsnet reports.

In the meantime, Jayden Struble will continue to skate in his place in the top four alongside Lane Hutson. The 24-year-old has made 13 appearances this season, posting three points with a -3 rating while averaging 15:29 of ice time per game. They’ve had the worst defensive results of any Habs pairing this year, controlling 43.2% of expected goals with a team-high 2.77 xGA/60, per MoneyPuck. Hutson and Guhle were allowing just 2.00 xGA/60 together and controlling 48.6% of expected goals overall, making Struble’s elevated minutes a challenge for the club to overcome defensively.

Alex Newhook Leaves Game With Undisclosed Injury

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  • The Montreal Canadiens are dealing with some injury concerns from their lopsided loss to the Dallas Stars tonight. Montreal shared that Alex Newhook had left the game with an undisclosed injury and is still being evaluated. His only mark on the scoresheet was his brief time on ice of 5:54.

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Canadiens Reassign Marc Del Gaizo

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Nov. 7: The Canadiens announced they’ve loaned Del Gaizo back to Laval. As expected, he did not draw into the lineup against the Devils and was only on hand for injury insurance.

Nov. 5: The Canadiens announced the recall of defenseman Marc Del Gaizo from the AHL’s Laval Rocket. With two open roster spots, the Habs don’t need to make a corresponding transaction.

Montreal has both of those roster spots because it’s only carrying six defensemen while Kaiden Guhle is on injured reserve. Del Gaizo was last summoned on Oct. 21 to serve as injury insurance while the Habs went on a lengthy road trip. He was rostered for four games but did not play in any of them before being returned to the AHL last week.

With the Canadiens traveling to New Jersey to play the Devils tomorrow, and Laval being off until Friday, there’s no harm done in adding Del Gaizo for the mini-trip since he won’t miss any time in the minors. He’ll presumptively be returned to the Rocket on Friday as long as Montreal’s top six defenders escape the game without an injury.

The left-shot defenseman is in his first season in the Montreal organization. He signed a one-year, two-way deal with a $475,000 guarantee after becoming a Group VI unrestricted free agent last summer. He was coming off a career-high 46 appearances with the Predators, who drafted him in the fourth round in 2019, but has yet to suit up for the Habs this year. In six games for Laval, the depth rearguard has one assist and a +2 rating.

The only harm done by recalling Del Gaizo is burning additional time off his waiver exemption. Montreal passed him through during training camp in September. After he cleared, he can remain on the Canadiens’ active roster for up to 30 nonconsecutive days or play in 10 games before he needs to clear waivers again to return to Laval. Today will mark his ninth day toward that count.

Canadiens Prospect Yevgeni Volokhin Signs KHL Extension

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Montreal Canadiens goalie prospect Yevgeni Volokhin has signed a new three-year contract with his current club, Spartak Moscow of the KHL, covering this season and running through 2027-28. The 20-year-old was a 2023 fifth-round pick out of the MHL (Russia’s top junior hockey league) and has played pro hockey in each of the last two seasons. The 2023-24 MHL Goalie of the Year played in 28 KHL games during his age-19 season, posting a .901 save percentage despite playing behind a very poor team. He posted that save percentage alongside a 4-17-1 record.

Volokhin was traded to Spartak for monetary compensation in June, and has since been Moscow’s No. 3 goalie behind Dmitry Nikolayev and former Calgary Flame Artem Zagidulin. Volokhin saved 20 of 21 shots in his first KHL start of the season but struggled in his second. He has spent most of the season in the second-tier VHL, posting a .935 save percentage in 14 games. Due to this extension, the earliest the Canadiens will be able to sign Volokhin and get him to make his North American debut will be for the 2028-29 season. As Volokhin is a prospect under contract in Russia, the Canadiens will still hold the exclusive rights to sign him to an entry-level deal upon the expiry of his current contract with Spartak.

Canadiens Reassign David Reinbacher, William Trudeau

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Oct. 31: Trudeau has cleared waivers and was assigned to Laval, the team announced.

Oct. 30: The Canadiens have made a pair of activations from season-opening injured reserve. Top defense prospect David Reinbacher has been cleared to play and will report to AHL Laval, the club announced. In a separate transaction, they placed defender William Trudeau on waivers for the purposes of assignment to Laval.

Reinbacher, still waiver-exempt, has been out since the early parts of the preseason after he fractured a metacarpal bone in his hand. He was initially expected to miss four weeks, and today’s news comes a few days after that initial timeline.

An opening-night job wasn’t entirely out of the question for Reinbacher, but it was a long shot after the Habs’ big summer splash brought Noah Dobson to Montreal via a sign-and-trade. The injury put the nail in the coffin for his chances. It was the second year in a row that the 2023 No. 5 overall pick sustained a significant injury in training camp. Last year brought surgery on his left knee that delayed his season debut with Laval until February. He managed two goals, three assists, and five points with a +5 rating in 10 games after his return.

