There were no surprises Sunday when the Canadiens announced their final cuts from training camp ahead of Wednesday’s season opener in Toronto against the Maple Leafs (7 p.m., SN, TVA Sports).
The club announced Sunday afternoon that forwards Owen Beck and Florian Xhekaj, along with defenceman Adam Engström, have been sent down to the AHL’s Laval Rocket. Meanwhile, forward Samuel Blais and goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen were placed on waivers.
There was really only one of the 12 forward spots up for grabs when training camp started, and Oliver Kapanen earned it. Kapanen wasn’t in the lineup for the Canadiens’ final pre-season game Saturday night — a 3-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators at the Bell Centre — because head coach Martin St. Louis said he had already seen enough from the 22-year-old during training camp and pre-season games. Alex Newhook and Ivan Demidov also weren’t in the lineup Saturday night and it looks like they will start the season as wingers with Kapanen as their centre.
The Canadiens had the day off Sunday and there were no media availabilities. They will practise at 10:30 a.m. Monday at the CN Sports Complex in Brossard.
“Kappy plays a very mature game,” St. Louis said last week. “He has an NHL computer and I find he’s taken a step also physically compared to last year. He does a lot of things on the ice.”
The Canadiens selected Kapanen in the second round (64th overall) of the 2021 NHL Draft. He made the team to start last season, but was returned to Timra IK in the Swedish Hockey League after having no goals and two assists in 18 games. Kapanen played 36 games with Timra IK, posting 15-20-35 totals. The 6-foot-2, 192-pounder then played 11 playoff games with the Laval Rocket, posting 3-3-6 totals.
“I don’t want to say boring, but just does it all the right way,” teammate Cole Caufield said during training camp when asked about Kapanen. “There’s not too much flash, but you can just tell he knows what to do. He’s comfortable out there. He creates a lot of space for his linemates and can skate well. I’ve really been impressed with his D side of the game.”
Kapanen’s defensive maturity is important to St. Louis, who wants the Canadiens to defend hard in the offensive and neutral zones so they don’t have to defend so much in their own zone.
The only question mark on defence heading into training camp was whether Arber Xhekaj or Jayden Struble would be on the third pairing with Alexandre Carrier. The top four defencemen were already known with Noah Dobson, Mike Matheson, Lane Hutson and Kaiden Guhle. Xhekaj and Struble, as expected, both made the team and will compete for playing time beside Carrier — just like they did at the end of last season.
Despite having a very impressive training camp, Engström was returned to Laval. The 21-year-old doesn’t have to clear NHL waivers, while both Xhekaj and Struble would have to clear waivers if they were sent down.
Florian Xhekaj and Beck also had impressive training camps, but were among the final cuts. Like Engström, they don’t have to clear NHL waivers.
The Canadiens decided to keep 13 forwards instead of 14 to start the season with Joe Veleno as the one extra. They will carry seven defencemen and two goalies — Samuel Montembeault and Jakub Dobes — for a 22-man roster to start the season, one below the NHL maximum.
“Thirteen (forwards) is a little easier because you only have to tell one player why he’s not in the lineup instead of two,” St. Louis said after Saturday’s game. “With 14, it’s not easy. You don’t play a lot.
“Thirteen sometimes keeps the others a little more alert also,” St. Louis added. “It’s very competitive internally.”
Veleno signed a one-year, US$900,000 contract as a free agent this summer. The 25-year-old had 8-9-17 totals in 74 games last season split between the Detroit Red Wings and the Chicago Blackhawks. He was the first Quebecer ever granted exceptional player status in junior to play as a 15-year-old after being the No. 1 overall pick by the Saint John Sea Dogs at the 2015 QMJHL Draft. The 6-foot-1, 206-pound Veleno can play wing or centre and showed during training camp — like Kapanen, who can also play wing or centre — that he can play the defensive style of game St. Louis wants.
“He brings a lot of speed also,” St. Louis said about Veleno. “He has skill, but it’s to understand that the game isn’t just played with skill. There are moments during the game when it’s permitted, but it’s what do you do the 90 per cent of other moments with the puck and without the puck when you don’t have the space to utilize your skill. I think he’s capable of playing a direct game, bringing physicality because he has a lot of pace.”
The Red Wings selected Veleno in the first round (30th overall) of the 2018 NHL Draft. The Montreal native is one of 12 players on the Canadiens’ 22-man roster who were drafted in the first round, along with Demidov (fifth overall in 2024), Juraj Slafkovsky (first in 2022), Zachary Bolduc (17th by St. Louis in 2021), Guhle (16th in 2020), Kirby Dach (third by Chicago in 2019), Caufield (15th in 2019), Newhook (16th by Colorado in 2019), Dobson (12th by New York Islanders in 2018), Nick Suzuki (13th by Vegas in 2017), Patrik Laine (second by Winnipeg in 2016) and Matheson (23rd by Florida in 2012).
St. Louis noted many times during training camp that this is the most talented team he has had since taking over as head coach three years ago, giving him more options than he has ever had with his lineup.
The Canadiens will open the season with three road games. After facing the Leafs on Wednesday, they will visit the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday (7 p.m., TSN2, RDS) and the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday (7 p.m., SNE, City, TVA Sports). The Canadiens’ home opener at the Bell Centre will be Tuesday, Oct. 14 against the Seattle Kraken (7 p.m., TSN2, RDS). It will be the first of four straight home games.
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