The Canadiens are giving their lineup a shakeup ahead of tonight’s game against Buffalo, and the biggest move is Oliver Kapanen finally getting back into the mix.
Montreal announced that Kapanen has been activated off injured reserve and will make his season debut. To clear a spot, the team placed winger Florian Xhekaj on IR.
Kapanen missed time after what looked like a lower-body injury during his third preseason game last month. He was initially listed as day-to-day, but the absence stretched past three weeks. Now he’s ready to go, and he’s expected to step into Owen Beck’s spot on the fourth line to open the night.
The 23-year-old had a strong breakout season for Montreal last year. After a limited role early and late in 2024-25, he earned the second center job and made the most of it, scoring 22 goals and adding 15 assists.
That goal total left him one behind the league’s rookie lead. Even with a slowdown late in the year, he still finished 11th in Calder Trophy voting and got into a handful of playoff games.
Xhekaj’s move to injured reserve was more of a formality. The rookie has already missed the last three games with a lower-body injury, and the placement is retroactive, which leaves him eligible to return whenever the team wants. Still, the club said Friday he’s expected to be out for at least a couple more weeks.
So far this season, Xhekaj has appeared in two games. That brings his career total to seven.
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