{"id":493004,"date":"2026-02-23T00:18:08","date_gmt":"2026-02-23T00:18:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/493004\/"},"modified":"2026-02-23T00:18:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-23T00:18:08","slug":"montreal-canadiens-week-ahead-schedule-storylines-olympic-medals-skills-competition-roster-returns-and-more-the-hockey-writers-montreal-canadiens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/493004\/","title":{"rendered":"Montreal Canadiens Week Ahead: Schedule & Storylines – Olympic Medals, Skills Competition, Roster Returns and More – The Hockey Writers – Montreal Canadiens"},"content":{"rendered":"

Here is a breakdown of the key storylines surrounding the Montreal Canadiens as the Olympic break comes to an end and a look at their upcoming schedule.<\/p>\n

Medals at the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics<\/p>\n

The biggest spotlight over the last week has been on Canadiens players representing their countries. Nick Suzuki secured a silver medal with Team Canada after a thrilling, tightly contested 2-1 overtime loss to the United States in the gold medal game on Sunday morning.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Oliver Kapanen helped Finland take home the bronze, and Juraj Slafkovsky made waves<\/a> throughout the tournament as a dominant offensive force for Slovakia.<\/p>\n

The Canadiens Skills Competition<\/p>\n

The team is hosting its annual Skills Competition<\/a> today (Feb. 22) at a sold-out Bell Centre. It features no glass along the sideboards to bring fans closer to the action, special guests from the Montreal Victoire of the Professional Women\u2019s Hockey League (PWHL), and a lot of fan interaction.<\/p>\n

On Friday, Feb. 20, the Habs braved minus-15-degree temperatures to hold an official outdoor practice<\/a> at the Bleu Blanc Bouge rink in C\u00f4te-des-Neiges\u2013Notre-Dame-de-Gr\u00e2ce. The event celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Montreal Canadiens Children\u2019s Foundation.<\/p>\n

Injury Updates & Roster Returns<\/p>\n

Forward Alex Newhook participated in a standard practice jersey for the first time<\/a> since fracturing his ankle back in November, marking a massive step in his recovery. Additionally, Alexandre Texier officially rejoined the team this weekend following his Olympic run with Team France.<\/p>\n

Trade Deadline Chatter<\/p>\n

With the trade deadline approaching, rumblings are starting to pick up. Notably, hockey insiders have been heavily linking Calgary Flames veteran center Nazem Kadri<\/a> to Montreal as a potential target to bolster their depth.<\/p>\n

Canadiens Schedule This Week<\/p>\n

DateOpponentLocationTime (EST)Thursday, Feb. 26New York IslandersCentre Bell (Home)7:00 PMSaturday, Feb. 28Washington CapitalsCentre Bell (Home)7:00 PM<\/p>\n

AI tools were used to support the creation or distribution of this content, however, it has been carefully edited and fact-checked by a member of The Hockey Writers editorial team. For more information on our use of AI, please visit our Editorial Standards<\/a> page.<\/p>\n

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