The Montreal Canadiens don’t just have depth. They have a queue.
That’s what makes this next stretch so interesting for a team that already had to make hard roster cuts this season, including sending Jacob Fowler, David Reinbacher and Owen Beck down to Laval. Those three have already logged NHL games and, as the source article notes, should be back in Montreal at some point this season. But they’re not the only names hovering around the edge of the lineup.
There’s another wave of prospects who haven’t made their NHL debuts yet, but are close enough that the first call could come soon. And if you’re looking ahead to 2026-27, three players stand out most clearly: Michael Hage, Luke Mittelstadt and Sasha Pastujov.
Michael Hage is the headliner, and for good reason. He’s one of the Canadiens’ best prospects, and the expectation was that he might have already reached Montreal after Michigan’s season ended last year. Instead, he chose to go back for another NCAA season, and the belief is still that he’ll be in Montreal when that run is over.
If he follows up with another season like the one he had at Michigan last year, the Canadiens are going to want him on the roster fast. The fit is obvious. Montreal still has a second-line center opening, and Hage has a real shot to be the answer there.
Luke Mittelstadt is a different kind of case, but the path is there too. Montreal took him in the seventh round in 2023, and after four seasons at the University of Minnesota, he finished last season in Laval. In nine regular-season games there, he put up five points, then added two more in five playoff games.
He also turned heads in the preseason, looking strong in the games he played for Montreal and standing out in the process. The issue isn’t whether he impressed.
It’s the numbers game on the blue line. Montreal’s defense depth is crowded, which was part of the reason Reinbacher went back to Laval before this season.
That logjam may not last forever. A trade could open things up, and the source article points to the possibility that Montreal could move one of its top prospects, or even Alexandre Carrier or Jayden Struble at the deadline, since both are in the final year of their contracts.
After what Mittelstadt showed in camp, it feels like his turn is coming. It could arrive this season.
Then there’s Sasha Pastujov, another player who looks ready to push for a real shot. Montreal acquired him from the Anaheim Ducks, and the former third-round pick has already spent some time knocking on the NHL door. He never got into a game with Anaheim, but that could change with the Canadiens.
Pastujov’s AHL production with the San Diego Gulls was strong: 57 points, including 21 goals and 36 assists, in 71 games last season, after he posted 45 points in 43 games the year before. He also made a strong first impression with Montreal in the preseason, recording two points in three games and finishing at plus-3.
Owen Beck is the first forward likely to get the call, but Pastujov is firmly in the mix too. And with the Canadiens carrying the kind of prospect depth that can help them absorb injuries over a long season, chances like this may keep coming. For a few of these players, that could mean finally stepping onto NHL ice.
In Other News...
Canadiens Camp Picture Just Got Clearer With 3 More Cuts
The Canadiens camp pipeline took another small turn as the Laval Rocket trimmed three more names from their training camp roster. Forward Aleksandr Legkov and defensemen Jacob Dion and Kale McCallum had all spent time in Montreals camp before landing with Laval, and now their next stop is looking a little further down the road in the organization.
Their movement leaves the Rocket with 25 players still in camp as they build toward the American Hockey League season. For Montreal, it is another reminder of how the organization is sorting its depth chart in real time, with some prospects moving on while others keep their hold on a spot and wait for the next opportunity. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Could Have A Rare Chance To Grab Bruins Young Talent
Matthew Poitras has been one of the more interesting young names to follow in Boston, and for now he has stayed out of waivers. Still, the conversation around him is getting louder, and that puts Montreal in a position worth watching. For a Canadiens team that could use more offensive help down the middle, a young player with Poitras profile would stand out immediately if he became available.
Drafted by the Bruins in 2022, Poitras has already shown enough at both levels to make him a legitimate target, with 69 NHL games and 27 career points adding to a productive AHL season in Providence. The Canadiens would not be alone in keeping an eye on the situation, but a rare chance to pluck a player with his skill from a division rival is the kind of opening teams do not get often, which is why the next roster move in Boston matters so much. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Weigh A Lineup Change After One Costly Mistake
A quiet roster debate is hanging over Montreal as the Canadiens sort through their lineup during a team retreat ahead of their next game against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Florian Xhekaj has kept himself in the conversation after a strong training camp, earning praise from both management and teammates, and his name has stayed in the mix as the club looks for ways to tighten things up.
The discussion has been sharpened by a recent penalty from Alexandre Texier, a mistake that drew criticism and may force the coaching staff to rethink its forward group. The Canadiens are still weighing their options, but the decision window is closing, and this one could turn into a meaningful early-season test of how much they want to reward camp performance versus stick with the current lineup. [Read more 🡒]