On Saturday, the Montreal Canadiens wrapped up the initial phase of their training camp with a 4-2 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Following the contest, the organization trimmed the roster by 25 players. On Sunday, they placed another five players on waivers.
Camp resumes Monday with a practice at CN Sports Complex and a Tuesday morning skate. The team then travels to Quebec City for a matchup against the Ottawa Senators at the Centre Videotron. They will remain in Quebec City until Friday’s practice is over, before returning home to close out the preseason against the Senators on the following night at the Bell Centre.
With 16 forwards, 10 defensemen and three goaltenders still in camp, several decisions remain for Jeff Gorton, Kent Hughes, and Martin St. Louis heading into the final week.
Candiens Forwards
Barring a surprise or injury, three forward lines appear locked in for opening night. With Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky on the top line, St. Louis has already stated that Kirby Dach will start with Patrik Laine and Ivan Demidov, and that Jake Evans will center a line with Brendan Gallagher and Josh Anderson on the wings.
So far in camp, Zachary Bolduc and Alex Newhook have been a consistent duo. Owen Beck completed the duo during scrimmages, while Joshua Roy and Oliver Kapanen received the opportunity in preseason games. Beck and Kapanen have impressed, while Roy was among Saturday’s cuts.
The Canadiens can carry up to 14 forwards on their opening night roster. Joe Veleno and Samuel Blais are the front runners to hold roster spots. Penalty kill performance will factor into management’s decision. Beck, Kapanen, and Veleno had opportunities to play shorthanded in the preseason. St. Louis is looking for the fourth player to complete the forward units of Evans, Anderson, and Newhook.
Florian Xhekaj caught the attention of management and survived the first round of cuts. In his first preseason match, he scored a goal and dropped the gloves in Montreal’s win against the Philadelphia Flyers. The odds of Xhekaj starting the season with the Habs are low, but he can leave a positive impression to potentially earn a call up later in the season.
Habs Defencemen
The three defensive pairings to start the year seem finalized. The duos have consistently been Mike Matheson and Noah Dobson, Kaiden Guhle with Lane Hutson, and Arber Xhekaj with Alex Carrier. Jayden Struble is expected to slot in as the seventh defenseman. He paired with Adam Engstrom in the first game, and with Hutson on Saturday, while Guhle sits out with a groin injury.
Canadiens Goalies
Jakub Dobes had a quiet night on Tuesday and stopped all nine shots he faced from the Flyers in his only appearance so far. Kaapo Kahkonen had a good start in Toronto on Saturday after a shaky start when he came in relief in the second half of the contest versus Philadelphia. Unless Kent Hughes is afraid to lose him on waivers, Kahkonen will start the season with Laval. The last time that the general manager felt that he’d lose a goalie on waivers, it resulted in three-goalie tandem until trade deadline.
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