Montreal Canadiens Make Final Wave of Cuts

MONTREAL– The Montreal Canadiens have made their last round of cuts ahead of the opening of the 2022-23 season. Five players were released from training camp, reducing the roster to 23 players.

Head coach Martin St. Louis met with the players to let them know of the news, as the Canadiens need to trim their roster down to 23 active players by 5 pm today. It was a difficult decision, as many players surprised at camp, but ultimately, the club decided it was best to send down Justin Barron, Rafaël Harvey-Pinard, Otto Leskinen Cayden Primeau and Jesse Ylönen to the Laval Rocket.

LIST OF PLAYERS CUT

Corey Schueneman & Madison Bowey via waivers.

Justin Barron, Rafaël Harvey-Pinard, Otto Leskinen Cayden Primeau and Jesse Ylönen were reassigned to Laval.

Key Assignments

The Canadiens announced on Sunday afternoon that they had placed Corey Schueneman and Madison Bowey on waivers with the purpose of assigning them to the Laval Rocket. They’ll be a big help to the youngsters on defense this season with their experience in the league and their ability to play big minutes in the AHL.

Justin Barron will have the most to prove in Laval to start the season, as many saw him as a virtual lock to make the team given their lack of right-shooting defensemen. With the waiver pickup of Jonathan Kovacevic, the youngster will now get prime usage in Laval as he continues to work on his game.

Cayden Primeau will finally get his opportunity to play a full season with the Laval Rocket, as he is being sent down to get his reps in and display more consistency in his performances.

Injury updates

The Montreal Canadiens announced that Joel Edmundson and Joël Armia will not be ready to start the season with the Montreal Canadiens due to upper-body injuries. Armia is expected to miss one or two weeks with his injury, while Edmundson doesn’t yet have a timetable, but has started skating again.

They’ll both begin the season on injured reserve, which means they won’t count against the Canadiens’ 23-man roster limit until they’re cleared to return.

The Montreal Canadiens open their regular season on Oct.12, facing the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Bell Centre.