The 2023-24 training camp is coming to a close, with the Montreal Canadiens still holding 27 players on their roster. That leaves them some difficult choices heading into the Oct. 9 deadline prior to when NHL teams must widdle down their rosters to 23 players or less and be cap compliant. That means a handful of cuts are still coming, but not before those on the bubble get a chance to show one last time if they belong as the Habs face the Ottawa Senators to finish off their preseason schedule.
The decisions made by general manager (GM) Kent Hughes and his management and coaching group will tell a story. For those willing to read between the lines of the press releases, they’ll see where the Canadiens rebuild plan stands, and what stage they are in.
Canadiens Competing at Forward
With Christian Dvorak skating with the team, but not ready to return, that leaves some openings up front. This will likely open the door to Rafael Harvey-Pinard, who scored 14 goals in 36 games and provided some much-needed energy and excitement into a roster decimated by injuries in 2022-23. While the Canadiens should be cutting players who underperformed, such as Joel Armia and his $3.4 million salary until 2025, instead, the biggest decision seems to be, do they choose to keep Emil Heineman or Jesse Ylonen.
Heineman, when asked by TVA Sports, a French language sports channel, if he plans on making the team stated “Yes, you’ll see me in October.” He remains one of the final 15 forwards at camp, even playing on a top line with Nick Suzuki at times. While he has shown flashes of being NHL-ready, he has competition for that roster spot in Ylonen.
Ylonen is one of Montreal’s young, offensively capable prospects. The 2018 Habs second-round pick is 24 years old and is ready to prove himself in the NHL. He is coming off a solid season with the Canadiens where he was called up and played 37 games, scoring six goals and 16 points, a 35-point pace over 82 games, and solid offensive numbers for his third-line usage. Unfortunately, if Hughes decides that he can’t remain with the club, he will need to place the young winger on waivers.
Related: Canadiens’ Prospect Pool Much Improved Over the Past 5 Years
This decision is likely to come down to a simple asset management exercise. Both are good young prospects, and both provide some intriguing skills, but only one is waiver-eligible. That player is Heineman, and it is looking as though no matter how well he plays if it is a toss-up decision between him and Ylonen, it will be Ylonen that remains, as losing either is poor asset management.
But who will be the 13th, or 14th forward? From his physicality to his willingness to defend his teammates and the energy he brings when he plays, Michael Pezzetta has become popular among Habs fans. While he isn’t a threat to move up past a fourth-line energy role, he’s likely to keep his spot in the NHL as he is capable of coming in and out of the press box and providing the same type of game every time. That’s a valuable depth piece to keep on hand. Cutting this type of player to place him on waivers would not benefit anyone except for the team that claims him.
Canadiens Competing on Defence
Defence is another area where there is legitimate competition for an NHL role. With an opening already available on the right side of the blue line before Chris Wideman’s injury opened a second one, competition became fiercer as to who would be a regular and who would be in the role of seventh or even eighth defenceman; leaving Gustav Lindstrom, Justin Barron, Mattias Norlinder, and Jonathan Kovacevic in open competition.
The depth roles are likely already set aside for defenders such as Lindstrom and Kovacevic, players who were not drafted or developed in Montreal and also don’t have the potential to be regulars on a second pairing. This leaves the true competition between Barron and Norlinder.
Barron has an inside track. He is a former first-round pick and was acquired via trade from the Colorado Avalanche in return for the popular Arturri Lehkonen. Last season, he had a poor camp forcing Hughes to demote him to the American Hockey League (AHL) Laval Rocket for the first half of the 2022-23 season. He played very well and earned a call-up to the Habs where he looked as though he were a seasoned second-pairing defender.
Unfortunately for Barron, history seems to be repeating itself. Not that he has had a poor camp per se, but that expectations of his performance were higher, and he hasn’t convinced anyone, yet. Hence the reason he is playing in the last preseason matchup. Management is giving him every opportunity to earn a job.
Norlinder’s maturity and poise may finally allow him an NHL opportunity, especially if he can outplay Barron one last time. He is an excellent skater who is playing with a confidence that eluded him in the 2022 training camp. He may have legitimately leapfrogged Barron for the time being on the depth chart, but it may simply be a case of being the wrong hand. On the left side, there is a game of musical chairs where names like Kaiden Guhle, Jordan Harris and Arber Xhekaj are all competing for the two slots on that side behind Mike Matheson.
Before there are any arguments over left versus right, Harris can play the right side, so that his musical chairs spot may end up with Norlinder in its place. This option does leave a door open for a competition between him and Barron. While Norlinder is older, what could this say about the rebuild if he were chosen? It could be seen as a setback, or, more likely, it would mean that management is not rushing their younger players.
What does all this tell us about the direction of the rebuild? It’s clear it remains ongoing, but most of all, it tells us that there remain some legacy contracts, those signed under former GM Marc Bergevin, that still impede the plan moving forward. If Armia isn’t somehow traded, or waived, that means his NHL job is secured, for now, and it leaves one less position to graduate prospects into. On defence, David Savard is that placeholder blocking prospects, but in his case, he is a stabilizing force who could hold value next season as a trade chip. This shows the rebuild is starting to produce results, but unfortunately, there remain some impediments that must be dealt with before this team can move forward and compete legitimately not just for a playoff position, but for a title as well.