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Lane Hutson

Morning Notes: Hutson, Papaioannou, Rodrigue

August 14, 2025 at 9:21 am CDT | by Josh Erickson Leave a Comment

Extension talks between the Canadiens and pending 10.2(c) RFA Lane Hutson are still in their preliminary stages but have been “very amicable,” sources tell RG’s Marco D’Amico.

D’Amico deep dives into a couple of peculiarities impacting Hutson’s next deal, the first of which is his inability to receive an offer sheet next summer due to his lack of professional experience. That takes significant pressure off the Canadiens to rush things with the reigning Calder Trophy winner while also somewhat limiting Hutson’s leverage to command north of $10MM per season on a mid-to-long-term deal, as some have speculated.

After erupting for 60 assists and 66 points in all 82 games in his first crack at the NHL, Hutson will be up for his first standard contract at just 22 years old with five years of team control remaining. That means a long-term deal may not be in the cards – a four-year contract would give them one more try at negotiating with Hutson under team control and would allow him to land a payday at age 26 amid his peak.

That could result in a more conservative cap hit in the $8.8MM to $9.5MM range when an extension does get done eventually, D’Amico writes, citing other 10.2(c) comparables in the past few years like Brock Faber, Quinn Hughes, and Jake Sanderson. They’re also likely keeping talks quiet until another 10.2(c) RFA defenseman, Luke Hughes, signs his next deal with the Devils to give Hutson’s camp a more recent comparable to work with.

More from around hockey today:

  • The ECHL’s Wheeling Nailers have named Ryan Papaioannou as their new head coach, their NHL parent Penguins announced. Papaioannou, 41, had been the GM and head coach of the junior ’A’ Brooks Bandits since 2009-10, spending nearly all of that time in the Alberta Junior Hockey League until they moved to the British Columbia Hockey League last season. He guided the Bandits to five AJHL titles, one BCHL title, and won AJHL Coach of the Year honors three times (2013, 2019, 2022). He succeeds Derek Army, who left to become an assistant coach with the AHL’s Colorado Eagles, as Pittsburgh’s second-tier affiliate bench boss.
  • Former Oilers depth netminder Olivier Rodrigue has signed a one-year contract with Kazakhstan’s Barys Astana in the KHL, per a club announcement. The 25-year-old had spent the last five years in Edmonton’s system, primarily with AHL Bakersfield, but was not given a qualifying offer this summer following a tough campaign. He was limited to a .897 SV%, 3.12 GAA, and an 18-16-8 record in 41 showings for Bakersfield. He also made his NHL debut, allowing four goals on 29 shots across one start and one relief appearance.

ECHL| KHL| Montreal Canadiens| Pittsburgh Penguins| Transactions Lane Hutson| Olivier Rodrigue

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Canadiens’ Lane Hutson Faces Another Unprecedented Season

July 23, 2025 at 8:29 pm CDT | by Gabriel Foley 26 Comments

Montreal Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson cemented himself in hockey history with his Calder Trophy-winning rookie season last year. His 60 assists tied Larry Murphy for the most ever recorded by a rookie defender, while his 66 total points ranked fifth in history. Hutson’s company on the leaderboards is full of Hall-of-Fame talent, including Chris Chelios (50 A, 56 TP as a rookie), Nicklas Lidstrom (49 A, 60 TP), and Ray Bourque (48 A, 65 TP). But despite the warm company, Hutson still faces a task unlike any of his highly-touted peers. He has to show he can follow it up.

Many former high-scoring, rookie defenders have earned their keep on both ends of the ice. Hutson breaks that mold. He is the first to ever cross the 60-point – or, even the 50-point – mark while recording a negative plus-minus. The only players to manage similar feats were Phil Housley, Quinn Hughes, and Moritz Seider – who each finished their rookie campaigns short of both the 50-point mark and positive plus-minus. That certainly speaks to the high-event ice time Hutson experienced, but it shouldn’t come as a direct attack on his defensive acumen.

Instead, it’s a testament to Hutson’s deeply unique style. He’s a hyper-mobile defender, who uses crafty stickhandling and skillful skating to sneak into the tightest spaces between opponents. Many defenders have excelled with those talents, but few are rarely look as gifted as Hutson. That degree of finesse helps Hutson make up for an otherwise scrawny frame – though one not lacking any physical gumption – in a way that seems reminiscent of former greats like Housley.

