Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Canadiens Rumors

Montreal Canadiens Recall Arber Xhekaj

at CDT | by 5 Comments

Though it was already expected, the Montreal Canadiens have officially placed Paul Byron on long-term injured reserve and recalled Arber Xhekaj from the minor leagues. Byron is now out for at least 24 days, though his actual return is still completely indefinite.

The 33-year-old has been crushed by injuries the last several seasons, an unfortunate end to what was a pretty impressive story. Selected in the sixth round in 2007, he was an undersized offensive player from the QMJHL that needed to revamp his game to make it in the NHL. After several years grinding through the minor leagues in the Calgary Flames organization, he found a home and quickly became an NHL regular.

In 2016-17, he reached a career-high with 22 goals and 43 points, becoming a reliable even-strength scoring threat for the Canadiens. Overall, he has 98 goals and 208 points in 521 games. His contract, which carries a $3.4MM cap hit, will expire at the end of the season.

Xhekaj, meanwhile, has been the talk of training camp with the Canadiens. The 21-year-old undrafted defenseman is a mean, physical presence on the ice that seems to have absolutely no fear. The 6’4″ bruiser may not ever be a Norris candidate but with excellent skating ability and NHL size and strength, he quickly became a fan favorite in Montreal.

With the team focused on the future, young players like Xhekaj will get a great opportunity with the Canadiens this season. Byron’s contract gives the team a little more flexibility to work with, at least until he finds a way to get back on the ice.

Snapshots: Sprong, Dickinson, Mailloux

at CDT | by 5 Comments

After converting his PTO into another NHL contract, Seattle Kraken winger Daniel Sprong isn’t able to be a full participant with the team just yet. According to The Seattle Times’ Kate Shefte, Sprong is dealing with work visa complications and is expected to rejoin the team within the next few days.

This does put Sprong’s availability for Seattle’s season opener on Wednesday in Anaheim in doubt. While Sprong was productive in terms of goals after joining the Kraken at the trade deadline last season, their added depth on the wing puts him squarely in a fourth-line role with everyone healthy. In his stead, Karson Kuhlman is expected to dress against Anaheim if Sprong can’t play.

  • Similarly, new Chicago Blackhawks forward Jason Dickinson is also battling visa issues after arriving from Vancouver. The Athletic’s Mark Lazerus reports that Dickinson will miss the team’s first two games of the season at the least, potentially missing three. Dickinson’s absence and his ability to be designated as a non-roster player in the meantime allowed them to claim defenseman Jarred Tinordi off waivers today without making a corresponding roster move.
  • While Montreal Canadiens defense prospect Logan Mailloux will start the season on injured reserve, he won’t stay there for long. Sportsnet’s Eric Engels notes to expect Montreal to send him back to the OHL’s London Knights after he returns to practice. Mailloux is expected to play a full season in London after injuries and a lengthy suspension due to his sexual misconduct charge during his draft year in Sweden limited him to 12 games.

Montreal Canadiens Issue Several Injury Updates

at CDT | by 6 Comments

After heading all the way to the Stanley Cup Final in 2020-21, only to finish dead last in the NHL standings in 2021-22, it’s unclear exactly what is to be expected from the Montreal Canadiens this year. Injuries were a large part of what plagued the team last season, and heading into this season, they’re still a part of the headline. Of course, legendary goaltender Carey Price will be on LTIR and is unlikely to play this season, and it’s unclear if he’ll ever return. Still, there are some shorter-term updates available out of Montreal today.

For one, veteran defenseman Joel Edmundson, who is recovering from a back injury, was able to skate this morning and though his rehab is progressing, the team is still unable to provide a timetable for his return. Forwards Joel Armia and Emil Heineman will both be out with injury, Armia out one to two weeks with an upper-body injury and Heineman six weeks with a thumb injury. Defenseman Mike Matheson, who the team acquired in the Jeff Petry deal, is continuing to rehab a lower-body injury and is considered day-to-day. Finally, forwards and expected key contributors Nick Suzuki, Mike Hoffman, and Christian Dvorak, who had all been dealing with separate ailments, were back at practice this morning.

