Canadiens Can Forget About Hage, For Now

If you are still holding out some hope for Michael Hage to join the Montreal Canadiens this season, you can stop. On the latest edition of the Basu and Godin Notebook, Arpon Basu and Marc-Antoine Godin interviewed Brandon Naurato, Hage’s coach with the Michigan Wolverines. They asked him if the Habs prospect would be back with the Big-10 club for a junior year, and the coach didn’t hesitate to say he would be. He added that he wasn’t speaking for Hage, but that it was what the youngster told him and that he trusted him. There’s no denying the Canadiens would have loved to have Hage now, and Jeff Gorton's comments saying that a lot can change over an offseason and the youngster may change his mind clearly showed that.

As for concerns about whether Hage can be a center at the NHL level, Naurato explained that last season, the centerman played only two games out of 40 on the wing when he skated with T.J. Hughes, and those were the games the market focused on. With all the attention Hage is getting, it’s not surprising that a market as hockey-mad as Montreal should focus on and analyze his every move and the smallest development.

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The most interesting part of the interview, however, was probably when the coach discussed Hage’s decision to come back to Michigan. He made it clear that it was the prospect’s choice to go back to Michigan for a junior year, but also explained that the path ahead won’t be that easy. He brought up the very good point that when he makes the jump to the NHL with the Canadiens, he won’t join a team that just drafted first overall and is rebuilding; he’ll be joining a team that wants results, which makes it even more important for him to be ready to make the jump.

As for the notion that Hage is going back for another year in College because he’d make more money there, Naurato swiftly brushed that aside, saying that might be true for basketball or football athletes. Still, it absolutely isn’t for hockey players. The coach also confirmed that Alex Hage, Michael’s brother, is still committed to playing with Michigan, but not this year; he’ll spend another season in the OHL, and Naurato added that his brother was never a factor in the Canadiens’ prospect’s decision to go back for another year.

This interview, coupled with what Hage said at development camp, makes it clear the delay is about the player becoming the best version of himself so he can perform in the NHL right away when he joins. Hage doesn’t want to have to bounce between leagues; he wants to make his mark and stay in the NHL right away.

Of course, that decision might have thrown a spanner in the works for the Canadiens, as they were expecting him to make the jump after last season, but in the long run, it should allow the Habs to have a much more complete player on their hands when he does make the jump.

The interview is well worth a listen, and if you haven’t subscribed to the Basu and Godin Notebook podcast, you should really consider it.

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