But where Housley went on to net 1,232 career points, the next highest-scoring defenseman under the height of 5’11” was Randy Carlyle, who finished his career with 647 points. That’s an extreme gap, not helped by the fact that Carlyle weighed in at over 200-pounds.

The NHL is not built to support nimble and skillful offensive-defensemen. It’s too heavy and physical of a league. And yet, Hutson showed no signs of struggling as he stomped his way to Montreal’s top defender role last season. He blazed that path with the same agility, instinct, and cool-headedness that’s made him successful as far back as youth hockey.

Then again, NHL game planning is better than ever as teams begin to lean on video tracking and analytics to support their pre-game prep. Many of Hutson’s break-ins came on the outskirts of the offensive zone, and his scoring chances from creative passes after working into space on the boards or behind the net. As teams adjust for that, Hutson will face the imposing question of if he can adjust his game too. Putting on more weight and continuing to improve at getting back on defense could go a long way towards building the full, all-three-zones ability that could push Hutson’s game to a truly special level. But if teams catch on to how to stop him before he has time to take the next step, he could quickly struggle to make the same plays he always has.

That will be the task that faces Hutson next season – and its result could define Montreal’s blue-line for years to come. Hutson is up for a new contract next summer, and could sign an extension at any point now that July 1st has passed. Of the nine other defensemen to score at least 60 points in their rookie year, seven have gone on to play in over 1,000 NHL games. The other two still managed hundreds of games of their own (Reed Larson, 904; Barry Beck, 615). And yet, it’s hard to think any have deviated from the view of average NHL defender quite like Hutson.

He’s among tremendous company, and seems headed for many years of incredible hockey after such a strong start. But it seems that the true, special aspects of Hutson’s career will be defined by how his sophomore season goes. In proving he can continue to perform at all-star levels, Hutson will not only earn what’s sure to be a lofty contract next summer, but could cement his spot in Montreal’s top role for the next seven or eight seasons. He’s now joined by fellow, flashy company in Noah Dobson – and could get the support from more defensively-focused peers like Kaiden Guhle, Alexandre Carrier, and Mike Matheson.

The extent to which that supporting cast can boost Hutson to an encore performance will make his 2025-26 campaign much-watch hockey, even after he’s earned the  ’Rookie of the Year’ title in a special Calder Trophy race.

Montreal Canadiens| NHL| Pro Hockey Rumors Originals Lane Hutson

26 comments

NHL Announces 2024-25 All-Rookie Team

June 13, 2025 at 9:00 am CDT | by Brennan McClain 2 Comments

Considering the votes for the 2024-25 Calder Memorial Trophy, there weren’t many surprises on this year’s All-Rookie Team, which the NHL announced this morning. There were three unanimous selections, while the other three winners had a closer vote margin. The team is as follows:

G Dustin Wolf  (Flames) – Wolf finished second in Calder Trophy voting after a superb rookie campaign. The 24-year-old netminder finished the year with a 29-16-8 record in 53 starts with a .910 SV% and 2.64 GAA. Furthermore, Wolf finished with 15.1 Goals Saved Above Average according to Hockey Reference, and nearly backstopped the Calgary Flames to the postseason despite expectations of a rebuilding year.

D Lane Hutson (Canadiens) – Joining Wolf as another unanimous selection to the 2024-25 All-Rookie Team, Hutson was this year’s Calder Trophy winner. Scoring six goals and 66 points in 82 games while averaging 22:44 of ice time per game, Hutson joined Bobby Orr, Brian Leetch, and Quinn Hughes as the only defensemen to lead rookies in scoring during their respective inaugural campaigns.

D Denton Mateychuk (Blue Jackets) – Although he didn’t share similar point production to Hutson, Mateychuk had a quietly productive campaign for the Columbus Blue Jackets, scoring four goals and 13 points in 45 games, averaging 18:02 of ice time a night. Much of Mateychuk’s value came on the defensive side of the puck, securing a 91.4% on-ice save percentage at even strength despite starting 57.4% of his shifts in the defensive zone.

