- The Montreal Canadiens had Joel Armia back on the ice in a non-contact jersey today, according to Eric Engels of Sportsnet. The versatile forward hasn’t played in over a week, and even then was having a brutal start to the year. With no points in seven games this season and just 14 in 2021-22, the four-year extension Armia signed in 2021 isn’t looking great at this point. While still an excellent defensive presence, the Canadiens need to get some offense out of his $3.4MM cap hit.
- Meanwhile, Mike Hoffman was missing from Canadiens practice due to a medical evaluation for a lower-body injury. The veteran forward left Saturday’s game early putting an end to what had been a nice little stretch for Hoffman with six points in six games.
Canadiens Rumors
Canadiens Activate Mike Matheson Off Injured Reserve
The Canadiens will welcome back a key defenseman tonight against Philadelphia as the team announced (Twitter link) that Mike Matheson will make his Montreal debut after being activated off injured reserve.
The 28-year-old was acquired from Pittsburgh over the offseason in a move that saw defenseman Jeff Petry and center Ryan Poehling join the Penguins. Matheson, who was coming off a career year with Pittsburgh that saw him put up 11 goals and 20 assists in 74 games, was expected to play the role that Petry had last season as Montreal’s number one defender but he suffered an abdominal injury early in the preseason. Originally diagnosed as a day-to-day issue, it was then suggested that he’d be out until mid-December but clearly, he’s ahead of that timeline.
Montreal freed up a roster spot yesterday when they returned forward Rem Pitlick to AHL Laval so they don’t have to make any other moves for now. Instead, they’ll opt to carry eight defensemen and will sit one of their rookies as Jordan Harris is expected to be scratched for the first time this season. With four rookies (three of them being waiver-exempt) on their active roster, that’s not a particularly tenable situation from a long-term perspective but for now, they’ll welcome Matheson back and potentially begin a rotation of the final two spots on the back end.
Emil Heineman Loaned To SHL
The Montreal Canadiens signed prospect Emil Heineman to a three-year entry-level contract back in April but he hasn’t played a single game yet this season at any level. That’s because of a thumb injury that kept him out six weeks, but as he returns to full health, the team needed to make a decision on where he would play.
Today, they have officially loaned Heineman back to Leksands IF of the SHL, his hometown club team that developed him in Sweden. It’s a nice birthday present for the young forward – who turned 21 on Wednesday – even if it means he won’t be getting an NHL salary. Ready to return to game action, he can try to take the next step in his development at home with a club he is familiar with.
Last season, Heineman had 11 goals and 16 points for Leksands, good numbers for a player so young. Always engaged, no matter where he is on the ice, the 2020 second-round pick has NHL potential, if he can polish off the rough edges of his game. Given that he’s already 21, another year in Sweden should set him up to compete for an NHL role in training camp next year, or play a significant one in Laval.
The first year of his contract will be used in 2022-23, despite him playing overseas.
Rem Pitlick Returned To AHL
The Montreal Canadiens have sent Rem Pitlick back to the AHL after just a couple of days and no game action, as Mike Matheson is expected to make his return soon. Even if he’s not ready for tomorrow’s game against the Philadelphia Flyers, the Canadiens are at home for the next two and don’t need the extra body traveling with them.
Pitlick, 25, was held scoreless through seven games before eventually finding himself on waivers. The shiny new two-year contract he signed with the team in July didn’t save him from being sent down, meaning the Canadiens are now paying him over $1MM to suit up for the Laval Rocket. The shifty forward has three assists in three AHL games, after scoring 26 in 46 matches with Montreal last year.
Matheson, meanwhile, hasn’t played yet for Montreal after being acquired in the offseason from the Pittsburgh Penguins. He was in a regular jersey at practice on Wednesday and should be back soon. What that means for the Canadiens defense isn’t clear. Eric Engels of Sportsnet recently wrote how it could actually affect fan favorite Arber Xhekaj, as he, Jordan Harris, and Kaiden Guhle are the only waiver-exempt defensemen on the roster. Activating Matheson would give the team eight blueline options, and reduce the amount of flexibility up front.
Getting a change on the back end might not be the worst idea for a team that has given up 15 goals in its last three games. Even with the Columbus Blue Jackets missing half their lineup, Montreal still managed to give up six goals last night in a loss. Xhekaj and Johnathan Kovacevic each played fewer than 16 minutes in the game.
Montreal Canadiens Recall Rem Pitlick; Jonathan Drouin Out 4-6 Weeks
The Montreal Canadiens will be without Jonathan Drouin for the next four to six weeks, as he continues to deal with an injury suffered earlier this month. The veteran forward has actually been playing through it, after first suffering it against the Vegas Golden Knights on November 5. In the three games since Drouin posted two points.
To take his place, the Canadiens have recalled Rem Pitlick, who recently cleared waivers and was with the Laval Rocket. The 25-year-old Pitlick had three points in three games with the AHL squad after going scoreless through seven NHL contests to start the year. A surprise last season when he had 26 points in 46 games for Montreal, Pitlick should get another chance to play, especially after the 5-1 teardown the Canadiens experienced last night.
The team is now 8-7-1 on the year, and really only has a few players to count on for offensive contributions. If Pitlick can add a bit of scoring punch, he’ll likely find his way into the lineup on a regular basis.
Drouin has officially been placed on injured reserve to bring the roster back down to 23.