Training Camp Cuts: 10/10/22

at CDT | by 7 Comments

A very happy Thanksgiving to all of our readers who are celebrating! Today marks the deadline for NHL clubs to become cap compliant and submit their opening night rosters. More specifically, the 5:00 pm ET deadline is now less than six hours away. With that in mind, we expect to see plenty of players sent to the minor leagues, returned to juniors, or released from their PTOs today, and we’ll keep track of them here.

Arizona Coyotes (via team tweet)

D Cam Dineen (to Tucson, AHL)
G Jon Gillies (to Tucson, AHL)
F Laurent Dauphin (to Tucson, AHL)
F Bokondji Imama (to Tucson, AHL)

Buffalo Sabres (via team tweet)

D Lawrence Pilut (to Rochester, AHL)
G Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (to Rochester, AHL)
F Olivier Nadeau (to Gatineau, QMJHL)

Carolina Hurricanes (via team release)

F Jack Drury (to Chicago, AHL)
F Jordan Martinook (to Chicago, AHL)

Colorado Avalanche (via team tweet)

D Wyatt Aamodt (to Colorado, AHL)
F Mikhail Maltsev (to Colorado, AHL)

Columbus Blue Jackets (per team release)

F Emil Bemstrom (to Cleveland, AHL)
D David Jiricek (to Cleveland, AHL)

Detroit Red Wings (per team release)

D Jeremie Biakabutuka (released from ATO)
F Kyle Criscuolo (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Taro Hirose (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
G Jussi Olkinuora (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Givani Smith (to Grand Rapids, AHL)

Edmonton Oilers (via team tweet)

D Jason Demers (released from PTO)
F James Hamblin (to Bakersfield, AHL)
F Devin Shore (to Bakersfield, AHL)

Los Angeles Kings (per team release)

G Pheonix Copley (to Ontario, AHL)
F Rasmus Kupari (to Ontario, AHL)
F Andre Lee (to Ontario, AHL)
D Jacob Moverare (to Ontario, AHL)

Montreal Canadiens (via two team tweets)

F Rafael Harvey-Pinard (to Laval, AHL)
F Jesse Ylonen (to Laval, AHL)
D Justin Barron (to Laval, AHL)
D Otto Leskinen (to Laval, AHL)
G Cayden Primeau (to Laval, AHL)
D Arber Xhekaj (to Laval, AHL)

Nashville Predators (via team release)

F Jimmy Huntington (to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Mark Jankowski (to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Philip Tomasino (to Milwaukee, AHL)
D Kevin Gravel (to Milwaukee, AHL)
D Jordan Gross (to Milwaukee, AHL)
D Roland McKeown (to Milwaukee, AHL)

New York Rangers (via team release)

D Matt Bartkowski (released from PTO)
F Julien Gauthier (to Hartford, AHL)

Ottawa Senators (via team tweet)

F Ridly Greig (to Belleville, AHL)

Philadelphia Flyers (per Olivia Reiner, The Philadelphia Inquirer)

F Jackson Cates (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)

Seattle Kraken (via team tweet)

F John Hayden (to Coachella Valley, AHL)
D Michal Kempny (to Coachella Valley, AHL)

St. Louis Blues (via team release)

F Josh Leivo (to Springfield, AHL)
F Jake Neighbours (to Springfield, AHL)

Toronto Maple Leafs (via team tweet)

F Kyle Clifford (to Toronto, AHL)
F Adam Gaudette (to Toronto, AHL)
F Pontus Holmberg (to Toronto, AHL)
D Filip Kral (to Toronto, AHL)
D Victor Mete (to Toronto, AHL)
F Nick Robertson (to Toronto, AHL)
F Wayne Simmonds (to Toronto, AHL)
D William Villeneuve (to Toronto, AHL)

