CH: A Look Back at a Very Encouraging Training Camp… and Our Predictions

That's it—the CH's training camp is over!

What have we learned? What can we say and hope for each of the key players heading into the upcoming season?

Here's a quick recap of this whirlwind camp before we move on to the proverbial “real deal”!

They were outstanding

Lane Hutson:
Can we expect anything less than excellence from Lane Hutson? #48 was probably ready to start another season the day after St. Jean-Baptiste Day… Much like what people still say about Alexander Ovechkin's shot, NHL players may know Hutson better now, but they simply can't stop him. An elite player. A winner's mentality. A true leader. A future assistant captain.

Predictions:
Who would be surprised if he hits the 90-point mark?

Cole Caufield:
We won't draw any major conclusions from Caufield's (extraordinary) training camp other than that he seems faster than ever and fully ready for the season. The big question for him—and he knows this all too well—will be answered in the upcoming playoffs.

Prediction
: He'll save a lot more energy for the playoffs and will primarily play with Kreider instead of Slafkovsky. So: 43 goals, 35 assists: 78 points. Solid.

Florian Xhekaj:
He hasn't put up big numbers, but he's consistently been the best player on his line. Highly visible, engaged, physical, and smart (especially on the penalty kill, but not only there), the “Bobrov unicorn” is materializing right before our eyes… whether in Laval or Montreal. It's only a matter of time before big Florian becomes an effective, feared, and respected fourth-line player.

Prediction
: First forward called up. Won't return to the AHL after that.

Jakub Dobes:
We saw the Dobes from the second half of last season and the playoffs again. A true competitor
. Big saves at key moments. He seems ready to live up to his contract, which will net him over $16 million over the next three seasons.

Predictions:
At least 50 games and 32 wins. But Montembeault should be breathing down his neck more than last year, not to mention Fowler, who could step in if needed…

Samuel Montembeault:
He says he had a great summer in training, and it shows! Excellent against Toronto and Ottawa!

Prediction:
We hope he gets to play often enough. If he maintains this level of play, he'll come out on top… and the Canadiens will come out on top. He could very well regain the form he had 18 months ago.

Luke Mittlestadt
: Superb game against Toronto last Saturday and another very good one last night at the Bell Centre. He played like a mix of Francis Bouillon and Josh Morrissey (the not-so-great ones)! Very confident with the puck while keeping it simple. Not the biggest, but he's solid and didn't look too bad in his zone. A very good hockey mind. He inspires confidence. Not to be underestimated—a player who might catch Martin St-Louis's eye…

Prediction:
Turning 24 in January, he'll be a dominant defenseman in the AHL and will earn some ice time in Montreal as early as this season. If things shift a bit up the depth chart, it's not impossible that he could have a future on a third defensive pairing in the near future.

Juraj Slafkovsky
: Is Slaf
faster, too? Well,
yes,
clearly! You can see he's trying to carry the puck more and create plays. However, he'll need to continue improving in this aspect of the game and carefully assess risks in different areas of the rink, as we saw in Trois-Rivières. But he put on a very strong performance to close out his camp against Ottawa. An underrated playmaker.

Prediction
: Just like with Demidov, we'll hope he gets a better option at center, without necessarily wanting to see him paired with Suzuki again. Another season with around 70–75 points would be very respectable, but he could just as easily rack up over 85. A force to be reckoned with. And still so much potential to unlock…

JURAJ SLAFKOVSKÝ. ABSOLUTE CINEMA. pic.twitter.com/TyIgQ8SisY

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) September 27, 2026

Philip Danault:
Excellent against Toronto to kick things off and just as good playing center between Newhook and Slafkovsky last night. His sense of the game remains as sharp as ever.

Prediction:
In the final year of his contract, Danault is already poised for a strong season and will give management something to think about moving forward. The left-hander could see ice time between Demidov and Slafkovsky and rack up over 40 points. In any case, if I had to choose, I'd prefer him over Kapanen as the second-line center for
now…

They were good

Nick Suzuki:
We can all agree he can't be bad, but ever since he's been a mainstay, Suzuki hasn't exactly been known for working his butt off at training camp. And nobody really cares. This year, though, he, too, seems faster than ever. He also seems very motivated by the idea of playing for a team that has finally left the early stages of rebuilding behind and is now aiming for the top honors.

Prediction
: If he doesn't rack up at least 90 or 100 points, he shouldn't be too far off. But he, too, might score a few fewer points by not playing as much with Slafkovsky…

Ivan Demidov:
The Habs—already quite fast—will definitely be even quicker on their skates this winter! Demidov has certainly added a few km/h to his top speed and acceleration over another summer in which he kept the Zamboni driver in Brossard working overtime. Unfortunately, he couldn't play last night, but there's no cause for concern in his case.

Prediction:
Even without a top-tier center, who would dare bet on him scoring fewer than 75 points this season? In any case, I drafted him 33rd overall in my fantasy league last night, hoping he'll rack up at least 80!

