#MontrealCanadiens

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Bottom Six Minutes: Position battle on the blue line

The Montreal Canadiens were dealt the dreaded injury blow before the preseason even began this year, with Kaiden Guhle set to miss up to five weeks due to an adductor issue. As disappointing as that was to hear, it created an interesting storyline for their camp, as the team would have to figure out who will step up and take some or all of the minutes that he’s usually entrusted with. Four players have been vying for those minutes; Arber Xhekaj, Adam Engstrom, Jayden Struble, and David Reinbacher. Only one of them found the back of the net last night, but he might not be on the inside track at this stage. Good forecheck from Florian Xhekaj creates a chance for Struble and he cashes it. pic.twitter.com/iQWF8aemgT— Matt Drake (@DrakeMT) September 21, 2026 Struble chipped in with the nice shot shown above, but the pairing of he and Xhekaj have been underwhelming to say the least. They have brought physicality, which is something Martin St-Louis has noted, but of particular concern would be their defensive zone coverage, which has been problematic. If you had to pick the lineup without seeing any preseason games, they would be the most common names you’d see penciled in as the bottom pair, but through the games against the Leafs and Senators, they haven’t been the most impressive. That title is reserved for Reinbacher, who doesn’t bring a lot of flash in his minutes, but has looked the most poised of any defenceman involved in this position battle. Against the Senators last night, he turned numerous plays where the visitors looked like they were about to make something happen completely around, taking possession and making quick outlet passes that sent the Habs up ice with speed. If you just look at the score sheet, you might be tempted to look at other names. If you look at what is happening particularly in the defensive zone, Reinbacher is impossible to ignore. The reality is that, with Guhle out, two of these players should be on the roster for opening night. So it isn’t a position battle in the purest sense where only one spot can be had, but it would bhe hard to argue that Reinbacher isn’t leading the pack if the team is operating as a meritocracy. It looks like he might get his shot, and what happens between the beginning of the season and Kaiden Guhle returning could completely change the landscape on the Habs blue line. If he’s still the best of the bunch when the defensive corps is fully healthy, the other three might have a hard time finding minutes. There is still a split-squad against the Senators to deal with this weekend, so nothing is set in stone yet. If I were any of those four defencemen, I would play my minutes in either game as if my season depends on it, because it just might. Click the play button below to listen to your full Bottom Six Minutes, also available wherever you get your podcasts. We’ll be back at least once more for the preseason, and of course, once the games start to count.

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The Montreal Canadiens are doubling down on the plan

The NHL spent the summer of 2026 handing out money like Oprah was in charge of the salary cap. You get a crazy contract! You get a crazy contract! You get an even crazier contract! Leo Carlsson kicked it all off by signing an offer sheet at $18 million a season, then Macklin Celebrini bumped him at $18.8 million, then Cale Makar topped them both with a record $20.4 million and became the first $20-million man in league history. The highest-paid title changed hands so often you practically needed a live ticker to keep up. Remember when Connor McDavid re-signed with Edmonton a year ago for a piddly-by-comparison $12.5 million, a deep discount he took to keep the Oilers’ Cup window open? Now, he’s applauding these record deals saying they were “a long time coming for our league.”  Montreal opens the 2026-27 season in Toronto on Sept. 29 with basically the same roster that forced its way to the Eastern Conference Final last spring. Martin St-Louis got a multi-year extension, Josh Anderson got an official “A,” and Kent Hughes spent most of the summer doing something that looked remarkably boring by comparison to the rest of the league. He kept his best players. At numbers that suddenly look like bargains. Ivan Demidov got eight years at $9.15 million per season. Jakub Dobes got three years at $5.35 million. Alex Newhook, who led Montreal with seven playoff goals, signed for four years at $5.55 million. When everyone else went shopping, Hughes went to his closet and decided what he already owned was pretty darn good. None of which means Montreal is scrounging the bargain bin for lack of talent. Far from it. This is a roster with a 100-point captain in Nick Suzuki, a bona fide sniper in Cole Caufield, and Lane Hutson, the 2024-25 season’s rookie of the year, running the show from the back end. Add Juraj Slafkovsky filling out into a power forward, and Ivan Demidov, who led every rookie in the league in scoring last season, and the core isn’t just intact, it’s still climbing. The wager is that chemistry compounds, and a team that already knows itself can go further by staying together than by reshuffling the deck. Montreal’s young core has already been through a playoff run. Now Hughes is betting that another year together, with another year of development, is worth more than whatever shiny new piece he could have gone shopping for. The question heading into this season isn’t whether Montreal has enough talent to compete. It’s whether this group can take the next step without the kind of major addition everyone seemed to be seeking this summer. Suzuki’s been making the argument to anyone holding a microphone: the returning group has the advantage because the guys know each other and they’re comfortable in the system. He credits the tight-knit bonds and inclusive room they’ve built over the years. Convenient spin from a captain, sure, except the people around him keep saying it too. Continuity is a lovely word for deciding you don’t need to change much, and every team that passes on getting better swears the room is enough, right up until a hungrier, deeper opponent shows up and proves it wasn’t. Montreal hasn’t won anything yet. A young team relying on internal growth doesn’t automatically get better. It can just as easily get passed by the clubs that spent the summer improving. What makes Montreal’s approach interesting is that the cap puts a premium on finding value. Every GM shelling out $18 million a year for one player is using a huge chunk of a finite pie. The Canadiens are playing the opposite game, using their cap space to keep their core players together at numbers that still leave room to build around them. There’s no cap line for chemistry, and no rival can match the value of a group that already knows how to play together. Of course, the group isn’t kidding itself that friendship and a strong culture alone hangs a banner. Watching the Carolina Hurricanes put them out last spring, Suzuki came away fixated on how connected the Hurricanes were across every line and pairing, and said plainly that Montreal has to get more focused and accountable to live in that neighbourhood. Eighty-four games will settle it. While the rest of the league spent the summer trying to buy its way up the standings, Hughes needed to decide whether the team he already had was worth betting on and he made his answer pretty clear. Now the Canadiens have to prove he was right.

