A lot can change in two seasons. One season into the rebuild, you were looking at names like Rem Pitlick and Jesse Ylonen battling it out for a roster spot. A few seasons later, both are out of the organization entirely and American Hockey League mainstays.
After the Canadiens have successfully made the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs en route to presumed eventual contention, the situation is different. You’re generally looking more at names with legitimate claims on roster spots trying to hold off the next wave of prospects in a pipeline widely considered to be among the top pools in the NHL.
Related: The NHL’s Best Farm Systems Ranked – 2024-25 Midseason Update
Are any in line to wrest a spot away in training camp? If so, at who’s expense? Here are the likeliest odd men out on the Canadiens at each position ahead of 2025-26:
3. Owen Beck vs. Sammy Blais vs. Oliver Kapanen at Forward
Another sign the Canadiens are on their way? Up front, you’ve literally got 12 players who are effective locks to make the team, assuming the newly signed Joe Veleno was signed with the intention of giving him a depth spot. It’s not guaranteed by any means, because there may not be room for Sammy Blais, who general manager Kent Hughes also signed to a one-year, one-way contract this offseason. The difference is, Veleno spent all of last season in the NHL and is still just 25, with some upside remaining as a former first-round pick.
While Blais has skill, having scored 20 points in 31 games with the St. Louis Blues in 2022-23, it’s clear what his role would be, if he were to make the team. Standing 6-foot-2 at 206 pounds, he would replace the outgoing Michael Pezzetta as a 13th forward and probably only see the ice on rare occasions, especially considering he spent 2024-25 in the AHL.
However, you’ve also got centres Owen Beck and Oliver Kapanen in the mix too (along with wingers Joshua Roy and Florian Xhekaj). Assuming the Canadiens go with 14 forwards, that leaves two spots between the five. Assuming Kirby Dach is healthy to start the season and is given another shot as the team’s second-line centre, it simply makes sense for Beck to win the third-line spot down the middle. You have to believe the Habs see Kapanen as having the inside track as someone who could theoretically substitute in for Dach if the latter falters, albeit as someone without a track record of a demonstrated ability to produce.
If the Canadiens are dead-set on infusing some more physicality into the lineup, it just seems as though the younger Xhekaj brother would offer more, based on his successful 24-goal first professional season with the Laval Rocket. Even so, any suggestions the Habs need to go that route are incredibly overstated, especially taking into account the fact Arber (and Josh Anderson) will make the team barring any radical unforeseen developments.
2. Jayden Struble vs. David Reinbacher on Defense
Arber’s playoff debut against the Washington Capitals in Game 3 was seen as a turning point in the series (even though the Canadiens ultimately lost). So, it’s hard to envision him as anything other than a regular third-pairing defenseman on this team, especially as he got in 70 games last season.
Granted, Xhekaj was regularly scratched down the stretch. However, it’s more logical that the Habs would be able to rely on a 24-year-old defenseman on the rise who’s been in the organization a few seasons than a 29-year-old winger on the arguable decline in Blais to add the toughness they seem to believe they need. That leaves Jayden Struble, who played 56 games last season, as the obvious choice to make the cut as the team’s seventh defenseman.
Struble’s only real competition for the job is prospect David Reinbacher. While Reinbacher is highly touted, the general consensus seems to be he isn’t ready yet. That may change over the course of the season, but the Canadiens should be in little rush to graduate him to the NHL, seeing as he’s only eligible for waivers in 2027.
The Canadiens may only have two right-handed shots on the roster, opening the door for Reinbacher, but head coach Martin St. Louis did turn to lefties like Struble, Xhekaj, Mike Matheson and Lane Hutson to play on the right to make up for the discrepancy. Look for that trend to continue.
1. Jakub Dobes vs. Kaapo Kahkonen in Net
This is probably the easiest battle to call. Or at least it should be. As long as everyone is operating under the relatively safe assumption top-prospect Jacob Fowler is staying in the AHL next season, this becomes a two-person race.
Kaapo Kahkonen has significant NHL experience. However, after the Canadiens clinched a berth largely on the back of Jakub Dobes’ work backing up Sam Montembeault, they’re going to give him every opportunity to keep the roster spot he earned.
Working against Dobes is the fact the Canadiens signed Kahkonen to a one-way, $1.15 million deal, which, like with Blais and Veleno, does tend to signal an intent to keep him in the NHL. However, there are extenuating circumstances here. Kahkonen’s star has faded significantly since emerging as a potential No. 1 with the Minnesota Wild earlier this decade. Ironically, effectively getting half the starts during his few seasons with the basement-dwelling San Jose Sharks seems to have done more harm than good with regard to his stock, to the point he is coming off a season in which he played all but one game in the AHL. So, it’s hard to believe Hughes signed Kahkonen as anything other than a mentor for Fowler in the minors and an insurance policy should Dobes struggle and require more seasoning.
That’s definitely possible. Dobes could certainly find himself struggling at certain points next season. However, the job is clearly his to lose out of training camp. And, with the three-goalie system the Canadiens implemented in 2023-24 having failed spectacularly, under Hughes’ watch no less, there is no way in hell they’re repeating that same mistake. The Habs obviously went that route because they didn’t want to risk losing Cayden Primeau on waivers. While, that’s technically a risk with Kahkonen (Dobes being exempt), at least one thing has remained the same over the last few years with the Habs: the need to handle the development of their prospects with care.
The Canadiens failed (time and time again) with Primeau. Demoting Dobes when he’s proven himself capable of facing NHL-calibre competition would be a questionable decision. Leaving the arguable future of the organization in net in Fowler without partnering him with some form of veteran leadership to help guide him would be just as much of an unforced error. Maybe they lose Kahkonen on waivers. However, they had to sign someone to get to four goalies. They’d probably face a similar situation regardless of the goalie they inked. It just so happens the goalie they inked is someone who can contribute at the NHL level, which makes it a worthwhile gamble on Hughes’ part. It doesn’t change how all signs point to him being sent down to the AHL and Dobes staying in the NHL, though.
