The Montreal Canadiens announced 27 cuts last night after their nightmarish game against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Lost in the wake of Patrik Laine's gruesome injury was a massive wave of cuts by the Montreal Canadiens. The team's AHL affiliate, Laval Rocket, opens its training camp on Tuesday, and since today is a day off for the Habs, there would have been no point in delaying the unavoidable.
Sixteen players have been sent down to the Rocket. They include the following forwards: Vincent Arseneault, Alex Beaucage, Laurent Dauphin, Israel Mianscum, Logan Nijhoff, Jakov Novak, and Charles Savoie. These seven blueliners are Zackary Hayes, Joshua Jacobs, Chris Jandric, Simon Motew, Jacob Paquette, Vincent Sévigny, Tyler Wotherspoon, and goaltenders Luke Cavallin and Hunter Jones.
Eleven other players have also been assigned to the Rocket: Owen Beck, Jared Davidson, Sean Farrell, Riley Kidney, Filip Mesar, Jacob Perreault, Xavier Simoneau, Luke Tuch, Florian Xhekaj, William Trudeau, and Connor Hughes (no relation to Kent Hughes in case you are wondering).
A few things immediately jump to mind. First, there will be no Xhekaj brothers match this pre-season. Second, even if Owen Beck was head and shoulders above everyone in physical testing, it wasn't enough to steal a chair. Third, the following players have yet to be cut: Oliver Kapanen, Alex Barré-Boulet, Emil Heineman, David Reinbacher (injured), Logan Mailloux, Adam Engstrom, and Lane Hutson.
Brandon Gignac and Lucas Condotta were put on waivers to be loaned to the Rocket. We’ll know tomorrow if they cleared.
With two pre-season games still to be played, Martin St-Louis has kept some options for himself. The Canadiens will practice at the CN Sports Complex on Monday, hold a morning skate on Tuesday before hosting the Ottawa Senators at the Bell Centre, and then practice for one last time in Brossard on Wednesday morning before heading to the team's retreat at Mont-Tremblant.
Chances are there will be another wave of cuts before leaving for the retreat, and the complete roster should be on duty in Ottawa on Saturday, October 5, the last pre-season game on the team's calendar.
Laine's injury will likely open up a roster spot, at least for some time. Could it mean Barré-Boulet will start the NHL season, or Oliver Kapanen won't be sent back to Sweden? If Laine's injury is a long-term deal, the chances of Kapanen sticking around increase dramatically.
On the blueline, Hutson still has the inside lane, even if Mailloux, Reinbacher, and Engstrom have all avoided the cut so far. It will be interesting to see which decisions are made in the coming days.