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Tuesday Habs Headlines: Full Steam Ahead

Montreal Canadiens News and Notes * Juraj Slafkovský’s usage, the penalty kill, goalies, and more Habs talk from camp. [The Athletic] * David Reinbacher making the jump to the NHL would fill a hole. [La Presse] * Kent Hughes and Martin St-Louis aren’t worried that their American stars will want to go home. [Montreal Gazette] * The Canadiens have announced the launch of an educational platform meant for teachers throughout Quebec. [Canadiens] Around the League and Elsewhere * Matvei Michkov feels that he’s ready for the upcoming season. [TSN] * Evan Bouchard is working on the defensive side of his game. [TSN] * The Leafs hope that Darren Raddysh can help them out on the blue line. [TSN] * In a copy-cat league, the Hurricanes are going to be hard to copy. [TSN] * Once again, Alex Ovechkin’s politics overshadow his on-ice accomplishments. [Yahoo Sports] * Morgan Rielly still wants to make things work in Toronto. [Sportsnet] * Injury reports include Ovechkin, Rielly, and Matt Duchene. [NHL | La Presse] * The NHL and Norwegian Cruise Line partnered up to help clean up Virginia Key. [NHL] * Kevin Hayes retires. [NHL] * Valérie Bois’ career has taken her from Les Canadiennes to the Sirens. [La Presse] * Hockey Canada’s business behavior is causing issues with the IIHF. [Radio-Canada]

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Canadiens vs. Senators Top Six Minutes: Cole Caufield keeps Habs perfect in pre-season

