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East Notes: Matheson, Gadjovich, Flyers

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The Montreal Canadiens announced a last-minute scratch tonight as defenseman Mike Matheson was held out of the lineup with a lower-body injury. The news came out just before the puck drop against Utah, Jayden Struble suited up in his place. Matheson skated with the Canadiens earlier in the day during the team’s morning skate but did miss practice yesterday.

Matheson’s absence will leave a hole in Montreal’s defense, particularly their power play where Matheson is typically the only defenseman on their top unit. The 30-year-old is currently averaging over 24 minutes a night in ice time and is third in team scoring with a goal and 12 assists in 20 games this season. Matheson had a career year last season, tallying 11 goals and 51 assists while dressing in all 82 games for Montreal.

In other Eastern Conference notes:

  • Florida Panthers forward Jonah Gadjovich was dressed in a regular practice jersey today as he skated with his teammates (as per Colby Guy of The Palm Beach Post). The 26-year-old did not play last night against the Washington Capitals due to an upper-body injury and is considered day-to-day. Gadjovich has just a single goal this season and has only played 11 games due to a back injury that kept him sidelined for eight games in late October and early November. When the Whitby, Ontario native has dressed he’s played sparingly, averaging just 7:13 of ice time per game.
  • The Philadelphia Flyers remain on the hunt for a top-six center (as per Anthony Di Marco of Daily Faceoff). Philadelphia reportedly spoke with the Minnesota Wild earlier in the season about a potential swap, but nothing came from the talks, likely due to the Wild’s tough salary cap situation. The Flyers aren’t in a rush to make a move, which makes sense given the team’s timeline, however, they do have assets to make a move including draft capital as well as potentially using 2018 first-round pick Joel Farabee or Morgan Frost as potential trade pieces in a package.

Canadiens Recall Joshua Roy, Reassign Lucas Condotta

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12:34 p.m.: While no corresponding transaction was required, the Habs made one anyway by announcing they’d reassigned center Lucas Condotta to Laval. The 27-year-old pivot had one goal and a -2 rating in seven games since being recalled near the beginning of the month, averaging 8:12 per game and winning 58.6% of his draws with three blocks and 10 hits.

9:04 a.m.: The Canadiens announced they’ve recalled right-winger Joshua Roy from AHL Laval. Montreal had an open spot on the active roster, so no corresponding moves are necessary.

The Habs give Roy’s first crack at playing time this season ahead of their home game tomorrow evening against Utah. It’s unclear whether Roy will enter the lineup, as he becomes the 14th healthy forward on the Montreal roster, but it’s hard to see the reasoning behind the 21-year-old getting a summons without the intention of playing him.

If he plays, it’ll mark his second season in the NHL after making 23 appearances across a couple of call-ups between January and March last season. Roy is in just his second professional season after being drafted in the fifth round by Montreal in 2021, spending a pair of post-draft seasons with the QMJHL’s Sherbrooke Phoenix before jumping to pro hockey with Laval in 2023. The 6-foot youngster adjusted better than most expected, earning that recall and posting four goals and five assists for nine points with a -2 rating, averaging 12:08 per game in his first NHL audition.

That led to speculation that Roy would make the opening night roster last month. He remained on the roster until the last round of cuts but was assigned to Laval when opening night rosters were due on Oct. 7.

He’s taken the assignment in stride, posting eight goals and eight assists for 16 points over 17 appearances in the AHL. The Quebec-born forward has a +3 rating after finishing with a team-worst -17 mark last year, and he’s three points ahead of Alex Barré-Boulet and Logan Mailloux for the team lead in scoring.

Roy still has two more pro seasons or 137 NHL games left until he requires waivers, so the Canadiens can return him to Laval without any fanfare. It’s not out of the question that he’ll be returned to the minors in short order, but with them obtaining an extension for winger Rafaël Harvey-Pinard’s conditioning loan as he recovers from offseason leg surgery (per Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports), there could be a bit of an extended opportunity for him to show he belongs on the NHL roster.

Canadiens Assign Rafaël Harvey-Pinard On LTIR Conditioning Loan

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The Canadiens reassigned winger Rafaël Harvey-Pinard to AHL Laval on a long-term injury conditioning loan on Tuesday, per a team announcement.

