DON

Whatever is the issue, Guhle isnt starting season off at 100% with a full summer of training in. So 84 healthy games played aint happening. Assume the issue has been a lingering one since the original surgery?

Anyone know the expected timeframe for Pickford's recovery?

some comments by the men; https://www.habseyesontheprize.com/montreal-canadiens-golf-tournament-highlights-quotes-martin-st-louis-signs-multi-year-extension-josh-anderson-named-alternate/ Jeff Gorton talked about adding Kreider.

Am sure most of Hab fans and roster fellas approve of the signing, after a silent summer and those who took team-friendly contracts hoping for upgrade addition. Not sure why anyone would expect to slot Dach in the top six?

I like that he choose to sign in Quebec, a good sign. He seems an upgrade with 20+goals/year and lots of experience. One year pretty painless deal moneywise. Will have to be easier to watch him in a Hab jersey, than the likes of floaters Laine or Hoffman. Only potential issue is that he is now Old-timer softball age and will he stay healthy, pretty good track record though.

Is Protz's skating good enough for defending at pro-speed?

Are there any spots at forward for a Beck, Xhekaj or maybe a Pastujov or Poulin to earn? Of Struble, Xhekaj, Engstrom, Reinbacher, who grabs #6 and #7 d spots?

KHL bound we can hope.

He could lead the celebration on Carey Price night perhaps.

Monty, Hage, Guhle maybe?

From sounds of it, some GM would trade for him. Like a Parros, Big George, etc. GMs love toughness, even if it is to simply sit on bench most of the time. St Louis does not like to play him much, seems dosent trust him and are several options at LH-d, especially if Hutson and Guhle play left. But, i still wonder why he hasnt been signed or traded already?

Zharovski 2a 14:42

I would be more chill or less uptight, if Guhle didnt have such a bad track record and i was hoping he would be 100% healthy with full summer of training to build on a nice playoffs he had. Fingers crossed is very minor issue if anything at all.

Is Guhle not 100% healthy?

Zharovski a star, sounds good to me. NHL Prospect Tiers 2026-27: Scouts rank and project league’s top 145 young players - The Athletic

Hutson's defending; Basu tosses out a few stats that seem impressive. How Lane Hutson’s defensive game can continue to grow with the Canadiens - The Athletic According to Sportlogiq, Hutson denied 2.64 zone entries per game last season, in the 98th percentile and had an entry denial rate of 49.3 percent, in the 80th percentile. According to Sportlogiq data, Hutson had 13.26 defensive-zone loose puck recoveries per game last season, placing him in the 98th percentile in that category. And he was in the 88th percentile for both stick checks (1.12 per game) and blocked passes (3.98 per game), both of which speak to how well Hutson combines his anticipation with a good stick to not only compensate for his lack of size but often make it a non-factor completely.

Bergqvist 1a 11:22 in CHL game. A defense only d-man. #32 Rasmus Bergqvist Defenceman – 21 – Skellefteå AIK (SHL) Offence barely factors into Rasmus Bergqvist’s game. His Elite Prospects page goes back to when he was 13 years old, and features a total of 27 goals. He hasn’t found the net in two SHL seasons, with just five assists. He has played 65 games in one of the top leagues outside the NHL, which is an accomplishment for a defenceman who just turned 21 at the end of the most recent campaign.

Zharovski 0pts 13:57 in 1st season game. Koivu 1a 12:38 in 2nd Finn game Rohrer GW OT goal, pre-season

Hughes pre-draft comments, not i dont like Hughes being patient; but 'No excuses or we will do something' not needed said; 2026-27 NHL Offseason Outlook: Montreal Canadiens | Puckpedia “It’s up to each general manager to find a way to get it done. To me, there’s no excuse. We need to find a way to improve the team, and it’s on my shoulders to do it." - Canadiens GM Kent Hughes during NHL Draft Weekend in Buffalo. For a team on the upswing coming off an unexpected trip to the Eastern Conference Final, there's a surprising sense of urgency coming out of the Montreal Canadiens front office. Perhaps it's just the excitement of coming three wins short of the Final. Maybe it's a result of watching the Florida Panthers arm themselves like it's the peak of the Cold War. Or maybe this is just how hockey's most storied franchise should operate as their competitive window flings wide open. “I’m confident we’re going to be able to do something,” Hughes also told reporters in Buffalo. “I can’t tell you when, but I feel we’re in a position to do it. We’ll just do it when it makes sense.” The something Hughes is referring to is a trade for a top-6 forward, ideally one to pair with 20-year-old Ivan Demidov. We know Hughes took a swing at Toronto's giant Matthew Knies at the trade deadline, and he's reportedly interested now in Blue Jackets' sniper Kirill Marchenko. With $14 million in cap space and a deep prospect pool, Hughes has the assets and flexibility to add a major piece, especially if some money is going out the door in return. Having swung deals for the likes of Noah Dobson, Kirby Dach and Alex Newhook in prior summers, recent history suggests Hughes will find a way to get it done this summer.

