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.
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.
With the season now over, it’s a good time to take a look back at the past month and see who our readers selected as Montreal’s top players in March.
Martin St. Louis won’t have to worry about being in the final year of his contract next season after all. The team announced on Wednesday that they’ve exercised a two-year extension option on his contract, keeping him behind the bench through the 2026-27 season.
The Habs closed out their regular season on Tuesday night in a rematch with Detroit. For the second straight night, Detroit scored late to push the game to overtime. It took a shootout this time around but the Red Wings were victorious, winning 5-4.
The Habs kicked off their final stretch of the 2023-24 season on Monday with a trip to Detroit. They had a two-goal lead in the third but couldn’t hold it, eventually falling 5-4 in overtime.
The Habs got through the second-last week of the season with one of their better weeks in the standings, picking up four of a possible six points. Along the way, they had their biggest offensive outburst of the season and signed one of their top prospects.
The Habs had four separate one-goal leads on Saturday night in Ottawa but the Senators were able to come back each time, setting the stage for Drake Batherson to score the only goal of the shootout to pick up the 5-4 victory.
In news that should come as little surprise, the Habs announced on Friday that they’ve signed defenceman Lane Hutson to a three-year, entry-level contract. As expected, the deal begins this season so he’ll be eligible to play for Montreal down the stretch.
After an offensive breakout on Tuesday, the Habs weren’t able to muster up much in the way of quality chances against the Islanders on Thursday. While they were able to get it to overtime, New York picked up the early overtime winner, giving them the much-needed extra point in a 3-2 win.