- While Montreal Canadiens veteran defenseman Joel Edmundson could be a name to watch heading into trade deadline season, any conversations might need to be put on hold. The Canadiens announced that Edmundson would not return to the team’s contest against the Detroit Red Wings tonight. The blueliner, who has another year left on his deal at $3.5MM, has suffered a lower-body injury that knocked him out of the game. We’ll have more information on Edmundson’s status as it becomes available.
Canadiens Rumors
Montreal Canadiens Reassign Cayden Primeau
Jan 25: Primeau has been loaned back to the AHL after only appearing in one game, a 20-minute relief appearance last week. Allen is ready to return to action.
Jan 9: The Montreal Canadiens have recalled Cayden Primeau under emergency conditions, announcing that he will back up Sam Montembeault this evening. Jake Allen is out on a day-to-day basis with an upper-body injury, despite playing all 60 minutes on Saturday.
Primeau, 23, is no stranger to the NHL. The young netminder has seen action in each of the last three seasons, playing a handful of games each year as the team dealt with goaltending injuries. Last year, in 12 appearances for Montreal, he posted an .868 save percentage and went 1-7-1. Overall, he has an .874 in 18 NHL games.
Unfortunately, things haven’t been going much better at the minor league level this season. Primeau has an .890 in 13 games with the Laval Rocket, which would easily be the worst of his career should it continue. Despite being drafted in the seventh round in 2017, he became a top goaltending prospect for the organization after two incredible seasons at Northeastern University.
Development has slowed since then, but the organization still has plenty of faith in him. Primeau signed a three-year one-way contract in September that carries an average annual value of $890K. The back-loaded deal will be paying him $1.1MM by the 2024-25 season when the team hoped he would be the full-time backup (at least). Even if this is just a short stint while Allen recovers, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Canadiens give Primeau a chance to play, given their investment in him.
It should be noted every time the Canadiens suffer an injury at the position, that they do not have another goaltender signed to an NHL contract. Primeau, Allen, Montembeault, and the injured Carey Price are the entire depth chart, meaning they’re just another minor injury or illness away from being forced to make an additional transaction of some sort.
Sean Monahan Skates In Non-Contact Jersey
- While the Canadiens lost a key forward in Cole Caufield today, they’re closer to getting another one back as TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie relays (Twitter link) that center Sean Monahan took part in the morning skate in a non-contact jersey. The 28-year-old has missed the last six weeks with a foot injury but had gotten off to a good start before that with 17 points in 25 games. A pending unrestricted free agent, Monahan is expected to be one of Montreal’s top trade chips heading into the March 3rd trade deadline.
Mike Matheson Fined $5,000
- Montreal Canadiens defenseman Mike Matheson has been fined $5,000 for his interference on Florida Panthers forward Eric Staal in last night’s game, which became a bit of a circus. Ninety penalty minutes were handed out between the two teams, though none of them were for directly tied to the incident in question. Matheson and Matthew Tkachuk would fight later in the game.
Latest On Juraj Slafkovsky
- With 2022 first overall pick Juraj Slafkovsky now likely shut down for the season with a knee injury, some have questioned Montreal Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes’ decision not to give Slafkovsky any time in the AHL. Hughes told reporters in a press conference today that the organization didn’t want concerns around Slafkovsky’s development to come primarily about offensive production, as he feared might happen if the Slovak forward spent extended time with the Laval Rocket. Instead, the organization opted to keep “a close eye” on him and keep him focused on holistic development with Canadiens coaches. Hughes said that an AHL loan in the near future wasn’t out of the question for Slafkovsky, but that’s now out of the question given his injury.
Latest On Cole Caufield
Jan 18: General manager Kent Hughes added some more fuel to the Caufield rumor mill today, telling reporters at Canadiens practice that the team is interested in signing Caufield to a longer-term extension. The news makes the comparison to Boldy’s seven-year, $7MM cap hit contract even more relevant, and it will surely remain in the back pocket of both parties as they continue to negotiate a contract.
Jan 17: After falling to 15th overall in the 2019 NHL Draft, the 22-year-old Cole Caufield now finds himself the focal point of the Montreal Canadiens’ rebuild.
