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The Canadiens suffered a heartbreaking loss in San Jose (late) Tuesday night, then took a day off yesterday in Los Angeles. The guys will resume training today before facing the Kings tomorrow night.
What jersey will Patrik Laine wear?
The bets are open: Canadiens (1.1 times the bet), Kings (3 times the bet) or Surmesur (1.05 times the bet).
When the puck drops tomorrow night, the trade deadline will be a thing of the past. Will Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton have made any moves? We're hearing rumors that a goalie (Bobrovsky? Binnington?) could be added to the team, that a right-handed defenseman (Ristolainen? Whitecloud?) could be added to the defensive corps, or that a gritty forward could be added to the lineup, but what's the truth? We'll find out soon enough. Whitecloud?) could be added to the defensive corps, or that a gritty forward could round out the lineup, but what's the real story? We'll find out by 3:00 p.m. tomorrow afternoon. However, since the rebuild isn't quite complete yet, I don't expect any big moves from the Habs. We'll see.
Need to make a move to give a young player a chance to play
Martin St-Louis currently has to deal with three extra players up front (Laine, Veleno, and Texier) and another on defense (Xhekaj), since everyone on the CH is healthy. Everyone, including Patrik Laine, even though his name is still on the injured list…
Hughes and Gorton would obviously like to end the Laine experiment—even though they claim they would be comfortable keeping him—for three reasons. The third one is often overlooked…
1. Removing Laine from the payroll would allow the Canadiens to avoid deferring performance bonuses for their rookie players next season. Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton would have enough space to account for those bonuses this year ($1-2 million) and thus avoid seeing their 2026-27 payroll reduced by that amount. Martin St-Louis already said during training camp that it's easier to have 13 forwards than 14 because he only has one extra to manage. Imagine what he thinks about having three right now… Especially since he seems to have completely turned the page on Laine…
3. Having three extra forwards at the end of the season could prevent a guy like Michael Hage or Alexander Zharovsky from joining the team in April.
Almost every spring, we see the Canadiens sign promising young players. Over the years, Sean Farrell, Cole Caufield, Jordan Harris, Lane Hutson, Ivan Demidov, and Alexander Romanov have joined the team at the end of the season, rather than in the fall.
If Michael Hage's college team finishes its run before the Frozen Four final (April 11), it seems obvious to me that the plan is to have him sign his entry-level contract and then bring him to Montreal. Except that with three players already watching games from the stands, Hage will have a hard time getting quality playing time… both in games and in practice! #FiveTrios
If no trades are made, the Habs could have room to add one player, but not two, before the end of the season. That means that if they decide to call up Jacob Fowler, for example, and no other players are placed on the injured list, they wouldn't be able to add Hage to the roster.
Kent Hughes likes to have flexibility. However, Laine's presence takes away a lot of that.
If Laine is still in the picture, we could see Hage sign his entry-level contract and then accept a professional tryout with the Rocket to finish the season. That's the path Jayden Struble, Jacob Fowler, Jakub Dobes, Florian Xhekaj, and David Reinbacher took.
Except that a guy like Hage could play the threat card: American players become completely free after four years without signing their entry-level contract. Hage could very well say that he wants to play in Montreal, not Laval, also because he would be playing out the first year of his entry-level contract, unlike the scenario where he goes to Laval to finish the season.
I would be surprised to see Hage wait two years, especially since playing for the Canadiens was his late father's dream, but that option exists.
Of course, Hage could also decide to start his professional career with the Rocket and take part in the American Hockey League playoffs. Laval has several injured players and the club needs help. It has just lost four of its last five games.
As for Alexander Zharovsky, he is under contract for another season in Russia, and the first two rounds of the KHL playoffs coincide with the regular season here. But hey, nothing is impossible… and Kent Hughes must be ready to make room for him, just in case!
There are several factors to consider before making the decision to keep Sunusi Ibrahim Patrik Laine until the end of the season. I hope the Montreal management will be able to find a new team for Laine.