Harvey-Pinard, 25, has missed the entire season after sustaining a broken leg during offseason training in late July. He was given a five-month return timeline, so being close to ready for game action is no surprise.

The 5’9″ left-winger started skating at the end of October and has been taking contact in practice for around a week. Eric Engels of Sportsnet reported Saturday that the 2019 seventh-round pick was close to a return.

He can spend up to two weeks in Laval before the Habs must decide whether he’s healed enough to return to NHL action and activate him from LTIR. He remains off the active roster for now, but with an open spot and $7.6MM remaining in their LTIR pool, there will be no issue fitting him back on the roster when he’s ready to return.

Last season was Harvey-Pinard’s first as a full-time NHLer, although a nagging lower-body injury limited him to 45 games. He skated squarely in a bottom-six role, averaging 12:38 per night and scoring two goals and eight assists for 10 points with only 26 shots on goal.

That was a far cry from the numbers RHP put up after being recalled from Laval midway through the 2022-23 campaign. The diminutive winger got a shot at top-six minutes with star sniper Cole Caufield undergoing season-ending right shoulder surgery, and he responded with 14 goals and 20 points in 34 games, tying for fourth on the team in goals by season’s end.

Harvey-Pinard’s injuries were likely one of many factors that limited his production last year. In 83 career NHL appearances, the Quebec native has 17 goals and 31 points with a +3 rating. That’s likely more indicative of his long-term ceiling, given his strong offensive numbers with Laval, which would be a spectacular result for such a late-round pick.

Harvey-Pinard will be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights next summer after completing the two-year, $2.2MM deal he signed as an RFA in 2023.

David Savard Out With Upper-Body Injury

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  • The Montreal Canadiens announced that defenseman David Savard wouldn’t participate in tonight’s matchup against the Blue Jackets because of an upper-body injury. He was present with the team in today’s practice and wasn’t ruled out until after warm-ups. He’s managed four assists in 17 games on the year and will miss his first game of the season.

    [SOURCE LINK]

Rafael Harvey-Pinard Close To Returning

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  • Eric Engels of Sportsnet reported that Montreal Canadiens forward Rafael Harvey-Pinard won’t return tonight but is close. Harvey-Pinard is continuing to recover from a broken leg that has put his start to the 2024-25 NHL season on pause. He hasn’t played meaningful hockey since last season scoring two goals and 10 points in 45 games for Montreal.

    [SOURCE LINK]

Atlantic Notes: Hage, Harvey-Pinard, Bennett

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Montreal Canadiens center prospect Michael Hage has quietly shown the world why the Habs made him a first-round pick (21st overall) in this year’s NHL Entry Draft (as per Marco D’Amico of Responsible Gambler).  The 18-year-old has been putting together a stellar season in the NCAA as a member of the Michigan Wolverines and praised his coaching staff and teammates for his seamless move into the NCAA from the USHL.

Hage has five goals and four assists in his first nine games of the season and has a plus/minus of +6. His nine points are good enough to lead the Wolverines in scoring.

In other Atlantic Division notes:

  • Canadiens forward Rafael Harvey-Pinard sported a regular jersey at team practice today as he tries to work his way back into Montreal’s lineup (as per Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports). The 25-year-old had surgery in July to repair a broken leg that he suffered during a summer scrimmage. The original prognosis was that Harvey-Pinard would need four months to recover and given that he is skating in a regular sweater, he looks to be on schedule. The Saguenay, Quebec native dressed in 45 games last season for the Canadiens and struggled offensively with just two goals and eight assists.
  • Florida Panthers forward Sam Bennett reportedly feels better today after he was scratched with an upper-body injury last night (as per Panthers’ content manager Jameson Olive). The news came from Panthers head coach Paul Maurice who was cautiously optimistic, adding that the team would look to see how Bennett looks tomorrow morning before making a call on his status going forward. Bennett is second in team scoring this season with nine goals and six assists in 15 games. The 28-year-old will be eager to get back onto the ice as he is less than eight months away from hitting the open market as an unrestricted free agent.