F Macklin Celebrini (Sharks) – As last summer’s first overall selection, expectations were high for Celebrini this season. He largely lived up to them, scoring 25 goals and 63 points in 70 games, finishing third in Calder Trophy voting. There were some significant defensive shortcomings in Celebrini’s game, but that should improve as he matures and has better teammates around him. He outscored last year’s Calder Trophy winner, Connor Bedard, by two points in two more games played.

F Cutter Gauthier (Ducks) – Gauthier finished with the fewest vote totals for an All-Rookie nod with 79 out of a potential 187. Still, it was enough to earn third place among forwards. Despite being streaky, Gauthier finished fifth in scoring on the Ducks with 20 goals and 44 points in 82 games. Gauthier’s offensive output should improve with increased ice time during the 2025-26 season, as he finished his rookie campaign averaging slightly above 14 minutes a night.

F Matvei Michkov (Flyers) – Although he wasn’t a unanimous selection like Wolf, Hutson, or Celebrini, Michkov finished one vote shy of those honors. He came exactly as advertised for the Philadelphia Flyers, scoring 26 goals and 63 points in 80 games, leading the team in goal-scoring and finishing second in total output. Like Celebrini, there were significant defensive shortcomings in Michkov’s game throughout the regular season, but those won’t be as important an issue for a winger.

Anaheim Ducks| Calgary Flames| Columbus Blue Jackets| Montreal Canadiens| Philadelphia Flyers| Rookies| San Jose Sharks Cutter Gauthier| Denton Mateychuk| Dustin Wolf| Lane Hutson| Macklin Celebrini| Matvei Michkov

2 comments

Canadiens’ Lane Hutson Wins 2025 Calder Trophy

June 10, 2025 at 10:05 am CDT | by Josh Erickson 13 Comments

Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson has been voted the 2025 Calder Memorial Trophy winner as the NHL’s Rookie of the Year, the league announced Tuesday.

It’s a fitting honor for Hutson, whose historic first season helped fuel Montreal to its first playoff berth in four years. His 60 assists and 66 points broke Hall-of-Famer Chris Chelios’ franchise records of 55 and 64, respectively, by a Canadiens defenseman in his first NHL season.

That offensive dominance by the 5’9″ rearguard, who fell to Montreal with the 62nd overall pick of the 2022 draft due to some overreactionary concerns about his diminutive frame, made him a clear No. 1 ROTY in voters’ eyes. While he wasn’t a unanimous first-place vote, 165 of 191 (86.4%) of ballots had him in the top slot, relays Curtis Pashelka of the Bay Area News Group. No one else received first-place votes out of the other finalists for the award, Flames goaltender Dustin Wolf (15) and Sharks center Macklin Celebrini (11).

There was a clear demarcation between the top four and the rest of the pack. Outside of the finalists, only Flyers winger Matvei Michkov (eight second-place votes, 26 third-place votes) landed a top-three spot on voters’ ballots. The full voting breakdown, which involves a 10-7-5-3-1 points allocation as standard, is as follows:

  1. Hutson – 1,832 (165-26-0-0-0)
  2. Wolf – 1,169 (15-96-59-17-1)
  3. Celebrini – 1,104 (11-61-106-12-1)
  4. Michkov – 645 (0-8-26-151-6)
  5. F Cutter Gauthier (Ducks) – 92 (0-0-0-6-74)
  6. F Will Smith (Sharks) – 62 (0-0-0-2-56)
  7. F Logan Stankoven (Hurricanes) – 22 (0-0-0-2-16)
  8. F Zachary Bolduc (Blues) – 20 (0-0-0-1-17)
  9. F Jackson Blake (Hurricanes) – 9 (0-0-0-0-9)
  10. F Marco Kasper (Red Wings) – 7 (0-0-0-0-7)
  11. F Mackie Samoskevich (Panthers) – 2 (0-0-0-0-2)
  12. D Drew Helleson (Ducks) – 1 (0-0-0-0-1)
    D Denton Mateychuk (Blue Jackets) – 1 (0-0-0-0-1)

Hutson hitting the 60-assist plateau also tied him with Larry Murphy for the all-time record for most assists by a rookie rearguard and helped tie him for sixth in the league in scoring among all defenders this year with Lightning star Victor Hedman. He was the most efficient point-producer of the top nine highest-scoring defenders, averaging the lowest time on ice of the group at 22:44 per game.

