The big question facing the Montreal Canadiens' brass in readiness for this season is which defensemen should stay in town when the season starts, and one of them is doing everything in his power to be on that list.
Even though Kent Hughes made some room on the Montreal Canadiens' blueline this offseason by sending Jonathan Kovacevic to the New Jersey Devils for a fourth-round pick at the 2026 draft and Jordan Harris to the Columbus Blue Jackets in the Patrik Laine deal, there's still not enough room for the organization's defensemen prospects.
David Savard, Mike Matheson, and Kaiden Guhle are very comfortably installed in their respective chairs; there is a lot of competition for the remaining three seats. Arber Xhekaj, Justin Barron, and Jayden Struble all have over 50 NHL games of experience. Lane Hutson and Logan Mailloux have played two and one games into the show, and David Reinbacher is still waiting for his baptism of fire.
Adam Engstrom might not have played in the NHL, but he has 95 games of pro hockey experience in the SHL, and William Trudeau has 130 games of AHL action under his belt.
After four days of training camp, including three days on the ice, one of the pretenders stands head and shoulders above all the others, which is funny considering he's only 5-foot-9 (and three-quarters): Lane Hutson. Although his pro experience is limited to that pair of games at the tail end of last season, he is making himself noticed in a big way and for the right reasons.
He does take risks on the ice, but he's so tenacious that whenever he loses the puck, he's like a dog chasing a bone—he just doesn't let up, and eventually, he gets it back. He has a keen eye for offensive opportunities, not only for himself but also for his teammates. The pass he sent Emil Heineman's way in the scrimmage yesterday was poetry in motion.
Barron may be the only one who needs to clear waivers to go down to Laval, but he hasn't outplayed Hutson—none of the bubble candidates have, really. While it's still early, it seems unlikely that Trudeau can beat the odds and make the NHL; there are too many talented left-shot defensemen on the team.
Reinbacher has been good in the sense that he's played an honest game, not making many mistakes but not doing anything eye-popping, either. It looks like more time in the AHL would only be good for him. Engstrom has also caught a few eyes, but not as regularly as Hutson.
Xhekaj and Struble both play a big, physical game, but so far at camp, the former has outperformed the latter, who may just have to go back down to the AHL this season. Mailloux has had a great rookie pro season with the Rocket, but he hasn't stood out enough to book his spot.
If I had to pick today, though, on top of Savard, Matheson, and Guhle, I would hope Xhekaj, Hutson, Barron, and Mailloux are kept with the big club. It will be useful to see how Mailloux can perform at the highest level. We've seen what Struble can do in an extended look; now it's his turn.
Barron has to stay up as he would never clear waivers. Xhekaj's toughness is a must on the roster, and well, Hutson is increasingly looking like the offensive defenseman everyone hoped he would be.
Of course, this is a preliminary assessment since there haven't been any games outside of scrimmages against teammates. Everything could change when the Canadiens face other teams, starting with the Philadelphia Flyers at the Bell Centre tomorrow night.
