Young Canadiens face challenge in building off surprisingly successful season

Cole Caufield added 51 goals — the first Hab to reach the mark in 26 years — while Juraj Slafkovsky reached the 30 goal plateau for the first time in his career.

With management continuing to put its faith in that young core, the Canadiens remained relatively quiet for much of the summer before making their biggest move just ahead of training camp, signing veteran forward Chris Kreider to a one-year contract on Sept. 12.

The 35-year-old arrives after the final year of his contract was terminated by the Anaheim Ducks, bringing nearly 1,000 games of NHL experience to the fold.

Kreider is expected to start the season on Montreal’s top line alongside Suzuki and Caufield, giving Montreal another net-front presence and veteran complement.

“Kreids (Kreider) does a good job down low,” Suzuki said. “He’s pretty sneaky at making plays. He’s kind of known as a goal scorer but he’s got a lot of nice touches around the net and keeps pucks alive.”

Montreal has 13 forwards under NHL contract, leaving limited opportunities for younger players to force their way into the lineup. Among those pushing hardest, however, are Owen Beck and Florian Xhekaj.

Beck has appeared in 28 NHL games over parts of three seasons but has yet to establish himself as a regular, recording just two points with the NHL squad.

“I’ve been trying to do what I can to make an impact every training camp I come to,” Beck said. “It seems like it’s kind of the same situation almost year after year. I’m just trying to work on my game every day and hopefully break through at one point.”

Xhekaj, meanwhile, played five NHL games last season and enters camp with a similarly straightforward objective.

“I still have a lot to prove,” he said. “I show up every day and do what I have to do, work hard in practice and show what I bring to the table.”

Suzuki has been encouraged by the internal competition at camp among the team’s youngsters.

“All the guys that kind of played with us a bit last year have shown really well at camp so far,” said the Montreal captain. “Obviously, their mindset is they’ve got to come in, take someone’s job and earn their way onto the team.”

Montreal will begin the season without defenceman Kaiden Guhle, who underwent minor surgery on his adductor muscle during the summer. He is expected to be out until mid-October.

That creates an opening on the blue line and, with it, an opportunity for David Reinbacher.

Montreal’s fifth-overall pick in the 2023 draft, Reinbacher made his NHL debut last season, appearing in the team’s final two regular-season games. At 21, he is entering a critical stage of his development after an injury-riddled start to his professional career.

“There’s a lot of maturity in his game,” Florian Xhekaj said. “He has taken the little things that everyone has been telling him and kind of implementing everything into his game. He’s playing pretty simple, is good defensively, and I think he’s doing really well for himself right now.”

Perhaps the biggest question mark, however, comes in the crease.

The Canadiens finished last season with three goaltenders on the roster after veteran Samuel Montembeault’s struggles forced Montreal to turn elsewhere.

Jakub Dobes emerged as Montreal’s No. 1 down the stretch and started all 19 playoff games. Armed with a three-year contract extension beginning next season he signed this past July, Dobes has established himself as the likely opening-night starter Tuesday night in Toronto against the Maple Leafs.

Jacob Fowler also showed promise in his rookie season, allowing two goals or fewer in 10 of his 17 starts after being called up in December.

But with general manager Kent Hughes vowing at the team’s annual golf tournament earlier this month that Montreal would not begin the season with three goaltenders on its 23-man roster, something has to give.

Montembeault has one year remaining on his contract and would require waivers to be sent to the Canadiens’ AHL affiliate, the Laval Rocket.

Fowler, meanwhile, is waiver-exempt and could therefore return to Laval for additional seasoning before making a full-time jump to the NHL.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 27, 2026.

Jordan Stoopler, The Canadian Press

by The Canadian Press

Young Canadiens face challenge in building off surprisingly successful season

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