Eliotte Friedman broke the news Montreal Canadiens' fans didn't want to hear: Michael Hage is remaining with the Michigan Wolverines for another season.
Elliotte Friedman recently posted on his X account that Montreal Canadiens top prospect Michael Hage was going to remain with the Michigan Wolverines for his junior season. This comes as a bit of a surprise, especially since it appeared clear that the Habs were keen to sign him at the end of the season.
Perhaps the youngster doesn’t want to end his NCAA career on a Frozen Four elimination in the semi-final and would like another shot at bringing a national championship to Michigan. Whatever the reason, it seems like the Canadiens will not be getting any reinforcements for the time being.
While this is not the news Habs fans expected and wanted, it’s not dramatic for the Sainte-Flanelle, who does have quite some depth offensively. After all, according to TVA Sports’ Anthony Martineau, it seems that for a third game in a row, veteran forward Brendan Gallagher will sit, just like Zachary Bolduc, who’ll miss a second game in a row. Adding Hage to the fold would have forced Martin St-Louis to make even more complicated decisions.
Even if Hage had signed his ELC, it seemed unlikely that he would have been ready to play in Montreal this upcoming season and would, in all likelihood, have spent the season with the Laval Rocket. Canadiens fans will need to be patient with this one, but if it’s any consolation, by the tail end of the next season, both Hage and Alexander Zharovsky could be on their way to the hockey mecca.
Hage's decision to return to Michigan is in no way worrying for the Canadiens; they have until August 15, 2028, to sign him, and the young man is a lifelong Habs fan. On TVA Sports, agent Pat Brisson explained that Hage wanted to stay for another year to gain more leadership and muscle mass and that the Canadiens were supportive of that decision.
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