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Top-5 Rocket players who could play for Montreal in 25-26
Marc-Olivier Cook
Top-5 Rocket players who could play for Montreal in 25-26
Credit: Getty Images
The Rocket has what it takes to make the playoffs.

And the Rocket also has players on its roster who could be playing in Montreal as early as next season.

So I’ve decided to build a ranking of five guys who – in my eyes – could be fighting for a spot at the next practice camp. And I have no choice but to start with Florian Xhekaj.

(Credit: Getty Images)

Florian Xhekaj

Arber’s little brother was still eligible to play in junior this season.

But the Rocket coaches saw his qualities at practice and made room for him in the Laval line-up.

And they weren’t disappointed.

The rugged forward finished the campaign with a total of 24 goals: only Laurent Dauphin has scored more than him this season.

Florian progressed throughout the season, becoming an indispensable player in Pascal Vincent’s squad and an important member of the club’s success story.

He is building a fine reputation.

We know that this summer, the Canadiens want to get bigger. And that’s why the idea of adding Florian Xhekaj – at 6’4 and 195 pounds – to the lineup makes so much sense.

We saw him shuffle guys around in Laval, and the Canadiens need a guy like him right now. The Habs need a player who can disrupt opponents and hit when needed.

Florian can do that. He needs to be a little more disciplined (175 penalty minutes this season), but that’s something you learn over time.

Luke Tuch

Luke Tuch played just 44 games this season.

He’s had a somewhat inconsistent season… but we’ve seen one thing in his game: he’s capable of being physical and using his body to be effective.

Again, it comes back to what I was saying earlier: the Canadiens need to learn from the recent series and add some weight to their line-up.

Alex’s little brother weighs 215 pounds and has a robust game.

That said, you might think it’s too soon to see him make the jump to the NHL. And that’s true, because he doesn’t yet have much professional experience.

But players of this stature can find a place for themselves more “easily” if they use their skills at the right time.

If Luke Tuch has an excellent practice camp in September and the Canadiens are still looking to add grit and weight to their bottom-6, Tuch could prove to be a candidate.

Logan Mailloux

You saw it coming.

Logan Mailloux is having a great time right now, and that’s good news for the Canadiens.

The Canadiens need to find at least one right-handed defenseman for next season, with David Savard hanging up his skates.

Has Mailloux done enough to prove he belongs with the big club?

Looking at his season as a whole, no.

But on the other hand, there’s probably a position to be won on the right side of defense, and he could get it by being good and doing the right things on the ice at practice camp.

What’s more, the Habs organization already knows him.

Without saying it’s a huge advantage, Mailloux has played a few games in the National League and has seen what it takes to perform at that level.

Maybe this will help him to be even more motivated this summer, and who knows: if he arrives at camp in September and breaks everything on the rink… it’s likely to force the hand of management.

David Reinbacher

It can’t be said that David Reinbacher’s season has been a resounding success.

And the reason is simple: he hardly played at all.

The defender was bothered by his knee injury all season long, and it was complicated for him when he returned to action.

But, like Mailloux, he throws from the right too, and the Canadiens have a hole on the right side of defense.

Reinbacher only played 10 games in 24-25, and that’s not much. That said, he’s still been solid in those games and has earned positive comments from his head coach.

We know where the problem lies: Reinbacher hasn’t had the chance to progress as he would have liked since his selection in the 2023 draft, due to a number of factors.

His disastrous season with Kloten, his knee injury this season… it’s been hard for him to make his mark.

But we know he has the potential to be good before too long. And even then, if he impresses in camp, managers might want to see what he’s got by playing in the National League.

Jared Davidson

I’ve enjoyed Jared Davidson’s work so much this year that I’m putting him ahead of Joshua Roy or Sean Farrell on my list.

Farrell is too small (5’9) to help the Canadiens right now… And Roy’s effort is too inconsistent to play in the National League.

But Jared Davidson, at six feet tall, plays like a bigger guy.

He goes to the corner, he can hit, he’s still reliable in all three zones of the rink and he can score goals.

On a fourth line, as an energy player, he can do the job.

Oh, and he can shuffle too:

Davidson is in his second pro season and will gain even more experience if the Rocket go all the way in the playoffs.

I say that because it could help him be even better next year.

He’ll have some guys to beat out for a spot if he wants to play in Montreal next year, and that’s going to be tough, but in terms of his skills, he’s got some interesting tools for a team that relies on a fast-paced system like the Canadiens’.


Overtime

– Sick.

– Good luck!

– With good reason.

– News from CF Montreal:

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