Canadiens Analysis
Canadiens Roster And Depth Chart: Impact Of Laine Injury, Cuts
Now that the Montreal Canadiens have cut roughly half the number of players at camp, only a small group of players remains. There are 15 forwards, eight defencemen, and three goalies still in the mix, not to mention four injured players.
We’re yet to receive an update regarding Patrik Laine’s status, though considering how painful the knee-on-knee looked, the odds of a relatively positive diagnosis are rather low. There’s also the matter of him attending practice on Monday morning with crutches, much like Kirby Dach did last year following his early season-ending injury. While we wait for the update, we can safely suggest Laine will be out of the mix for now.
Patrik Laine en béquilles, mais souriant malgré tout. pic.twitter.com/Fj064I65gX
— Anthony Martineau (@Antho_Martineau) September 30, 2024
Injured Montreal Canadiens Players At Training Camp
Kaiden Guhle (day-to-day), Rafel Harvey-Pinard (four-six months), David Reinbacher (indefinite), Patrik Laine (indefinite).
Remaining Montreal Canadiens Forwards At Training Camp
Josh Anderson, Joel Armia, Alex Barre Boulet, Cole Caufield, Kirby Dach, Christian Dvorak, Jake Evans, Brendan Gallagher, Emil Heineman, Oliver Kapanen, Alex Newhook, Michael Pezzetta, Joshua Roy, Juraj Slafkovsky, and Nick Suzuki.
Of the 15 forwards still at camp, 11 are essentially guaranteed a roster spot: Anderson, Armia, Caufield, Dach, Dvorak, Evans, Gallagher, Newhook, Slafkovsky, Roy, and Suzuki. Given that Roy is one of the few players with the skill set necessary to thrive in the NHL, I feel safe adding him to the list, as it would be foolish to return him to the AHL while the team lacks offensive firepower.
If we remove the 11 roster players from the mix, we’re left with the following players who will be fighting for two or three roster spots, depending on whether the Canadiens start the season with 13 or 14 forwards: Barre-Boulet, Heineman, Kapanen, and Pezzetta.
While there’s no doubt a player like Heineman or Kapanen could add a decent layer of offensive value to the team, the best for their development may involve giving them as much ice time as possible this season, and that’s not necessarily a realistic expectation in the NHL as a rookie that was not drafted in the first round.
Don’t be surprised if both Barre-Boulet and Pezzetta are included in the team’s opening-night roster, while Kapanen returns to the SHL to play for his father’s team, Timra IK, and Heineman heads back to Laval to enjoy a healthy dose of ice time under Pascal Vincent’s tutelage.
Remaining Montreal Canadiens Defencemen And Goaltenders At Training Camp
Defencemen: Justin Barron, Adam Engstrom, Lane Hutson, Logan Mailloux, Mike Matheson, David Savard, Jayden Struble and Arber Xhekaj.
Goaltenders: Samuel Montembeault, Cayden Primeau, Jakub Dobes.
Injured:Â David Reinbacher (indefinite), Kaiden Guhle (day-to-day).
The Canadiens will eventually assign Dobes to the AHL, which will solve the goaltending issue. As for the defencemen, at this exact moment, they can keep everyone in the mix, though Kaiden Guhle is almost done recovering from his appendicitis surgery, which means at least one defenceman will have to be relegated to the AHL. It also depends on whether David Reinbacher will miss significant time, as he too had to leave Saturday’s game with a lower-body injury.
Defencemen Like To Start In The NHL: Barron, Hutson, Guhle, Matheson, Savard, Struble, and Xhekaj.
As of Monday, it’s fairly easy to suggest Adam Engstrom will be the odd-man out, as he still needs time to adapt to the lack of time and space in the NHL. Logan Mailloux will probably join him at some point, but there’s no rush to send him back to the AHL.
Canadiens Brass Tacks
A very early attempt at projecting the lineup leaves us with 13 forwards, seven defencemen, and two goaltenders, for a total of 22 players, which gives the Canadiens the option to add another defenceman or forward, depending on the elements they want available for head coach Martin St-Louis. There’s also the possibility the Habs may start the season with 22 players, and not 23.
If they do run with 23 players, one of Heineman, Kapanen, Mailloux, or Engstrom will have an opportunity to earn an NHL roster spot. It’s also quite possible the Canadiens do want to include one of the aforementioned players in the lineup, though they’re not at the point where an NHL promotion is necessary.
Projecting The Montreal Canadiens Opening-Night Roster (with 22 players)
Slafkovsky – Suzuki – Caufield
Roy – Dach – Newhook
Armia – Dvorak – Gallagher
Barre-Boulet – Evans – Anderson
Extra: Pezzetta
Matheson – Guhle
Hutson – Savard
Xhekaj – Barron
Extra: Struble
Montembeault
Primeau
What has Struble done to have Mailloux sent back to AHL?
He’s better at protecting the puck, more physical, fewer turnovers, has NHL experience, and has played much better in the preseason (Struble’s underlying numbers have been excellent).
I think the real question is what has Mailloux done to send Struble to the AHL? He has the potential to be good on the PP, but he’s not there yet. He still needs to work on his defensive positioning and his rush defence, among other things.
I 100% agree, Struble has the potential to even replace Xhekaj (as much as I like him) I think he’s a very responsible and great player. He can also play on the right side comfortably.
Give Kapanen a couple weeks with the big club and then send him to Sweden imo
His ELC kicks in no matter what, since he’s 21, so that’s definitely a possibility. There’s no rush to send him back.
Barré Boulet mérite une chance sur la trois avec Dvorak et Andersson
Il a très bien paru depuis le début du camp du CH.
I think both Hutson and Kapanen are on the opening night roster.
Reinbacher injury is more devastating to me than Laine’s. This could be another lost year of development for Reinbacher and I’m not sure he ever recovers from this.