This week, the Montreal Canadiens made their final training camp cuts to get down to a 22-man roster for opening night. It was relief for Oliver Kapanen and meant disappointment for Owen Beck who was hopeful of making the Canadiens after having had an excellent camp. To a lesser extent it was bad news for Florian Xhekaj and Adam Engstrom who had opened some eyes with a glimpse into their potential for the future.
However, Laval is primed to make a significant impact on the fortunes of the Montreal Canadiens this season. The Habs are the youngest team in the NHL with Montreal fresh off a season with fewer man games lost due to injury relative to recent history.
Last season, the Rocket dominated the AHL during the regular season. Sporting a record of 48-19-5, Laval displayed scoring, grit and excellent goaltending and they provided a first taste of playoff hockey at the professional level.
At the same time, it was a banner year for the development of their young prospects. For the first time in decades, it appeared that the Canadiens had learned the process of developing their own draft picks.
This Week’s Show
This week, the focus by the head coach and Laval players was on using this season to prepare for the AHL playoffs. And the importance of the Rocket to the Canadiens season cannot be overstated.
To explain, we feature AHL expert Patrick Williams on this week’s episode of the Canadiens Connection podcast.
NEW PODCAST | Habs Storylines: From Contract Friction to Playoff Focus | Canadiens Connection ep 369
We also discussed the following key topics on this week’s show:
- What will the Canadiens identity be this season?
- How will the new media deal affect Canadiens fans?
- Have the Lane Hutson contract negotiations taken a concerning turn?
CC Question of the Week: Do you think Lane Hutson’s contract situation will be resolved quickly, or could this drag on and affect his performance?
It is our eighth season, with a new episode of the podcast dropping every Saturday afternoon. Be sure to subscribe using your favorite podcast app! Or watch our episodes on YouTube!
Canadiens Connection: Contract Friction, Playoff Focus
Have you missed any episodes? You can find our complete catalogue of shows here at HockeyHotStove.
