As the Montreal Canadiens regrouped from an 8-2 loss to the Seattle Kraken, head coach Martin St. Louis is making some bold adjustments.
In an effort to ignite a spark, the bench boss put the team’s forward lines in a blender for Wednesday morning’s practice .
Though Juraj Slafkovsky made his return from an upper-body injury last night, he wasn’t slotted back into the Canadiens’ top line just yet. Instead, rookie Emil Heineman could get the chance to skate alongside Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield, filling a spot temporarily held by Kirby Dach.
While there’s no guarantee the following combinations will stick for their next game, the shake-up hints at the potential for some new chemistry to blossom.
Heineman – Suzuki – Caufield
Slafkovsky – Dach – Kapanen
Newhook – Dvorak – Armia
Anderson – Evans – Gallagher
If nothing changes before puck drop on Thursday. Heineman, who has two goals in his first nine NHL games, will have an opportunity to show what he can do with the Habs’ top scorers. Meanwhile, Slafkovsky stays put on Line 2 with Kirby Dach centering the line alongside rookie Oliver Kapanen, who has one point in nine outings.
A new third trio, Christian Dvorak, Alex Newhook, and Joel Armia, was also assembled.
The only line that St. Louis left untouched was the dependent fourth trio consisting of Josh Anderson, Jake Evans, and Brendan Gallagher.
As for the Canadiens’ blue line, that too could feature changes with the return of defensemen Kaiden Guhle and Justin Barron.
The Habs announced that both players, who recently suffered upper-body injuries, would travel with the team to DC before revealing that Logan Mailloux has been sent down to the Laval Rocket.
Justin Barron et Kaiden Guhle seront du voyage Ă Washington et Pittsburgh avec l'Ă©quipe
Barron and Guhle will travel with the team to Washington and Pittsburgh
#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/pluBtp60o6— Canadiens MontrĂ©al (@CanadiensMTL) October 30, 2024
Now riding a 4-5-1 record to start the year, the Habs will conclude October with a game against the Washington Capitals on Halloween. They’ll open their November schedule with a game against the Pittsburgh Penguins this Saturday.