The Canadiens open their season Tuesday night in Toronto with essentially the same team that closed out last year. Chris Kreider is in for Brendan Gallagher, rookie Florian Xhekaj is in for Joe Veleno, and that’s about it for turnover up front. Everywhere else, it’s the same group, the same lines, the same identity Martin St-Louis has been building for two years.
The Same Core, On Purpose
That’s not an accident. St-Louis told reporters Monday that the two things that matter most for sustained success are culture and continuity, and that this team has both — the front office hasn’t blown things up with a wave of new faces, just made targeted additions around a group that already knows how it wants to play. Kreider, for his part, has already noticed it: after Saturday’s game against Ottawa, he said the culture and atmosphere inside the room are what have struck him most since he arrived.
It’s a philosophy that puts a lot of weight on internal growth instead of outside additions. Florian Xhekaj forced his way onto the roster with a physical, attention-grabbing camp. Adam Engström did the same on the blue line, beating out David Reinbacher for the reserve defenseman spot — the staff believes he’s ready for full-time NHL minutes whenever the opportunity comes, even though he won’t be in the lineup for the opener.
The One That Got Away
The continuity approach also means Montreal is watching a name it wanted walk into the opposing dressing room tonight. Kirill Marchenko, the Blue Jackets winger the Canadiens were quietly pursuing, ended up in Toronto instead — the Maple Leafs won the derby by sending Matthew Knies to Columbus in a six-player deal. Columbus GM Don Waddell wanted immediate NHL help in return, not prospects or picks, and that’s a market where Montreal’s best trade chips — the kind that appeal to rebuilding teams — don’t have much pull right now. Marchenko’s arrival, plus Miles Wood and Elvis Merzlikins also joining Toronto, means more than half the Maple Leafs’ roster has turned over since last year. Montreal’s hasn’t, and that’s the whole point of the bet St-Louis is making.
Tonight’s Lineup Wrinkles
Oliver Kapanen will miss the opener with a lower-body injury that’s being evaluated day-to-day, and Alex Newhook slides into the middle of the second line in his place, between Juraj Slafkovsky and Ivan Demidov. On the back end, Jayden Struble and Arber Xhekaj open the year as the third pair — likely a short-term assignment, since that spot is Engström’s to take once the staff decides to give him a look, and it’ll shrink further once Kaiden Guhle is back from his summer surgery. Guhle skated Monday as part of his recovery, still without a firm return date.
In net, there’s no real drama to speak of. Martin St-Louis hasn’t formally named a starter for the opener, but that’s the same approach he took at this point last season, not a sign of a genuine battle — Jakub Dobes is the No. 1 goaltender here, and Samuel Montembeault settles in as his backup after winning that job outright in camp. It’s one more spot where continuity, not competition, is doing the deciding.
The blue line picture, like the forward group, is mostly a repeat of last season — Mike Matheson, Noah Dobson, Lane Hutson, Alexandre Carrier, Struble and Arber Xhekaj were the core of that group a year ago too. That’s the continuity bet again: St-Louis isn’t reaching for something new back there, he’s trusting the same six to hold things down while Engström and Guhle wait their turn.
Coach’s Take
I’ve been saying this for weeks: the Canadiens simply didn’t have what Columbus was looking for. Waddell wanted a roster player back, not futures, and that was never going to line up with what Montreal was willing to trade.
There’s also the money. Marchenko signed for six years at $12.5 million a season, and I’m not convinced the Canadiens were ready to make that kind of commitment right now. Some fans will be upset about missing out, but management was smart to protect its best assets instead of committing $12.5 million to a winger at this stage of the rebuild.
And then there’s the fit. We heard Marchenko showed up to camp out of shape, and his body language wasn’t always what you’d want to see. I don’t know if that fits inside the Canadiens’ culture, and honestly, not landing him might end up being the better outcome. The irony is that he could be the one lining up against Montreal tonight in Toronto.
Right now, this front office prefers to build from within rather than force a swing. I do expect a trade in the next few weeks to open up a spot or two on this roster, but I wouldn’t look for anything major from the Canadiens for a few months yet.
Hockey is back, and we’re doing our first play-by-play of the season tonight on the Hockey Nation Live Show as the Canadiens open in Toronto. Come join us to talk through the game live.
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