McCarron had three more hits, but just 9:54 of ice time in Thursday night's 3-2 loss to the Kings. The rookie had averaged 13:30 in the last two games and was promoted to a top-six role the night before in Anaheim.

EDGE Analysis

Including a game with St. John's of the AHL, McCarron was playing his fifth game in seven nights Thursday and it wore on him. He had skated with Alex Galchenyuk and Lars Eller the previous night and the trio was praised by head coach Michel Therrien following Wednesday's 3-2 shootout loss to Anaheim, but the coach told the Montreal Gazette, "We gave him the start (on the first line)... I was looking to see how he was going to react. But I could tell he didn't have the same jump that he used to have." With a day to recover, McCarron should be back among the top lines Saturday in Winnipeg.

McCarron, who had centered the fourth line since his call up from the American Hockey League, was promoted to the second line for Wednesday night's shootout loss to the Ducks, the Montreal Gazette reports. "We really like what we've seen from Michael since he's with us," head coach Michel Therrien said. "He was used as a fourth-liner and now we want to give him a different responsibility, put him with different players that offensively they could bring some numbers or scoring chances."

EDGE Analysis

McCarron responded with another good game, finishing at plus-1 with one shot on net, three hits and five penalty minutes in 13:26 of ice time. The fight was the kind of pushback event Montreal's been looking for from its forwards -- after Kevin Bieksa, a pretty tough customer, laid out Lars Eller, the 20-year-old rookie didn't hesitate to drop the gloves and get some licks in. McCarron may get bounced around to different combinations, but his days as a fourth-liner this season are over.

McCarron had an assist, a team-high tying five shots on net, and four hits in 10:17 TOI in Saturday night's 4-1 win over the Maple Leafs.

EDGE Analysis

The Canadiens have been missing a physical presence at forward -- for several years -- and that's an aspect of the game McCarron provides. Centering the fourth line, he used his 6-foot-6 frame to set up Devante Smith-Pelly's game-winning goal in the second period. The Michigan-native dislodged the puck from a Toronto player on the forecheck, then got himself to the front of the net where an Alexei Emelin shot him in the body and caromed to Smith-Pelly who batted the puck home. It was a good night for the rookie, who should get regular minutes going forward and perhaps a promotion at some point.

McCarron was called up from AHL St. John's on Saturday, Eric Engels of Sportsnet reports.

EDGE Analysis

McCaron is a top prospect for the Habs, having been selected in the first round (25th overall) of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. He also represented the North Division in the 2016 AHL All-Star Classic. With playoff hopes slim at best for the Habs and forwards Dale Weise and Tomas Fleischmann shipped to Chicago, McCarron has an ideal chance to make an impression with the parent club. He towers over the opposition with a 6-foot-6, 231-pound frame and is surprisingly agile, though it might take him some time to settle in on the fast-paced stage of the NHL.

McCarron was selected for the AHL All-Star game, Hockey Inside Out reports.

EDGE Analysis

McCarron, the Habs' first-round pick in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, has 13 goals and 12 assists in 31 games for St. John's. The 20-year-old had a short stint with the Canadiens earlier this season and was held pointless in two games.

McCarron was demoted back to AHL St. John's on Tuesday, LNH.com's Arpon Basu reports.

EDGE Analysis

McCarron got into two games with the Habs in his first NHL stint, going minus-1 with four shots and four penalty minutes in limited ice time. Montreal's 2013 first-round pick has excelled at the AHL level in his first taste of pro hockey this year, as he's put up 13 goals and 24 points in 28 games with St. John's. He'll keep plying his trade there for now, but the big winger's a good bet to see more time in Montreal later this year.

McCarron made his NHL debut Saturday, playing 12:10 in a 6-2 loss to the Stars. He had two shots on goal and four penalty minutes.

EDGE Analysis

McCarron will be getting a quick look in Montreal while his AHL team, St. John's, is on a Christmas break. He's a power-forward type, drafted in the first round of the 2013 draft, that will be part of the Canadiens' future.

McCarron was recalled by the Canadiens on Friday, Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports reports.

EDGE Analysis

McCarron accumulated 24 points in 28 points with AHL St. John's, which is an especially impressive total given the forward's size at 6-foot-6, 231 pounds. There's no indication that any of the Candiens' forwards are dealing with an injury, so it's possible the move was made to add depth among the ranks.

McCarron had a hat trick in AHL St. John's 6-2 win over Rochester on Saturday.

EDGE Analysis

They were McCarron's first three professional goals. McCarron didn't have a point in his first three games for the IceCaps, but he exploded on Saturday. McCarron's stock is on the rise after a terrific final junior season in London (OHL).

The Canadiens assigned McCarron to St. John's of the American Hockey League.

EDGE Analysis

McCarron scored the lone goal for the Canadiens in Tuesday's preseason opener against the Maple Leafs, but it wasn't enough to secure him a roster spot moving forward. McCarron split the majority of the 2014-15 season between the Knights and Generals of the OHL. Between the two teams, he combined to play in 56 games, while recording 28 goals and 40 assists.