Joe Vrbetic Signs With ECHL Indy

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  • Canadiens prospect Joe Vrbetic has signed a one-year deal with ECHL Indy, per a team announcement. Montreal drafted the 22-year-old in the seventh round in 2021 but he hasn’t played with any of their affiliates this season.  Vrbetic had a 3.52 GAA with a .891 SV% in 33 games last season with ECHL Trois-Rivieres.  The Canadiens hold his draft rights until June 1, 2025.

Atlantic Notes: Canadiens, Zub, Pinto

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Many of the players on the Montreal Canadiens believe that they are in the learning-to-win stage of their rebuild and see a pair of recent losses as falling below expectations (as per Arpon Basu of The Athletic). Montreal lost to both the Pittsburgh Penguins and Calgary Flames in the past three days and could have won both of those games, particularly the Flames game (a game they led with less than three minutes left to play).

The Canadiens players have tried to look at the moral victories they can take from their two most recent losses, but given their expectations for this season, they can only see their recent stretch of play as falling below the standard they have set for themselves this season.

In other Atlantic Division notes:

  • Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia is reporting that Ottawa Senators defenseman Artem Zub could play tomorrow night when the team takes on the New York Islanders. Zub skated today as he tries to work his way back into the lineup after missing nine games. The 29-year-old suffered a concussion on October 14th against the Los Angeles Kings and has dressed in just three games this season. Ottawa badly needs Zub back on the ice, as his injury has thrust veteran Travis Hamonic into the top four, which isn’t an ideal situation for a team with playoff aspirations.
  • Senators center Shane Pinto could also suit up tomorrow night, according to Ottawa head coach Travis Green, who said that he is close (as per Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia). Pinto had skated on Monday before Ottawa made the trip to Buffalo and skated again today as he tries to work back from an undisclosed injury that has caused him to miss six games. Pinto’s presence in the lineup gives the Senators bottom six a completely different dynamic, given that Pinto is probably good enough to play in the top six but is relegated to third-line center duties because of the team’s depth down the middle.

Canadiens Loan Oliver Kapanen To SHL, Recall Lucas Condotta

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The Canadiens announced a flurry of roster moves Wednesday morning, most notably returning center Oliver Kapanen to Timrå IK of the Swedish Hockey League. They filled his roster spot by recalling center Lucas Condotta from AHL Laval, as initially reported by Marc Antoine Godin of Radio-Canada. He’ll join the team for their four-game road swing starting in New Jersey tomorrow.

Kapanen, 21, had cracked the Habs’ opening night roster somewhat unexpectedly. The Finnish pivot had earned praise early in September after a strong showing for Timrå in the SHL’s exhibition schedule before reporting to Montreal for NHL training camp. The 2021 second-round pick was a healthy scratch for the season opener but has played in every game since, recording two assists and a -4 rating in 12 appearances. He averaged 11:38 per game and recorded 13 shots on goal while going 23-for-50 on faceoffs (46.0%).

Possession-wise, things didn’t grade out spectacularly for Kapanen. Even accounting for Montreal’s league-worst 43.3 CF% at even strength, Kapanen’s shot-attempt share lagged behind the team average in relatively even two-way deployment. It’s far from unsurprising for a rookie center, though, and he did flash legitimate upside with his strong skating ability.

Since Kapanen wasn’t a first-round pick, he couldn’t have been assigned to Laval without first being offered back to his Swedish club, thanks to the NHL’s transfer agreement with the country. It’s no surprise Timrå wants him back in the fold. He already established himself as an impact player in a top European league last year with Finland’s KalPa, whom he led in postseason scoring with 14 points (7 G, 7 A) in 13 games. He also polished off his season nicely with six goals in eight games for the Finns at the 2024 World Championship.

It’s the second recall of the young season for the 27-year-old Condotta. The first lasted just two days in late October, serving as an extra forward for an Oct. 27 matchup against the Flyers. He watched from the press box and was returned to Laval the following day. The 6’1″, 223-lb pivot has four NHL games under his belt, all coming in a Montreal sweater over the past two seasons. He scored once, coming in his NHL debut back in 2022-23, and has averaged a paltry 8:23 per game.