First period * They didn’t have a strong game on Saturday, and now the duo of Jayden Struble and Arber Xhekaj allows an early goal in trois-Rivières. Struble’s pass didn’t hit it’s target, Xhekaj got caught on the wrong side of his man, and William Eklund tapped the puck in from the top of the crease. * A pass to the point is picked off by the Senators, and Noah Dobson has to wrap up his man to prevent a breakaway. Ottawa gets a chance to go up two. * Some solid penalty-killing keeps the Senators at a single goal. * A big hit from Florian Xhekaj dislodges the puck and Sasha Pastujov follows up as the Senators try to recover. The puck goes back to Struble, and he makes up for his earlier pass with a top-shelf snipe. Florian Xhekaj forces a turnover, and Jayden Struble ties it up 1-1! [image or embed]— Scott Matla (@callmescort.bsky.social) September 21, 2026 at 8:24 PM * Caufield gets a weak call for tripping and the refs quickly even things up with a hooking call to send the game to four-on-four. * Lane Hutson gets a zone entry, David Reinbacher fools the Sens’ defence with drop pass, and Alexandre Texier is left to walk into the net, where his backhand is spilled by Samuel Ersson off the post. * Florian throws another glass-rattling hit in the Senators’ zone. * The start of a Senators cycle? Not with Reinbacher on the ice. He bodies his man off the puck, grabs the puck, and calmly starts a breakout instead. An Immediate transition from a developing defensive situation to an offensive rush. * It’s been all Canadiens since the four-or-four stretch. * Demidov is going all out like there are two points on the board. I don’t think Ottawa’s defencemen were prepared for that this game. * Reinbacher sends a diagonal pass through the offensive zone for Nick Suzuki, but the captain’s one-timer is stopped. * Sammy Blais gets a chance to score versus one of his former teams after Juraj Slafkovský lost the puck in the neutral zone, but Samuel Montembeault sticks with him to make the stop. * Pastujov is more physical than I thought he would be. Perhaps he did work on adding strength in the off-season. That line has been a handful for the Senators’ defence. * Shots were 13-4 for Montreal, similar to the performance the team saw in Montreal on Saturday. It’s clear they want to be fully prepared when the games start to count. Second period * Alexandre Texier swoops into the offensive zone and holds onto the puck too long to get a shot off, but it is long enough to draw another suspect call as Shane Pinto goes off for hooking. * Montreal is just passing the puck instead of shooting it. They still need to figure that out. * The Senators push a bit ahead of the first TV timeout for their first two shots of the period. * Reinbacher’s first bad play of the pre-season is a giveaway to the slot, but Hutson bails him out by preventing a backdoor tap-in. * Brett Berard tosses the puck over the glass, and the Senators’ momentum continues to grow. * Florian comes out for a PK shift with Suzuki, and kills a few seconds by pinning the puck in the corner of Ottawa’s zone. * Zachary Bolduc attempts to run a pick to allow Hutson to recover from below the goal line, but he’s going off for interference. * Ottawa took a penalty during the final commercial break, so there’s a chance for Montreal on the power play, and hopefully a few shots. * A better job that time looking for quick shot opportunities. * Ottawa scores, and that one has been coming for most of the period. Just like Saturday, Montreal couldn’t maintain its play from the opening period. * We go into the intermission with Montreal trailing by a goal in what had been a one-sided affair. Third period * Nick Suzuki gets a big cheer and he wrestles his man to the ice to stop the puck from cycling around the boards. He took a page out of Reinbacher’s book. * Ivan Demidov gets slashed in the Canadiens have a chance to tie the game. * Hutson attempts a give-and-go with Cole Caufield. Caufield tries to sweep the pass back across to the defenceman, but it deflects off a defender’s stick an in. I’m sure Hutson won’t mind. Cole Caufield sneaks one in shortside and the Habs have tied things up 2-2 [image or embed]— Scott Matla (@callmescort.bsky.social) September 21, 2026 at 10:33 PM * Arber Xhekaj goes for a hit on Andre Burakovsky, but lets up at the last second. Hayden Hodgson decided to grab Xhekaj’s stick while on the bench, and he’ll go to the box for it with 4:30 to play. * Just as the first power play expires, Tyler Kleven goes off for slashing. Travis Green isn’t happy, but a slash to the fingers is a penalty. * Still a little too cute, but Suzuki had the right idea with a few shots on target. * A much better period for Montreal, as they outshot Ottawa 12-3. They would likely have been out of this game with a win without the drop in the middle frame. Overtime * Will the Canadiens be able to play keepaway to the same extent as they did in Montreal on Saturday? * Travis Green is having a heated conversations with the refs in this meaningless pre-season game. * Ottawa gets a two-on-one, but Jordan Spence is denied by a quick lateral save from Dobeš. * Miscommunication at the blue line between Texier and Engström leads to a break for Andre Burakovsky, but again Dobeš makes a great stop. * Dobeš heroics allow Caufield to get another shift, and a quick shot ripped far side gives him a second pre-season OT winner. Another night, another Cole Caufield game-winner— Scott Matla (@callmescort.bsky.social) 2026-09-22T01:58:08.388Z * Now there are four days off before the pre-season wraps up with two games on Saturday. We will likely see a few cuts in the meantime, but they still need 40 players for those games, so the final decisions will wait until Sunday.

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Canadiens vs. Senators: Pre-season Game 3 thread, lines, and how to watch

