The Canadiens wrapped up their preseason on Saturday night with two games, and a few players made sure they left a mark before the roster gets cut down to the NHL-required 23. Montreal won 4-2 at home against Ottawa, while the group in Ottawa came all the way back from a 3-1 deficit in the second period before William Eklund’s go-ahead goal helped the Senators pull out a 4-3 win.
For Montreal, the final tune-up offered a clear look at four players who stood out for different reasons.
Florian Xhekaj made a strong case for himself in the game in Montreal. He was skating with the group expected to form the NHL roster, and he looked every bit like he belonged.
Right from his first shift, he jumped into the offensive zone, got a clean pass, and fired a shot on net without hesitation. His physical edge was there too, but so was the offensive side of his game, the part that can get overlooked.
Xhekaj is still fighting for a roster spot, and he did what he needed to do to put himself in the best position ahead of Tuesday night’s game against Toronto.
Chris Kreider also gave Canadiens fans a glimpse of why the team wanted him in the first place. Montreal added him only a few days before training camp, so there’s still some chemistry to build with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield. Even so, he found the net in the first period after Suzuki pushed the puck back in front, and Kreider did what he does best by finishing around the crease.
Samuel Montembeault, meanwhile, gave Montreal a steady finish in goal. Jacob Fowler started the game in Montreal, but Montembeault took over about halfway through.
He was tested quickly after entering and had to come up with some important stops. By the end, he had turned aside all 10 shots he faced against the Senators, and he closed the preseason having allowed only one goal.
In Ottawa, Sasha Pastujov was the one player who really separated himself from a group that was mostly made up of players headed to Laval. The Canadiens acquired him from the Anaheim Ducks this summer, and he delivered a goal and an assist in the final preseason game. His goal came at a key moment in the third period and helped finish off the comeback that tied the game at three, even though Ottawa later answered and won 4-3.
The Canadiens now turn their attention to trimming the roster and getting ready for the regular season, which begins Tuesday night.
In Other News...
Canadiens Sent David Reinbacher Down For A Bigger Reason
David Reinbachers latest assignment to Laval says more about the Canadiens roster picture than it does about his play. Montreals decision was not a reflection of how he performed, but a sign of how the club wants to manage a young defenseman who is still best served by getting major minutes rather than sitting in a limited role on the NHL bench.
The timing matters, too, because the Canadiens are getting healthier on the blue line. With Kaiden Guhle edging closer to a return, the immediate need for an extra defenseman has eased, leaving Montreal with a choice that favors development over depth. For now, Reinbacher stays where the games can give him more responsibility, even if the path back up becomes clearer again soon. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Make A Tough Early Call On David Reinbacher
The Canadiens final roster cuts brought a notable early-season decision on David Reinbacher, who will start the year with the Laval Rocket in the AHL. The former fifth-overall pick had a strong preseason, but Montreal is clearly taking the long view with a young defenseman whose development has already been shaped by injury history and a crowded battle for minutes on the blue line.
For now, Reinbacher should get the kind of heavy workload in Laval that can be harder to guarantee in Montreal, where the club had to balance roster spots, waiver concerns and its depth chart on defense. The door to the NHL is hardly closed, though, and if he keeps building through the season, the Canadiens are leaving themselves plenty of room to bring him back up when the timing makes sense. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Trade Interest Just Raised The Stakes For Kent Hughes
The Canadiens spent part of the summer exploring a bigger swing, with Frank Seravalli reporting that management had considered packaging Kirby Dach in a larger deal if it meant bringing immediate help back the other way. It was the kind of roster-thinking that makes sense for a team trying to accelerate its timeline, and it also showed how aggressively Kent Hughes has been willing to survey the market when there is a chance to reshape the lineup.
Montreal had Kirill Marchenko in mind as a possible target before he was moved to Toronto, which forced the Canadiens to keep searching for another path. The Edmonton Oilers also showed interest in Dach, but Hughes appears to be holding out for a more significant trade opening, leaving the next move tied to whether a better fit comes available. [Read more 🡒]