Canadiens' Jayden Struble: Reassigned to AHL Laval
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Struble was demoted to the minors Wednesday.
Struble saw action in 56 NHL games in his rookie campaign this year, registering three goals, seven assists and 120 hits while averaging 16:07 of ice time. Due to his limited offensive upside, the 22-year-old blueliner likely won't emerge as a viable fantasy option in 2024-25.
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Canadiens' Joshua Roy: Moved to minors
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Roy has recovered from his upper-body injury and was sent to AHL Laval on Wednesday.
Roy hasn't played since March 19 due to the injury. He had four goals and nine points in 23 contests with the Canadiens this campaign. Montreal's season is done, so Roy will get the chance to see additional action in the minors. The 20-year-old has already supplied 13 goals and 32 points in 40 appearances with Laval in 2023-24.
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Canadiens' Logan Mailloux: Sent back to minors
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Mailloux was returned to AHL Laval on Wednesday.
Mailloux made his NHL debut against the Red Wings on Tuesday, recording one assist, two shots and one hit while logging 21:14 of ice time. With the Habs out of the playoffs, Mailloux will get at least two more games in the minors considering the Rocket have an outside chance of making the Calder Cup playoffs. Looking ahead to next season, Mailloux should be in contention for a spot on the Canadiens' Opening Night roster coming out of training camp.
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Canadiens' Justin Barron: Sent to AHL
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Barron was reassigned to AHL Laval on Wednesday.
Barron had seven goals, 13 points, 16 PIM, 61 hits and 59 blocks in 48 contests with the Canadiens this season. He has also provided two goals and 11 points in 30 outings with Laval. Montreal's campaign is over, but the 22-year-old should factor into the big club's plans for the 2024-25 campaign. Before that, though, Barron will need a new contract, because he's set to become a restricted free agent this summer.
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Canadiens' Juraj Slafkovsky: Scores 20th goal of season
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Slafkovsky produced a goal and an assist in Tuesday's 5-4 shootout loss to the Red Wings.
The 2022 first overall pick shook off the bust label with a strong finish to the season that saw him collect seven goals and 19 points over the final 19 games. Slafkovsky played all 82 games for Montreal in his second NHL season and racked up an even 20 goals and 50 points -- the 20-year-old will be prominent on sleeper lists heading into the 2024-25 campaign.
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Canadiens' Cayden Primeau: Busy in Tuesday's shootout loss
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Primeau turned aside 36 shots in regulation and overtime and two of three shootout attempts in Tuesday's 5-4 loss to the Red Wings.
The 24-year-old netminder nearly stole a win for the Canadiens in their regular-season finale, but David Perron found a tying goal for the visitors with just five seconds left in the third period, and Patrick Kane was the only successful skater for either team in the shootout. Primeau gave up four goals or more in each of his last four starts this season while going 0-2-2, and he finishes the season with an 8-9-4 record over 23 outings with a 2.99 GAA and .910 save percentage. While he won't be the favorite, Primeau should head into camp next season competing with Sam Montembeault for Montreal's starting job.
Canadiens' Michael Pezzetta: Won't return to Tuesday's game
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Pezzetta (upper body) won't finish Tuesday's game versus the Red Wings.
Pezzetta will end the campaign with 12 points in 61 appearances. He rarely saw anything more than fourth-line minutes with the Canadiens this season. Pezzetta is under contract for 2024-25, so he should be in contention to once again fill a bottom-six spot.
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Canadiens' Chris Wideman: Ending career
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Wideman (back) told reporters Tuesday that he will not play again, Eric Engels of Sportsnet reports.
Wideman was on injured reserve for all of 2023-24 due to a back injury. He was limited to just 46 games last season, which was his second campaign following a one-year stint in the KHL. Wideman ends his NHL career with 78 points in 291 appearances.