The ups and downs of a chaotic 2021-22 season limited Caufield’s offensive production in his first NHL campaign. With coaching uncertainty and an improved locker room vibe, though, Caufield has excelled in his sophomore season. His 26 goals lead the team by a mile, and his 36 points are just one behind linemate Nick Suzuki.
Now, the team is lining up to sign one of its most crucial contracts for the next few seasons. TSN’s Darren Dreger said on Tuesday’s edition of “Insider Trading” that the Canadiens have had preliminary extension talks with Caufield’s agent, Pat Brisson. Dreger noted that the conversation started around a month ago.
Coming out of college to join the team at the end of the 2020-21 season, Caufield is now in the third and final season of his entry-level contract. In the event that contract talks between the two parties turn less than agreeable, Caufield is not eligible for arbitration.
The new management regime of Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton has largely been heralded since taking over the Canadiens, giving the team a bright future soon after plummeting from contention over the last 24 months. They haven’t been tasked with signing any big contracts yet, however, and this is a high-stakes first test.
Fellow 2019 first-round selection Matt Boldy just signed a seven-year, $49MM contract with the Minnesota Wild that could be comparable for Caufield and Montreal. However, in the eyes of Caufield’s camp, that’s likely a starting point, not an end goal. Caufield has shown greater goal-scoring ability than Boldy and is playing further up in the lineup on a struggling team. It wouldn’t surprise many to see a long-term extension for Caufield start with a greater cap hit than $7MM.
Montreal Canadiens Will Not Trade Sam Montembeault
When looking around for goaltenders that might be of interest at the trade deadline, one might settle on the Montreal Canadiens. The team gave Cayden Primeau a three-year, one-way contract in the fall that suggested he would soon be installed at the NHL level, but still have Jake Allen and Sam Montembeault taking those spots.
Montembeault, the younger of the two, is only signed through 2023-24, so had drawn some speculation as a potential trade target. The 26-year-old goaltender has been strong for Montreal this year, posting a .912 save percentage in 18 appearances, much better than his older counterpart. Perhaps it is because of that performance that Kent Hughes, speaking with reporters including Eric Engels of Sportsnet, explained that he considers Montembeault a part of the team’s future and will not trade the netminder.
There have been flashes of this before from Montembeault. A third-round pick by the Florida Panthers in 2015, he burst onto the NHL scene a few years later and was impressive. The Panthers went 4-0-1 in his first five appearances, before he eventually went through some rookie struggles. It was the same in 2019-20 when he played 14 times in the NHL, showing ability but no consistency. Last year with the Canadiens, Montembeault was left out to dry many nights, playing behind a team that was destined for the first-overall pick. His .891 save percentage in 38 appearances hides some encouraging development that has carried over to this season.
Now, the question is whether or not Hughes’ comments about Montembeault mean anything specific for Allen, who is set to start a two-year extension next season. He has struggled with injuries this year and has an .892 save percentage (easily the worst of his career) in 27 games. The veteran netminder will turn 33 before the new deal kicks in, and will carry a $3.85MM cap hit through 2024-25.
While Montreal isn’t expected to challenge for the Stanley Cup next year, it’s not like they have plans for a years-long rebuild. Not with some of the young talent that is already in place. That leaves a complicated goaltending situation, especially for next season when Primeau will no longer be waiver-exempt. If Montembeault is part of the long-term solution, it’s not clear how the time share will play out over the next few years, as they transition toward playoff contention once again.
Juraj Slafkovsky Out Three Months With Lower-Body Injury
The Montreal Canadiens have provided updates on several injured players, and none of them are good. Juraj Slafkovsky, the first-overall pick from 2022, will miss three months with a lower-body injury that does not require surgery. Jake Evans will also not need surgery, but is out for 8-10 weeks. Jonathan Drouin and Joel Armia will be out until the All-Star break (the Canadiens return to play on February 11), and Jake Allen will be out a minimum of a week.
A three-month timeline essentially ends Slafkovsky’s rookie season. The Canadiens will wrap up their schedule on April 13, unless a miraculous playoff run is made in the second half.
