A familiar batch of names showed up on the NHL waiver wire on Sep. 25, and a few of them come with recent Montreal Canadiens ties.
Joshua Roy, Jordan Harris, Sean Farrell, and Corey Schueneman were among the former Canadiens placed on waivers, while Marc Del Gaizo and William Trudeau - both of whom played for the Laval Rocket last season - were also made available by the New York Rangers.
Roy’s situation stands out the most. The 23-year-old forward was traded by the Canadiens to the Utah Mammoth earlier this off-season, and he went scoreless in three games with Montreal last season. He was far more productive in Laval, where he put up 23 goals and 45 points in 57 games.
Harris is another recognizable name for Canadiens fans. The Boston Bruins placed the former Montreal defenseman on waivers after he appeared in eight games for them last season, finishing with a goal and three points.
Farrell, who was dealt to the Anaheim Ducks this summer, spent all of last season in Laval and delivered 17 goals and 53 points in 72 games. He also got into six games with Montreal in the 2022-23 season and scored once.
Schueneman landed on waivers as well, with Anaheim making him available. He split last season between the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds and Hershey Bears, producing six goals and 31 points in 71 games. Over 31 games with the Canadiens across the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons, he recorded two goals and seven points.
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For Montreal, Dach sits in the middle of a bigger valuation question than just one player or one contract. Interest from outside clubs is only adding to the intrigue around how the Canadiens see his role and how other teams see his upside, especially as trade chatter and contract strategy start to overlap with a cap environment that should look very different by the end of the decade. [Read more 🡒]
Florian Xhekaj Is Making The Canadiens Opening Night Decision Tough
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For a player trying to force his way onto the opening-night roster, that kind of attention matters, especially this late in camp. Xhekaj has given the Canadiens enough to think about that the decision no longer looks routine, and the preseason finale now looms as the place where he can make one last impression before the final call is made. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Are Suddenly In A Crowded Race For A Scorer
The Canadiens have already been tied to the search for a second-line center, with Winnipegs Mark Scheifele surfacing as a possible answer for that need. It is the kind of hockey-month chatter that usually follows a team trying to sharpen its middle six, and Montreal is not alone in watching the market closely as other clubs angle for help down the middle and on the wing.
Kirill Marchenko has become another name drawing attention from around the league, with the Oilers, Maple Leafs, Bruins and others showing interest, which helps explain why this forward market has started to feel crowded in a hurry. Edmontons interest in Montreal forward Kirby Dach is also part of the backdrop, and with no official trades announced yet, the Canadiens remain in the middle of a wider scramble that could shape how this group looks going forward. [Read more 🡒]