While he’ll need to be paired with a strong, defensively grounded partner at even strength to achieve his maximum effectiveness at his peak, something Montreal seems to have found by icing Kaiden Guhle on his off side, he’s set up well to serve as the Habs’ No. 1 defenseman for years to come as they exit their rebuild with their new core. He’s also the first Canadien to win the Calder since Hall-of-Fame goalie Ken Dryden in 1972.

Image courtesy of Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images.

2025 NHL Awards| Montreal Canadiens| Newsstand Lane Hutson

13 comments

Atlantic Notes: Robertson, Hutson, Heponiemi

May 31, 2025 at 10:37 am CDT | by Brian La Rose 1 Comment

While Nicholas Robertson got into a career-high 69 games with the Maple Leafs this season, his trade request from last year still stands, reports Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic (subscription link).  The 23-year-old had a career-best 15 goals this season and even chipped in with a pair of points in three postseason outings.  However, playing time remained hard to come by as he averaged just 12 minutes a night of ice time and it’s clear he’d like a shot at a bigger role elsewhere.  Robertson is a pending restricted free agent owed a qualifying offer of just under $919K.  However, he’s also arbitration-eligible which could push his price tag closer to the $1.5MM range.  If Toronto isn’t willing to pay that price, Robertson could get his wish for a change of scenery in the coming weeks.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic:

  • While Lane Hutson will be eligible for a contract extension this summer, Arpon Basu of The Athletic posits (subscription link) that this file might not get done right away. The Canadiens have tried to keep their core players signing below captain Nick Suzuki’s $7.875MM but Hutson’s rookie year, his comparable players, plus the big increases coming in the salary cap will make that difficult.  It’s possible Montreal opts for a shorter-term pact to keep the AAV lower but it could also make sense to see what happens next year and decide from there.  Hutson, a Calder Trophy finalist, had six goals and 60 assists in 82 games this season.
  • After moving on from his team in Switzerland to become a free agent, it looked like there was a chance that Aleksi Heponiemi could be returning to the Panthers. However, that’s not the case as he recently inked a two-year deal with HV71 in the SHL, per a team release.  The 26-year-old has 25 career NHL games with Florida under his belt but after being primarily in the minors in North America, he headed overseas two years ago.  This past season with EHC Biel-Bienne, Heponiemi had 18 points in 37 games.  Florida will retain his rights as a restricted free agent through next summer.

Florida Panthers| Montreal Canadiens| SHL| Toronto Maple Leafs Aleksi Heponiemi| Lane Hutson| Nicholas Robertson

1 comment

Poll: Who Will Win The 2025 Calder Memorial Trophy?

May 7, 2025 at 7:12 pm CDT | by Brennan McClain 11 Comments

Unlike many years where there is a clear-cut favorite for the Calder Memorial Trophy, the 2024-25 season had different ideas. A reasonable case could be made for any of this year’s finalists: Lane Hutson of the Montreal Canadiens, Dustin Wolf of the Calgary Flames, and Macklin Celebrini of the San Jose Sharks.

Hutson likely has the strongest case of the trio. The former 62nd overall selection scored six goals and 60 assists in 82 games for the Canadiens this season, tying Hall-of-Famer Larry Murphy for the most assists recorded by a rookie defenseman. The 20-year-old blue liner ranked second on Montreal in ATOI (22:44) and was a large part of their run to the postseason for the first time since the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs. Additionally, Hutson led the Canadiens in postseason scoring with five assists in five games.

Meanwhile, Wolf looks to become the first netminder to win the award since Steve Mason of the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2008-09. He finished with a slightly worse year than Mason, comparatively, managing a 29-16-8 record in 53 games with a .910 SV% and 2.64 GAA. Still, although Mason backstopped the Blue Jackets to their first postseason appearance in 2009, Wolf was a major reason the Flames remained competitive until the last week of the regular season.

Lastly, last summer’s first overall pick will also be up for the award. Celebrini was one of the few bright spots on a rebuilding Sharks team, leading the team in scoring with 25 goals and 63 points in 70 games. His offensive output tied with fellow-rookie Matvei Michkov of the Philadelphia Flyers (in 10 fewer games), and bested last year’s Calder recipient, the Chicago Blackhawks’ Connor Bedard, by two points in two additional contests. Celebrini’s 25 goals accounted for 12% of all San Jose goals this season.

