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Brendan Gallagher To Have Player Safety Hearing

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Canadiens winger Brendan Gallagher will have a hearing with the NHL’s Department of Player Safety on Friday for an illegal check to the head of Islanders defenseman Adam Pelech, the department said in a statement. The hearing will take place over the phone, not in person, limiting a suspension to five games or less.

The incident occurred at 11:52 of the third period in Thursday’s 4-3 win for Montreal. Immediately after Pelech exited the New York zone with the puck and made an outlet pass through the neutral zone, Gallagher cut across the ice and raised his elbow to hit Pelech in the head, making no discernable attempt to lay a body check. Officials assessed Gallagher a five-minute major for a check to the head and a match penalty for intent to injure on the play.

Pelech skated off the ice under his own power and entered concussion protocol. He did not return to the game, which the Islanders tied on the ensuing five-minute power play after being down 3-1 but conceded a late tiebreaker from Sean Monahan at even strength.

Given the severity of the hit, many expected an in-person hearing for Gallagher today with the possibility of a six-plus-game ban.

The 31-year-old is in the third season of a six-year, $6.5MM contract, during which he’s produced only 54 points in 141 games. He’s slipped to a bottom-six role, skating third-line minutes alongside Jake Evans and Tanner Pearson in last night’s win, and his -21 rating is the worst on the team. His 48.9% Corsi share at even strength still ranks near the top of the team, though, and a horribly unlucky on-ice shooting percentage of 5.7 has likely had a decent effect on his point production this season.

In 48 games this year, Gallagher has eight goals and eight assists for 16 points while averaging 14:11 per game, the lowest since his rookie season.

Canadiens Loan Joshua Roy To AHL

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The Canadiens returned forward Joshua Roy to AHL Laval on Wednesday, according to a team announcement.

Roy, 20, didn’t look entirely out of place in his first NHL call-up. A fifth-round pick of the team in 2021, Roy scored his first NHL goal in a 3-2 win over the Devils last Wednesday and added another assist in the span of six games. He averaged nearly 12 minutes per game and posted a 45.2% Corsi share at even strength. While that number doesn’t jump off the page, the Canadiens played a poor stretch of possession hockey during Roy’s call-up, resulting in the rookie posting a strong relative Corsi share of 4.1%.

It’s been a quick ascension for Roy, who now looks like one of the organization’s top prospects after slipping to the back half of the draft less than three years ago. He won back-to-back gold medals with Canada at the 2022 and 2023 World Junior Championship and was named to the QMJHL’s First All-Star Team in back-to-back years with the Sherbrooke Phoenix. In his first extended taste of pro hockey, Roy has excelled in Laval, tying for the team lead with 12 goals in 34 games while adding 18 assists for 30 points, earning Rookie of the Month honors in October.

After a promising first NHL stint, Roy will likely spend the rest of the season in the minors as he continues his development. He’ll be an outside candidate to crack Montreal’s opening night roster next season and should, barring an unforeseen bump in his development, be a full-time NHL player by the time his entry-level contract expires in 2026.

Tanner Pearson Returning To The Canadiens Lineup

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Montreal Canadiens forward Tanner Pearson is set to return to the lineup tonight when the Canadiens take on the Ottawa Senators. Pearson has been sidelined since December 9th with an upper-body injury but has been practicing with the team for a few days now.

The 31-year-old was acquired by the Canadiens last September along with a 2025 third-round pick in exchange for goaltender Casey DeSmith. He started the season slow with just four goals and four assists in his first 27 games before the injury sidelined him.

It’s been a tough few years for the 31-year-old as he was once a perennial 15-20 goal scorer but hasn’t topped 15 goals since the 2019-20 season when he had 21 goals with the Vancouver Canucks.

Pearson is in the final season of a three-year contract he signed with the Canucks back in April 2021 and could become a trade chip for the Canadiens if he can show that he is healthy and productive. He spent the first six years of his career with the Los Angeles Kings, winning a Stanley Cup in 2014. However, since 2018 he has been dealt on three separate occasions and could be looking at another move, or possibly two over the next six months.

Pearson is counting $3.25MM against the cap this year and could be one of the less expensive forwards on the market. His trade market could heat up if he can get any traction over the next four to six weeks.

Snapshots: Xhekaj, Vilardi, Lucius

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Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman shared on the 32 Thoughts podcast that the Philadelphia Flyers may have been one of the many teams to inquire about Montreal Canadiens defenseman Arber Xhekaj. Xhekaj has generated a lot of interest around the league since making his NHL debut last season, largely because of the 148 penalty minutes he’s totaled in only 68 career games. He’s added 34 penalty minutes in 17 AHL games, embodying the old-school enforcer style that’s dwindled in recent years. Xhekaj already has five fights on the season – three in the NHL, including one against Ryan Reaves, and two in the AHL.

