Flowers for Florian Xhekaj, the pot for David Reinbacher

As in 2022, the Canadiens see a Xhekaj pushing for a training camp spot. And in light of yesterday’s game, I have no trouble believing that Florian could pull it off. After all, the Unicorn brings elements that the guys in the running for a forward position simply can’t bring. His sturdiness is really interesting and yesterday he showed it.He even struggled against Nicolas Deslauriers, who isn’t exactly an easy customer. Yesterday, the line he formed with Tyler Thorpe and Luke Tuch was excellent. The three youngsters played their roles well and Xhekaj also found a way to score. Last time I checked, it’s important to score once in a while. content-ads]

But above all, we agree that the eye test was conclusive. Every time he jumped on the ice, Florian Xhekaj was able to make the difference for the Canadiens. His brother was also good (even if he perhaps lacked discipline) and I wouldn’t be surprised to see them both in uniform for the first game of the regular season.

Obviously, to land a forward spot, Florian Xhekaj will have to beat out several guys in camp. He’ll also have to be good enough for the Habs to waive Samuel Blais or Joe Veleno, but if he deserves it and is better than the veterans and youngsters like Owen Beck and Oliver Kapanen… why not? i can

That said, if we’re going to throw flowers at Xhekaj, we need to talk about the pot too. And yesterday, let’s just say that it’s David Reinbacher who deserves the more negative comments. Physically, it seems he missed a lot of games last year. He’s still got some catching up to do, which isn’t unusual for a defender his age coming back from a major injury. Yes, he had some positive flashes… but at times, he wasn’t dominating: he was trying to survive. He reminded us that he’s not at the stage of dislodging a regular: he absolutely must go and eat minutes in Laval.And that’s just fine. I see him having success in the NHL one day, but not in October 2025

The Canadiens aren’t in a position where they absolutely have to bring Reinbacher up, and it’s for cases like this that the good Lord created the AHL. Let the Habs take advantage. No?

But these aren’t the only players worth mentioning after yesterday’s game. What do I remember from the duel against the Philadelphia Flyers?

1. Kaapo Kahkonen could have been brought on at a better time in the game, at a commercial break. But he could also have been better on the ice. Advantage Jakub Dobes, who gave nothing away. 2. Cole Caufield didn’t take long to score early in the game. Nick Suzuki also did well and found the back of the net. And Juraj Slafkovsky? He was cut, he came back… and he did well. In short, bravo to the first line. 3. I really don’t see the Canadiens giving him a job right now. However, Vinzenz Rohrer continues to earn points, playing “the role of his chair” when he’s on the ice. It’s Europe or the NHL, in his case.

4. Lane Hutson picked up an assist, maintained a plus-1 rating, played over 21 minutes, took two shots on goal and blocked one shot. Good game on his part.

’prolongation’

It’s a day off for the Canadiens, who return to action tomorrow against the Maple Leafs at the Bell Centre. TheHabs have