Pre-season game 3: Montreal Canadiens vs. Ottawa Senators Start time: 7:00 PM EDT / 4:00 PM PDT In Canada: Sportsnet One (English), TVA Sports (French) Streaming: Sportsnet Fresh off two split-squad wins over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday, the Canadiens have made the trip to Trois-Rivières for the Hockeyville game. This match, and the final two of the pre-season that will also be played in split-squad fashion, will be versus the Ottawa Senators. With half as many players in action on this night, there are some notable lineup decisions. David Reinbacher, the standout performer from the game in Toronto, hits the ice opposite Lane Hutson in what has been an intriguing alignment option since the Austrian was first drafted. We will see how he fares alongside one of the game’s elite defencemen, and how his game adjusts from the shutdown role he just played. The top bubble options at forward are also grouped together on a line, with Florian Xhekaj at the centre and Brett Berard and Sasha Pastujov on the wings. With the pre-season being so short those players know they have to make their shifts count, and they’ll all try to build on good impressions in their first games. The top six that played in Montreal is mostly intact, with the full second line set to build up more chemistry and the top line seeing Alex Newhook swap in for Chris Kreider. It should be a game featuring a lot of offensive chances as the team tries to get up to speed for next week’s season-opener. Montreal Canadiens projected lineup .tg {border-collapse:collapse;border-spacing:0;} .tg td{border-color:black;border-style:solid;border-width:1px;font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px; overflow:hidden;padding:10px 5px;word-break:normal;} .tg th{border-color:black;border-style:solid;border-width:1px;font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px; font-weight:normal;overflow:hidden;padding:10px 5px;word-break:normal;} .tg .tg-ymce{background-color:#BE2F37;color:#FFF;font-weight:bold;text-align:center;vertical-align:bottom} .tg .tg-8d8j{text-align:center;vertical-align:bottom} Left Wing Centre Right Wing #13 Cole Caufield #14 Nick Suzuki #15 Alex Newhook #20 Juraj Slafkovský #91 Oliver Kapanen #93 Ivan Demidov #76 Zachary Bolduc #77 Kirby Dach #85 Alexandre Texier #37 Brett Berard #63 Florian Xhekaj #40 Sasha Pastujov .tg {border-collapse:collapse;border-spacing:0;} .tg td{border-color:black;border-style:solid;border-width:1px;font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px; overflow:hidden;padding:10px 5px;word-break:normal;} .tg th{border-color:black;border-style:solid;border-width:1px;font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px; font-weight:normal;overflow:hidden;padding:10px 5px;word-break:normal;} .tg .tg-rjwb{background-color:#21386F;color:#FFF;font-weight:bold;text-align:center;vertical-align:bottom} .tg .tg-8d8j{text-align:center;vertical-align:bottom} Left Defence Right Defence #48 Lane Hutson #64 David Reinbacher #42 Adam Engström #53 Noah Dobson #47 Jayden Struble #72 Arber Xhekaj .tg {border-collapse:collapse;border-spacing:0;} .tg td{border-color:black;border-style:solid;border-width:1px;font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px; overflow:hidden;padding:10px 5px;word-break:normal;} .tg th{border-color:black;border-style:solid;border-width:1px;font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px; font-weight:normal;overflow:hidden;padding:10px 5px;word-break:normal;} .tg .tg-n1r7{background-color:#FFF;font-weight:bold;text-align:center;vertical-align:bottom} .tg .tg-8d8j{text-align:center;vertical-align:bottom} Starter Backup #35 Samuel Montembeault #75 Jakub Dobeš Ottawa Senators projected lineup .tg {border-collapse:collapse;border-spacing:0;} .tg td{border-color:black;border-style:solid;border-width:1px;font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px; overflow:hidden;padding:10px 5px;word-break:normal;} .tg th{border-color:black;border-style:solid;border-width:1px;font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px; font-weight:normal;overflow:hidden;padding:10px 5px;word-break:normal;} .tg .tg-bobw{font-weight:bold;text-align:center;vertical-align:bottom} .tg .tg-nrix{text-align:center;vertical-align:middle} .tg .tg-8d8j{text-align:center;vertical-align:bottom} Left Wing Centre Right Wing William Eklund Dylan Cozens Fabian Zetterlund Andre Burakovsky Stephen Halliday Drake Batherson Nick Cousins Shane Pinto Michael Amadio Hayden Hodgson Ridly Greig Sammy Blais .tg {border-collapse:collapse;border-spacing:0;} .tg td{border-color:black;border-style:solid;border-width:1px;font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px; overflow:hidden;padding:10px 5px;word-break:normal;} .tg th{border-color:black;border-style:solid;border-width:1px;font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px; font-weight:normal;overflow:hidden;padding:10px 5px;word-break:normal;} .tg .tg-bobw{font-weight:bold;text-align:center;vertical-align:bottom} .tg .tg-8d8j{text-align:center;vertical-align:bottom} Left Defence Right Defence Jake Sanderson Samuel Bolduc Tyler Kleven Carter Yakemchuk Jordan Spence Ben Hutton .tg {border-collapse:collapse;border-spacing:0;} .tg td{border-color:black;border-style:solid;border-width:1px;font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px; overflow:hidden;padding:10px 5px;word-break:normal;} .tg th{border-color:black;border-style:solid;border-width:1px;font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px; font-weight:normal;overflow:hidden;padding:10px 5px;word-break:normal;} .tg .tg-bobw{font-weight:bold;text-align:center;vertical-align:bottom} .tg .tg-8d8j{text-align:center;vertical-align:bottom} Starter Backup Samuel Ersson Leevi Meriläinen

