Adam Engstrom didn’t just get his season debut against the Nashville Predators - he gave the Montreal Canadiens a reason to keep him around.
In a 5-2 loss at the Bell Centre, where Montreal led 2-0 halfway through the second period before Nashville ripped off five straight goals, the rookie defenceman was one of the few Canadiens who came out looking better than he went in. The team’s defence has been shaky all season, but the third pair looked much steadier with Engstrom in the mix.
That matters because the previous version of that pairing had been a problem. Arber Xhekaj and Jayden Struble handled the third-unit minutes in the first three games, and against the Carolina Hurricanes they were essentially buried, with both players held to nine minutes of ice time. Struble came out of the lineup for Engstrom, and the Swedish blue-liner immediately brought a different feel.
Engstrom played just under 12 minutes and didn’t put up any eye-catching counting stats, but the Canadiens were clearly more functional with him on the ice. He wasn’t on for a goal against, and Montreal controlled play when he was out there. The Canadiens posted 13 shot attempts with Engstrom on the ice while allowing only five.
That’s not all on him individually, of course, but the five-man unit looked far more organized than the group that struggled against Carolina. Engstrom also showed he could move the puck up ice without looking overwhelmed, which was a welcome change for a third pairing that had been stuck in neutral.
It wasn’t a spotless performance. Engstrom led Montreal’s defencemen with two giveaways, though neither one turned into a dangerous chance for Nashville.
Still, for a first outing of the season, it was a solid step. The offensive flash he showed with the Laval Rocket didn’t fully surface here, but the overall impact was enough to stand out on a night when the Canadiens were short on positives.
There’s still room for growth, especially if Engstrom wants his game to translate more consistently at the NHL level. But the bigger takeaway is simpler than that: the third pairing looked better with him in it. That alone makes a strong argument for keeping him in the lineup.
The next wrinkle will come when Kaiden Guhle returns from injury, which should be in a couple of weeks. Until then, Engstrom has a real opening - and a good chance to prove he belongs here for longer than one night.
In Other News...
Canadiens Rumor Puts Kirby Dach At Center Of A Sudden Dilemma
Trade chatter around Kirby Dach has taken on a new layer in Montreal, where reports suggest the Canadiens have slowed things down as they weigh their forward depth. The timing matters, because the club has been sorting through roster questions while another young piece of the lineup is dealing with injury uncertainty, and that has a way of changing how aggressively a team is willing to move on from a center with upside.
Edmonton has been part of the conversation as a club looking for help down the middle, but nothing has progressed to the point of a confirmed deal. The Oilers have been making other roster moves and appear to be taking stock before pushing further, which leaves Dach in an uncomfortable middle ground: clearly of interest, but still sitting in a situation where Montreal's plans may hinge on how it handles the rest of its forward group. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Blue Line Shakeup Raises Big Questions About Their Defensive Depth
The Canadiens made another notable move on the blue line, dealing Jayden Struble to Nashville as Montreal continues to sort through its defensive picture early in the season. Struble, a 25-year-old left-shot defenseman, had appeared in three games for the Canadiens and now heads to a place where a larger role appears to be waiting, while Montreal adds a future draft asset in the process.
For a team already navigating its depth on the back end, the move is the kind that invites a closer look at what comes next. The trade was announced by both clubs and marks the latest roster decision tied to a defense corps that has been in flux, with the Canadiens clearly weighing present needs against longer-term flexibility as they manage their blue line. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Suddenly Have A Juraj Slafkovsky Problem They Need Solved
The Canadiens uneven start has already put some early pressure on the lineup, and Juraj Slafkovsk is part of the conversation whether the club wants him there or not. Montreal has dropped three of its first four while giving up 19 goals, and with the offense not fully clicking either, the 2022 first overall pick has only one goal and no assists through four games. Add the absence of key young pieces like Ivan Demidov and Oliver Kapanen, and the room for patience starts to shrink.
Martin St. Louis has already begun adjusting his lines to get Slafkovsk going, including a look beside Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield. That kind of shuffle says plenty about where the Canadiens are at this stage: they need more than just better results, they need more from the players expected to drive those results. For Slafkovsk, the assignment is still simple even if the solution is not, and Montreal will be watching closely to see whether the latest tweak finally gets him on track. [Read more 🡒]