It’s Game Day! The Montreal Canadiens are in Toronto to open the 2025-’26 campaign against the Maple Leafs on Wednesday night. Montreal will start the season with a 22-man roster, one short of the maximum permitted, consisting of 13 forwards, seven defensemen and two goaltenders.
GAME 1: October 8, 2025, 7 p.m. ET. | Montreal Canadiens vs. Toronto Maple Leafs | Scotiabank Arena, Toronto | TV: SN, TVAS
Expected Forward Lines
Cole Caufield – Nick Suzuki – Juraj Slafkovsky
Zack Bolduc – Kirby Dach – Brendan Gallagher
Alex Newhook – Oliver Kapanen – Ivan Demidov
Patrik Laine – Jake Evans – Josh Anderson
extra: Joe Veleno
Expected Defense Duos
Mike Matheson – Noah Dobson
Kaiden Guhle – Lane Hutson
Arber Xhekaj – Alex Carrier
extra: Jayden Struble
Goaltenders
Sam Montembeault
Jakub Dobes
After being sidelined with a lower-body injury last week, forward Zack Bolduc returned to the ice attending practice on Monday. Patrik Laine will begin the season on the fourth line. Martin St. Louis made it clear that he is looking for more even strength consistency from the veteran forward.
Training Camp Comes to a Close
The Montreal Canadiens wrapped up their preseason schedule on Saturday at the Bell Centre with a 3-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators. The much-anticipated rematch of Tuesday’s feisty contest in Quebec looked more like a hockey game than a boxing match. The Habs won four of six games in preparation for the season opener on Wednesday in Toronto.
“I’m proud of how we behaved in camp, the things we worked on. I’m proud of the young guys’ progression, the veterans’ engagement. I feel that we’re the most ready to face the marathon since I’m here,” Martin St. Louis evaluated camp.
Roster Set
The organization announced the final camp cuts on Sunday. Owen Beck, Florian Xhekaj and Adam Engstrom were sent to the Laval Rocket, while Samuel Blais and Kaapo Kahkonen were placed on waivers. Blais was claimed by the Toronto Maple Leafs while Kahkonen was sent to Laval.
Oliver Kapanen earned one of the few roster spots available heading into the final stretch of the camp. Hints from Saturday suggested the club had already made their decision before the contest against the Senators. During his morning availability, Martin St. Louis confirmed that Kapanen, Alex Newhook, and Ivan Demidov would sit out because they’ve showed him enough.
After the game, St. Louis addressed the challenge of carrying 14 forwards. “It’s not easy 13, 14. Thirteen is a little easier because you only tell one player why he’s not in the lineup, instead of two. It’s not easy being 14th, because you don’t play a lot[…] With the travel and all, you need 13. With 13, it sometimes keeps the others more alert. It’s very competitive internally.”
Rocket Notes
The Laval Rocket open their season in Winnipeg on Friday against the Manitoba Moose. The two teams will play again at Canada Life Centre on Sunday afternoon.
Here are some notes from the Laval Rocket’s two wins of their preseason schedule over the weekend in Belleville against the Senators and the Toronto Marlies (Maple Leafs):
- Jacob Fowler allowed two goals on 38 shots. He played 40 minutes in each of the matches.
- On Friday, the line of Sean Farrell, Alex Belzile and Filip Mesar led the team offensively, recording two goals in the first period.
- During rookie camp, Mesar said he wanted to add grit to his game and he showed that on Saturday by dropping the gloves in the final minutes of the third period.
- Joshua Roy sealed the win against the Marlies with the only goal scored during the shootout.
