The Montreal Canadiens took to the ice for the first official practice of training camp and the lines they used immediately became the talk of the town.
The Montreal Canadiens took the ice for the first time at training camp on Thursday, and the coach wasted no time in showing his hand. He put his whole top six in Team A, the team that will take on the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Bell Centre on Saturday, and in the process answered two burning questions at Habs’ camp: who would Chris Kreider play with, and who would center the second line?
Despite the Canadiens having one of the best top lines in hockey last season, the bench boss has elected to split it. While that may come as a surprise, the Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki, and Juraj Slafkovsky unit struggled at even strength in the postseason, and if there’s one place where Kreider excels, it’s in the playoffs.
To insert Kreider on the top line, the coach elected to put Slafkovsky back with Oliver Kapanen and Ivan Demidov. Given that St-Louis already knows that combination can deliver, and that playing with the two youngsters unlocked a new version of the big Slovak, the decision makes sense. It remains to be seen what the power play units will look like, however. Will Slafkovsky and Demidov join Suzuki, Caufield and Hutson like last season?
If you're shocked to see Kapanen centring the second line again, remember he scored 22 goals in his rookie season. Yes, he did struggle late in the season and in the playoffs, but it’s far from unusual for a first-year player to hit a wall late in the season. St. Louis said the day before that his second-line center would need to have a good computer, and he repeatedly praised Kapanen for that last season. Some would have you believe that it’s easy to score 22 goals when you’re riding shotgun with Demidov, but you still have to know when to go and convert on the opportunities he dishes out. That's easier said than done.
Asked what he thought about Kreider, Demidov replied:
He reminds me of an older Slaf.
Given his size and style of play, that’s a fair assessment and probably part of why St-Louis feels comfortable putting Kreider on his top line. Caufield and Suzuki. The coach knows Kreider very well, and it wasn’t so long ago that he worked with him one-on-one to make him a better player. He didn’t have to do that, but it looks like karma took note and made it worth St-Louis’ while; now he’ll benefit from it.
Team A also included four regular NHL defensemen: Lane Hutson, who was skating with Alexandre Carrier, and Arber Xhekaj with Jayden Struble. Luke Mittelstadt and Owen Protz were also part of the group. Given how well they both did at the Prospect Challenge, it would make sense to give them a game at the Bell Centre on Saturday night.
As for Team B, it took to the ice at 11:50, and it included the rest of the Habs’ NHL lineup. Forwards Alex Newhook, Zachary Bolduc, Kirby Dach, Jake Evans, Philipp Danault, Alexandre Texier and Josh Anderson were all there. Still, the coaching staff elected to test some combinations involving some youngsters, aside from one veteran line made up of Bolduc, Dach and Texier. Meanwhile, Newhook and Evans skated with Brett Berard and Anderson and Danault took some reps with Florian Xhekaj.
On defense, Mike Matheson and Noah Dobson practiced with the second group, just like Adam Engstrom and David Reinbacher. Right now, it doesn’t feel like there’s much chance for a forward to graduate to the NHL from the AHL, but the same cannot be said about defence. Kaiden Guhle’s injury means someone could make the jump, and in an ideal world, that person would be Reinbacher, but will he stay healthy and grab the opportunity with both hands? Time will tell.
Meanwhile, in net, Jakub Dobes and Jacob Fowler skated with Team A while Samuel Montembeault and Kaapo Kahkonen were with Team B. That should mean Montembeault will get to play in Toronto on Saturday night, away from the scrutiny and pressure of the Bell Centre. As for Dobes, signing a big contract extension certainly hasn’t changed him:
I’m going to try to make the team, and we’ll see about what comes next.
You have to admire the humility. Everyone knows that right now, on paper, Dobes is the number one. He’s not taking anything for granted, though, and he’s approaching this camp like any other. Given that the Canadiens have three NHL-caliber goaltenders right now, it’s the right approach. All too often in hockey, when a player gets too comfortable, he loses his footing.
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