Vancouver Canucks (via team tweet)

F Linus Karlsson (to Abbotsford, AHL)

Vegas Golden Knights (via team release)

F Pavel Dorofeyev (to Henderson, AHL)
F Sakari Manninen (to Henderson, AHL)
F Jonas Rondbjerg (to Henderson, AHL)
D Jake Bischoff (to Henderson, AHL)
D Kaedan Korczak (to Henderson, AHL)
G Michael Hutchinson (to Henderson, AHL)

Washington Capitals (via team tweet)

F Henrik Borgstrom (to Hershey, AHL)
D Lucas Johansen (to Hershey, AHL)

Winnipeg Jets (via team tweet)

D Ville Heinola (to Manitoba, AHL)

This post will be kept updated throughout the day.

Canadiens Claim Johnathan Kovacevic From Jets

at CDT | by 2 Comments

The Canadiens have added some depth on the back end as NorthStar Bets’ Chris Johnston reports (Twitter link) that they’ve claimed defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic off waivers from Winnipeg.

The 25-year-old made his NHL debut last season, getting into four games with the Jets where he averaged just shy of 11 minutes per game.  Kovacevic spent most of the year with AHL Manitoba where he put up 11 goals and 19 assists in 62 games, both career-bests.  That was enough for Winnipeg to sign him to a three-year contract this summer, one that’s worth the NHL minimum in each season, carrying a cap hit of $766.7K.  The deal is two-way for the first two years and one-way for the last season.

Montreal, who has the top waiver priority for all of October after finishing last in 2021-22, has several open spots on their back end with only veterans Mike Matheson, David Savard, Joel Edmundson, and Chris Wideman assured of spots and Edmundson has yet to play this preseason due to back injuries.  They’ve spent most of the preseason running through several prospects and minor leaguers with varying results.  Adding Kovacevic will fill one of those openings and push a prospect or a younger veteran on the fringes to the minors (and/or waiver wire) in advance of Monday’s season-opening roster deadline.

Latest On Paul Byron

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

While injuries limited Montreal Canadiens forward Paul Byron to just 27 games played last season, many hoped that a summer of rest and recovery would allow the two-time 20-goal scorer to return to the ice for the Canadiens’ 2022-23 campaign. Now, though, it seems those hopes may have been a bit too optimistic. As reported by The Athletic’s Marc Antoine Godin, (subscription link) Byron is currently dealing with “ongoing problems” in his left hip, problems that not only have kept him from skating but have also “started to cloud” Byron’s playing future. Per Godin, Byron underwent surgery in order to fix chronic hip pain, and despite his rehab going well for much of this summer he reached an additional step of the process that he “didn’t respond well” to, resulting in a major setback in his road to recovery.

According to the report, Byron is still dealing with “lingering inflammation” in his hip, and it’s gotten to a point where it could affect the rest of his career. Canadiens GM Kent Hughes told The Athletic that if Byron’s health fails to improve, he will be placed on long-term injured reserve. In the immediate term, what this means for the Canadiens is they will gain additional breathing room under the cap, and Byron will join Carey Price on the team’s LTIR list. In the long term, what this means for Byron is that he may not be able to play again if this condition fails to improve. While this is definitely an unwelcome development for Byron, he can look back at his time in Montreal with great pride, as he became a useful scoring winger and one of the better waiver claims in recent NHL history.

Nick Suzuki, Joel Armia, Emil Heineman Remain Injured

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Montreal Canadiens Sign Logan Mailloux

at CDT | by 3 Comments

The Montreal Canadiens have signed prospect Logan Mailloux to a three-year, entry-level contract, inking the 2021 first-round pick a few days ahead of the start of the NHL season.

Mailloux, 19, asked not to be drafted at all a year ago, after being charged with taking and distributing an offensive photo without consent while playing in Sweden. At the time, he wrote that it was “best that I renounce myself from the 2021 NHL draft and ask that no one select me.” The Canadiens did not feel the same, and selected the young defenseman with the 32nd overall pick. The OHL then suspended Mailloux for several months, reinstating him in the New Year. He played 12 games for the London Knights, registering nine points.

