canadiens‍ Showcase⁣ Depth, Faceoff Struggles in Season Opener

Montreal, QC -⁤ October 8, 2025 – ⁤The Montreal Canadiens‘ season ⁤opener‍ against the Toronto Maple Leafs⁢ revealed a⁢ commitment to balanced forward lines and a developing offensive spark, but also highlighted a persistent issue with defensive-zone faceoffs. ⁢Despite ⁢a 4-3 overtime loss, the game offered key‌ insights into how ⁣the Canadiens intend​ to play this season.

Defensively, ⁤the pairings of Justin Barron and Kaiden Guhle, alongside Alexandre Carrier⁤ and Johnathan Kovacevic, were utilized. ‍A notable forward⁣ line combination of Jake Evans and Josh ⁢Anderson was paired with Alex Newhook and Oliver ​Kapanen,a pairing ⁢revealed during Monday’s practice. kapanen scored‍ his​ first NHL ⁤goal, tying the game⁢ in the first period after capitalizing on⁢ a Maple Leafs turnover.

“Both really smart​ players, I think that helps reading plays,” Evans said before ⁣the game. “They both‍ have good sticks and⁢ both have good speed, so those are three ⁢good things to penalty kill and kill plays and frustrate ⁣opponents.”

However, faceoffs⁣ proved problematic. Kirby​ Dach and Newhook combined to⁣ win only one of seven defensive-zone draws. Dach finished at three-for-14 while Newhook was two-for-nine. the Maple Leafs scored two goals while Dach was on the ​ice, though he ‌did not take the faceoffs on either play, with Bolduc stepping in on his weak side. Montreal won only 39 percent of​ their faceoffs despite maintaining significant⁢ possession time.

Coach St. Louis emphasized the difficulty of​ establishing fixed line ⁢combinations ​beyond the top unit ‌of‌ Suzuki, Caufield, and Slafkovský, a sentiment reflected in the ice time distribution.⁣ Newhook lead ⁣forward ice time‍ after the​ top line with 15:15, while Dach saw the least at 11:49 – a significant reduction⁤ from last season’s playoff ⁤game where Demidov played 18:21 and Kapanen 7:10.

The Canadiens​ appear to be ⁤prioritizing depth, with​ a reduced gap in ‍ice time between forwards,‍ a strategy⁢ they stated they ​would pursue this season. While the ‌approach didn’t result in⁣ a win in the opener, ‍the team believes it will yield positive results over the course⁤ of the season.

Canadiens Rookie Camp: Demidov Impresses, Mešár Eyes Grittier Role

Montreal, QC – Canadiens prospect Ivan Demidov showcased his offensive skills at the team’s rookie camp, while ⁣Filip Mešár⁢ declared his ‍intention to add a physical‍ edge to his game, possibly even dropping the gloves this season.

Demidov, selected 66th overall in the 2022 NHL Draft, is attending his frist Canadiens camp after⁣ spending the past two seasons in the OHL with the Kitchener Rangers and one season with the Laval Rocket in the AHL. He was initially drafted one spot after Juraj Slafkovský, the Canadiens’⁣ first overall pick in 2022.

Mešár, a 2023 first-round pick (26th overall), is at his fourth ⁣rookie camp with the association, but his future role remains undefined. Injuries hampered his‌ AHL debut season with the⁣ Laval Rocket after a strong start.

“Obviously, the last couple of years ‍were not how I wanted them to be,” Mešár said Thursday. “There were ups and downs, a bit of bad luck, but every year ​is an chance to prove something, to show ⁤something to⁣ management, and that’s‌ what I’m going to do this year step ‍by⁤ step, practice ‍by practice, game⁤ by game.”

He added, “If I can stay healthy, I know what kind⁣ of player I am, and I know that I have a lot to prove to⁤ this organization.”

The Canadiens’ staff has reportedly encouraged Mešár to⁤ incorporate more physicality into his game. He expressed a desire to meet that challenge, stating,‌ “So that’s be productive, be a good player with the puck, but also add some stuff like going more to the dirty areas, go to​ the net, maybe fight. I would love to have a first fight this ⁣year.”

Despite a slight pushback ⁤suggesting the‌ team doesn’t necessarily want him that gritty, ‍Mešár remained⁢ firm. “It would be good,” he said. “I would like to try maybe one fight, we’ll see what happens. Two years ⁤ago, I went to boxing classes for a year back home, so I have something. I know ‌how to fight,but I’ve never fought on the ice before,so we’ll see. I just want to add some grit on the ice.”

Laval rocket coach Pascal Vincent highlighted ‍Mešár’s offensive capabilities when healthy. “His start of the year ⁢last year was quite phenomenal; him, Beck and (Jared) davidson was probably ⁤our best line for a while early in the season. And then he got injured. Twice.​ So ⁢that really slowed him down. But now he’s back to 100 percent. … I know what I’ve⁤ seen when he was 100 percent healthy last year, and he’s⁣ a⁢ pretty good player,” Vincent said. “I think his ability to make plays at a very high speed, that’s what he can do. He can skate, he can ⁣shoot the puck, all of that, but his ability, when he has the puck on his stick, ​(he can) make plays at a very high speed. he’s very good at that.”

Mešár aims ​to ⁤combine those ⁤offensive skills with increased physicality. “That’s how I want to play this year, just play confident, play with the puck,” he said, ⁣”and ‌like I said, ​when I don’t have the puck, go more to those ⁢dirty areas.”