Given Kapanen had been centering the Habs’ fourth line for much of his time in the lineup, it’s fair to assume Condotta may get a crack in the same role and earn a more extended audition than he has in the past. The stocky Ontario-born pivot was named Laval’s captain prior to the start of the season and has responded with four assists through his first nine games. He’s never been a major offensive factor at the AHL level, only recording a career-high 16 goals and 31 points in 72 games two years ago. But he’s carried intrigue for the Habs as a potential bottom-six checking piece ever since he signed, and he’ll now get a chance to help stop the bleeding and help Montreal limit chances against.

Atlantic Notes: Ostapchuk, Zub, Laine, Slafkovský, Motte, Benson

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The Senators papered Zack Ostapchuk back up to the active roster today after sending him down to AHL Belleville yesterday, per a team announcement.

Ottawa has now recalled the young center on three separate occasions this season. After initially cutting him from their roster on the final day of training camp, he’s been recalled thrice in the past week to serve as an injury fill-in while David Perron and Shane Pinto are out of the lineup.

Ostapchuk has served as the Sens’ third-line center between Noah Gregor and Michael Amadio and will do so again against the Sabres tomorrow, according to Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia. The 21-year-old went without a point in seven appearances last season but has managed to get on the scoresheet in 2024-25, recording his first career assist and a +1 rating while averaging 11:55 through three games.

While Ottawa will remain without Perron and Pinto for a while yet, they’re getting healthier on the back end. Defenseman Artem Zub will make his return from a concussion “sooner than later,” Garrioch said today. He’s been practicing with the team for the better part of the past week but will likely miss his ninth straight game Tuesday in Buffalo. He sustained the concussion in the Sens’ third game of the season against the Kings on a hit from L.A. winger Tanner Jeannot.

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

  • Canadiens winger Patrik Laine hasn’t yet debuted for the team after sustaining a knee injury in preseason, but his return timeline predicates he’ll hit the ice and return to regular-season action sometime next month. He’s still done enough throughout his career to put himself in consideration for a spot on Finland’s roster for February’s 4 Nations Face-Off, general manager Jere Lehtinen told Shawn P. Roarke of NHL.com. There’s a solid chance he won’t get to see game action before rosters for the tournament are due in early December, but leaving him off the roster would leave the already-underdog Finns without a dynamic offensive talent. Health has been a significant hurdle for Laine over the past few years, but his 0.91 points per game since the beginning of the 2021-22 season rank fourth among Finnish NHLers behind Mikko Rantanen, Aleksander Barkov and Sebastian Aho.
  • Still with the Habs, winger Juraj Slafkovský practiced today after leaving Saturday’s loss to the Penguins late after a high hit from Pittsburgh forward Noel Acciari, relays Patrick Friolet of RDS. Slafkovský confirmed to reporters that he didn’t suffer a concussion on the play and will remain in the lineup against the Flames tomorrow, albeit in a slightly reduced second-line role alongside Jake Evans and Alex Newhook, while Kirby Dach takes his spot on the top-line alongside Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki. Slafkovský, 20, already missed three games earlier this season with a shoulder injury. When in the lineup, he has a goal and seven assists in nine appearances.
  • The Red Wings will have forward Tyler Motte available on Wednesday against the Blackhawks after he missed the last seven games with an upper-body injury, head coach Derek Lalonde told reporters today, including Ansar Khan of MLive.com. However, he may still be out of the lineup as a healthy scratch after Detroit escaped their division-rival Sabres with a 2-1 win over the weekend. Signed to a one-year, $800K deal on the second day of free agency, Motte did not have a point with a -2 rating in four appearances with Detroit before exiting the lineup.
  • The Sabres may activate winger Zach Benson from injured reserve before tomorrow’s contest against the Sens, head coach Lindy Ruff told Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News. The 19-year-old has sat out the last five games with a lower-body injury he sustained in their Global Series games against the Devils that never wholly resolved. It showed in his performance, as he was held off the scoresheet and logged a -4 rating in six appearances when in the lineup for Buffalo last month.

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