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Canadiens’ Jayden Struble Out With Upper-Body Injury

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The Montreal Canadiens have announced that defenseman Jayden Struble is out of Saturday’s game against the Colorado Avalanche with an upper-body injury. This will be his fifth absence of the season. Montreal will have to lean on Arber Xhekaj for their physical presence on Saturday, though Xhekaj was on the ice for both of Colroado’s first period goals.

The Canadiens have seen a lot of rotation in their defense on the back of a long-term injury to Kaiden Guhle and up-and-down play from Xhekaj. Struble has been a pillar of the team’s bottom pair as a result. He is averaging just over 15 mintues of ice time through 19 games this season, and has four assists, a minus-three, and 32 penalty minutes to show for it.

Struble is now in his third NHL season, all spent with the Canadiens. He had a quaint rookie season, with 10 points and 57 penalty minutes in 56 games. Those numbers leveled out slightly in his sophomore year, with Struble posting 13 points and 52 penalty minutes in another 56 games. Now, he appears to be getting comfortable on Montreal’s third-pairing, currently on pace for 17 points and 138 penalty minutes. Struble also leads Montreal’s blue-line with 36 hits this season, after posting more than 100 hits in each of the last two seasons.

The missing physical presence that Struble brings makes Xhekaj a natural replacement. But the enforcer has struggled to stay on the positive side of the puck, with just one assist and a minus-four in 21 games entering Saturday’s matchup. He also leads the Canadiens with 42 penalty minutes.

Struble’s absence has also proven beneficial for rookie Adam Engstrom, who played in just his second NHL game in Struble’s place on Saturday. Engstrom only managed one shot on goal, and no other notable stats, in 10 minutes of ice time in his NHL debut. The Canadiens will likely shelter his minutes moving forward, but there’s no doubt that Engstrom can bring a spark to the lineup. He leads the Laval Rocket blue-line with 14 points in 18 games, including a five-point match last week that preceded his NHL debut. The 2022 third-round pick is on a gradual climb, but seems to be on the cusp of a breakout in the NHL. Extended absences from Struble could provide the path needed to earn Engstrom more minutes.

Canadiens Sign Mike Matheson To Five-Year Extension

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6:30 p.m.: More details about Matheson’s new extension have been revealed. The deal carries a $5MM signing bonus through the first two seasons, a $3.8MM bonus in year-three, and a $3.5MM bonus in the final two years per David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period. Pagnotta adds that the deal also carries a full no-movement clause in the first three years, a 14-team no-trade list in the fourth year, and a five-team no-trade list in the final year.

10:00 a.m.: The Canadiens have announced Matheson’s deal. It’s worth $30MM for a cap hit of $6MM, keeping him signed through the 2030-31 campaign.

9:48 a.m.: Another day, another high-value pending unrestricted free agent is taken off the board. According to David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, the Montreal Canadiens are nearing a five-year extension with defenseman Mike Matheson. Marco D’Amico of RG Media confirmed that negotiations were headed in that direction, with an announcement expected as soon as today.

The extension finalizes the last important item on the Canadiens’ internal to-do list for the rest of the season. In the last five months alone, general manager Kent Hughes has inked Noah Dobson, Lane Hutson, and now Matheson to long-term extensions. This comes a year after the team did the same for Kaiden Guhle.

Montreal had plenty of space to make it happen as well. Before Matheson’s upcoming extension, the Canadiens had approximately $26MM in cap space for the 2026-27 campaign. Even though it’s expected that the 11-year veteran will earn a healthy raise on his current $4.875MM salary, Montreal will still have ample room to add.

There’s little argument to claim he wasn’t worth retaining either. Toward the beginning of his career with the Florida Panthers and Pittsburgh Penguins, Matheson had scored 49 goals and 138 points in 417 games with a -9 rating, averaging 20:15 of ice time in a top-four role. That production pales in comparison to his time in Quebec.

The 31-year-old blue liner has already surpassed his previous production in nearly half as many seasons. Though he earned more ice time in the offensive zone before the emergence of Hutson and the acquisition of Dobson, Matheson has scored 29 goals and 141 points in 232 games donning the bleu, blanc et rouge.

Still, there is some cause for concern. At even strength, Matheson hasn’t garnered above a 90% on-ice save percentage at even strength since his first year with the Canadiens, though some of that can be attributed to beginning 56.7% of his shifts in the defensive zone. Similarly, according to MoneyPuck, Matheson hasn’t produced a percentage above 50% on-ice goals share at any point during his time with Montreal.

