With Oliver Kapanen having a strong season and an impressive start at the Worlds, many are asking if it’s possible that he could start 2024-25 with the Habs. That might not be the right question to ask, however.
June 1st is an important date on the calendar for many teams and prospects as it represents a signing deadline for several players to be signed. The Habs have four of those players but only face a hard decision on one of them, Jared Davidson.
The 2024 World Hockey Championship is now underway and will run through May 26th. Despite missing the playoffs, the Habs don’t have many regulars playing in this event but will have five representatives in total. As is tradition, we’ll keep track of their stats here.
The NHL held its draft lottery on Tuesday to set the order of the first 16 picks in next month’s draft. The Habs had the fifth-highest odds to move up to first overall and while they didn’t move up, no one behind them did either, meaning they will select fifth.
In a move that has been expected for a while, the Habs made it official on Friday, announcing the signing of defenceman Adam Engstrom to a three-year, entry-level contract.
It’s well-known by now that the Canadiens have a surplus of defenders and that there’s a wide expectation they’ll deal from that. Justin Barron might not be the one being dealt but the decision they make on him should set the stage for a good chunk of their offseason plans.
Earlier this week, it was reported that the Habs were one of 11 teams who have already incurred a bonus overage penalty for next season. Let’s break down how much the team will have deducted off their spending limit for 2024-25 and how it got to that point.
Laval entered last week with an opportunity to control their playoff destiny if they could pull off a pair of regulation wins over Belleville. They weren’t able to do it, however, falling both times, allowing the Senators to get the final spot.
The Habs didn’t have anything to play for but pride over the final two games although they could have messed with Detroit’s playoff push. In the end, the Red Wings didn’t make the postseason anyway while Montreal finished up the 2023-24 campaign with a pair of extra time losses.
The month of March saw plenty of Montreal’s prospects finish their regular seasons and get off to a strong start in the playoffs, earning them a spot in our monthly three stars.