Everything indicates that Florian Xhekaj will not play tomorrow in Toronto

Félix Forget
Everything indicates that Florian Xhekaj will not play tomorrow in Toronto
Credit: YouTube

The Canadiens' 2026–27 season kicks off tomorrow. The team will be in Toronto to face the Maple Leafs to kick off their season.

Yes, there's a real sense of hockey in the air right now.

But before flying to Toronto, the team practiced this morning. And in addition to noting the absence of Oliver Kapanen (replaced by Alex Newhook at center on the second line), we got some clues about the team's bottom-six lineup.

The special teams lineups, in particular, spoke volumes. Zachary Bolduc, Alexandre Texier, Kirby Dach, Phillip Danault, Josh Anderson, and Jake Evans all practiced on a special teams unit this morning.

And when you look at that, it's clear that Florian Xhekaj has a good chance of being left out tomorrow.

So it's safe to assume that Xhekaj (and Adam Engström) are currently in town simply because there are injured players. The guys haven't necessarily earned a spot on the roster—they're here waiting for Kapanen and Kaiden Guhle to be ready to return to action.

Martin St-Louis clearly has confidence in the group that took him to the conference finals last year (to which Chris Kreider has since been added).

It's worth noting that this morning, Xhekaj was in a sort of rotation with Zachary Bolduc on the fourth line. That said, seeing Bolduc practice on the power play—and having signed a big contract as recently as this summer—suggests he was always going to have a head start.

Perhaps, as things stand, Florian is just one injury away from making his debut on the roster. But all signs point to him not suiting up tomorrow against the Maple Leafs.

Too bad for those who were hoping to see him play.


In a Nutshell

– Speaking of Kapanen.

– Logan Mailloux is injured.

– A close call for Monty, who avoided the worst.

– Hey, Cole!

– Time for your predictions.

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