There will be some intense competition at Montreal Canadiens training camp in 2025-26. On defence, players like Arber Xhekaj and Jayden Struble will battle for a role on the bottom pair, and even on the penalty kill (PK). At forward, however, is where things are more open, and possibly, more intense.
Related: Montreal Canadiens: 3 Burning Questions Heading Into 2025-26 Season
There is at least one open roster spot at centre, and if Kirby Dach isn’t able to start the season, there could be two. A healthy Dach will be given the opportunity to fill a top-six role. If not, sure, players like Alex Newhook, maybe even Zachary Bolduc, would audition for the role, but that just means there’s room on the wing to fill in for them, so there remain two roster spots open. Until the puck drops on the 2025-26 season, there will continue to be speculation as to which centres could rise and take on the job behind Nick Suzuki.
Canadiens with an Inside Track
Yes, there are going to be open positions available, and possibly some that could be wrestled away from a player under an NHL contract, but the focus at this point will remain at centre. Beyond Suzuki and Jake Evans, there is no certainty of who will play centre for the first game of the season.
The one player with the inside track for at least a bottom-six role is Joe Veleno. As the veteran who was just signed as an unrestricted free agent (UFA) to a one-year contract, he will be given every opportunity to prove that the position is his. Even if Dach is unavailable, it is highly unlikely he will be placed on the second line. It is far more likely that head coach Martin St. Louis will give that role to Evans, as he is already familiar with his game, and Evans has spent the summer training with rookie forward Ivan Demidov.
For Veleno, the Montreal native who had eight goals and 17 points in 74 games last season, split between the Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks, this camp will be a pivotal point in his NHL career. He either cements himself as an NHLer or begins to be outpaced on the depth chart by younger players. He does have some potential to provide a playmaking flair for the Canadiens’ bottom six and provide some of the offence lost as Christian Dvorak left as a UFA for the Philadelphia Flyers. While Veleno’s possession statistics weren’t very good, his 138 hits last season point to a player willing to engage physically, and his ability to play with pace does fit into St. Louis’ desired archetype of player.
Canadiens’ Battle of the Youth
These players have an outside shot at stealing the spot from Veleno, and at the very least are auditioning to be the first call-up in case Dach isn’t ready to go on day one. Those are Owen Beck and Oliver Kapanen. Why simply an audition? Because rushing them is highly unlikely to happen, but they could become excellent short-term options at centre. Having said that, a standout training camp by one or both could mean that management will be left with no choice but to add one to the roster.
Kapanen is probably above Beck on the depth chart for now. He’s one year older and has a little more NHL experience, having played 18 regular-season games and three playoff games last season in Montreal. He plays a responsible two-way style that won’t hurt you in a game. He’s defensively responsible and has offensive potential, which also puts him in the lead, on paper, to be the fill-in while the team waits on Dach.
Beck, who was an American Hockey League (AHL) All-Star in 2024-25, is heavier and physically stronger and has also proven to be an excellent faceoff specialist, which could benefit the Canadiens. He is likely better served to spend the majority of the season with the Laval Rocket. But a short NHL stint as a fill-in could help his development as well.
Both played for the Rocket in the AHL Playoffs, and it seems that Kapanen was prioritized, since he was used at centre while Beck was shifted to the wing once Kapanen was sent to Laval after the Canadiens were eliminated in the NHL Playoffs. It just means that Beck will need to battle that much harder at Canadiens’ training camp, something he has been capable of doing in the past.
A Canadiens Surprise
There is one player who could come out at camp and surprise, stealing a roster spot unexpectedly. That would be Florian Xhekaj, also known as the Unicorn. That is because he is seen as a unique archetype of a prospect. He combines size (6-foot-4, 203 pounds), offence, and physical play, which has been a blend of skills the Canadiens have been focused on adding to their system. He scored 24 goals, had 175 penalty minutes, and did all this while averaging fourth-line minutes for the Rocket. Laval head coach Pascal Vincent was on The Eye Test podcast and gave a glowing description of the 21-year-old forward.
“There are similarities between Florian Xhekaj and Adam Lowry.”
Pascal Vincent
Florian, the younger brother of Arber, plays a power forward game that could be highly effective in a bottom-six role at the NHL level. The odds of him earning an NHL job this season are not in his favour. However, a strong camp from him could bring that size and snarl that the Canadiens’ management team is looking to add, especially after the playoff series against the Washington Capitals highlighted the need for that skill set.
Ultimately, the 2025-26 Canadiens training camp is expected to be highly competitive. Several players are competing for expanded roles, while others fight for NHL jobs. By the time the puck drops on the season opener for Montreal, the story lines on the battles for those open forward roster spots will likely be looked upon as the most intense and interesting of the preseason.