Although the members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association (PHWA) will have the final say in who ultimately wins the award, it’s time to cast your vote. Who do you think will win this year’s Calder Memorial Trophy? Vote below!

If the poll doesn’t show up for you, click here to vote.

Calgary Flames| Montreal Canadiens| Philadelphia Flyers| Polls| San Jose Sharks Dustin Wolf| Lane Hutson| Macklin Celebrini

11 comments

Lane Hutson, Macklin Celebrini, Dustin Wolf Named Calder Trophy Finalists

May 5, 2025 at 6:10 pm CDT | by Gabriel Foley 12 Comments

The NHL announced the finalists for the Calder Memorial Trophy ahead of the 2025 Draft Lottery. The award is handed out annually to the NHL’s Rookie of the Year. This year’s finalists will be Montreal Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson, San Jose Sharks centerman Macklin Celebrini, and Calgary Flames goaltender Dustin Wolf.

The 2025 Calder Trophy race has been anticipated for years. Celebrini headlined a class full of rookie talent, and seemed deadset on a bid for the award after going first-overall in the 2024 NHL Draft. But his rookie year exceeded even optimistic expectations, as Celebrini managed to lead the Sharks in scoring with 63 points in 70 games – an 82-game pace of 74 points. He also recorded 25 goals on the year, making him the second rookie to reach that mark since Kirill Kaprizov in the 2020-21 season alongside Philadelphia Flyers rookie Matvei Michkov, who recorded 26 goals.

Celebrini managed that scoring despite playing for a dismally low-scoring Sharks roster. San Jose ranked dead-last in scoring this season, with just 208 total goals – four fewer than the dismal Nashville Predators. It was the seventh-fewest total goals scored by a team since 2021, though a slight bump over the 180 goals San Jose totaled last year. That difference – 28 goals – can largely be chalked up to the impacts Celebrini made by seamlessly entering San Jose’s top center role. The Vancouver native won the Hobey Baker Award as college hockey’s MVP last season, and both the MVP and ’Rookie of the Year’ awards in the USHL the year before. A title win here would continue his streak of lifting hardware at every single stop.

But a smooth and successful rookie flight won’t win Celebrini the award outright. Hutson offers formidable competition after scoring the fifth-most points from a rookie defenseman in NHL history. More impressive than that, Hutson’s 60 assists tie with Larry Murphy for the most ever recorded by a rookie defender. That is Hall of Fame company for the young Canadiens defenseman – an incredible mark given the fact that he wasn’t a first-round draft pick just three years ago. Hutson instead went 62nd overall in the 2022 NHL Draft, nearly out of the second round as well. He followed his draft selection with two standout seasons in college hockey, where he was named a Hobey Baker finalists in both seasons.

Through dazzling paths to the show, neither Hutson nor Celebrini had a tougher path to a starring role than Dustin Wolf did. Wolf was a seventh-round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, selected just four picks before the end of the draft. Like Hutson, many docked his size and ability to play the position at a top role. But Wolf quickly began to silence critics when he turned pro in the 2021-22 season. He set a fantastic 33-9-4 record and .924 save percentage in the AHL that season, good enough to land the ’Baz Bastien’ Award as ’AHL Goalie of the Year’ in his rookie season. Even more impressive than that, Wolf improved on the feat in his sophomore season – recording a 42-10-2 record and .932 and again winning ’Goalie of the Year’. He became just the third goaltender to ever win the award twice, and the first to do it in back-to-back seasons.

Wolf split time between the NHL and AHL lineups last season, hampering his chances for a three-peat of the AHL title. But he could make up for that by winning NHL ’Rookie of the Year’ this summer. Calgary’s success this season seemed to hinge on Wolf’s ability to perform on a nightly basis – and their finish as the highest-scoring team to ever miss the postseason is a testament to his prowess. He finished the year with 0.224 goals-saved above-expected per-60. That’s to say, on a nightly basis, Wolf’s appearance in net afforded Calgary a 0.224 goal advantage – 21st highest in the league between Mackenzie Blackwood (0.248) and Jake Oettinger (0.188). While Celebrini’s impact on a desolate Sharks lineup, or Hutson’s rival of the record books, may warrant more acclaim – Wolf’s rookie year will cement his spot in the Flames lineup all the same.