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Canadiens' Kaiden Guhle: Not ruled out for Worlds
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Guhle sustained a head injury April 4 versus the Lightning that cost him the last seven games of the season, but he hasn't been ruled out from joining Team Canada at the IIHF World Championship in May, Arpon Basu of The Athletic reports.
Guhle will conclude his second NHL season with 22 points, 95 shots on net, 116 hits, 178 blocked shots, 56 PIM and a minus-8 rating over 70 contests. He mainly played in a top-four role. Guhle's injury was not classified as a concussion, and it's possible he could get a little more playing time at Worlds before the offseason.
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Canadiens' Cayden Primeau: Guarding goal Tuesday
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Primeau will patrol the home crease Tuesday against Detroit, according to Eric Engels of Sportsnet.
Primeau made 27 saves in a 3-2 overtime win over the Red Wings on Nov. 9. He has posted a record of 8-9-3 this season with a 2.95 GAA and a .910 save percentage through 22 games played. Detroit sits ninth in the league this campaign with 3.35 goals per contest.
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Canadiens' Sam Montembeault: Suffers overtime loss
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Montembeault gave up five goals on 35 shots (.857 save percentage) in Monday's 5-4 overtime loss to Detroit.
Montembeault likely has played his final game of the season with the Habs back in action versus Detroit at home Tuesday. The netminder needed just one more win to top the 16 he put up last campaign, but he's instead poised to finish the year tied with that number again. Looking ahead to 2024-25, the 27-year-old Montembeault should enter the campaign as the presumptive No. 1, though Cayden Primeau could challenge for more opportunities.
Tuch agreed to terms on a two-year, entry-level contract with Montreal on Tuesday.
Tuch will link up with AHL Laval on an amateur tryout for the rest of the 2023-24 campaign, so fantasy players will have to wait until the preseason to get their first look at the 22-year-old winger. Selected by the Habs with the 47th overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, Tuch should be in contention for a spot on the 23-man roster for Opening Night of the 2023-24 season, though he is far from a lock.
Canadiens' Jake Evans: Assists three times in loss
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Evans had three assists during Monday's 5-4 overtime loss to the Red Wings.
The 27-year-old forward rises to 21 assists and 28 points this season. That's a career-best total in assists, and he's just one shy of his high-water mark in points. Evans has a regular role in the Canadiens' middle six, but his production has been inconsistent over the full season.
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Canadiens' Brendan Gallagher: Scores twice in OT loss
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Gallagher tallied twice during Monday's 5-4 overtime loss to Detroit.
Gallagher's 14th and 15th goals of the season are too little too late, as Montreal will miss the playoffs and his totals continue an offensive decline from the 30-goal, 50-point campaigns of his mid-20s. While there's still depth value in his game, he's only also seen a career-low in ice time with 13:47 per game, which has likely contributed to his diminished returns.
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Canadiens' Rafael Harvey-Pinard: Scores second goal of season
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Harvey-Pinard scored a goal during Monday's 5-4 overtime loss to Detroit.
The goal has been a long time coming for Harvey-Pinard. That tally was just his second in 44 games this season, and his first in 27 contests. His paltry offensive production is a disappointment after the 25-year-old scored 14 times in 34 games last season, though the regression shouldn't come as a surprise after he shot 24.1 percent in 2022-23.
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Canadiens' Logan Mailloux: Recalled Monday
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Mailloux was promoted from AHL Laval on Monday.
Mailloux was selected 31st overall in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. He's tallied 14 goals and 47 points in 70 AHL contests this season. The 21-year-old will likely make his NHL debut in Tuesday's season finale against Detroit.
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Canadiens' Sam Montembeault: Tending twine Monday
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Montembeault will defend the cage against Detroit on the road Monday.
Montembeault is likely playing in his last game of the season due to the Canadiens' season-ending back-to-back. If that's the case, the 27-year-old Quebec native enters the game with a chance to set his career-high mark in wins after recording 16 through his 40 appearances this year. Look for Cayden Primeau to get the nod at home against Detroit on Tuesday.
