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Canadiens Exercise Club Option, Extend Martin St. Louis

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The Canadiens have exercised the club option on head coach Martin St. Louis’ contract, extending their bench boss through the 2026-27 season. St. Louis’ deal was slated to expire in the summer of 2025 without the two-year option.

At 48 years old, St. Louis is one of the youngest coaches in the league. Since taking over the rebuilding Canadiens from Dominique Ducharme midway through the 2021-22 season, St. Louis has managed a 75-100-26 record. That includes guiding the Habs to a 14-19-4 finish in 2021-22 after they went 8-30-7 under Ducharme and overseeing a marginal increase from 68 points last season to 76 points this year after ending their season with back-to-back overtime/shootout losses to the Red Wings.

Speaking with reporters today, GM Kent Hughes indicated more extensions could be coming after meeting with St. Louis’ staff tomorrow. Assistant coaches Alexandre Burrows and Trevor Letowski, as well as goaltending coach Éric Raymond, are not signed for 2024-25, per Sportsnet’s Eric Engels. Hughes said he doesn’t feel the need to add a more experienced name to St. Louis’ bench and will likely keep 2023-24’s crew intact moving forward, via TVA’s Renaud Lavoie.

The Laval, Quebec, native didn’t get a chance to suit up for his hometown team during his illustrious 1,134-game NHL career, but he’s been able to make his professional coaching debut in front of one of the largest markets in the league to largely positive results. Before being named Ducharme’s interim replacement in February 2022 and being given the permanent head coach title the following offseason, St. Louis’ only NHL staff experience came as a special teams consultant with the Blue Jackets for the back half of the 2018-19 season.

He hasn’t yet been given the chance to manage a playoff-contending roster, but with a top-10 prospect pool set to continue graduating over the remainder of his extension, he should get the chance before his option expires in three years. Perhaps his biggest accomplishment this season was guiding 2022 first-overall pick Juraj Slafkovsky to a breakout sophomore campaign, ending his season with 20 goals and 50 points while playing in all 82 games. He also presided over a legitimate improvement in the team’s defense and possession play. Their overall 5-on-5 CF% jumped from 45.4 in 2022-23 to 46.3 this year, and their expected goals against per game at 5-on-5 improved from 2.37 to 2.13 while also generating more offense.

As such, Canadiens management believes St. Louis is the man to guide the franchise to their first playoff appearance in the post-Carey Price era. He’ll need an assist along the way from Hughes in constructing a capable roster, but early on in his coaching tenure, it’s clear he’s jelled with the team’s young core.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Michael Pezzetta Leaves Game With Upper-Body Injury

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  • In a similar fashion to Barron, the Montreal Canadiens will be without forward Michael Pezzetta for the remainder of their game and the season with an upper-body injury (X Link). As a depth forward for the team, Pezzetta was only able to register 25 seconds of ice time over one shift, and left the game after the end of the first period.

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Montreal Canadiens Recall Logan Mailloux

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The Montreal Canadiens have recalled defensive prospect Logan Mailloux from the Laval Rocket of the AHL. The 21-year-old is playing in his first professional season in the AHL and has posted 14 goals and 33 assists in 70 games this year for the Canadiens AHL affiliate.

Mailloux was selected late in the first round of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft but had renounced himself from the draft after being charged and fined in Sweden for taking an intimate photo of a woman and distributing it without her consent. Mailloux was on loan to Sweden’s SK Lejon at the time because the COVID-19 pandemic had led to the Ontario Hockey League suspending their season. Mailloux was eventually suspended by the OHL in September 2021 but was reinstated early in 2022.

He went on to play parts of two seasons with the London Knights, posting 25 goals and 28 assists in 59 games during his final OHL season with the team. Despite multiple NHL teams placing Mailloux on their do not draft lists, the Canadiens elected to select him with a late first-round pick, a move that was met with heavy criticism.

It remains to be seen if Mailloux will play tonight for the Canadiens against the Detroit Red Wings in what will be the final game of Montreal’s season. If he does, he will make his NHL debut less than eight months after having his eligibility to play restored by the NHL. Arpon Basu of The Athletic tweeted a statement from the league with the NHL saying that they’ve met with Mailloux multiple times over the last year and he is cleared to play in the NHL.

Montreal Canadiens Expected To Sign Luke Tuch

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April 16th: The Canadiens have officially signed Tuch to a two-year ELC and he will also sign an AHL contract with the Laval Rocket that will give him the ability to finish the current season in the AHL.

April 14th: After his season came to an end against the University of Denver earlier this week in the Frozen Four, now-former Boston University forward Luke Tuch is expected to make the transition to the National Hockey League. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman is reporting that although there is still work to be done, there is every expectation that the Montreal Canadiens will sign Tuch to an entry-level contract.

