My preseason expectations for the Montreal Canadiens

I am an avid Habs fan, that cannot be overstated. Since I was a little kid, seeing the Habs colours light up my screen made the game of hockey feel different for me.

With this, I’ve seen this team go through its fair share of struggles, constantly battling an injury bug that simply does not want to leave Montreal alone, ravaging the team year after year.

On the positive side, I genuinely cannot think of five young teams with a brighter future than the Montreal Canadiens. Because of that, some of our older veterans, like Josh Anderson and Alexandre Carrier, will eventually become replaceable by their younger and cheaper counterparts.

More so the latter in Carrier. He’s a very good shutdown defenseman, but with David Reinbacher coming in on the right side, it seemingly doesn’t leave a lot of breathing room for the 29 year old.

Whilst Carrier is by no means old, it feels like a youth movement is pulsing through Montreal, and it’s evident that the Canadiens are looking to take that next step.

With that in mind, I have a few bold predictions for this upcoming season, especially during training camp and the preseason.

For the forward group, I expect Owen Beck and Florian Xhekaj to get a real shot at cracking the NHL lineup. With the loss of Joe Veleno, having either a fourth line centre or winger that plays to the strengths of his teammates would drastically improve the Canadiens depth scoring, in my opinion.

If I had to guess, and I might be biased because of Arber, I really think Florian Xhekaj will be on the opening night roster come September.

He plays a very mean, physical game, very similar to Josh Anderson. At the same time, he’s capable of contributing on the power play, penalty kill, and really acts as a sort of Swiss Army knife in whatever situation he’s thrown into. Players like that are incredibly valuable, especially on a young team trying to establish its identity.

For the defense, I think this is David Reinbacher’s do or die moment. Not to be overly dramatic, but after being selected fifth overall in the 2023 NHL Draft, you’d expect him to be contributing at the NHL level by now. Unfortunately, that dreaded injury bug has altered the start of his career.

After watching most of the Laval Rocket games this year, I can confidently say that when he’s on his game, he’s certainly a difference maker.

With that, I think Reinbacher starts the preseason on the third pairing in a battle with Carrier for that spot. As crazy as that might sound, I honestly think it’s a very realistic possibility.

As for the goaltending situation, I have a feeling Samuel Montembeault will remain a Montreal Canadien.

I say that because rookie Jacob Fowler most likely won’t get the playing time he deserves if he’s backing up Jakub Dobeš, who I believe will be the starter. Personally, I’d run Dobeš as the NHL starter, Montembeault as the backup, and let Fowler start in the AHL where he can get the consistent reps that will maximize his development.

Only time will tell if any of these predictions come true, but one thing is certain. The future in Montreal has never looked brighter, and it’s an incredibly exciting time to be a Canadiens fan.

If you like this please consider following as I cover all different topics within hockey, if you have an Idea you’d like me to write about please don’t be shy to comment!!

Thank you for reading Theperspectiveofpucks.