Offseason Update: Canadiens and Rocket Announce FOUR Contracts!

The Montreal Canadiens and Laval Rocket have recently announced four different contract signings at the NHL and AHL level, so let's learn more about them!
📝Read our written content on The Hockey News! thn.com/montreal
⭐️Watch This Next: • NHL Draft: Elite Prosp...
DraftKings Promo Code: THPN
tinyurl.com/DRAFTKINGSPROMOTHPN
===========================
Subscribe and Listen to our Podcasts HERE:
===========================
►Canadiens Connection: www.canadiensconnection.fm/
►The Press Zone: www.thepresszone.fm/
===========================
Connect with us!
===========================
►Follow us on X/Twitter! / rocketsports
►Follow Canadiens Connection podcast: / habsconnection​​​​​​​
►Facebook: / habsconnection​​​​​​​
►Instagram: / habsconnection​​​​​​​
SUBSCRIBE to this channel for more weekly videos about the Montreal Canadiens.
🔔 @allhabs / allhabs
QUESTION OF THE WEEK: What's your opinion of the four signings discussed on today's show?
SUPPORT our content!
►Please consider making a donation to support our independent sports content and to help us train and provide experience to the talented journalists of the future: www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted...
⏰ Timecodes ⏰
00:00 - Introduction
01:05 - Contract signing 1
07:12 - Contract signing 2
08:38 - Contract signing 3
12:31 - Contract signing 4
15:07 - Who will the Habs select in the first round of the 2024 NHL Draft?
#Habs​​​​​​​ #GoHabsGo​​​​​​​ #Canadiens​​​​​​​
About this video: The 2024 offseason has been pretty quiet so far for the Montreal Canadiens and the Laval Rocket, until the past week or so! The organizations have collectively announced four contract signings recently and Amy shares her thoughts on each!
An original video production by Rocket Sports.
©️ Rocket Sports Media | Unauthorized use prohibited

[@lauig]

Connor Hughes was so good this season he ended up fully establishing himself as the number 1 starter in Lausanne, which is one of the top 3 teams in the most talent-rich league in all Europe (just above the SHL) he's .940 in 19 games of regular season. Best SV% of all goalies in NL having played 15 games or more. Not only that but he then CARRIED that team to the Swiss playoffs final. He's got a .933 with 2 clean sheets in those 18 playoffs games. Kaskisuo ain't bad at all, and as you mentioned a good deal more AHL/NHL seasoned than Hughes, but let's be honest : he's nowhere near that level. If they're bringing Connor Hughes in it's clearly to challenge Dobes significantly more and try to bring the Rocket back into the playoffs. Times of mentoring are over, welcome to the era of fighting for the spot Jakub.

[@sharpshopstratford]

I would like to have seen Kas come back. He has been very upfront with the team and has said he wants to be a Rocket.

[@russell7995]

Very timely video. Seems the players are behind Houle and those that have moved up or down and back have done pretty well. Hughes stabilized his goaltending. Incoming prospects should add some scoring punch which should help the Rocket have a stronger season. Hughes was mentored by Cristobal Huet and was the best goalie in Europe... I think this is a different beast than Mann was as Hughes is 27 from London, ON... not worried at all about him and his role with Dobes. Davidson could be fun if he can play a full season!

[@She_26]

Sheesh...At this point, I have to wonder if the 'powers that be' have any idea what they are doing. I sure don't. I guess that, at this point, all a person can do is wait and see how this all pans out. Thanks Amy 💙

[@stefanchikov_Leonid]

Extending the contract with the coaching staff is a disaster of many magnitudes; In my opinion; underestimated. Im this case, we are talking not only about those years during which these coaches will work, but also about several years later, during which; the players they helped or did not help develop will be the cornerstones of the main team. Signing of a goalkeeper from Switzerland for A.H.L. It doesn't seem like a clear solution to Me. First. Of all, the size of the rinks. In the Swiss League they play not on the Finnish rinks, but on so-called airfields; which are few even in Europe. The transition to North American rinks is a challenge for a hockey player. However, for a goalkeeper these difficulties should be multiplied by two. The Swiss League is probably My favorite European League. But I can’t say that this particular goaltender stood out to me or that he dominated. If we look at Hughes' junior career, He changed teams every year or more. Then Connor moved to Europe and in the 2017-2018 season He did not play at all for Ambri (a team that was not in the best condition at that time). In the European leagues there is a special attitude towards Canadian players and if they have already arrived, they will be there; most likely to play. In the same season, he played 21 games for the Rockets, in which he allowed 3.2 goals (SV 903). I should mention here that the Swiss league is much more difficult for a goalkeeper; because hockey there is much more open than in Sweden and even more so in Finland. The following season, Hughes played 25 games for the same Rockets and allowed 4.6 goals per game (SV 893). The following year, 2.3 goals per game (SV 928(, but only 16 matches for the Langenthal. Further, Connor, is playing for several teams in each of the seasons. In total,, at the different levels of the Swiss hockey, pyramid, Hughes did not play even 15 games a year. In the 2022-2023 season, the Canadian goaltender played 36 games for Friborg, in which He had 2.32 goals per game (SV 907). But next year there were only 19 games for Lausanne and a couple of matches for other teams. As you can see, nothing spectacular. I certainly wish the coaches and Hughes the best of luck and would be happy to be proven wrong. But these are the doubts that I have and which I decided to share.

[@bushidodog]

Part of the reason they sign local guys to fill out minor league rosters is that they want to play in Quebec. That certainly isn't the case for most non Quebecois.

[@habinations]

im not happy about jf houle . whatever ill outlast him always do . im also not a fan of fast tracked elcs . or smurfs on d , that can get you points .except in the playoffs . gorton/hughes second mistake with the habs imo . the first being that bad lehkonnen trade for barron .

[@She_26]

Don't forget Toffoli, too. getting rid of him was beyond stupid.