Xhekaj has added modest scoring on top of his hefty grit, netting 11 points in the minors this year and three points with Montreal. He’s carved out an impressive role in the NHL, despite going undrafted in his juniors years. Xhekaj signed his first NHL contract out of Montreal’s 2021 training camp, inking a three-year, $2.5MM entry-level contract. He spent the first year of this contract in the OHL, with the deal officially beginning last year. It’s unclear what Montreal might want in return for a defenseman currently in the minor leagues, but there’s no doubting why there’s interest in the 6’4″, 204lbs 22-year-old.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Gabriel Vilardi will be a game-time decision for the Winnipeg Jets’ Monday night matchup against the Boston Bruins, per head coach Rick Bowness. Vilardi has been in and out of the lineup in his first season with the Jets, appearing in just 26 of the team’s 44 games. But he’s made his presence felt when he can, managing 11 goals and 20 points. Vilardi appeared at Winnipeg’s Monday practice but was seen speaking with Bowness after practice. If he can’t go, the team will likely turn toward Axel Jonsson-Fjallby, who has five points through 24 games this season.
  • Winnipeg Jets prospect Chaz Lucius is slated to have season-ending surgery on his ankle. It’s yet another significant injury for the 20-year-old centerman, who has only managed 59 league games over the last three seasons. Lucius was on a hot streak in the minor leagues this year, managing 13 points in his 17 apperances. The Jets will hope for the best from the former 18th-overall selection as he sets his sights on next season.

Mitchell Stephens Clears Waivers, Canadiens Send Justin Barron Down

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1/23: Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports reports that Stephens went unclaimed on waivers, and will now report to Laval.

1/22: The Montreal Canadiens have placed forward Mitchell Stephens on waivers and loaned defenseman Justin Barron to the AHL’s Laval Rockets. Stephens started the season in Laval, clearing waivers ahead of the season’s start. He scored 12 points in 16 AHL games before joining Montreal on December 1st. Meanwhile, Barron is slated for his first stint with Laval, after playing in 41 of Montreal’s 46 games this season. The 22-year-old defenseman has managed 12 points in that stretch, a step down from the 15 points he recorded in 39 games with Montreal last season. Barron also recorded 16 points in 25 AHL games last year.

While Stephens has already cleared waivers once this season, his depth has proven valuable throughout his eight-year professional career. Stephens was originally drafted 33rd overall in the 2015 NHL Draft, just a few picks before the Carolina Hurricanes drafted Sebastian Aho. He made his professional debut in the following year, playing five AHL games at the end of the 2015-16 season. He returned to juniors in the following season, but played his first full pro season in 2017-18, scoring 41 points in 70 games with the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch. That year’s scoring remains Stephens’ career-high, although he matched it in 68 games during Laval’s 2022-23 season. The 26-year-old forward has only played in 95 career NHL games, recording 16 points and 22 penalty minutes. He’s also recorded 219 career AHL games and 137 points.

Josh Anderson Could Return Today

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  • Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports is reporting that Montreal Canadiens forward Josh Anderson is practicing this morning with the team and could return to the lineup tonight against the Boston Bruins after a four-game absence. Anderson has been out with a lower-body injury and practiced today on a line with Brendan Gallagher and Jake Evans. The 29-year-old has struggled this season with just seven goals and five assists in 41 games as his shooting percentage has fallen to just 7.5%, far off his career average of 11.2%. Anderson will reportedly be a game-time decision for the Canadiens today.

Pearson Accompanies Team On Road Trip, Nearing Return

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  • Canadiens winger Tanner Pearson will accompany the team on its upcoming road trip as he works his way back from a hand injury, relays Sportsnet’s Eric Engels (Twitter link). The 31-year-old has missed more than a month with this latest hand issue after undergoing several surgeries last season.  Pearson has four goals and four assists in 27 games so far and is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Canadiens Not Committed To Trading Monahan

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  • One player who has found himself in trade speculation for yet another season is a veteran forward for the Montreal Canadiens, Sean Monahan. However, the General Manager of the Canadiens, Kent Hughes, still believes everything is on the table in regards to Monahan’s future with the club, and the team may even opt to extend him rather than trade him (X Link). Playing on a one-year, $1.985MM contract for Montreal, Monahan has returned nicely from an injury-riddled 2022-23 season, scoring 11 goals and 25 points in 43 games for the Canadiens this year.

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Josh Anderson Out With Lower-Body Injury

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The Canadiens announced (Twitter link) that winger Josh Anderson will not play tonight due to a lower-body injury and that he will be evaluated on a daily basis.  The 29-year-old had a dreadful start to his season as he was held without a goal for his first 24 games but since then, he has fared better with seven goals and two assists in his last 17 outings.  His spot in the lineup will be taken by Joshua Roy who was recalled late last night.  Montreal presently has over $25MM in salaries for their injured players per CapFriendly with this injury pushing that number past the $30MM mark.

Canadiens Recall Joshua Roy

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Following their AHL affiliate’s contest last night, the Canadiens announced that they’ve recalled winger Joshua Roy from Laval.  The team had an open roster spot following Thursday’s demotion of Emil Heineman.

The 20-year-old fell to the fifth round in 2021, going 150th overall.  However, since being drafted, he was quite a productive player at the major junior level, recording 97 goals and 121 assists in 121 games with QMJHL Sherbrooke in his final two years.  Roy added 47 points in 25 playoff appearances over that same stretch.  He also played for Canada in two World Junior tournaments, notching eight goals and 11 helpers in 14 contests in those events.

Roy has carried over that production to the AHL level in 2023-24, sitting second on Laval in scoring with 12 goals and 18 assists in 34 games.  His 30 points put him third among all rookies in the AHL this season.

Montreal’s offense sits near the bottom of the pack in the NHL this season as they enter play tonight ranking 26th in that department.  With the Canadiens down several key forwards including Kirby Dach, Alex Newhook, Christian Dvorak, and Tanner Pearson, Roy should get a chance to play an offensive role with them fairly quickly.

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