He’ll be looking to keep that production up and then some as he eyes his longest stint of hockey in North America yet. Reinbacher spent most of his post-draft year on loan to EHC Kloten of Switzerland’s National League before spending the final few weeks of the campaign with Laval. Accordingly, he only has 21 games of professional experience on this side of the Atlantic. He still has plenty of runway left at age 21, but staying healthy for the rest of the season will be crucial for his chances to make the jump to the NHL as hoped and expected for 2026-27.

As for Trudeau, the 23-year-old is entering his fourth professional season and has now lost his waiver-exempt status. He was held out of training camp with a pectoral muscle injury after re-signing with the Habs on a two-way deal over the summer. Drafted in the fourth round in 2021, the 6’1″ lefty has a 20-50–70 scoring line in 198 career games for Laval with a +16 rating. He’s not more than a depth call-up option at this stage and will be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights next summer.

Canadiens Reassign Joshua Roy, Marc Del Gaizo

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The Canadiens announced that forward Joshua Roy and defenseman Marc Del Gaizo have been reassigned to AHL Laval. Their active roster count drops to 21 ahead of what’s a light stretch of games for the Habs, including a mostly home-game schedule through the beginning of November.

Roy, 22, is in the early stages of his third professional season. He was a fifth-round pick in 2021 and now finds himself in the final year of his entry-level contract, making him a restricted free agent next summer.

He and Del Gaizo were recalled together on Oct. 21 ahead of Montreal’s four-game Pacific Division road trip. The Habs were dealing with injuries to Kirby Dach and Patrik Laine at the time, although the former has since returned, intensifying the need for added roster depth on the swing. That trip concluded with an overtime win over the Kraken earlier this week, and the Habs have now decided they don’t need the extra roster depth for their upcoming homestand.

Roy played last week against the Flames but was then in the press box for three straight games. He saw just 7:58 of ice time in what was the 36th appearance of his NHL career and was held off the scoresheet aside from four hits. The 6’0″ winger now carries a 6-5–11 career scoring line with a -8 rating, on pace for 14 goals and 25 points in an 82-game season.

Before his recall, the Quebec native was off to a hot start in Laval with three tucks and an assist through four games. He’ll build on that now as he looks to build his resume in hopes of landing an opening-night job in 2026-27. He’s been a great scoring winger for the Habs’ top farm club, rattling off a 36-35–71 scoring line in 92 career AHL appearances.

Del Gaizo, 26, was signed by the Canadiens at the start of free agency after reaching Group VI UFA status. Since he’s been on the active roster for under 30 days since clearing waivers during the preseason, he doesn’t need waivers again for today’s demotion. He did not appear in any of the four games he was rostered for, so his career NHL games played total stays at 55. He had no points and a +2 rating in four outings for Laval so far this year.

Patrik Laine Out Three To Four Months

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A tough start to the season for Canadiens winger Patrik Laine just got even tougher.  The team announced that he has undergone surgery to repair a core muscle injury.  As a result, he will miss the next three to four months.

This is Laine’s second season with Montreal after he was acquired from Columbus in the 2024 offseason.  It’s also now the second straight season that he has sustained a significant injury early on.  Last season, a preseason knee injury cost him a couple of months of action and this one could keep him out for twice as long.

While Laine got through training camp healthy this time, it didn’t take long for him to drop down the depth chart.  While he started the year on Montreal’s second line, he was down to fourth-line minutes at five-on-five within a couple of weeks.  As a result, he was limited to just one assist through five games while averaging just 12:36 per night, a career low in that regard.  He didn’t accompany the team on their four-game Western road trip while getting a second opinion on his injury; clearly, that second opinion concurred with the first with him undergoing surgery soon after.

Last season, Laine made an immediate impact when he returned to the lineup, tallying 15 power play goals.  In doing so, he was among the league leaders in that regard despite missing 29 games while he helped Montreal’s power play get closer to the middle of the pack.  However, his playing time and effectiveness waned down the stretch and into the playoffs where he was injured partway through their series against Washington.

This is a contract year for Laine, who carries a cap charge of $8.7MM, tops among Canadiens forwards.  It’s fair to say his hopes of a big payday next summer have taken another hit as he’ll now miss more than half the season; that, coupled with his struggles at full strength, don’t bode well for him on the open market.  That said, because he should wind up missing 100 days because of this injury and has more than 400 career NHL appearances, Laine should be eligible for a one-year contract with performance incentives next summer.  That might be the best route to go for him, one that would allow him to maximize his compensation should he stay healthy while providing the signing team – be it Montreal or someone else in free agency – with less risk in signing him.

For Montreal, since they have over $4MM in cap space at the moment per PuckPedia, an LTIR placement wouldn’t make any sense for them.  Since Laine is expected to return this season, the maximum amount of LTIR space they could amass is $3.82MM, not his full cap charge so, barring a rash of further injuries, don’t expect him to be moved to LTIR.  As of yet, the Canadiens haven’t moved him to regular injured reserve although that is merely a formality for whenever they need to open up a roster spot.

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