Michael Hage didn’t waste any time making his choice look smart.
After turning heads among Montreal Canadiens fans by passing on his entry-level contract and heading back to the University of Michigan for his junior season, Hage has opened the year with the kind of production that makes the decision look pretty easy to defend. The Wolverines wanted him back for unfinished business, and Hage said as much - the biggest piece of that business being a national championship.
That return also came after a frustrating finish to his 2025-26 season. Hage dealt with an ankle injury late in the year, and it lingered through the NCAA playoffs. Michigan still made a run, but with Hage less than 100%, the Wolverines fell 4-3 in double overtime to the University of Denver Pioneers in the Frozen Four semifinal.
Now healthy enough to make an early impact, Hage has started piling up points right away.
Michigan opened with back-to-back games against the Bowling Green State University Falcons, and Hage was all over the first one. In a 7-2 Wolverines win, he scored his first goal of the season in the second period on the power play, hammering a one-timer from the bottom of the left circle to make it 3-1. He then collected his first assist of the season on the next goal, when his cross-ice pass bounced off a defender’s shin before finding Landon DuPont, who fed Jayden Perron for an empty-net look at the back post.
Hage wasn’t done there. He added his second goal of the night in the third period, with a centring feed deflecting off a falling Hage before going off a defender’s skate and into the net. It wasn’t clean, but it counted just the same, and it gave him two goals in the opener.
The second game was tighter, but Hage may have been even more influential. Michigan came back from an early two-goal deficit to win 4-3, and Hage had a piece of every Wolverines goal.
He assisted just 13 seconds into the second period, then scored to tie the game a little more than seven minutes later. He picked up his second assist of the night on Michigan’s third goal to give the Wolverines the lead.
After Bowling Green pulled even again with under nine minutes left, Hage delivered once more, setting up Perron for the game-winner less than a minute later.
Through two games, Hage has seven points, and that kind of start naturally puts him in the Hobey Baker conversation.
The bigger picture behind the decision to return is just as important. Hage said he wanted to be viewed as one of the leaders in the room, helping younger players get ready for college hockey.
He also wants the chance to be the first name on the lineup sheet, centring the top line and driving the power play. Before he signs his entry-level contract and makes the jump to the NHL, he wants to set a standard and arrive as more than just another player.
For now, the early returns suggest he may have been right all along.
In Other News...
Canadiens Fans May Hate What A Zibanejad Push Could Cost
The Canadiens search for a long-term answer down the middle is already one of the louder background stories around the organization, and Shayne Gaumond recently pushed it into even sharper focus by floating Mika Zibanejad as a possible No. 2 center by the time the playoffs arrive. The appeal is easy to understand from Montreals side: Zibanejad would instantly change the shape of the forward group, and his ties to president Jeff Gorton and Rangers winger Chris Kreider give the idea a familiar human thread beyond the usual trade-board speculation.
Still, this is the kind of move that only starts to make sense if Montreal proves it belongs in the contender conversation first. A player of Zibanejads stature would not be a casual add, and the Canadiens would have to show real traction before a deal of that magnitude could ever come into view. For now, the story is less about a finished path to Montreal than about how much the organization may need to gain, and risk, if it wants to chase one of the leagues bigger-name fixes at center. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Just Got An Unexpected Shot At Center Depth
An unexpected center option has suddenly reached the market, and it could be the kind of opportunity front offices monitor closely. Calgary placed Connor Zary on waivers, opening the door for any NHL team looking to add depth without giving up assets, and that naturally puts Montreal in the mix as clubs weigh whether a young pivot can help stabilize the middle of the lineup.
Zarys profile is what makes the situation interesting. The 25-year-old former first-round pick has already shown he can produce at the NHL level over 192 games, which gives him a track record that goes beyond a flyer or a pure depth gamble. For the Canadiens, a claim would come down to whether they see him as a useful fit right away, because once a player with that rsum is available, the chance does not tend to linger for long. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Suddenly Have A Real Kirby Dach Decision To Make
Kirby Dach has become one of the more intriguing names in Montreals early-season conversation, and it has less to do with what the Canadiens know than with what they still need to sort out. Dave Pagnotta recently noted the clubs roster depth could create room for adjustments, and Dachs uneven camp only added to the uncertainty around where he fits as Montreal looks to take a fuller reading of its lineup.
There have also been loose whispers linking Dach to teams in Alberta, which only adds another layer to a situation the Canadiens are not rushing to resolve. For now, the sense is that Montreal wants to evaluate the roster before making any further move, and that leaves Dach in a spot that could change quickly once the front office gets a better sense of the group it has in front of it. [Read more 🡒]