Calgary Flames| Montreal Canadiens| NHL| Newsstand| San Jose Sharks Dustin Wolf| Lane Hutson| Macklin Celebrini

12 comments

Canadiens Notes: Hutson, Laine, Free Agents, Dach

May 5, 2025 at 10:19 am CDT | by Josh Erickson Leave a Comment

Lane Hutson put up historic numbers in his rookie season, and the Canadiens will look to capitalize on that by discussing a long-term extension as he enters the final season of his entry-level contract, general manager Kent Hughes said today (writes Marco D’Amico of RG). He’s not eligible to put pen to paper on a deal until July 1, but doing so immediately would prevent Hutson from a potentially testy ride through restricted free agency in 2026 and allow the Habs to achieve long-term cost certainty before he potentially increases his value in his sophomore campaign.

Hutson’s likely Calder-winning campaign needs no introduction. The 5’9″ defenseman exploded for 66 points in all 82 regular-season games, tying Lightning star Victor Hedman for sixth in the league in scoring among rearguards and leading all rookies in scoring. Not only does that make him the highest-scoring rookie defenseman in Montreal’s 107-year NHL history, but his 60 assists also tied Larry Murphy for most by a first-year blue liner.

Regardless of when they reach an extension, it’s a foregone conclusion they won’t be able to keep him under the internal salary hierarchy they stuck to when negotiating star winger Cole Caufield’s eight-year extension two summers ago. They’ve yet to sign a deal eclipsing captain Nick Suzuki’s $7.875MM cap hit since he signed that deal in 2021. Patrik Laine is technically the team’s highest-paid player at an $8.7MM cap hit, but they acquired that contract via trade. After seeing youngsters like Flames winger Matthew Coronato land a long-term deal at $6.5MM annually, Hughes will almost certainly have to go into the $8-9MM range on a new deal for Hutson.

There’s more on the Canadiens:

  • While it wasn’t a glowing end to the season for Laine, Hughes credits his impact earlier in the year as instrumental in Montreal’s postseason berth (per D’Amico). The 27-year-old managed 20 goals and 33 points in 52 games after a quicker-than-expected return from a preseason knee injury, but 75% of his goals and 63% of his points came on the power play. His 5-on-5 possession numbers were among the worst on the club with a 43.0 CF% and led to diminished usage in Games 1 and 2 of their first-round series against the Capitals before a broken finger sidelined him for the final three games of their season.
  • Hughes hasn’t made a decision either way on whether to pursue contract extensions with the team’s slate of pending unrestricted free agents, notes D’Amico. Luckily for him, he doesn’t have many of those decisions to make. One has already been made for him on defenseman David Savard, who announced his retirement. The comprehensive list of others includes NHL-rostered forwards Joel Armia, Christian Dvorak, and Michael Pezzetta; minor-league centers Alex Barré-Boulet and Brandon Gignac; and depth netminder Connor Hughes.
  • The Canadiens “haven’t given up” on 24-year-old center Kirby Dach after a second major procedure on his right knee in as many years, D’Amico writes. Nonetheless, he relays executive vice president Jeff Gorton “didn’t look overly confident” when discussing Dach and notes he’ll need an eye-opening training camp to regain a top-six role. After playing just twice in the 2023-24 campaign, Dach’s performance wasn’t pretty in 2024-25 before the knee injury ended his campaign in February. He scored 22 points with a team-worst -29 rating in 57 games.

Montreal Canadiens Alex Barre-Boulet| Brandon Gignac| Christian Dvorak| Connor Hughes| Joel Armia| Kirby Dach| Lane Hutson| Michael Pezzetta| Patrik Laine

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Canadiens Notes: Anderson, Laine, Montembeault, Worlds, Savard

May 2, 2025 at 6:00 pm CDT | by Brennan McClain Leave a Comment

As expected, several injuries for the Montreal Canadiens were revealed in today’s end-of-season presser. Forwards Josh Anderson and Patrik Laine, along with netminder Sam Montembeault, shared insights into their struggles with injuries during Montreal’s playoff run.