As they’ve done this season by placing him alongside Dobson, Matheson will likely transition into a complementary piece rather than being expected to carry his defensive pairing. Comparatively, Dobson has only had one season in which he’s averaged less than 50% on-ice goals share.

Regardless, the Canadiens now have their top-four defensemen signed through the 2030-31 season, and that’s without considering the expected emergence of top prospect David Reinbacher. Now, with their last important internal negotiation out of the way, Hughes and the rest of Montreal’s front office can focus entirely on bringing a second-line center into the mix.

Photo courtesy of Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images. 

Montreal Canadiens Claim Sammy Blais

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Sammy Blais is headed back to Montreal, as insider Elliotte Friedman has shared that the Canadiens claimed the forward this afternoon. 

The 29-year-old forward, signed to a one-year deal with the Habs last July, was lost on waivers to Toronto in October, before finding himself back on the wire yesterday. Given the current injuries affecting their forward corps, Blais provides needed depth, and perhaps the Quebec native will appear with Montreal at some point after all, although for now he will join AHL Laval. 

GM Kent Hughes picks up Blais’ manageable one-year contract worth $775k at the NHL level. Marco D’Amico of Research Ground Media updated that the Canadiens were the only team to submit such a claim, meaning they can send Blais directly to the AHL without waiver clearance. Blais will likely finish 2025-26 with the Canadiens organization, one way or another. 

Although becoming a bit of a journeyman, Blais has carved out a very respectable career for a former sixth-round pick (2014). After winning a Stanley Cup with St. Louis, the forward was eventually a key piece sent to New York in the Pavel Buchnevich trade. Blais suffered a torn ACL 14 games into his Rangers tenure, an injury which certainly changed the trajectory of his career. Although he returned in the 2022-23 season, Blais had just five assists and no goals in 40 games, landing in the AHL, and eventually returning to the Blues as a spare part in the Vladimir Tarasenko deal.

Clearly more comfortable back with his original team, Blais had a resurgence, with 20 points in 31 games to conclude 2022-23, which also earned an extension. However, he did not maintain such performance in 2023-24, and landed in the AHL last year. Blais helped lead the Abbotsford Canucks to a Calder Cup title, catching the attention of Montreal last summer who took a flyer on the 29-year-old. Unable to make the team, Blais rejoined his former coach Craig Berube in October as a depth option for Toronto. After posting three points in eight games, the Leafs are set to welcome back Auston Matthews and Nicholas Roy from IR. Blais became expendable, and now, finds himself back where he started the season.

With Kirby Dach, Alex Newhook, and Patrik Laine all missing time, Montreal has had to call upon the likes of Florian Xhekaj and Jared Davidson to fill in. Although both have been respectable players in the AHL, and the team has continued to win games, adding a familiar face with 265 games of NHL experience from their rivals appealed to the club.

Adam Engstrom Generating Trade Interest

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In an episode of The Sick Podcast with Tony Marinaro from earlier this week, insider Pierre Lebrun of TSN shared that several teams have looked into Adam Engstrom and considered what it would take to land the defense prospect. 

A third-round selection of Montreal in the 2022 draft, Engstrom’s play in the AHL with Laval has stood out, as he has 14 points in 18 games. Still early in just his second North American season, the Swede’s professional experience with Rögle BK has helped a transition into the Canadiens organization, boosting an already deep prospect pool. Engstrom made a strong case to make the team out of camp, and although he came short, he has excelled in the AHL since and earned a recall earlier this week.

Having just turned 22, and not set to reach RFA status until after the 2026-27 season, it is not like Montreal should be in any particular rush with Engstrom, especially with Kaiden Guhle set to miss 8-10 weeks. Engstrom only just made his NHL debut yesterday, with 10 minutes of ice time in a win over Utah. However, with their pursuit of a top six center well known, naturally Engstrom emerges as a candidate for a possible defense – forward swap. Montreal lacks another strong left-handed defenseman in their cupboard, but with Lane Hutson’s presence along with Guhle, and a wealth of right handers to boot, there is not so much a need at this time.

