Half of training camp is already behind us, and after a day off on Tuesday, the Montreal Canadiens will start the second half with on-ice sessions in Brossard on Wednesday.
After narrowly beating the Ottawa Senators in Trois-Rivières on Monday night, the Montreal Canadiens enjoyed a much-deserved day off on Tuesday. The break was long planned, as it marked the halfway point of training camp, and everyone will be back in Brossard Wednesday morning.
Team B is scheduled to hit the ice first at 10:30 AM, followed by Team A at 11:50 AM and Team C at 1:00 PM. Then, on Thursday, Teams A and B will practice simultaneously at 10:30 AM before facing each other in a scrimmage at 11:30 on ice 2, while Team C will practice on ice 1 at 11:45. If you want to take a day off to visit the Canadiens’ camp, Thursday should be the day, as it’s the only scrimmage planned so far.
Friday, all three groups will practice at the usual times: Team A at 10:30, Team B at 11:50 Am and Team C at 1:00 PM. Then, on Saturday, the Canadiens will once again face the Senators, but this time in a split-squad game. Team A will stay in Montreal to play at the Bell Centre at 7:00 PM and will hold its morning skate at the CN Sports Complex at 10:30. Team B will have its morning skate at 11:30 before heading to Ottawa to face the Sens at 7:00 PM.
That will be the Canadiens’ final preseason game, and after that match we should see some cuts. Will Martin St-Louis be guided by who has an NHL contract, or will he truly award roster spots to the most deserving players? That remains to be seen. It wasn’t that long ago that the organization elected to put Joel Armia on waivers after an underwhelming camp.
Unless Kirby Dach raises his intensity soon, he could be a candidate for the same treatment. The question is, though, would he clear, or would a GM be willing to roll the dice on him? After all, he’s still a former third-overall pick and a big-frame potential center. Then again, there’s a significant injury history there, but it’s less of a factor when picking up someone on waivers than when actually using assets to acquire them.
Follow Karine on X @KarineHains Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social and Threads @karinehains.
Bookmark The Hockey News Canadiens' page for all the news and happenings around the Canadiens.
Join the discussion by signing up to the Canadiens' roundtable on The Hockey News.
