Photo credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images
Activities are resuming in a more structured manner at the Brossard sports complex for the Montreal Canadiens players who are not participating in the Olympics.
Head coach Martin St-Louis took advantage of Sunday morning’s session to roll out new forward lines and defensive pairings on the ice.
Maxime Truman relayed observations from his colleague Patrick Guillet regarding the lineup being used by the coaching staff at this time.
Up front, the first line consisted of Veleno, Dach and Caufield, followed by a second unit featuring Gallagher, Danault and Anderson.
The third offensive line showcased Demidov, Newhook and Laine, while Bolduc, Evans and Texier rounded out the group of regular forwards.
On the blue line, the pairing of Lane Hutson and Noah Dobson led the way, skating ahead of the duo of Mike Matheson and Kaiden Guhle.
Jayden Struble, Alexandre Carrier and Arber Xhekaj completed the top-seven defensemen.
In goal, duties were split between Jakub Dobes and a guest goaltender from the LNAH.
A lineup set to change with the end of the Olympic Games
It’s important to note that this lineup remains temporary, as several key players are currently absent from the group.
The imminent returns of Nick Suzuki, Juraj Slafkovsky and Oliver Kapanen will certainly force the coach to reorganize several of these combinations.
Finally, it’s worth recalling the absence of goaltender Samuel Montembeault, which is in no way related to an injury or a transaction.
This transition period will allow the staff to evaluate the chemistry between certain players before returning to a fully intact roster.
Veleno-Dach-Caufield
Gallagher-Danault-Anderson
Demidov-Newhook-Laine
Bolduc-Evans-Texier
Hutson-Dobson
Matheson-Guhle
Struble-Xhekaj
Carrier
Dobes
LNAH goaltender (invitee)
Note that Suzuki, Slafkovsky, and Kapanen will bump certain players out of the lineup. Carrier is likely to move to the third pairing sooner rather than later, and Montembeault is neither injured nor traded.
– Max Truman
Previously on Montreal Hockey Fanatics
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Canadiens test new line combinations at practice as Suzuki and Slafkovsky return looms
Which of these new forward combinations seems the most interesting to you?