Montreal has fellow lefty Marc Del Gaizo, 26, in the system, who has continuously bounced between the NHL and AHL so far this year as he vies to make his team debut. Clearly the organization is high on Engstrom, who drew into the lineup first, fresh off being named AHL Player of the Week last Monday after tying a Laval franchise record with one goal and four assists in a single game. Del Gaizo though, signed on a one-year, two-way deal, brings enough to the table as a depth option between Montreal and Laval that they could potentially afford an Engstrom subtraction at some point. 

Engstrom offers poise and well-rounded play at 6’2”, projecting at the least as a high-floor, solid middle defenseman. However, he looks much more comfortable so far in 2025-26, especially offensively, and could flourish into a true top four. It is unlikely Montreal would jump to just any call on their prospect now, but Engstrom’s name could be worth watching as the season goes on, especially in a deal for a top six center.

The Canadiens have made strides this season as they aim to push for the playoffs and win a round for the first time since 2021. It is a luxury to have strong prospects like Engstrom on hand, allowing GM Kent Hughes to make a noteworthy addition without affecting the current group. Whatever may come next, in the meantime, Engstrom will look to build off his debut and continue to fill in for Guhle. 

Canadiens Reassign Joshua Roy

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The Canadiens announced they’ve reassigned forward Joshua Roy to AHL Laval. With no IR activations expected soon, the Habs are set to operate with an open roster spot for the foreseeable future.

Roy, 22, appears to have hit something of a plateau in his development. The 2021 fifth-round pick showed out much better than expected in his first pro season, earning 13 goals and 32 points in 41 games with Laval back in 2023-24. That came on the heels of Roy posting back-to-back First All-Star Team campaigns in the QMJHL following his draft year, so his stock had been on the rise for some time.

Since then, though, Roy has been virtually the same player he was as a rookie. He still hasn’t gotten as long a leash as he did in his first pro season, when multiple call-ups resulted in him notching four goals and nine points in 23 games for the Habs. His usage and production slipped to two goals in 12 games last year, and he’s now only played in three of the nine games he’s been rostered for this season.

During that time, Roy’s AHL production has remained stagnant. After producing 0.78 points per game in 2023-24, that number dropped slightly to 0.74 last year and is at 0.70 through 10 games this season. With Roy failing to carve out consistent minutes at the NHL level despite Kirby Dach, Patrik Laine, and Alex Newhook all dealing with long-term injuries, there’s an increasing risk of him topping out as something of a tweener.

Nonetheless, he’s still only four years out from his draft date and, as a late-round pick, a longer development track should have been expected. He’s still got a couple of years of runway before the Habs could decide to cut ties, although they’ll have their first opportunity to do so this summer as he’s in the final season of his entry-level contract. A non-tender is unlikely considering how he burst onto the scene, but the Quebec native needs to keep up his current scoring in the minors – hopefully inching closer to a point per game – in order to avoid one.

Canadiens Recall Adam Engström

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The Montreal Canadiens will reward a top prospect for a five-point night in the AHL. Defenseman Adam Engström has been recalled to the NHL lineup ahead of a three-game road-trip. The 23-year-old leads AHL defenseman with five goals, and leads the Laval Rockets defense with 14 points. Eight of those points have come in his last four games.

On the other side of his hot streak, Engström will now receive the first call-up of his professional career. He signed his entry-level contract with the Canadiens, and joined Laval, last season. His rookie AHL year had its ups-and-downs and ended with 32 points and 50 penalty minutes in 79 total games. Engström was no stranger to pro hockey before his time in the AHL, having already scored 38 points in 95 SHL games between 2021 and 2024. But breaking into North America, and getting year-one out of the way, seems to have a new layer of confidence to his game that’s paying off this season.

Montreal drafted Engström in the third-round of the 2022 NHL Draft, following a year where he posted 35 points in 51 games in Sweden’s junior league. He was lauded as a reliable, two-way defender capable of moving the puck in his draft year. In three years since, he’s added a strong physical frame and better jump towards the puck, bringing his game to a much higher level.

Engstrom will compete with Arber Xhekaj for a spot on Montreal’s third-pair. Xhekaj could earn a slight bit of favor, with his brother Florian Xhekaj also in the lineup. But should Montreal want a responsible play-driver, over a pure enforcer, a swap to Engström could be timely.

Montreal Canadiens Sign Alexandre Texier

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After his contract was terminated by St. Louis earlier today, Alexandre Texier has moved quickly, as per NHL agent Dan Milstein, he is headed to Montreal on a one-year deal. 

