The Canadiens still haven’t closed the book on Michael Hage, and that’s the first thing worth watching here. Montreal took Hage 21st overall in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, and his value has only climbed since then after he put up 86 points over two NCAA seasons. Normally, a player with that kind of production would head pro instead of going back to college for a third year, but Hage is returning to a loaded Michigan team.
That Michigan roster is no joke. Hage will be part of a group that includes Will Horcoff, J.P Hurlbert, Jack Nesbitt, Malcolm Spence, and Cameron Reid, among others. The Wolverines look built to chase a championship, and Hage is expected to be a major piece of that push.
Montreal, though, is still trying to bring him into the fold. On April 11, it was announced that Hage would be returning to the NCAA, which meant the Canadiens couldn’t get him signed to finish the season and potentially join them for the playoffs.
At the time, the situation sounded calm enough. Elliotte Friedman said, “There’s no reason to believe Hage is unhappy with the Canadiens, and there is no reason to believe the Canadiens are unhappy with Hage and will try to trade him.”
That made it seem like a brief detour. But on July 31, Jeff Marek said the Canadiens are still trying to sign him.
There’s also a roster angle driving the interest. Montreal doesn’t have a clear second-line centre right now, and while it isn’t known whether the club sees Hage as the answer immediately, the fit is obvious enough.
The danger, of course, is asking too much from a 20-year-old too soon. That kind of pressure can backfire.
Still, the talent is real, and Hage is viewed as a top prospect for a reason.
The other Canadiens-related name floating around is Kirill Marchenko, and the price tag sounds steep. Stu Cowan, speaking on The Sick Podcast with Tony Marinaro, said, “I think it would be a similar package to what was reported in the Matthew Knies deal”
That Knies framework came up at the trade deadline, when a Canadiens-Maple Leafs deal reportedly fell apart. The package was said to include prospect Alexander Zharkovsky, two first-round picks, and another prospect.
Marchenko is a winger, just like Knies, even though Montreal’s biggest need remains down the middle. Still, the interest has been there.
Marchenko has one season left at a very manageable $3.85 million, but the extension conversation is headed toward a much bigger number. AFP Analytics projects it around $9 million, though it could end up costing more than that.
And Marchenko’s side has already made its stance clear: he will not be signing an extension with the Blue Jackets. Columbus, for its part, isn’t about to move him for anything less than a fair return.
There’s also some optimism surrounding Gavin McKenna and the Toronto Maple Leafs, and that matters for how the team is being viewed right now. In an interview with ESPN’s Emily Kaplan, McKenna, the first overall pick in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft, said the goal is to make the playoffs and that winning the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie would make for a great year.
That kind of target says a lot about where the Leafs think they’re headed. Since John Chayka became general manager, the direction has been clear: win.
Toronto has no appetite for a long rebuild. With Darren Raddysh, Sergei Bobrovsky, and added depth in the mix, the roster looks stronger on paper, even if there’s still more work to do.
The Leafs have also moved Joseph Woll and Brandon Carlo, and they’re still expected to try to move Morgan Rielly. So the picture remains fluid, and until the season starts, the lineup is still a moving target.
Even so, McKenna talking about the playoffs as the goal is a promising sign for the organization. That isn’t usually the mindset attached to a first-overall pick, because those teams are generally nowhere near contention.
Toronto is in a different spot. The Atlantic Division is going to be the toughest in the league, but if the new additions deliver and Auston Matthews bounces back the way the Leafs need him to, they’ve got a real shot.
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