Canadiens acquire Lucas Lessio from Coyotes

GM Marc Bergevin announced Tuesday evening that the Montreal Canadiens have traded left winger Christian Thomas to the Arizona Coyotes in return for left winger Lucas Lessio.

6 foot 1, 213 pounds, Lucas Lessio was drafted by the Coyotes 56th overall in 2011. Aged 22, Lessio has played all season with the Springfield Falcons of the AHL, recording 12 points in 24 games. In 29 career NHL games, Lessio picked up 2 goals and 3 assists.

Son of former NHLer Steve Thomas, 23 year old Christian Thomas, has played most of this season in the AHL as well with the St. Johns Ice Caps, picking up 14 points in 18 games. The 5 foot 9, 178 pound left winger has played 26 career NHL games, earning only 1 goal and 2 assists.

We thank Christian Thomas for his work and wish him all the best in Arizona and give a big welcome to the newest member of your Montreal Canadiens, Lucas Lessio!

#20 Christian Thomas (above) and #38 Lucas Lessio (below)

Juulsen, Vejdemo, make "Final Camp" for World Juniors

Two Montreal Canadiens prospects have been named to their respected country's last cuts in the upcoming IIHF World Junior Championships in Helsinki, Finland. 

18 year old Noah Juulsen, (ranked 7th in my "Habs Top 10 Prospects" article, drafted 26th in 2015), has made team Canada's world junior last cut. If he makes the roster, he is projected to be as a top 4/bottom 6 defenceman. This will be his first appearance at the international stage. Juulsen has amassed 10 points in 23 games this season with the Everett Silvertips of the WHL. Four more cuts on defence will be made prior to boxing day. 

19 year old Lukas Vejdemo, (drafted 87th in 2015), has been named to Sweden's world junior roster. He is projected to play a bottom nine role down the middle with the squad. Vejdemo is currently playing in the Swedish Hockey League with Djurgardens IF, where he has a total of 10 points in 25 games so far this season. Two more forward cuts will be made prior to boxing day as well.

We wish the best of luck to both Canadiens prospects as they will be working very hard to make the final cut and represent their countries in Finland. 

The 2016 IIHF World Junior Championships begin Saturday, December 26th. Canada is set to take on the rival Americans, while Sweden will battle against Switzerland. 

For rosters, scores and stats, check out www.thn.com/wjc

Noah Juulsen (left) and Lukas Vejdemo (right)

A decade of drafting - The Studs

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Over the past decade and a half, the Montreal Canadiens, scouting director Trevor Timmins and player development director Martin Lapointe have drafted and a good percentage of players who've developed into NHLers. There have been several prospects that have carried their junior success to the NHL level. Nevertheless, there have also been a number of high rated prospects in junior that just didn’t live up to their expected potentials. Players such as Andrei Kostitsyn, who was drafted 10th overall in a high-skilled 2003 entry draft which included Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Jeff Carter, is one of those players who didn't pan out in the league as a premier player.

Here is a list of the top 10 studs drafted by the Montreal Canadiens over the past decade.

Top 10 Studs

1. Carey Price – G (drafted 5th overall in 05’) 

How could Price not take number 1 on this list? He is the best goaltender in the world right now and the backbone of the Montreal Canadiens. Carey has been a high rated prospect since his junior days with Tri-City Americans of the WHL, thus getting drafted 5th overall. He was destined to be Montreal’s elite number one goalie since the day he was drafted, and that he has delivered. He has a Calder Cup, a World Junior Championship, an Olympic gold medal, a Vezina, a Hart, a William Jennings and a Lester B. Pearson trophy credited to his name so far, and he has only begun. A continuation of his spectacular play and a Stanley Cup Championship will definitely get his number 31 retired and maybe even an induction to the Hockey Hall of Fame.

2. P.K Subban – D (drafted 43rd overall in 07’)

Along with Price and Pacioretty, P.K Subban is part of the Habs current core. He is a fan favorite and signed a lengthy 9 year, 80 million dollar contract in the summer of 2014. Although his first years with the club were tough, P.K Subban has matured a lot since and was awarded with an ‘A’ stitched to his sweater after his contract. He plays heavy minutes on the blue-line alongside veteran Andrei Markov and can put up 50 plus points a season with his wicket slap-shot and nifty mitts. He has an Olympic gold medal and a Norris trophy under his belt so far.

