Alexandre Carrier made a loud early statement for the Canadiens, and it came at exactly the right time.
When Montreal opened the season against the Toronto Maple Leafs, the pairing picture on the blue line already felt unsettled. Training camp had pointed toward David Reinbacher starting next to Lane Hutson, but the Canadiens went in another direction. Reinbacher was among the final cuts and began the year with the Laval Rocket, while Montreal chose the steadier, more experienced Carrier to skate with Hutson.
That call paid off in a 3-2 win.
Carrier didn’t just hold his own. He drove the night.
He scored Montreal’s third goal, which stood up as the game-winner, and he finished with a goal, an assist, a blocked shot and a hit in just under 22 minutes of ice time. He was also a key piece of a penalty kill that kept the Maple Leafs power play off the board.
The offensive output stood out because Carrier is usually valued more for what he takes away than what he creates. Montreal liked him right away after acquiring him from the Nashville Predators during the 2024-25 season, and his reputation has centered on being a dependable defender and a useful penalty-kill option.
Last season, though, his play drew mixed reviews. It was uneven from the start, even as he still finished second on the team with 155 blocked shots.
Against Toronto, he showed the fuller version of his game.
Carrier was assertive in the offensive zone and kept putting pucks toward the net, which helped set up Josh Anderson’s equalizer midway through the first period. Later, he found another opening from the blueline and fired a wrist shot that beat a heavily screened Sergei Bobrovsky. It was the kind of night that reminded everyone he can do more than simply clean up messes in his own end.
That said, nobody should expect Carrier to suddenly become a regular source of offense. His career high remains 30 points, set in 2021-22 with the Predators.
On most nights, Hutson will be the defender expected to lead the attack from the back end. But in the opener, it was Carrier who picked up the slack when Montreal’s stars weren’t at their sharpest.
That brings the focus back to the bigger roster question.
The Canadiens currently have seven defencemen on the roster, with Adam Engstrom sitting out opening night. A move will have to be made once Kaiden Guhle is ready to return from injury, and that’s where things get tricky.
Montreal has only two right-shot defencemen available right now: Noah Dobson and Carrier. Guhle is a top-four regular, but the Canadiens could choose to keep Carrier beside Hutson and leave the young defender on his natural left side.
After what Carrier showed against Toronto, that pairing looks hard to break up.
There is still competition for the final spots on the back end. Arber Xhekaj and Jayden Struble got the opening-night nod over Engstrom, and Engstrom should get a chance before Guhle is back.
If he can outplay Xhekaj or Struble, Montreal will be forced into another difficult decision. But for now, Carrier has made a strong case that the Canadiens should keep him right where he is.
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Drafted by the Bruins in 2022, Poitras has already shown enough at both levels to make him a legitimate target, with 69 NHL games and 27 career points adding to a productive AHL season in Providence. The Canadiens would not be alone in keeping an eye on the situation, but a rare chance to pluck a player with his skill from a division rival is the kind of opening teams do not get often, which is why the next roster move in Boston matters so much. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Weigh A Lineup Change After One Costly Mistake
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The discussion has been sharpened by a recent penalty from Alexandre Texier, a mistake that drew criticism and may force the coaching staff to rethink its forward group. The Canadiens are still weighing their options, but the decision window is closing, and this one could turn into a meaningful early-season test of how much they want to reward camp performance versus stick with the current lineup. [Read more 🡒]