Montreal may be on the verge of getting Oliver Kapanen back just in time for its home opener.
The injured Canadiens center has already sat out the team’s first two games of the 2026-27 regular season, but The Athletic’s Arpon Basu reported that it would “be surprising” if Kapanen is still out when Montreal hosts the Carolina Hurricanes tomorrow. Kapanen has been able to practice without limitation in each of the last two sessions, a strong sign that his lower-body issue is moving in the right direction.
The 23-year-old was expected to open the year as Montreal’s second-line center, the same spot he held for much of the 2025-26 season. He earned that job in part by clicking so well with young sensation Ivan Demidov, and the results followed: 22 goals and 37 points in his rookie year. With Kapanen unavailable, Alex Newhook has slid into the No. 2 center role between Demidov and 2022 No. 1 pick Juraj Slafkovsky.
Elsewhere in the Atlantic Division, Florida was without Aaron Ekblad in yesterday’s game against the Anaheim Ducks because of an undisclosed injury. Ekblad had appeared in the Panthers’ previous two games and was averaging just under 21 minutes of ice time per night. He usually anchors a top-four spot alongside Gustav Forsling, and with Ekblad sidelined, Dmitry Kulikov moved up to fill that role next to Forsling while Uvis Balinskis stepped into Kulikov’s old spot on the left side of Florida’s third pair.
Boston also has a potential defensive shuffle brewing. Mason Lohrei, once one of the Bruins’ most highly regarded defensive prospects, has had a stop-and-start NHL run since debuting, but his game has taken a step forward this season.
Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic wrote that Lohrei is “a candidate” to skate beside No. 1 defenseman Charlie McAvoy when McAvoy returns from his league-mandated suspension. Lohrei turns 26 in January and posted seven goals and 26 points in 73 games last season.
In Other News...
Canadiens Suddenly Have A New Lineup Concern Beyond Demidov
The Canadiens lineup picture has taken on a little more haze heading into a busy stretch against the Nashville Predators and Detroit Red Wings. Demidov is already out with an injury, and Oliver Kapanen has also been missing from several practices, leaving head coach Martin St-Louis with more uncertainty than he likely wanted at this point in the schedule.
Kapanens absence has added another layer of intrigue because the Canadiens have not offered much to explain it, and the timing matters with games coming up quickly. St-Louis now has to keep sorting out combinations and depth options while trying to cover for Demidovs absence, and the clubs next few days may say a lot about how flexible the roster really is. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens May Have Found The Answer To A Big Top-Line Debate
Juraj Slafkovskys place in the Montreal Canadiens lineup has been one of the more interesting debates around the clubs recent stretch, and it took a twist when he was shifted onto the top line with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield. The move came with Ivan Demidov sidelined, forcing the Canadiens to adjust their forward combinations and giving Slafkovsky a chance to show how he fits beside the teams two most established finishers.
The appeal is obvious: Slafkovskys size, puck protection and improving play can help drive a line that already has skill to burn, while the alternative is sending him back down to a second unit where he might carry more of the puck and the playmaking load. Montreal now has a decision to make about whether the experiment is a short-term fix or something worth keeping in place once the roster is back closer to full strength. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Suddenly Face A Goalie Decision They Didn't Expect
A routine practice took an unwelcome turn for the Canadiens when Sam Montembeault went down with a non-contact right leg injury, and the team is expected to update his status later. For a club that had not exactly planned on revisiting its crease chart this way, the timing matters, especially with the goaltending picture still being shaped by what Jakub Dobe does with his opportunities.
Jacob Fowler is the name that naturally enters the conversation if Montreal needs help from Laval, where the young netminder has already made a strong impression in limited looks at both the NHL and AHL levels. If Montembeault is sidelined, the Canadiens could be looking at more than a short-term patch, with a possible extended evaluation in the crease depending on how Dobe holds up in the meantime. [Read more 🡒]