Per the team, the contract is worth $1MM, and runs to the end of the 2025-26 season.

The news does not come as much of a surprise, as Texier was long linked to Montreal throughout the process of working through his issues with the Blues. It had been thought that another Eastern Conference team was interested, perhaps Ottawa, but the Canadiens close in on Texier to slot in as a bottom-six upgrade.

Texier’s path to Montreal is not a very common one, as he did not report to AHL Springfield while still a member of the Blues and needed termination to find a fresh start. Both sides are surely happy to simply move on. Drafted by Columbus 45th overall in 2017, the French forward flashed serious skill in small sample sizes, including an 11-goal, 20-point effort in just 36 games in 2021-22. However, it became apparent Texier had a more bottom-six suited future in the NHL, still bringing valuable speed and versatility.

As the Blue Jackets turned the corner with a new wave of forwards, Texier became expendable at just 24. Given that he had set career highs in points and games played, St. Louis came calling, giving up just a fourth-round pick for Texier, and promptly signing him to a two-year deal w0rth $2.1MM per season in July 2024.

Unfortunately for both sides, it was not a fit. Texier battled through injuries at times and only played in 31 games last season. This year things have not gone any better, as he has been passed up, out of favor with Head Coach Jim Montgomery, and appearing scarcely as a pure fourth liner. While many in Texier’s situation become disgruntled from a lack of offensive opportunities, Texier lost his role as a penalty killer with the Blues which was surely frustrating, a role he’ll likely regain with Montreal with highly realistic changes of succeeding.

Whatever the case, the Blues are content to move on without anything in return, coming out respectably considering the little they paid for Texier in the first place. Meanwhile, Montreal adds a motivated speedy forward to their bottom six as their exciting young core looks to make a push for the postseason this spring. Texier will have time to become acquainted with his new team as they are out action until Wednesday, and he could look to debut at some point in the team’s upcoming three game road trip.

Canadiens Reportedly As "Favorite" To Land Alexandre Texier

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While St. Louis Blues forward Alexandre Texier is not yet a free agent as he awaits word on whether he’s cleared unconditional waivers for the purposes of contract termination, that hasn’t stopped reporters from getting info on which teams are most likely to land the 26-year-old’s services once he becomes a free agent as is expected. On yesterday’s Saturday Headlines segment on Sportsnet, Elliotte Friedman reported that “the favorite” to land Texier at this point is the Montreal Canadiens.

The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun did report yesterday that Texier’s representatives are deciding between two Eastern Conference teams, and with Friedman naming the Canadiens as a favorite, it appears one of those two teams has been revealed. The Ottawa Citizen’s Bruce Garrioch reported yesterday that the Ottawa Senators expressed interest in acquiring Texier, but it’s unclear at this time whether they’re one of the two finalists. Texier’s tenure as a St. Louis Blue was unequivocally a disappointment, as he played just 39 games across two seasons and scored just 12 points. While he might not seem like the kind of player who would merit this kind of league wide attention as a free agent, it’s worth noting that Texier did score 30 points in 78 games in 2023-24. But perhaps more importantly, it’s very difficult at this early stage of the season for teams to add external talent that is NHL-caliber. The fact that Texier is available for just a small cap hit investment (and doesn’t carry the additional asset cost associated with a trade) is likely contributing to the high level of interest in his services. As NHL teams grapple with injuries testing their depth, the chance to add an NHL-ready bottom-six forward for a small amount of cap space is an opportunity most teams likely want to take advantage of.

  • It was a difficult night for the Toronto Maple Leafs yesterday as they lost 5-2 to their arch rivals, the Montreal Canadiens, and now sit second-to-last in the Eastern Conference, one point above the Buffalo Sabres, who have a game in hand. Making last night’s game worse was the fact that veteran defenseman Jake McCabe left the game due to an upper-body injury, according to a team announcement. While we await an update revealing the extent of McCabe’s injury, it’s clear any extended absence for McCabe would be a major loss for Toronto. The team is already dealing with an injury to veteran Chris Tanev, and losing McCabe for any duration of time would mean the Maple Leafs would lose one of their most relied-upon defensemen. McCabe ranks second on the team among defensemen in time-on-ice per game, and leads Toronto defensemen in shorthanded time-on-ice per game.

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.

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