In today’s press release, new general manager Kent Hughes, who was not part of the staff that selected Mailloux, released a statement:

This is a decision that we have thought through carefully. Having Logan around members of our team and hockey operations staff for a good part of the summer allowed us to gain a greater appreciation of Logan Mailloux the person. He has an opportunity to affect positive change and we will work to support him in any effort towards that goal. Logan recognizes the impact of his gesture and of course, the process continues.

When the OHL decided to reinstate him, the league explained that Mailloux had gone through a “personal development plan” that included therapy, counseling, and certification in programs like Respect in Sport, Mental Health in Sport, and Cultural Awareness. The Canadiens, apparently comfortable with his progress, have now brought him into the organization on a full-time basis under this contract. He will likely be re-assigned to the Knights to start the year, and his contract will slide forward.

For the rest of his career, Mailloux will likely be a hot-button player in hockey circles. The hope at this point must be that he has learned from his actions and can move forward to “affect positive change” as Hughes puts it. His contract will pay $750K in the first year and $832.5K in the following two, along with a $92K signing bonus in each.

Montreal Canadiens Sign Owen Beck

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

6:54 pm: Beck’s contract breakdown is as follows, via CapFriendly:

2022-23: $775K base + $95K signing bonus + $82.5K minors salary + $10.5K juniors salary
2023-24: $835K base + $95K signing bonus + $82.5K minors salary + $10.5K juniors salary
2024-25: $855K base + $95K signing bonus + $82.5K minors salary

8:22 am: While all eyes were on first-overall pick Juraj Slafkovsky, one of the real standouts in Montreal Canadiens camp was second-round pick Owen Beck. While he likely won’t make the team out of camp, he’ll at least leave with something in hand. Beck has been signed to a three-year, entry-level contract that carries a cap hit of just under $917K.

Beck, 18, played last season for the Mississauga Steelheads of the OHL, after missing the entire 2020-21 campaign due to the COVID shutdown. That may have clouded his upside slightly, dropping him to 33rd overall, but so far his impression on Canadiens brass and fans has been a good one. Given how many picks the team had this year, the 2022 draft could go down as a franchise-altering moment for Montreal, especially if second-rounders Beck and Lane Hutson reach their potential as NHL difference-makers.

While Beck is still in camp with the Canadiens, the likely outcome for him is an assignment back to Mississauga where he can continue his growth. After scoring 51 points in 68 games, he should be a much more productive offensive piece this time around, and set himself for another good training camp a year from now. There’s not much more he could have done this time around, and this contract rewards him for his strong play.

Waivers: 10/04/22

at CDT | by 3 Comments

After all of the players from yesterday cleared, there is a new batch of talent on waivers today. Placement here is usually indicative of a training camp cut, though not necessarily. It gives teams the option to send a player to the minor leagues, but that doesn’t have to happen right away. Until a player spends 30 days on the active roster or plays in ten regular season games, they won’t have to clear waivers again.

Here are the players on waivers today:

Boston Bruins

Oskar Steen
Nick Wolff
Connor Carrick

Buffalo Sabres

Sean Malone

Chicago Blackhawks

Luke Philp
Nicolas Beaudin
Dylan Sikura
Brett Seney

Columbus Blue Jackets

Brendan Gaunce

Minnesota Wild

Zane McIntyre

Montreal Canadiens

Alex Belzile
Anthony Richard
Mitchell Stephens

New Jersey Devils

Tyler Wotherspoon
Robbie Russo
Joseph Gambardella
Jeremy Groleau

Pittsburgh Penguins

Taylor Fedun

Vancouver Canucks

Collin Delia
John Stevens
Noah Juulsen
Brady Keeper
Guillaume Brisebois

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

scroll to top