The Montreal Canadiens are down to their final preseason test on Saturday night, and there’s still work left for Martin St. Louis and his staff. With half the roster in Montreal against the Senators and the other half in Ottawa, the lineup picture is close to settled - but not quite there yet.
That leaves a few players with one last chance to make a clean, convincing case before the regular season opens Tuesday night. For Kirby Dach, David Reinbacher and Arber Xhekaj, this game carries extra weight. Each is fighting for position, and each could be looking at a very different start to the season depending on what happens next.
Kirby Dach is the name that keeps hanging over this group. He’s been one of the most discussed Canadiens this camp, and not in a flattering way. With Florian Xhekaj and Owen Beck turning heads, the pressure on Dach has only grown.
Through two preseason games, Dach has four shots and no points.
The expectations around him have always been high, and injuries have obviously played a role in where things stand now. The Canadiens still believe he can help them - they wouldn’t have brought him back this summer otherwise.
But belief only goes so far when younger players are making louder statements in exhibition play. If Dach wants to quiet the conversation, he needs a strong night against the Senators.
More than that, he needs consistency to hold his place.
On the back end, David Reinbacher has a real opening. Kaiden Guhle has been out all camp and is likely to miss some games to start the season, which has pushed Reinbacher into the spotlight. That absence has given him a chance not just to make the roster, but to push for a significant role in the Canadiens’ top four.
Reinbacher has recently been skating a lot with Lane Hutson, and the coaching staff should get another look at that pairing in the final preseason game. If the former first-round pick keeps playing the way he has so far this preseason, he should be in the lineup against the Maple Leafs.
Still, nothing is handed out here. The Canadiens have other choices, and Reinbacher has to earn it.
Arber Xhekaj is the other defender with plenty on the line. When Guhle’s injury surfaced, it looked like a perfect chance for Xhekaj to lock down a third-pair role. He brings the kind of physical edge and toughness that no other Canadiens defenseman really matches.
But his preseason has been uneven enough to create real doubt. If Reinbacher lands next to Lane Hutson and Noah Dobson and Mike Matheson forms the second pair, that leaves three defensemen fighting for two spots: Jayden Struble, Alexandre Carrier and Xhekaj.
Struble may already have the inside track. He has played well in the buildup to the season, and that’s not great news for Xhekaj, especially since the two of them haven’t clicked particularly well together.
Moneypuck data from last season showed Struble and Xhekaj logging about 108 minutes together with an expected goals percentage of 41.1%, the second worst among defensive pairs with at least 100 minutes of ice time. Struble and Carrier were even lower at 36.8% across a little more than 93 minutes.
So the pairings in Saturday’s two games will be worth watching closely. They may offer the clearest hint yet about what the coaching staff is leaning toward for opening night. But for these three players, the final preseason game could still be the thing that decides everything.
In Other News...
Kirby Dach Is Giving Canadiens Fans A Reason To Worry
Kirby Dach arrived at Canadiens training camp with plenty still hanging in the balance, and so far the early returns have done little to settle anyone's nerves. The forward has looked short on energy, and that has only sharpened the questions around where he fits in Montreal right now, especially as the club tries to sort out its lineup and determine which players are ready to embrace their roles.
Martin St-Louis, as usual, has chosen restraint over public pressure, sticking to a player-first approach instead of airing concerns in front of the cameras. Still, the situation around Dach is a reminder that talent alone does not guarantee traction, and Montreal has seen enough once-promising players drift into frustration to know how quickly these storylines can turn. For Dach, the next stretch is about proving the effort matches the opportunity. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jackets Face A Kirill Marchenko Decision They Can't Let Drag Out
Kirill Marchenkos name is already moving through the rumor mill, and that alone makes him worth watching for a Canadiens team that is always keeping tabs on young scoring talent. Sportsnet insider Nick Kypreos has linked Montreal, along with Toronto and Edmonton, to the Columbus winger, who is reportedly interested in leaving the Blue Jackets even though no official trade request has been confirmed.
The timing matters because Marchenko is heading into the final year of his deal with Columbus, which only sharpens the pressure on the Blue Jackets to sort out their plan sooner rather than later. For Montreal, it adds another potential target to a market where proven offense is rarely easy to find, and the longer this situation hangs there, the more it feels like a decision other teams will be waiting to pounce on. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Trade Pursuit Could Reshape Their Center Plan Fast
Montreals search for help down the middle may be getting more aggressive than a typical summer check-in. A report from Nick Kypreos of Sportsnet says the Canadiens have interest in Winnipeg Jets center Mark Scheifele as they look to strengthen their center depth, a pursuit that speaks to how seriously the front office is evaluating the position ahead of next season.
Scheifele would not be a short-term patch, either, with a deal that runs through 2030-31 and a recent season that reminded everyone why he remains such an attractive target. Any conversation of this sort naturally turns to what Montreal would have to move the other way, and the names floating around underline the kind of price the Canadiens may need to consider if they want to change their center picture quickly. [Read more 🡒]