3. Max Pacioretty – LW (drafted 22nd in 07’)

At number 3 we have the franchise’s 17th captain Max Pacioretty. This 1st round pick, which resulted in Pacioretty, came over in the deal that sent Craig Rivet to San Jose in return for Josh Gorges. You can say that the Canadiens had the better end of that deal, by a long shot. Maximillian had a slow start to his career, but after his terrifying head injury on a hit at center ice by Boston Bruins captain Zedeno Chara, he returned as a superstar. Reigning from New Jersey, “Patches” is a natural goal scorer with tons of speed He has hit the 30 goal plateau twice so far and is just 27 years of age. His highest goal total came in the season of 2013-14 season, where he put the puck in back of the net 39 times.

 4. Ryan McDonagh – D (drafted 12th in 07')

Yes, New York Rangers captain and Olympian, Ryan McDonagh was once property of the Montreal Canadiens. He was taken 12th overall in the 2007 enrty draft behind Pacioretty and Subban. Unfortunately, McDonagh didn’t get a chance to play a game in a Habs uniform as he was dealt to the Rangers along with Christopher Higgins and Pavel Valetenko in exchange for none other than Scott Gomez… How much scarier would the Habs blue line be if McDonagh was on it!?

GM Marc Bergevin shopping for top 6 winger

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It is no secret to the hockey world that GM Marc Bergevin is constantly on the phones, negotiating with other general managers, in hope to improve his hockey club. If the Montreal Canadiens want to become legitimate Stanley Cup contenders, they must acquire a top six scoring right winger before the trade deadline. 

The window for a NHL team to win the Stanley Cup is very small, and Montreal is entering that window now. This is their time to make a big move in order to bring the Cup back to the city. Carey Price and Max Pacioretty are in the middle of their prime, and older guns such as Plekanec and Markov only have very little gas left in their tanks. While they have a great leadership core, culture and a very deep depth chart, they are only missing a single piece; a top six scoring winger. For the past 10 seasons, this has been one of Montreal's main issues. They solved their top line issues when Pacioretty became an elite sniper, but another scorer is needed. Signing Alex Semin to be "that" guy was a gamble, and with no surprise, he didn't pan out. 

The Canadiens have a various selection of prospects and picks to deal in order to obtain their need. As far as Bergevin's history goes as GM, he will certainly find that top six sniper to fill the void on the second line. 

Here are possible candidates for the job:


Kyle Okposo - RW, New York Islanders (3.5M$ - 1 year)
Age 27, Height/Weight - 6"1 / 217 lbs

Okposo has 6 goals, 14 assists in 25 games this season. His highest goal total in 2013-14 where he notched 27 goals. He is set to become an unrestricted free agent as of July 1st, 2016.


Wayne Simmonds - RW, Philadelphia Flyers ( 4M$ - 4 years)
Age 27, Height/Weight - 6"2 / 183 lbs

It has been reported that Wayne Simmonds is on the trade block. He and the Flyers have had a very slow start to the season, and things don't look like they are going to change anytime soon. Simmonds has only 5 goals and 7 assists after 24 games. He has three 25+ goal seasons in his career.


Jordan Eberle - RW, Edmonton Oilers ( 6M$ - 5 years)
Age 25, Height/Weight - 5"11 / 183 lbs

The Oilers have a surplus of developing young talent in their system, and a trade implicating either Eberle or Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is almost certain. After missing a dozen games to start the season due to injury, Eberle has struggled to find his scoring touch. In 12 games he has 3 markers and a -11 rating.


Jiri Hudler - RW, Calgary Flames ( 4M$ - 3 years)
Age 31, Height/Weight - 5"10 / 183 lbs

The Calgary Flames are not the same team they were last season as they currently sit in 29th place, with a 8-14-2 record. Although he is a bit past his prime, Hudler still has all the tools to be a top six sniper. He recorded a total of 31 goals and 76 points last season and also coming away with the Lady Byng Memorial trophy. He has recorded 4 goals and 10 assists in 22 games this season.


Radim Vrbata - RW, Vancouver Canucks (5M$ - 3 years)
Age 34, Height/Weight - 6"1 / 194 lbs

Along with Jiri Hudler, Vrbata is a natural goal scorer who is a couple years past his prime. Nevertheless, he did put up 31 goals last season and had a 35 goal season with Arizona four years ago. After 23 games this season, Vrbata has 6 goals and a .071 shooting percentage.