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Montreal Canadiens lineup vs. Senators: Lots of regulars in Trois-Rivières

The Montreal Canadiens are in Trois-Rivières for Kraft Hockeyville against the Ottawa Senators for a game on Monday night. There are a lot of regulars who have made the trip to play in the game including Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki, Juraj Slafkovský, Ivan Demidov, and Lane Hutson. A few of the combinations we have seen at camp will not be used in Monday’s game, as Martin St-Louis tries to see some other combinations. Of note, Chris Kreider and Alexandre Carrier are not on the trip, meaning someone else will play on the top line. Given the success of the Slafkovský, Oliver Kapanen, and Demidov line on Saturday, it will be telling to see whether they are together again or if we see different combinations. It will be interesting who the team will tab to play centre. Could this be a look for Florian Xhekaj, who has played C in the AHL? On defence, Noah Dobson and Lane Hutson appear to be the top pair, but I wonder whether we see David Reinbacher alongside Hutson at times in this one, as he tries to make his first NHL Opening Night roster. Jayden Struble and Arber Xhekaj were underwhelming for most of Saturday night, and will get another look as will Adam Engström in the battle for spots on the Canadiens blue line that also includes Reinbacher. Jakub Dobeš and Samuel Montembeault will likely split the game. It is a bit of a homecoming for Montembeault, who has a house minutes from the rink. Because this game does not count towards the maximum of four pre-season games, veterans are not subject to this game counting towards the two-game maximum. The Canadiens will have two more pre-season games after tonight.

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Monday Habs Headlines: Chris Kreider’s adjustment phase

Montreal Canadiens news and notes * Martin St-Louis says there will be an adjustment period as Chris Kreider gets used to his new team and linemates. [La Presse] * Ivan Demidov was in line for a great season, but the chemistry he showed with Juraj Slafkovský could hint at even more. [RDS | Sportsnet] * Phillip Danault explains the forwards are trying to be more active on the penalty kill, and the strategy was effective in Toronto. [La Presse] * It’s one of the things the Canadiens are attempting to adopt from the Carolina Hurricanes. [Journal de Montreal] * Luke Mittelstadt knows he’s fairly low on the depth chart, but is just focused on playing his game and keeping himself in the conversation. [Journal de Montreal] * Samuel Montembeault is happy that Saint-Boniface was named Hockeyville after growing up close to the town and playing there growing up. [Journal de Montreal] Around the league and elsewhere * Marc-André Fleury was a star attraction at the Hockeyville celebrations. [NHL.com] * How far can Matthew Schaefer take the New York Islanders? [NHL.com] * The Nashville Predators need to avoid another slow start if they want to stay competitive in the Western Conference. [NHL.com] * Standouts from the Calgary Flames’ first pre-season game. [Sportsnet]

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Sunday Habs Headlines: It’s the little things

Montreal Canadiens news and notes * The Canadiens are making small adjustments after last season’s deep playoff run, with a focus on spending less time defending in their own zone. [TSN] * It’a a make-or-break season for Kirby Dach. [Montreal Gazette] * Juraj Slafkovský and Ivan Demidov praise director of player development Adam Nicholas for his role in the Canadiens’ rebuild. [Montreal Gazette] * The Canadiens’ deep talent pipeline could threaten the very culture that’s been built to keep players wanting to stay. [The Athletic] Around the league and elsewhere * Tristan Jarry spent the summer preparing for a bounce-back season amid a crowded Edmonton Oilers crease. [Sportsnet] * Six things to watch with the Minnesota Wild, including Quinn Hughes’ contract situation and how new additions impact their penalty kill and offence. [NHL] * Prospect Sam O’Reilly got a chance to practice alongside Tampa Bay Lightning’s NHL talent as he pushes for a roster spot. [NHL] * After three full seasons in the KHL, Roman Kantserov is getting comfortable with the Chicago Blackhawks. [NHL] * A Nova Scotia hockey league is giving adults a chance to get on the ice and find their hockey community. [CBC] * Stephen Halliday and Carter Yakemchuk are in the mix as Ottawa Senators roster competition heats up. [NHL] * Joel Farabee and Morgan Frost enter their second full seasons with the Calgary Flames ready for bigger workloads. [NHL] * Kayla Vespa and Brianne Jenner take in some of the city’s notable spots while sharing first impressions of Hamilton and its PWHL potential. [The Spec]