Tuch, who is the younger brother of Buffalo Sabres’ forward Alex Tuch, originally came to the Canadiens organization as the 47th overall pick of the 2020 NHL Draft. Having already committed to the Terriers program after a strong showing with the U.S. National U18 Team, Tuch would go on to spend the next four years playing in Massachusetts.

Experiencing somewhat of a learning curve, Tuch’s first two years in the Boston University program were largely unproductive, as he was only able to score 12 goals and 21 points through his first 42 games in the NCAA. However, during his junior season, thanks to increased opportunity at the top of the lineup, Tuch scored nine goals and 20 points in 40 games, nearly doubling his career totals.

With Jay Pandolfo behind the bench and on the heels of a Hockey East Championship as well as a Frozen Four finish, Tuch and the Terriers were poised for greatness yet again in the 2023-24 season. Tuch did his part, scoring 10 goals and 30 points in 39 games, but Boston University became unable to win the Hockey East title for a second straight year, and would once again lose in the National semifinal.

Emmett Croteau Enters Transfer Portal

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Canadiens prospect Emmett Croteau has entered the transfer portal, relays Brad Elliott Schlossman of the Grand Forks Herald.  The 20-year-old was a sixth-round pick by Montreal in 2022, going 162nd overall.  Croteau recently finished his freshman year at Clarkson but only suited up six times and struggled, posting a save percentage of just .835.  With Clarkson adding Ethan Langenegger – a fifth-year transfer – via the portal, playing time for Croteau wasn’t going to be coming next season so he’ll try his luck at landing a better opportunity elsewhere.

Canadiens Sign Lane Hutson To Entry-Level Deal

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2:49 p.m.: Hutson’s ELC carries the maximum $950K cap hit, per PuckPedia. The full breakdown is as follows:

2023-24: $855K base salary, $95K signing bonus
2024-25: $855K base salary, $95K signing bonus, $750K Schedule ’A’ performance bonuses
2025-26: $885K base salary, $95K signing bonus, $850K Schedule ’A’ performance bonuses

In a follow-up note, PuckPedia added that the maximum amount of ’A’ cumulative bonuses Hutson can earn on the contract is $1.15MM over the two seasons.

1:26 p.m.: The Canadiens have signed top defense prospect Lane Hutson to an entry-level contract, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports Friday.

The 20-year-old’s sophomore season at Boston University ended yesterday when the Terriers were eliminated in the semifinals of the NCAA national championship, upset 2-1 in overtime by Denver. Hutson won’t make his NHL debut tomorrow against the Senators but could suit up in their two remaining contests against the Red Wings, says Sportsnet’s Eric Engels.

Montreal confirmed it’s a three-year deal beginning immediately for Hutson, meaning he’ll be an RFA upon expiry in 2026. They didn’t disclose financial terms.

Hutson, a left-shot, landed first in the Canadiens prospect pool in Scott Wheeler’s 2024 rankings for The Athletic, continuing a meteoric rise in the diminutive defender’s stock. Many public scouts viewed him as a potential first-round selection in the 2022 draft but slipped all the way to Montreal at 62nd overall, late in the second round, with many clubs scared off by his 5’8″ frame. He’s now listed at 5’10” and 161 lbs nearly two years later.

It’s been an exemplary two years for Hutson at BU. Serving as an alternate captain this season, he led all NCAA blue-liners in scoring with 49 points, tied with 2024 draft-eligible Zeev Buium, who’s now moving on to the national championship game tomorrow with Denver. His 1.29 points per game were solely in first place, making him a Hobey Baker Award nominee for the top collegiate player for a second straight season.

He put up quite similar totals in his freshman campaign, earning him Hockey East All-Star credits in both seasons. His 48 points in 39 games in 2022-23 broke Hall-of-Famer Brian Leetch’s records for the most points by a U-19 defenseman in an NCAA season. The Illinois-born defender has also suited up for Team USA in each of the last two World Junior Championships, winning bronze in 2023 and gold in 2024 while totaling a goal and nine assists across 14 tournament games.

Some concerns remain about his undersized frame and his lack of ability to box out NHL forwards in front of his own net, likely dampening his long-term value only slightly. He’s still a possession monster and an incredibly high-volume shooter with excellent agility and playmaking skills, and he has first-pair upside if partnered with a larger, defensively intelligent blue-liner. Even if he can’t handle those minutes at even strength, he’s a slam dunk to quarterback the Habs’ top power play unit in the near future.

Hutson will likely remain in the NHL next season but will need to unseat other young Montreal defenders like Justin Barron, Jayden Struble, Arber Xhekaj, or the older Johnathan Kovacevic for a roster spot. All are either signed for next season or otherwise under team control.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Kaiden Guhle Remains Out Thursday With Upper-Body Injury

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  • Canadiens defenseman Kaiden Guhle remains out tonight against the Islanders, Patrick Friolet of RDS said. The young defenseman skated this morning as he rehabs an upper-body injury but is sitting out of his fourth straight contest. Guhle, 22, sustained the injury minutes into a clash with the Lightning one week ago and hasn’t played since. He’s now missed five of Montreal’s last seven games, also missing a March 30 contest against the Hurricanes while serving a one-game suspension for slashing Flyers winger Travis Konecny from the Habs bench. The sophomore blue-liner remains in a top-four role, averaging nearly 21 minutes per game. He’s amassed 22 points (six goals, 16 assists) in 70 games, a lower points per game pace than last year, but has logged improved possession metrics with a 44.4 CF% and 45.9 xGF% at even strength.

