With training camp coming to an end, the Montreal Canadiens appear to have finalized their 23-man roster on Monday.
After placing the likes of Joel Armia and Gustav Lindstrom on waivers and sending both forward Emil Heineman and defenceman Mattias Norlinder to the Laval Rocket, the Habs have 23 players left, including three goalies at the NHL level.
#Habs Cayden Primeau on Montreal carrying 3 goalies to start the season: "I tried to force their hand – it’s not my decision but I try to make those decisions hard for those who do."
— Priyanta Emrith (@HabsInHighHeels) October 9, 2023
Today is the deadline for NHL teams to get down to 23-man rosters ahead of the regular season. Here are the 23 players that remain in Montreal:
Forwards
- Josh Anderson
- Cole Caufield
- Kirby Dach
- Jake Evans
- Brendan Gallagher
- Rafael Harvey-Pinard
- Sean Monahan
- Alex Newhook
- Tanner Pearson
- Michael Pezzetta
- Juraj Slafkovsky
- Nick Suzuki
- Jesse Ylönen
Defencemen
- Justin Barron
- Kaiden Guhle
- Jordan Harris
- Johnathan Kovacevic
- Mike Matheson
- David Savard
- Arber Xhekaj
Goalies
- Jake Allen
- Sam Montembeault
- Cayden Primeau
Another revelation came to light during Monday’s practice at the CN Sports Complex in Brossard as Josh Anderson was placed on the top line with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield. The top trio will likely remain intact to start the year.
Additionally, rookie Juraj Slafkovsky was slotted in the righty wing spot on a second line centred by Kirby Dach. Newly acquired forward Alex Newhook joins them at the wing.
Meanwhile, coach Martin St. Louis’ defence pairings had Mike Matheson piared with David Savard, Kaiden Guhle with Johnathan Kovacevic and Arber Xhekaj with Jordan Harris, which means Justin Barron will probably be an extra defenceman.
The Habs will kick off their 2023-24 campaign on Wednesday, October 11 when they take on the Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.