While everyone and their mothers are talking about the upcoming draft and free agency, the Montreal Canadiens [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens] released their preseason schedule on Wednesday. This time, Martin St-Louis’ men will be playing six preseason games. The first exhibition tilt will take place in Montreal on September 22, when the Habs will face off against the Pittsburgh Penguins [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins], who could look much different come September. Kyle Dubas is set to embrace a rebuild and is actively shopping Erik Karlsson. Will he get the go-ahead to move more veterans who have no movement clauses? Time will tell. The next day, the Tricolore will host Trevor Zegras and the Philadelphia Flyers [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers]before playing a home-and-away series against the Toronto Maple Leafs [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs]. In case you’ve forgotten, it was in similar circumstances that Montreal lost both Patrik Laine and David Reinbacher to serious knee injuries last preseason. Chances are, the Canadiens will think twice before using members of the core [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/canadiens-are-the-risks-worth-the-rewards] until rosters have been trimmed down and AHL-dedicated tough guys have been weeded out. The Tricolore will wrap up its preseason with a home-and-away series against the Ottawa Senators [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/ottawa-senators], with the away game set at the Centre Videotron in Quebec, where the Sens will be hosting. Just like the Canadiens, Ottawa qualified for the playoffs last season and will be looking to take another step forward this season. Thanks to acquiring Dylan Cozens at the deadline, the Sens now have a much deeper center line and have filled a need the Canadiens are still looking to plug. When the puck drops on those preseason games, all eyes in Montreal will be fixed on Ivan Demidov as he sets out to embark on his rookie season. Having just witnessed Lane Hutson’s historic first year, the fans will likely have big expectations. Still, it would be worth remembering that the Russian winger only has limited experience in North American play and may need a bit of time to find his footing. Photo credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Canadiens stories, analysis, breaking news, and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News [https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMK-q0gsw7sXpAw/sections/CAQqEAgAKgcICjCvqtILMO7F6QMwo-DfCA?hl=en-CA&gl=CA&ceid=CA%3Aen], never to miss a story. Follow Karine on X @KarineHains [https://x.com/KarineHains] Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/karinehains.bsky.social] and Threads @karinehains [https://www.threads.net/@karinehains]. Bookmark The Hockey News Canadiens' page [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/] for all the news and happenings around the Canadiens. Join the discussion by signing up to the Canadiens' roundtable [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens] on The Hockey News.