Montreal Canadiens Sign Florian Xhekaj

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April 10: According to CapFriendly, Xhekaj’s contract carries a $867K cap hit and a $920K AAV. He’ll earn a base salary of $775K in all three seasons. In 2024-25 and 2025-26, he’ll receive a $95K signing bonus and an $80K games played bonus, which drops to an $85K signing bonus and no performance bonus in 2026-27.

April 9: Although it was reported earlier today that defenseman Arber Xhekaj would be missing the remainder of the season due to shoulder surgery, a positive development has still arisen for the family. Today, the Montreal Canadiens announced they have signed Arber’s brother, Florian Xhekaj, to a three-year, entry-level contract beginning next year.

Originally selected with the 101st overall pick by the Canadiens in the 2023 NHL Draft, Florian is set to join Montreal after spending the last two seasons with the Hamilton/Brantford Bulldogs of the Ontario Hockey League. Experiencing somewhat of an offensive outburst in his second year of Major Junior hockey, Florian scored 34 goals and 65 points in 63 games for the Bulldogs, finishing third on the team in scoring.

Playing a similarly gritty style to his brother, Florian has developed a unique ability to cause a lot of traffic in front of the opposing team’s net. Reminiscent of Tomas Holmstrom of the Detroit Red Wings in the late 1990s and early 2000s, most of Florian’s scoring this season came from deflections in front of the crease.

The organization already announced that Florian will be joining their AHL affiliate, the Laval Rocket, for the remainder of the season, so he is set to pick up some valuable experience down the stretch. Although not eliminated from the 2024 Calder Cup playoffs, it will be incredibly difficult for the Rocket to secure a spot this year.

Arber Xhekaj Out For Season, Christian Dvorak Returning Tonight

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The Montreal Canadiens have announced that defenseman Arber Xhekaj is out for the rest of the season and will undergo shoulder surgery tomorrow. The 23-year-old hasn’t played in almost a week and will have his left shoulder operated on; the Canadiens believe he will be ready for training camp next season.

Xhekaj will finish his second NHL season with 44 games played and has tallied three goals and seven assists to go along with a +6 plus/minus. The native of Hamilton, Ontario saw his average ice time increase by about 40 seconds a game, and made some improvements to his defensive game, but still struggled with turnovers. The Canadiens did increase his powerplay ice time to roughly one minute per game, but he couldn’t capitalize on it and recorded no powerplay points this season.

In other Canadiens news, center Christian Dvorak will return to the lineup tonight for the first time since December 30th. The 28-year-old had surgery on January 5th to repair a torn pectoral muscle and will dress against the Philadelphia Flyers. It’s been a tough stretch for Dvorak as injuries and inconsistency have limited his impact this season as he has just three goals and four assists in 25 games. Dvorak was never an analytics darling but his underlying numbers have fallen off since joining the Canadiens three seasons ago.

Canadiens Recall Justin Barron, Announce Injury Updates

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The Canadiens will be without a pair of defensemen for their game tonight against Toronto.  The team announced (Twitter link) that Kaiden Guhle is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury while Arber Xhekaj is also out with an upper-body injury; he is undergoing further evaluation to determine how long he might be out.  In a corresponding move, blueliner Justin Barron was recalled from AHL Laval on an emergency basis which means he won’t count against their post-deadline four-recall limit.

Guhle, who was injured early in Thursday’s game against Tampa Bay, is once again playing a big role on Montreal’s back end this season.  Through 70 games, he has six goals and 16 assists along with 178 blocked shots and 141 hits.  The 22-year-old sophomore leads the Canadiens in blocks and sits second among their blueliners in ATOI, logging a little under 21 minutes a night.

As for Xhekaj, he broke camp with the Canadiens but was sent to Laval for seven weeks midseason before being recalled in late January where he has been a regular in the lineup since then.  The 23-year-old has three goals and seven assists along with 125 hits and a team-high 81 penalty minutes in 44 games with Montreal in just under 16 minutes a night while he added 11 points in 17 contests with the Rocket.

Barron, meanwhile, has split the season between the NHL and AHL.  He has played in 41 games with Montreal (a career-high) and has a dozen points to his credit while averaging a little less than 19 minutes per contest.  However, the 22-year-old has spent most of the second half of the year in the minors and hasn’t been as impactful as expected although he still has 11 points in 30 AHL contests.

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