Samuel Blais is already making noise against his old club.
At Senators camp, the former Canadiens forward did not hold back when talking about his season in Montreal, where he said he was treated unfairly and felt he was better than some teammates who stayed in the NHL last year.
Blais’ stint with the Canadiens was anything but smooth. He went through waivers twice in a matter of months, first being claimed by the Toronto Maple Leafs at the end of 2025 camp before landing back with Montreal a few weeks later the same way. Once he returned, he was sent down to the Laval Rocket.
The numbers matched the frustration. Blais played 21 NHL games last season, including only 13 with the Canadiens, and added 40 more in the American Hockey League. He never got the chance to settle into the hard-nosed, physical role Martin St-Louis wanted from him.
Rather than go through that again, he signed with the Ottawa Senators on July 1, the first day of free agency.
He did not name anyone directly, but his comments clearly pointed toward someone in Montreal. Samuel Blais feels that he sometimes played better than certain players on the Habs last year before being sent down to the minors. He wants to force the Sens to make a move this year.
Around the league, some are looking at Oliver Kapanen, while others are pointing to Joe Veleno, a former client of Kent Hughes from his days as a player agent.
However you read it, the situation says a lot about the balancing act for a team that keeps getting better: finding useful depth without leaving players unhappy about their role.
And Blais won’t have to wait long to make his case. Ottawa faces Montreal tonight, and Blais is expected to be in the Senators lineup for the matchup.
In Other News...
Slafkovsky And Demidov May Be Key To Montreals Biggest Line Puzzle
The Canadiens preseason has already offered a familiar sight in the reunion of the Kid Line, with Juraj Slafkovsky, Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield back together and looking like the kind of trio Montreal can build around. The top line picture also shifted with Chris Kreider added into the mix, giving the coaching staff another forward combination to study as it sorts through what the opening-night alignment should look like.
Beneath all of that, the real puzzle may be less about the headline line and more about the pieces behind it. Montreal has been experimenting with where Ivan Demidov fits best and how that affects the rest of the forward group, while the second-line centre spot remains one of the most important decisions left before the regular season begins. For a team trying to balance talent, chemistry and depth, those next tweaks could wind up mattering just as much as the reunion everybody noticed first. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Face One Big Question In Potential Blue-Line Upgrade
Alexander Nikishins uncertain status in Carolina has already turned him into one of the more intriguing names to watch as training camp opens around the league. The Hurricanes still have the rights to the big Russian defenseman, but until his contract situation is settled, he sits in that gray area where talent, timing and team need can quickly create opportunity for someone else.
For the Canadiens, the appeal is obvious enough. Montreal has been looking to add to a young blue line, and Nikishins size and offensive upside fit the kind of profile teams covet. The question is less about whether he would make sense and more about how the Canadiens would make the deal work, with cap space to clear and real assets likely required before anything could move beyond speculation. [Read more 🡒]
Kent Hughes Has One Canadiens Draft Pick Already Facing Questions
Corey Pronmans latest 2024 NHL draft redraft has given Canadiens fans another reason to revisit last years class, and the early read is a mixed one. Montreal still comes out looking good at the top, with Ivan Demidov placed near the top of the board, which is not exactly a surprise given the buzz around his upside and the attention he has drawn since draft day.
The more interesting wrinkle is what the redraft says about the rest of the group the Canadiens invested in. Michael Hage landed a touch lower than where Montreal originally selected him, a small but notable sign that evaluators may not be as sold on that pick as the organization was in June. For a front office still trying to stock the pipeline and hit on every chance it gets, those kinds of early reassessments can matter as much as the headline names. [Read more 🡒]