The Montreal Canadiens have four representatives at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics. Here’s an update on each of them through Sunday’s action.
- Juraj Slafkovsky has had the most impact to his team during the competition. Through three games, he leads Slovakia with three goals, and six points. Slafkovsky is also first on the team with 15 shots on goal and ice time for a forward with an average of 19:55.
- Nick Suzuki has one goal, nine shots on goal, and plus-1 rating for Canada through three games while averaging 13:39 ice time. Suzuki has primarily lined up to the right of Brandon Hagel and Nathan Mackinnon. The Canadiens captain also plays on the penalty kill.
- Alexandre Texier leads France’s forwards with an average 20:30 ice time. He has not produced any points for his country and is minus-8 through three contests.
- Oliver Kapanen dressed for one of Finland’s three games. He did not get any shifts during the game, slotted in the role of 13th forward.
Habs Notes
Meanwhile back home, the Canadiens return to practice on Tuesday afternoon at the CN Sports Complex in Brossard. The biggest storyline before the team’s next game against the New York Islanders on February 26th is concerning the roster.
Patrik Laine began skating with a regular jersey for nearly three weeks prior to the break, however not cleared to return to action. Martin St. Louis provided vague responses about the forward’s health. It’s rare that a player practices for such an extended period without receiving the green light from the medical staff. There are several credible reports that management is trying to move Laine as soon as possible, but not at any cost. The only certainty is that no transaction can take place before February 22 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern, when the roster freeze lifts.
Alex Newhook began skating on his own before the Olympic break and joined several players in Brossard during the pause. All signs point to him practising with his teammates starting Tuesday and being ready when the regular season resumes.
Assuming no injuries prior to the puck drop against the Islanders, Kent Hughes needs to create one roster spot to accommodate both Laine and Newhook. The Canadiens can activate one player thanks to assigning Samuel Blais to the AHL before the break.
Rocket News
The Laval Rocket returned from the All Star break with two games at Place Bell. On Friday, the Rocket manhandled the Hershey Bears (Washington Capitals) 6-1. The following day, Laval began a sequence of 13 consecutive games against North Division rivals with a 4-2 win against the Toronto Marlies (Maple Leafs). Pascal Vincent’s squad is currently on a seven-game winning streak and atop of the North Division.
On Monday afternoon, the Rocket are in Toronto for a rematch against the Marlies. They’ll get a couple of days off before playing three games in three days against the Rochester Americans (Buffalo Sabres) on Friday, followed by two against the Utica Comets (New Jersey Devils).
Here are notes from this weekend’s matches.
- Joshua Roy is currently in a good stretch on both sides of the ice. He has seven points in the last five games and Vincent is trusting him in defensive situations, such as the penalty kill and in the final moments of the game.
- His center Owen Beck has three goals in four games. Prior to this sequence, Beck had scored once in the last 24 games.
- Filip Mesar is the final piece of that line. He has obtained five points in the last five games.
- Adam Engstrom continues to contribute to the offence. He added two points over the weekend to extend the streak to nine games.
- Jared Davidson returned to play after missing three games with an upper body injury. He wore a helmet with a cage for the weekend.
- Samuel Blais obtained four points. He has recorded a point in every game since the Canadiens assigned him to the AHL.