David Reinbacher
: EXCELLENT and nearly flawless in his first game in Toronto. Solid, but a bit more erratic in a few stretches during the games in Trois-Rivières and Ottawa. Has Reinbacher done enough to prove his defensive superiority over Arber Xhekaj and Jayden Struble? Has the ideal partner to play alongside Lane Hutson finally arrived? It's not out of the question…

Prediction
: Reinbacher is smart enough to play in the NHL, but could he still gain a bit more experience and maturity by playing in Laval this fall? That wouldn't really be a big deal. But sooner or later, we'll want to see him for good in Montreal… and to the right of #48.

Mike Matheson and Noah Dobson
: just a warm-up to start camp for two guys who'll regularly play 23–24 minutes per game. But we saw them in “season mode” last night against Ottawa.  Matheson's physical strength is underrated, and he doesn't let anyone push him around…

Prediction:
It'll be very similar to last year for these two rock-solid players.

Jacob Fowler
: Very good in his first half-game in Toronto. Decent against Ottawa yesterday. A goaltender who belongs in the NHL.

Prediction:
He'll start the season in Laval. He'll be called up if Montembeault is traded or if they want to give him a few games here and there in case the top duo has so-so performances. Otherwise, no big deal—we'll see him full-time in Montreal starting next year, unless an absolutely irresistible offer comes along.

Alexandre Texier:
Here's another player who was the best on his line early in camp (with Dach and Bolduc), and yet his name is perhaps the one most often mentioned as a candidate to start the season as the 13th forward or among the surplus forwards to be traded. Texier, who rarely makes bad “plays,” skated with heart and determination all over the ice, displayed great offensive flair and excellent hands, and was a threat in front of the net. It's hard to ask for more from him.

Predictions:
He might not play every game, but he can play on any line with some success and will contribute his share of points. And let's not forget how valuable he is in shootouts…

Jayden Struble:
“The Srublator” knows he has to step up once again in Kaiden Guhle's absence—it's almost become the narrative of his career in Montreal. While still solid in his own zone, he seems increasingly confident with the puck in the opponent's zone—a trait that reflects his background as a decidedly offensive defenseman before he was drafted in the second round and joined Northern University.

Prediction:
Will his final contract year be his last season in Montreal? We believe he'll still have his share of good moments this year, but he also holds some value on the market. Sooner or later, the team will have to choose between him and Xhekaj as the 6th or 7th defenseman. For now, Struble is still the better option.

They had an uneventful camp

Kirby Dach:
People are making a big deal out of Dach's camp. We'd like him to “give more,” we'd like to “see more” of him, we'd like him to “take some hits.” But Dach isn't Steve Bégin! He's been true to himself and shown some nice touches with the puck; he could have scored in the first game in Toronto as well as in the game in Trois-Rivières. We shouldn't hold it against him too much that he's being careful not to get injured before the season even starts.

Predictions:
Dach should come close to a point in both games, and we hope he has his first season with more than 60 games since 2019–2020. That said, no one would be surprised if he disappoints a bit, gets injured, or is traded during the season. His chances of re-establishing himself in the team's long-term plans seem very, very slim.

Chris Kreider:
He scored a classic goal on a breakaway yesterday following an uneventful game against Toronto last Saturday.

Prediction:
At 35, we couldn't care less about Kreider! We just want to see him score 20–25 goals and rack up about 50–55 points, playing mostly with Suzuki and Caufield at 5-on-5, while also serving as a top-tier option on the second power play
.

Owen Beck:
We don't see much of him, but he doesn't do anything wrong. He can play on a fourth line without any issues, but there are a lot of players under contract in Montreal.

Predictions:
We can expect a return to Laval and possible call-ups in the event of a major injury crisis. But he could also be part of a trade. Not much of a future in Montreal…

Adam Engstrom:
Has he done enough to move ahead of Struble, Xhekaj, and Reinbacher? Even though I thought Arber Xhekaj was still pretty poor in his zone, I don't think so.

Prediction:
Ever since Mike Matheson signed his long-term deal, I get the feeling his time in Montreal is up. The Canadiens need more toughness or stability on their last defensive pairing, and that's not the Swede's strong suit. He could, however, help several teams looking to improve their transition from defense to offense.

Arber Xhekaj:
Nothing new. Still just as bad in his own zone. Constantly a split second too late on defensive coverage.

Prediction:
This is as much a wish as a prediction: I can't wait to see him try his hand at offense!

Conclusion

All in all, the training camp that just wrapped up has been very reassuring. The team is ready, even if they'll undoubtedly still experiment a bit here and there.

After integrating and developing so many talented players since 2018, the Habs are now reaping the rewards and have become one of the clubs contending for the Stanley Cup. In my opinion, the Canadiens are the team to beat in the Atlantic Division; the window is open, and the potential for improvement in the coming months (and years) is very real.

Let the season begin!