Vaguely, Anderson told Eric Engels of Sportsnet that he was dealing with lower- and upper-body injuries throughout the regular season, and that he likely wouldn’t have played if the Canadiens weren’t in a position to qualify for the postseason. Still, Anderson impressively tallied 15 goals on the year and played in the highest number of games since the 2018-19 season.

Meanwhile, Laine shared with Marco D’Amico of RG the specifics of the hand injury that kept him out of Games 3, 4, and 5. D’Amico quoted Laine saying, “I broke my finger in the second game. I couldn’t really hold my stick, and shooting is what I do. I was disappointed.”

Lastly, Engels reported that the Canadiens were without their starting netminder for the series’ last two games because of a torn groin. Thankfully, Montembeault won’t require surgery, meaning a full off-season with rehab should have him ready to start the 2025-26 season on time for Montreal.

Other Canadiens notes:

  • Now that their playoff run has concluded, the Canadiens will have at least one player participating in the 2025 IIHF World Championships and could have a few more. Montreal announced that defenseman Mike Matheson will suit up for Team Canada, while Engels reported Cole Caufield (Tweet Link) and Lane Hutson (Tweet Link) are undecided on playing for Team USA. Unfortunately, Team Slovakia will be without one of their top young players as Engels shared Juraj Slafkovsky won’t play in this summer’s international competition.
  • Now retired following the Canadiens’ elimination at the hands of the Capitals, David Savard would like to continue his work career with the Canadiens in a different capacity (Tweet Link). He didn’t allude to which path, as in coaching or a front office position, but he did say he would like to work with the team’s defensemen in some fashion.

Injury| Montreal Canadiens Cole Caufield| David Savard| Josh Anderson| Juraj Slafkovsky| Lane Hutson| Mike Matheson| Patrik Laine| Sam Montembeault| Team Canada| Team Slovakia| Team USA| World Championships

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Canadiens Notes: Caufield, Hutson, Laine

September 4, 2024 at 8:51 am CDT | by Josh Erickson 2 Comments

Cole Caufield played with Johnny Gaudreau for the USA at this year’s World Championship. That’s just part of the reason that the star Canadiens winger is changing his jersey from No. 22 to No. 13 to honor him following his death last week, he said in a touching message on his personal Instagram account Tuesday night.

“Getting to play with your hero is something that most people only dream of,” Caufield said. “I was lucky enough to be Johnny’s teammate this past summer and it didn’t take long to realize how great of a person he was. He was the most welcoming, genuine, and funniest guy I have ever met. He was someone everyone gravitated towards and I took every chance I could to be around him. Not only was he an amazing hockey player and teammate, but he was down to earth and truly cared about every person he encountered.”

“I wore #13 at a point in my career because of Johnny and now I will be wearing it again to honor him,” he continued. “He paved the way for smaller players and proved we had a future in this game at the highest level. I will forever be grateful to him for inspiring me and others.” Caufield wore No. 13 while in the U.S. National Development Team Program from 2017 to 2019.

Here’s more on the Canadiens:

  • Watch for Lane Hutson to break through the Canadiens’ logjam of young defensemen during training camp, opines NHL.com’s Dan Rosen. The diminutive 20-year-old is a dark horse to make the opening night roster if he can “prove his size won’t be a detriment” when given a long look with the team’s veterans later this month, Rosen writes. Hutson turned pro at the tail end of last season after playing a starring role on Boston University’s blue line for two years, recording two assists in his first two NHL games – both against the Red Wings in April – while averaging nearly 23 minutes per night.
  • New Canadiens winger Patrik Laine is also among Rosen’s top candidates for a rebound campaign this year after being significantly affected by injuries in 2023-24, he wrote in the same mailbag. He shares the opinion many others, including Montreal’s front office, has – that the 2016 second-overall pick can return to being a 40-goal threat if given the runway and health. The latter has seemingly been a bit of a curse for the Habs over the past few years, though. They lost nearly 400 man games to injury last season and lost a league-leading 600 in 2022-23, per NHL Injury Viz.

Montreal Canadiens Cole Caufield| Lane Hutson| Patrik Laine

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