The Montreal Canadiens are one of the hottest teams in the NHL, and they could be getting a very interesting reinforcement in the form of NCAA star Michael Hayes.
The 19-year-old Hayes enjoyed a stellar sophomore season with the University of Michigan, scoring 13 goals and 39 assists in 39 games. He finished the season with 52 points, more than Gavin McKenna (Penn State), Porter Martone (50 points, Michigan State) and James Hagens (47 points, Boston College).
But for Hayes it's not just a matter of production.
His playing style is the epitome of dynamic hockey.
He executes his plays at full speed, combining elite playmaking with high-level vision. This is the driving force behind Hayes' No. 1 ranking among Montreal Canadiens prospects, as voted on by Habs fans.
In that way, despite the fact that he has only spent two seasons in the NCAA, and has yet to play a single game of professional hockey, you can argue that Hayes is one of the team's most NHL-ready prospects.
"Michigan lost, the Michael Hayes clock is on," Elliotte Friedman explained on his latest 32 Thoughts podcast. "We'll see where it goes in the next few days."
michael hayes status
We can expect Hayes to sign a contract in the near future, although the nature of said contract may vary. As established by Nicolas Cloutier, the contract will not necessarily last in the NHL, even though this is the most likely scenario. There is a possibility that Hayes and the Canadiens will want to test the waters in the AHL through an amateur tryout before signing an NHL deal.
However, in all likelihood Hayes will want to waste a year of his entry-level contract by signing in the NHL, which will lead to some important decisions in Montreal's lineup.
Hayes is currently dealing with an injury that caused him to miss a few playoff games for the University of Michigan, so rushing out a contract signing is not a priority when it comes to signing, but once he is ready to play, head coach Martin St-Louis will need to establish the ideal usage for the talented prospect.
It's a situation that's complicated by the team's injuries, or lack thereof.
The Habs are a remarkably healthy team at the moment, a rare occurrence for an organization known for overstocking hospitals.
On the flip side of the coin, just because a player is given the green light to play in the NHL doesn't mean they aren't going to struggle with minor issues. Many, if not most, NHL players have persistent health issues that are not serious enough to keep them out of the lineup.
With that in mind, the Canadiens may be able to rest some of their players in the final stretch of the season. Of course, the fact that first place in the Atlantic Division is still up for grabs may influence Montreal's roster decisions, but I digress.
Montreal Canadiens Forward Situation
The only forward who is still on the mend is Patrik Laine, leaving 14 healthy players fighting for 12 spots. That number will increase to 15 if Hayes signs a contract, allowing at least three forwards to see games in the press box as healthy scratches.
It's also important to remember that Hayes is expected to eventually become one of the top-six players for the Canadiens, meaning the ideal usage would involve filling that role as early as possible. Hopefully, the days of forcing an extremely talented young player to be on the fourth line in a role unsuitable for his skill set are over.
Given that there is little chance that Saint-Louis will want to disrupt his elite first line (again), the second line signals for the hedge.
And yet, given that the only two relatively permanent players on the second line are also first-year players (Ivan Demidov and Oliver Kapanen), there is some logic in suggesting that running a trio with three rookies could spell trouble.
But if there's one coach in the NHL who will give the experiment a legitimate shot, it's definitely St.-Louis.
