Brett Berard didn’t wait around to make his first impression in Montreal.
The 23-year-old forward was on the ice Tuesday at the CN Sports Complex in Brossard, joining an informal summer workout and giving Martin St. Louis an early look at the newest Canadiens winger in team gear. With only six players taking part, Berard’s first skate with the group stood out right away.
Montreal picked up Berard from the New York Rangers earlier this summer in a deal that sent defenceman William Trudeau the other way. That trade is done now; the real question is what comes next, and where Berard fits once the games start to count.
For now, the early arrival gives him more time to settle in before camp turns the pressure up. He’s not walking into Montreal as a blank slate, either.
Berard already has 48 NHL games on his résumé, with 6 goals and 4 assists in that span. Last season, he went scoreless in 13 games.
Those numbers don’t lock him into anything, but they do explain why this fall matters for the 5-foot-9 winger. He’ll have to show speed, work on the forecheck and enough finishing touch to separate himself from the Canadiens’ other bottom-six options. Special teams could also end up being part of the equation.
Skating with players like Evans and Carrier won’t decide a roster spot in July, but it does give Berard a first feel for the pace and habits Montreal expects from its regulars. The real test comes later, when St. Louis has a full group and preseason games start forcing decisions.
For Berard, the quiet summer workout was just the opening step. The Canadiens didn’t bring him in to blend into a casual skate, and he’ll head into camp trying to turn that early appearance into a real shot at an NHL job.
In Other News...
Canadiens May Finally Be Closing In On Their Biggest Lineup Need
Kent Hughes has been working the phones as the Canadiens try to solve a problem that has lingered for a while: finding a true second-line center. Montreal has been in trade discussions with multiple teams, including Columbus and Toronto, as the front office continues to weigh different ways to strengthen the middle of the ice and give the roster a more stable look down the lineup.
The search has not been limited to one obvious path, and the Canadiens are still sorting through a range of possibilities rather than locking onto a single name. Even with outside buzz around other players, the bigger picture remains the same for Montreal, which is still chasing the kind of center help that could change the shape of the lineup if Hughes finds the right deal. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Are Putting Serious Pressure On Laval To Survive This Reset
Lavals latest reset comes with a familiar kind of pressure for a farm team that has already shown it can win in the regular season. The Rocket captured the North Division for a second straight year, only to run into a first-round wall against the Toronto Marlies, and now the organization is trying to make sure that success translates when it matters most. With the coaching chair changing hands and the Canadiens looking to keep the development pipeline moving, the focus has shifted from simply getting to the playoffs to building a roster that can survive them.
Montreal has responded by adding depth and competition throughout the system, bringing in Brett Berard, Hunter McKown, Sasha Pastujov, Jared Davidson and goalie Kaapo Kahkonen to help fortify Laval. There is also another layer to watch once NHL camp opens, since players such as Owen Beck, Florian Xhekaj, David Reinbacher and Adam Engstrom could flow into the Rocket mix depending on how the big club sorts out its own picture. For Laval, the challenge is no longer just repeating as a division power. It is proving the group can handle the heavier lift that comes with a true postseason push. [Read more 🡒]
Jesperi Kotkaniemi Is Back In The Spotlight For A Familiar Reason
Jesperi Kotkaniemi has a way of drifting back into the conversation around Montreal, even from a few time zones away. The former Canadiens forward, now with the Carolina Hurricanes, recently brought the Stanley Cup to his hometown arena in Pori, Finland, a reminder that his career has taken a long and winding route since he left Quebec.
The latest buzz around him is less celebratory, though, and it comes with the kind of familiar uncertainty that has followed him for stretches of his tenure in Carolina. Kotkaniemi is still under contract for four more years with a $4.82 million cap hit, and the Hurricanes have already shown a willingness to keep his name in the mix when trade chatter heats up. For now, he remains in Carolina, but his place in the picture has a habit of coming up whenever the roster starts to shift. [Read more 🡒]