Florian Xhekaj is having a good training camp. And I think we can all agree that this isn't exactly a well-kept secret around town. Josh Anderson put it well: Florian is doing everything he can to stand out on the ice.
This morning, there was plenty of action in Brossard. First off, the new groups caught everyone's attention. The Canadiens really drew a line in the sand by dividing the groups into those who have a shot at making the team and those who don't.
Training camp is supposed to answer questions for NHL teams, but sometimes it creates even more of them. That may be exactly what is happening for the Montreal Canadiens with Florian Xhekaj and David Reinbacher.
The Canadiens shuffled their groups this morning. Basically, Group A has 14 forwards, eight defensemen, and three goaltenders. Kaiden Guhle (injured) and Ivan Demidov (absent from today's practice) are not in the mix.
After a day off yesterday, the Canadiens players were back on the ice to continue training camp 2026. What stands out is that, for the second day this week, Kaiden Guhle took to the ice.
The NHL has had an interesting new millennium. It was a league sans a salary cap when the 2000s started… and then the owners locked the players out for an entire season.
Logan Cooley turned a few heads—including that of our reporter Patrick Guillet—this summer in Brossard. The Mammoth center, who was in Montreal to shoot a commercial for CCM, took the opportunity to lace up his skates alongside Ivan Demidov.
The Montreal Canadiens have reached the stage of their rebuild where smart drafting, trades and free agent signings have their top prospects challenging to steal lineup spots from some veteran players.
Arber Xhekaj has never had the Canadiens' full confidence. You can feel it. You can see it. The defenseman, who is benched more often than the others, always finds himself in the same situation with the Canadiens.
The Canadiens spent the summer trying to trade Samuel Montembeault. They didn't succeed. Since the Quebec native is having a strong training camp and the Canadiens don't want to lose him in the waivers, I expect him to make the team (until proven otherwise) when the regular season begins next week.
The start of the regular season is less than a week away for the Montreal Canadiens and for head coach Martin St. Louis, the lines should be coming into focus for what he wants to have on the ice against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Patrik Laine still doesn't have a contract lined up for the upcoming season. And with a week to go before the season opener, it's safe to assume his season won't start in September like everyone else's.
People will talk about the “Mount Rushmore” for a franchise, which is to say the four people, usually four players, that most define the franchise. Not always the four-best players, but the four that evoke the essence of the franchise.
Things have been going really well for David Reinbacher since the start of the Canadiens' training camp. The defenseman, who is looking to secure a full-time spot in the NHL, is one of the players who has stood out the most after two nights of preseason games.
One of the big questions of this training camp is whether Florian Xhekaj will start the season in Montreal. It's not that he doesn't deserve it, but there are a lot of forwards on the team, and it will be tough for him to earn a spot.
Until they can either acquire a second line center or top prospect Michael Hage arrives, the Montreal Canadiens may just have the right mix for a second line.
As we've known and said for a long time, the Canadiens have offered their players very good contracts, making them one of the teams with the most payroll flexibility.
The addition of Derek Lalonde to the Canadiens' coaching staff this summer may have gone somewhat unnoticed. We were expecting a big move from Kent Hughes and wanted to see the Habs' GM land a big-name player, but… it didn't happen.
While it won’t come as a surprise to most, an NHL source has confirmed to TheSickPodcast.com, that the Montreal Canadiens have not expressed any interest in Winnipeg Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck.
Yesterday's game highlighted a reality within the Habs' camp: the role of young players on the Canadiens. Whether it's Florian Xhekaj or David Reinbacher, we're seeing young players pushing the veterans from behind right now.
Training camp is (very short) this year. The players have only about ten days to prove to management that they deserve to start the season in Montreal.
It's a good thing David Reinbacher doesn't play for Rod Brind'Amour. Why do I say that? Because the Carolina Hurricanes' coach doesn't believe preseason games matter.
Did you enjoy last night's game in Trois-Rivières? The Canadiens won 3-2 in overtime against the Sens. And several key Canadiens players stepped up during the game.
Something interesting is happening in Montreal, and it has less to do with any one player than with how the Canadiens are putting it all together. A recent
Remember all the chatter about Samuel Montembeault being done in Montreal? Losing the starting job, then losing the backup job too, basically getting written off as a guy the Canadiens would just try to quietly move before the season even started?
Chris Kreider‘s move to Montreal has already produced one of the more amusing moments of training camp, as the veteran winger found himself swept up in the Canadiens’ now-famous “power of friendship” celebration — looking visibly unsure of what exactly was happening around him.
After making it to the Eastern Conference Final last season, it’s pretty easy to look at the Montreal Canadiens and say, “Well, now they have to win the Stanley Cup.” Perhaps, but also perhaps not.