Mailloux & Hutson Dazzle, Tuch ELC, Gallagher Value

Here are some Montreal Canadiens news, highlights and misses from Tuesday.

Montreal Canadiens News

• As expected, the Montreal Canadiens signed prospect Luke Tuch to a two-year, entry-level contract. There was a delay in the announcement as the sides negotiated a start date, but Tuch's camp agreed to a contract that begins next season.(The Montreal Canadiens have signed an NCAA prospect)

• Lane Hutson and Logan Maillu both starred in the final game of the season. A youth movement with the likes of Juraj Slakovski, Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield seems to be in good shape. There's a lot of work to do when it comes to rebuilding, but it's safe to say the Habs ended the season on a high note despite the series loss. (The Canadiens' youth movement offers a glimpse of a promising future)

• The youngest player in the lineup reached two major milestones on Tuesday night. Not only did Slafkowski score his 20th goal of the year following Hutson's point, it was his 50th of the season.

Layne Hutson gets a point in back-to-back games and Juraj Slafkowski scores his 20th goal of the year.

The #GoHabsGo looks ahead tonight. pic.twitter.com/2qwuOpckPF

— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) April 17, 2024

National Hockey Now network

• It took him until the final game of the season, but Nashville Predators defenseman Jeremy Lauzon sits alone at the top of the NHL record books. The 26-year-old blueliner needed nine hits to break Matt Martin's decade-long record for single-season hits heading into Monday's game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, and he got just that. (Nashville Predators)

• New Jersey Devils interim head coach Travis Green began Monday night's postgame press conference by making it clear that while the season has been disappointing, the future still holds. “This team has a great future. It's very young,” Green explained to Devils media. However, the shadow of disappointment casts a much larger shadow than Greene's optimistic twist. (New Jersey Devils)

• The Pittsburgh Penguins will now advance to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the second consecutive spring as Washington defeated Philadelphia 2-1 on Tuesday night at the Wells Fargo Center. Sure, it was enough to officially eliminate the Penguins from contention for a playoff berth, but the harsh truth is that they achieved that result much earlier in the season. (Pittsburgh Penguins)