Season getting closer. Laval Rocket head coach Daniel Jacob and his coaching staff, composed of Martin Laperrière, Ilya Ejov and David Urquhart, will lead on-ice practices, games, and evaluations at camp. Canadiens announce 2026 Rookie Camp roster | Montréal Canadiens

Whats that old saying, Spend money like a drunken sailor. Didnt the idiot Canucks do same thing with that Petterrson?

Basu noted this; So Reinbacher is behind most recent top d-picks. ...Of those 11, only two — Juolevi and Makar — had not played a full NHL season by his 21st birthday. Juolevi was a bust for the Vancouver Canucks, but Makar was obviously the opposite of a bust and a sign that it might not be too late for Reinbacher. If you expand the scope to defencemen picked in the top 10 over those same 10 drafts, you get a list of 25 defencemen, and still, the only three on that list not to have played a full NHL season by their 21st birthday in addition to Juolevi and Makar are Haydn Fleury, Simon Edvinsson and Brandt Clarke, which means 80 percent of those defencemen taken in the top-10 had established themselves in the NHL by the time they were Reinbacher’s age.

But, will see how patient he is if team is really underachieving, Suzuki gets hurt and/or have losses 6 or 7 in a row this fall. Also likely bit of internal pressure from all the best players who took team-friendly deals to help build a winner. Fingers crossed Kapanen is even better in his 2nd year and he and Demidov really shine early on.🤞 Who will be the #5 & 6 d-men? Reinbacher-Xhekaj Engstrom-Struble Guhle-Reinbacher Carrier-Engstrom

Well, is this the year Reinbacher makes the squad full-time? 2026 Montreal Canadiens Top 25 Under 25: #8 David Reinbacher Weaknesses Reinbacher has the skating, shot, and playmaking ability needed to play in the NHL. The bigger question is whether he can consistently put all of those pieces together. There are stretches when he looks every bit like an NHL defenceman, and others when you forget he’s even out there. That’s not unusual for a young player, but Reinbacher needs to make those disappearing acts less frequent. At this stage, it’s less about adding another tool to the toolbox and more about getting the old faithfuls to show up every night.

Rohrer 4pts in 5 pre-season Swiss games. An 'active' 1st two pre-season games for this big kid. Wesley Royston - Habs Prospects Position: RW Height: 6-4 Weight: 186 Shoots: Right Birthdate: 2007-11-22 Age: 18 Birthplace: Oro-Medonte, Ontario, Canada Drafted in the 6th round (190th overall) in 2026 Contract (must be signed before June 1st, 2030) 2026-27: Owen Sound Attack - GTHL U15 Champion, 2021-22, Toronto Jr. Canadiens U15 AAA - World Under-17 Hockey Challenge Gold Medal, 2023-24 Dates Games GP G A PTS +/- PIM TOI August 29, 2026 vs. Oshawa Generals 1 1 0 1 +2 6 - August 30, 2026 @ Barrie Colts 1 1 0 1 +1 7 - OHL pre-season Total: 2 2 0 2 +3 13 - Several Habs russians in this one. (not that Sobolev is a real prospect) August 30 games Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod 7 Spartak Moscow 6 (Final OT) - KHL pre-season Yevgeni Volokhin - 3 goals on n/a shots (2 goals on 14 shots for 3rd/OT periods) (replaced Ivan Fedotov at 10:36 of the 2nd period) Bogdan Konyushkov - no points Gleb Pugachyov - wasn't in the lineup Daniil Sobolev - no points