One of the bigger disappointments this summer for the Montreal Canadiens was Michael Hage's decision to return to Michigan instead of going to the NHL. The Canadiens have a major hole in their Top 6 on the second line, and Hage would have been a great answer to address the need.
However, not everyone is disappointed in Hage's decision. In a recent interview with Marco D'Amico, Cam Reid talked about how excited he was to be playing with Hage at Michigan next season.
"“It shows the character he has and the person he is,” Reid said. “We’re going to Michigan and we want to develop, but we also want to win that natty. It’s a cool opportunity to have Hage coming back.”"
Reid was selected by the Nashville Predators 21st overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft and is considered one of the better defensive prospects in that year's class. This past season he played in the OHL and had 56 points in 57 games.
Michael Hage has plenty left to accomplish at Michigan
One of the reasons that Michael Hage was expected to make the jump to the NHL was he had an incredible season with Michigan. He would lead the NCAA in assists with 38, two ahead of Gavin McKenna, and finish seventh in points per game at 1.34.
While he has the stats, Hage might be returning to Michigan for awards and championships, as Reid notes. Hage has yet to win the Hobey Baker Award, which goes to the best player in NCAA hockey that season. If he were to win it this year, he would join future teammate Cole Caufield in winning that award, as Caufield won it in 2021.
The bigger focus, though, appears to be on a national championship, as Hage and Michigan came very close last year. They would lose in double overtime to the University of Denver in the semi-finals of the Frozen Four by a final score of 4-3. Denver would then go on to win another championship, which was their third in five seasons.
Even though Hage has already said that he will return to Michigan, the Canadiens are still holding out hope that Hage will change his mind. Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton have all said the right things this summer in that they support his decision but still will be open to him joining the Canadiens if that's the decision he makes.
Based on some of these comments from teammates like Cam Reid, it seems unlikely, and the Canadiens should be preparing to not have Hage on their second line to begin the season.
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