There was an expectation that Casey DeSmith would be moved at some point to clear up the goaltending logjam somewhat. That move happened on Tuesday as the Habs sent DeSmith to Vancouver in exchange for Tanner Pearson and a 2025 third-round pick.
The Habs concluded their 2023 rookie tournament with a 2-1 record following a 2-1 victory over Ottawa on Monday. Here are some observations on some of the prospects that participated in the event.
Expectations were about as low as possible last season for Sean Monahan after he was acquired from Calgary. He then played quite well before his year ended way too early. Now back on a one-year deal, what should the Habs expect from him in 2023-24?
The Habs have reportedly made a small addition to their prospect pool as they’ve acquired the rights to forward Jakov Novak from the Senators in exchange for future considerations.
The Habs held their annual charity golf tournament on Monday as training camp quickly approaches. As usual, there was some news of note that came from it which we’ve covered here.
With Montreal’s rookie games set to get underway next week, the team revealed on Friday the 27 players that will be taking part in the tournament in Buffalo.
At the moment, many are tentatively pencilling in Rafael Harvey-Pinard and Jesse Ylonen as the likeliest prospects to break camp with Montreal. However, Emil Heineman could play his way into the mix, making him one to keep an eye on when camp opens up later this month.
There weren’t a lot of bright spots throughout last season in Montreal but Samuel Montembeault was one of them. The netminder took a step forward in his performance, leading some to wonder if he has more improvement to come in 2023-24.
When Montreal picked up Ty Smilanic as part of the Ben Chiarot trade less than a year and a half ago, it looked like they were adding another capable prospect to their pool. Now, the forward has his work cut out for him to even earn a contract from the Canadiens.
To say things have not gone well for Brendan Gallagher in the last couple of years would be a significant understatement. Is there any cause for optimism that he could turn things around in 2023-24?