At this time of the year there is always speculation about NCAA free agents who are legitimate pro prospects. Signing these free agents allows teams to add to their prospect pipeline without using a draft choice and because these players are older, NHL general managers will often have a better idea of the floor and/or ceiling. A handful of the top NCAA free agents are still involved in playoffs so the final destination for these players will remain unknown for a while. Some will make it directly to the NHL, others will require development in the minor pros before making the jump and still others will never make it to the NHL. But signing these players eats into the 50-contract limit and once that limit is reached, teams would be unable to offer contracts to unsigned draftees before July 1. It’s a bit of a chess game. Four teams are already at 49 contracts and five more are at 48 contracts. One way around it would be if the player was willing to sign an amateur tryout (ATO) with the AHL affiliate of an NHL team and then sign an NHL contract on or after July 1. For the record, the Canadiens have 45 players under NHL contract but may want to sign Lane Hutson, Luke Tuch, Jared Davidson, Cedrick Guindon and one or more of their European prospects. Of that group, only Davidson and Guindon require contracts before June 1 for the Canadiens to retain their rights. Will Gorton and Hughes be active in the college free-agent market? Time will tell. – Trask

Kaiden Guhle was asked in today’s press conference what the biggest change has been in Juraj Slafkovsky’s game: “I think the biggest one is just how he uses his body. I know you guys saw last year there were a couple of times getting blown up and you said how is he getting hit like that…he’s like 240..he’s a big body…I think he just kind of understood that he can use that body to his advantage.  I think a lot of guys even told him in practice: You’re skating at me with your back turned…I’m not going to be able to move you.  So that’s a big thing I’ve noticed is that he’s just so good at protecting the puck at 19 years old, and you can just see that there’s guys on the other team that just don’t know what to do when he’s coming at them, so I just think that’s the biggest thing; just using his body, and he just looks so much more confident with the puck. He’s not really afraid to make mistakes and that’s something that’s fun to watch. I mean I’m happy for him.  Obviously, it was a little bit of a tough year for him last year so it’s good to see him get some results and have a good one this year.”

Compared to last season’s edition of the team, the Montreal Canadiens have made some progress. While it may be less than what fans had hoped for, there is a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel. The Habs have accumulated four more points than at the same point last year while reducing their goals against by 17. It is not a bad result when you consider the man games missed by key players and the recent trades of a couple more. In the background, the Laval Rocket have stepped up their performance after early season struggles and more than one player on that team could challenge for a position on the Canadiens next year. Success can come slowly, then all at once. Will it happen with the Canadiens? -Trask

It’s easy to accept the notion that the Canadiens are a long way from contending for a playoff spot. After all they have shown little progress over last year as far as points in the standings go. The idea that they only need to fill a hole or two is dismissed as overly optimistic by many. But I will point to Kirby Dach and Alex Newhook … again. It would not be unreasonable to expect 18 to 20 goals from Dach along with 28 to 30 assists. That was his pace in the 2022-23 season. It is also not unreasonable to expect 24 or 25 goals and an equal number of assists from Alex Newhook. That is his pace over 82 games this season but injuries have limited him to 60% of the schedule so far. Given that these two could complement each other better than their previous or existing linemates, those expectations could be conservative. And their replacements have not come close to those numbers. Injuries have robbed the Canadiens of two key players and their opportunity to develop some chemistry together. Additionally, when you factor in their return to the lineup, everyone below them gets bumped into a role they are more suited to. Now if Kent Hughes can add a winger to complement this duo, the entire dynamic of the team changes. – Trask

Dmitri Kostenko is a RD prospect who was selected in the 3rd round of the 2021 entry draft by the Montreal Canadiens. He is a 6-1 190 lb. defenseman with some offensive skill and while still only 21 years old, he has already played over 200 games of pro hockey in Russia. The Canadiens have until June 1st of next year to sign him to a contract or lose his rights. He is only 3 months older than Bogdan Konyushkov, the Russian defenseman the Canadiens drafted last year. Despite scoring 30 points including 13 goals in 54 games this season, he remains a longshot to earn that contract. But it is impossible to definitively say what the Canadiens’ brain trust is thinking. With more than a year left before a decision needs to be made, he remains a prospect worth monitoring. – Trask