Juraj Slafkovsky Suspended Two Games
The Montreal Canadiens will be without the first-overall pick for the next few days as Juraj Slafkovsky has been given a two-game suspension by the Department of Player Safety for his hit on Matt Luff. As the accompanying video explains:
It is important to note that while Luff does turn to face the wall, he does not do so just prior to or simultaneous with contact in a way that turns a legal check into an illegal one. From the time he crosses the blue line, Slafkovsky is looking at Luff’s numbers. The onus is on Slavkovsky to deliver this check in a legal fashion, minimize the force of the contact, or avoid the hit entirely.
As expected, the league took into account Luff’s subsequent injury – wrist surgery that will keep him out 10-12 weeks – in determining the punishment. This will be the first supplementary discipline of Slafkovsky’s young career but will now be taken into consideration whenever there is another borderline incident.
It is also the second Montreal Canadiens forward that has been suspended for boarding in just a few days, after Josh Anderson also received a two-game ban for his hit on Alex Pietrangelo. They occurred at nearly identical spots on the ice (though in different rinks), and resulted in the same discipline.
Slafkovsky will miss games against the Vancouver Canucks and Pittsburgh Penguins.
Juraj Slafkovsky To Have Hearing With Department Of Player Safety
The Montreal Canadiens are once again under the microscope of the NHL’s Department of Player Safety. NHL Player Safety announced on Twitter that Canadiens forward Juraj Slafkovsky will have a hearing today for boarding Detroit Red Wings forward Matt Luff in last night’s game.
The incident in question came close to the end of the third period of the Red Wings’ shootout loss to the Canadiens. The Red Wings won a defensive zone faceoff, and Luff had carried the puck up to the red line. He attempted to chip a puck past Canadiens defenseman Joel Edmundson, who promptly swatted Luff’s chip attempt back down towards Luff. At that point, Luff attempted to send the bouncing puck into the offensive zone, but after whiffing on his first attempt was driven into the boards by Slafkovsky, who was gliding through the neutral zone.
Slafkovsky hit Luff in the numbers, driving him head-first into the boards. Luff looked to be in pain as he got up and left the ice, and coach Derek Lalonde said postgame that Luff would be out “long-term.”
As the 2022 first-overall pick, last night’s game was Slafkovsky’s tenth in the NHL, so it should not be a surprise that this is his first run-in with the Department of Player Safety. The Canadiens have already lost winger Josh Anderson to a two-game suspension, and it would not be a surprise to see the other Canadiens power forward be handed a similar punishment.
Rem Pitlick Clears Waivers
Nov 8: Pitlick has cleared waivers (along with Dylan Wells, who was waived by the Chicago Blackhawks) and can now be assigned to the minor leagues.
Nov 7: The Montreal Canadiens have too many forwards. Even with Evgenii Dadonov on injured reserve, the team was still carrying 14 legitimate NHL options. The team has been exploring trade options for some of the bigger names, but to this point, nothing has materialized. Today, they’ll reduce the number by at least one.
Rem Pitlick will be placed on waivers, likely with the purpose of sending him to the minor leagues if he clears. He last played on November 3 against the Winnipeg Jets, a game in which he took two minor hooking penalties in just over ten minutes of action. That moved him out of the lineup entirely, missing Saturday’s game against the Vegas Golden Knights as a healthy scratch.
Pitlick, 25, was a bit of a revelation for the Canadiens at the end of last season, scoring nine goals and 26 points in 46 games after the team claimed him from the Minnesota Wild. He hasn’t been anywhere near the same player this season and has been held scoreless through seven matches. The unfortunate part for Montreal is that late-season performance earned Pitlick a two-year contract in the summer, worth $1.1MM each season. That kind of a deal will make any team considering a claim hesitate, given his poor start.
Still, perhaps there will be a club that sees the young forward as an NHL option. If he isn’t claimed, the team could send Pitlick to the minor leagues to get back on track and recall him at some point in the future. His entire cap hit could be buried with the move.
Josh Anderson Receives Two-Game Suspension
For the second time today, the Department of Player Safety has issued a two-game suspension. This time, it will be Canadiens winger Josh Anderson who sits as the league issued (video link) a two-game ban for boarding.
The incident occurred midway through the third period in Saturday’s game against Vegas when Anderson hit blueliner Alex Pietrangelo from behind in front of the Golden Knights’ bench. Pietrangelo was able to remain in the game while Anderson received a five-minute major penalty plus a game misconduct on the play. The video notes how Anderson changed his angle in order to deliver the hit, one that drove him forcibly into the boards.
This is the first suspension for Anderson who will miss Montreal’s upcoming games against Detroit and Vancouver on Tuesday and Wednesday respectively. He will forfeit nearly $60K in salary with the money going to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.
Josh Anderson To Have Hearing With Department Of Player Safety
Not too long after the NHL’s Department of Player Safety announced a hearing for Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk, they’ve announced a hearing for Montreal Canadiens forward Josh Anderson. According to Sportsnet’s Eric Engels, the hearing will be over the phone, which means a shorter suspension, if any.
The play in question happened just after the halfway point of the third period in last nights game against the Vegas Golden Knights. Anderson lined up defenseman Alex Pietrangelo from behind, sending him into the boards right in front of the Vegas bench. Fortunately, Pietrangelo appeared uninjured from the hit and in fact got straight up to join the scrum that ensued around Anderson. For the hit, Anderson received a five-minute major and a game misconduct.
What exactly the supplemental discipline Anderson receives, if any, is still unclear. However, it is worth mentioning that Anderson has not been suspended thus far in his NHL career, thus the punishment could be lesser than that of a repeat offender. The winger has five points in 12 games so far this season, his third in Montreal.