The second and final week of Canadiens training camp is underway, and this is where things start to matter. Week one was only two preseason games and a handful of practices — nothing was decided, and nothing should have been. Martin St-Louis and his coaching staff will wait until next Sunday to make the calls that count.

What’s different this year is that MSL actually has choices to make. In the past, he had almost no real decisions on personnel — the roster mostly picked itself because the talent gap between the NHL players and the guys pushing them simply wasn’t there. That’s not the case anymore. There are legitimate battles for real jobs on this roster, and that makes this a crucial week for several players.

Let’s go position by position.

The Goalies: Montembeault’s Chance to Claim the Job

The Canadiens have three goalies in camp, but with Jakub Dobeš penciled in as the No. 1, the real competition is for a single backup job — and Samuel Montembeault was the winner of week one. He had strong practices all week and backed it up in his only game, stopping all 13 shots he faced. He’s the only goalie in camp who hasn’t allowed a goal so far.

Is that enough? That’s the real question. Are the Canadiens still looking to trade Montembeault, or are they content to keep him around as the backup? This is a crucial week for him to lock down that job over Jacob Fowler. And Fowler’s own path is tied directly to how it plays out — if Montembeault stays with the Habs, Fowler heads back to Laval to start the season.

There’s a second question hanging over Montembeault beyond just winning the job: how long does he stick around, and what’s his leash if he struggles versus if he plays well? Worth watching closely how he performs between the pipes this week.

Eight Defensemen? Complicated — But Maybe Not

We heard right at the start of camp that Kaiden Guhle is going to miss the first nine or ten games of the season. He’s expected back around the second or third week of October.

We already know Alexandre Carrier, Noah Dobson, Lane Hutson and Mike Matheson are locked in. Arber Xhekaj, on his new one-year deal, and Jayden Struble, in the final year of his, should be the next two defensemen to stick with the team. That brings it down to one open spot — and it’s between David Reinbacher and Adam Engström.

Luke Mittelstadt played solid hockey for the Habs during week one, but not enough to earn a spot. Reinbacher won the week between him and Engström. Both are waiver-exempt and can be returned to Laval without any risk of losing them. But Reinbacher, who had a great game Saturday night, is a right-shot defenseman — and that could be his real advantage over Engström, who shoots left like Struble and Xhekaj. If Reinbacher has another strong week, I expect him to stay as the seventh defenseman, with Engström heading back to Laval.

Keep in mind, Guhle is coming back at some point, and the Canadiens could either carry eight defensemen at that point or send Reinbacher down. Here’s the thing, though — Engström and Reinbacher don’t have a lot left to learn in the AHL, and that reality could complicate things for Struble or Xhekaj with the Canadiens in the short term. At some point, the Canadiens simply can’t keep all of them. My prediction: a trade involving a defenseman before the holidays in December. Remember, Xhekaj, Struble and Carrier all have just one year left on their deals, and the organization also has Mittelstadt, Bogdan Konyushkov turning pro at the end of the season, and Bryce Pickford and Owen Protz already with the Rocket. Bigger decisions are coming for Kent Hughes in the next few months.

13 or 14 Forwards? This Is Where It Gets Complicated

This is the tougher call for MSL and Kent Hughes. After signing Chris Kreider, the Canadiens already have 13 forwards under NHL contract. Without Guhle in the lineup, the Habs could open the season with seven defensemen and 14 forwards — and since 13 forwards are already spoken for, nobody is getting cut. The real decision at the end of camp is whether to dress a 14th forward at all, and if so, who gets that job.

From what we’ve seen in week one, Florian Xhekaj leads that race. He had a great game in Toronto, and I’m not sure anyone else has done enough to take the spot from him. Brett Berard hasn’t played a game yet. Owen Beck, Jared Davidson and Sasha Pastujov have all played, but none of them have stood out.

The key question for MSL is whether to hand Florian Xhekaj that job now, even if it means some nights watching from the press box — or whether it’s better for his development to give the spot to a veteran and let him keep playing every night in Laval instead. That’s a tough call. But I keep coming back to the Guhle situation, because I believe the Habs carry 14 forwards and seven defensemen for as long as Guhle is out. Once he’s back, assuming no other injuries in the meantime, I expect the Canadiens to settle at eight defensemen and 13 forwards.

More from camp: @CanadiensMTL on X.

Coach’s Take: My Final Prediction

David Reinbacher, Florian Xhekaj and Samuel Montembeault start the season with the Canadiens. Once Guhle returns to the lineup, I expect the Habs to send Xhekaj back to Laval and keep Reinbacher up, rotating him with Arber Xhekaj and Struble for the sixth defenseman job — a bit of a musical chairs situation among the three of them. Montembeault is the backup goalie, and Fowler starts the year with the Rocket.

This is my own prediction, and it can all change with an injury or two. But if nothing changes, that’s my scenario for the Canadiens’ Opening Night roster on Sept. 29. It’s a long season — 84 games — and a lot can happen along the way: injuries, trades, a bad stretch from a player who looked safe in September. But one thing I do know is that MSL has better choices and better decisions to make now than in the past, when the talent and the depth simply weren’t there.

In one week, we’ll find out the real answer. Stay tuned.

— Coach Frenchy