Marc Dumont
Here are the Montreal Canadiens news items, highlights, and stories you may have missed on a very busy Monday.
Montreal Canadiens News
The Canadiens unveiled their 23-man roster on Monday, making Joshua Roy, Adam Engstrom, Logan Mailloux, and Jakub Dobes the final cuts at camp. Prospects Emil Heineman and Oliver Kapanen both made the roster at the expense of Roy, who admittedly had a difficult preseason. [Canadiens Make Final Cuts, Reveal 23-Man Roster]
“He (Joshua Roy) has to continue to push (to earn a spot with the Habs). We know he has a very good ceiling but I think he would be the first person to tell you that he didn’t show us his ceiling enough from the start of training camp to now. But we know it’s there & he’s still a… pic.twitter.com/oqy03b7R2M
— /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) October 7, 2024
The ensuing practice revealed new lines and pairings, with phenom Lane Hutson lining up alongside Uncle Savard on the second pairing. The top line of Juraj Slafkovsky, Nick Suzuki, and Cole Caufield remained intact, but the remaining trios were all new. For now, Heineman is set to play on the third line, while Kapanen is slated to be an extra skater. [Montreal Canadiens New Lines At Practice Following Cuts]
Michael Hage enjoyed a fantastic start to his NCAA career, earning four points for the University of Michigan in just two games. His ability to execute plays at top speeds makes Hage a prospect to watch. Literally. He’s incredibly entertaining any time he gets an opportunity on the rush. On the flip side of the coin, Ivan Demidov’s ice time continues to dwindle with SKA, despite solid production to kick off his professional hockey career. [Habs Prospect Report: Hage Dominant, Demidov Decreasing TOI]
I had a chance to watch Demidov in action on Monday, though action is probably a misnomer, as he was given exactly 15 seconds of ice time in the second and third periods. After a handful of shifts, Demidov’s line was given a defensive zone start, which quickly backfired as Lokomotiv scored shortly after the draw. You’d be hard-pressed to argue the goal against was due to Demidov, or that the fourth line should have been given crucial defensive zone starts when they’re ice-cold, but such is life in the KHL. The fourth line was essentially removed from the game at that point, leaving Demidov with a little over 5 minutes of total ice time.
If we want to be unreasonably critical, we can blame the goal on Demidov’s faceoff loss, but that means ignoring the terrible coaching, not to mention the sub-par defensive play by his linemates.
Third shift, SKA gets scored on. Puck never came close to Demidov, but he was on the ice. pic.twitter.com/TDvfMLzawp
— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) October 7, 2024
The reasoning behind Roman Rotenberg’s decision to once again bench Demidov leaves a little (lot) to be desired, even if it’s clear some of the explanation was lost in translation.
SKA coach Roman Rotenberg on why he only played Ivan Demidov for 5 mins today.
— /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) October 7, 2024
National Hockey Now Network
The Florida Panthers got their championship rings Monday afternoon as they celebrated their Stanley Cup victory with a private ceremony at the newly-renovated War Memorial Auditorium. [Florida Panthers]
Seamus Casey might be sticking with the New Jersey Devils’ 23-man roster after all. After a number of Devils were waived and one reassigned on Sunday, the 23-man roster is beginning to take shape. Included in the waived players was a surprise defenceman who was slated to at least stick around as New Jersey’s seventh or eighth defenceman. However, with Casey’s performance thus far, it appears the Devils’ top prospect has changed the landscape of late. [New Jersey Devils]
The Washington Capitals have officially trimmed their roster down to 23 players ahead of the 2024-25 season.[Washington Capitals]
