The Montreal Canadiens will hit the ice Monday morning at the CN Sports Complex in Brossard. They’ll skate with their 23‑man opening‑night roster. The team brought a large group of players into the weekend. The Saturday split squad games against Ottawa required extra bodies.
The camp wrapped up with all major questions answered for the moment. They now head to Toronto to kick off the season against the Maple Leafs on Tuesday.
Florian Xhekaj Forces Hand
Florian Xhekaj was on a mission since the start of camp. He forced management’s hand to keep him in the NHL to start the year. His impact was not from the scoresheet. In his first preseason appearance in Toronto, Xhekaj disturbed the Maple Leafs with his physical presence, notably on Auston Matthews and William Nylander. His actions led to a fight against Marshall Rifai. Big brother Arber watched the scrap on a mobile phone while serving a penalty at the Bell Centre.
That night, Xhekaj completed a trio with veterans Josh Anderson and Philip Danault. In the other two contests, he skated with players destined for the AHL.
“He knows what he is, and he brings that with a lot of consistency this camp,” Martin St. Louis said following Saturday’s game against the Ottawa Senators.
On the other hand, Owen Beck was amongst the cuts on Sunday. The writing was on the wall since Friday when Beck practised with the group of players identified for the AHL.
“It’s been a couple of years, I’ve tried to do what I can to make an impact at every training camp and it feels like the same situation year after year, but I want to work on my game every day and hopefully break through at some point,” Beck said on Thursday.
Engstrom Wins Spot
Kaiden Guhle’s injury created an opening on the blue line for opening night. Unless of a major surprise, Adam Engstrom and David Reinbacher would battle for it. In the end, Engstrom stays with the club, and the Canadiens assigned Reinbacher to Laval on Sunday along with nine other players.
Reinbacher appeared to have the edge because of his strong camp and his right shot. Noah Dobson and Alexandre Carrier are the only right shooting defencemen on the roster. Reinbacher and Engstrom formed a duo in two of the three preseason games, and with Lane Hutson in the other contest.
“He made it pretty easy for me. He killed a lot of plays and disrupted a lot so we didn’t have to defend much. Easy to read off of, positions himself so well, and I’m excited to see what he continues to do,” Hutson praised his defensive partner of the night.
Montembeault Gets Another Chance
Death, taxes, and goaltending controversy in Montreal. Last season, Samuel Montembeault lost his spot on March 6th. Management had no more patience with his poor performances between the pipes. Jakub Dobes took over the starting goalie role, and Jacob Fowler stepped in as the backup. There’s no doubt that Dobes earned the right to begin the season in the starter’s role.
The talk around town during the offseason was that Montembeault would continue his career elsewhere. At the team’s golf tournament to kick off the year, Kent Hughes said they won’t start the regular season with three netminders. Most assumed Hughes would find a new home for Montembeault. They expected Fowler to take the spot.
Montembeault arrived to camp knowing he had to win a roster spot. He delivered three strong appearances, allowing one goal in 93:24 of action. Overall, he posted a 0.64 goals against average and a .974 save percentage. He most notably stopped all 13 shots against the Maple Leafs elite players in his first start.
The crowd at the Bell Centre cheered Montembeault on Saturday as he saved all 14 shots against the Ottawa Senators. For the occasion, the Senators sent a roster primarily with players that will dress in the AHL this week.
“It’s a new start, everything starts at zero. Even if we had a good preseason, once it starts on Tuesday, it’s all zeros again. I put that behind me this summer, I focused on the upcoming start of the season, and I’m happy so far,” Montembeault said on Saturday.
On Sunday, management decided that Montembeault showed enough to get another chance to dress for another regular season game in a Canadiens jersey. Fowler will hit the ice Monday at Place Bell as Laval’s camp officially begins.
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