With that in mind, 39 games and 10 points are not totals the Canadiens had hoped for. The big winger failed to record a point in his last 15 games, posting a -12 rating during that time and recording just 11 shots on goal. He looked overmatched for long stretches, with many suggesting that he should have been playing in the World Juniors or AHL, instead of struggling with Montreal.
Now, he’ll have to work through this injury and try to come back more prepared in 2022-23, when the Canadiens will hopefully be more competitive. The team is 19-23-3 on the year and very well may position themselves at the deadline to lose as many games as possible down the stretch. They sit 26th in the league overall, and like every other team that isn’t in playoff contention, hope to get closer to the first-overall pick.
Mike Matheson Activated From Injured Reserve
January 17: The Canadiens have now activated Matheson off injured reserve, according to CapFriendly. The move came in time for him to return to action tonight against the Winnipeg Jets.
January 13: The Montreal Canadiens have been without Mike Matheson for most of this season. After suffering an abdominal strain in October that sidelined him for more than a month, he found himself injured again in December. He’s totaled just ten games for this new team this season, and just one in the last month.
Despite that, the 28-year-old defenseman has six points, which still ties him with Joel Edmundson and Jonathan Kovacevic, two of the team’s regular defensemen. He’ll be able to add to that total soon, as he donned a regular jersey at practice today, suggesting he has been cleared for contact. The veteran defenseman will add some stability to the back end when he returns, and give the team another supporting option for their young group.
For Matheson himself, there are some milestones to chase. He is six assists away from 100 for his career, and needs the same amount of points to hit 150. He won’t be able to reach 500 games after missing so many, but getting on the ice and back in shape is important, even if the Canadiens aren’t competing for the playoffs. Remember, Matheson is signed through the 2025-26 season, meaning he’ll still be around as Montreal starts turning the corner on their rebuild.
That is of course unless he’s flipped – which is also not completely out of the question. Defensemen with elite skating ability, offensive upside, and experience logging big minutes are difficult to find, and at a $4.875MM cap hit, Matheson may actually be an interesting target. He’s still on the right side of 30 and has found his game again after some struggles a few years ago. It might not be this year, but the Canadiens could be presented with an opportunity to flip him for some additional future assets, should he be able to stay healthy and productive.
Armia, Evans, Slafkovsky Placed On Injured Reserve
The Montreal Canadiens have moved three forwards to injured reserve, giving the designation to Joel Armia, Jake Evans, and Juraj Slafkovsky. All three will be out indefinitely, while additional testing is performed. In their place, Rafael Harvey-Pinard and Rem Pitlick have been recalled.
Sean Monahan has also been moved to long-term injured reserve as he continues to rehab, though the team does not he is “progressing well.”
Armia is dealing with an upper-body injury, potentially one suffered on a hit from Jacob Trouba on Sunday. The Finnish forward played over 18 minutes in the game, but now is obviously dealing with something that will keep him sidelined. Armia has just seven points so far on the season and has been a healthy scratch several times, as he struggles to reach the heights that he was playing at a few years ago.
Slafkovsky also played in that game, but saw just over nine minutes of ice time. The top prospect is dealing with a lower-body issue. It hasn’t been quite the season many expected of the big Slovak, as Slafkovsky has just four goals in 39 games. He has shown flashes of high-level scoring ability but is too often overmatched by the speed of the NHL. Several times this season he has been caught with his head down by a heavy check, something he will have to adapt to moving forward.
Evans, meanwhile, may be dealing with the worst injury of the bunch. It at least looked that way when he crumpled at center ice on Saturday, piled on after a faceoff scrum. The 26-year-old forward was playing the best hockey of his season but is now dealing with a lower-body injury that kept him out of Sunday’s game.
If you are a proponent of the “tank,” then losing three regular forwards might be time for celebration. But the Canadiens are also trying to build a culture under head coach Martin St. Louis, and losing Slafkovsky in particular doesn’t help that move forward. The team’s depth will be seriously tested, though Harvey-Pinard and Pitlick are capable replacements.