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Montreal Canadiens forward Oliver Kapanen – (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

Canadiens Reward Kapanen While Leaving a Roster Spot Open

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers | By Trege Wilson | Last updated Oct 11, 2025 8:35 AM ET

The Montreal Canadiens will start the 2025-26 season with a couple of rookies on the roster. The Calder Trophy favourite, Ivan Demidov and Finnish forward Oliver Kapanen. They had a few players battling for roster spots in the preseason, with some of their choices coming down to the final days. The odd move, however, was leaving a spot open and starting the season with just 22 players.

Canadiens Kapanen Will Centre Demidov

The Canadiens had three rookies vying for a roster spot this season. Florian Xhekaj, Owen Beck, and Kapanen were neck and neck for a place on the roster, and the choice came down to the final game of the preseason. All three had excellent camps and were worthy of at least a few games in the NHL to start the season, but it was Kapanen who came out on top. Kapanen played 18 games last season, registering two points, before being loaned to Timra IK of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). While in the SHL, he recorded 35 points in 36 games, including three points in six playoff games. He then joined the Laval Rocket of the American Hockey League (AHL) for the playoffs, where he registered six points in 11 games.

Kapanen demonstrated excellent chemistry with the Habs’ future star hopeful Demidov during the preseason. That chemistry and Kapanen’s solid two-way play is what gave Montreal head coach Martin St. Louis the confidence to select him for the roster and make him the third-line centre on a line with Demidov and Alex Newhook. Kapanen has thrived in his first two games with Montreal, scoring his first-ever NHL goal shorthanded against the Toronto Maple Leafs in a 5-2 loss and following that the next night with a goal in a 5-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings.

Canadiens Leave Roster Spot Open, Start Season With 22 Players

The Canadiens have played their first two games of the season with only 22 players on their 23-man roster. When the preseason ended, the Habs decided to send rookies Florian Xhekaj and Beck to Laval and waived Sammy Blais, who was signed in the offseason. Even with a spot open, the Canadiens decided to risk losing Blais to waivers, which they did when the Maple Leafs picked him up. There are many theories as to why they chose to start with one less player, with the obvious one being cap accrual. With one less player on the roster, Montreal can immediately accrue cap space to use later in the season if it chooses to.

Another reason to keep the roster spot open was to have space if the team decides to pick a player off waivers. The only argument against this was that they had Blais, and there probably wouldn’t be anyone better than him on waivers, but there was still a chance. The leading theory is that they are setting themselves up to trade for a veteran player or possibly a second-line centre. Rumours still swirl that the Canadiens could acquire Sidney Crosby from the Pittsburgh Penguins, but that is unlikely and wouldn’t happen until later in the season. If they did acquire someone, however, they would have to move someone off the roster unless the player they acquire has less than $5.6 million in average annual value (AAV).

There is really no need for the Canadiens to carry a third scratched player on the team. Any rookie would be better off in Laval than Montreal for playing time, and why sit two veteran forwards when you don’t need to? The Habs have a pretty deep starting lineup, which will be hard to crack unless there is an injury. Plus, they have the Rocket in their backyard if they need to call anyone up. My prediction is that they are saving cap money for the deadline to acquire the pieces they need to move forward in the playoffs. Which, with the new salary cap rules, will be fun to watch as the trade deadline approaches.