Florian Xhekaj: Martin St-Louis thinks he’s ready for the NHL, but…

This morning at practice, it became clear that Florian Xhekaj probably won't play tomorrow night in Toronto. Even with Oliver Kapanen out, Xhekaj is likely to be in the press box rather than on the ice.

Adam Engström is also likely to be there with him.

Of course, it's interesting to see the team leaving young players in the stands. You'd think that since they're already up there, the Habs would be better off putting them in the game to see what they're made of.

And Martin St-Louis, who was asked about this this morning, explained that, in his view, Xhekaj and Engström are NHL-caliber players. They've worked hard and will be ready when their number is called.

But the reality, according to the coach, is that it's difficult to break into the Canadiens' lineup right now. And that's partly why they're likely to be left out tomorrow.

#Habs Martin St-Louis on Florian Xhekaj and Adam Engström making the team out of training camp: “I feel that they're ready to play in the #NHL. They're two young guys, they've worked really hard; it's going to be tough to get into our lineup, but they'll be ready when they get in.”

— Priyanta Emrith (@HabsInHighHeels) September 28, 2026

We know that the Canadiens made it to the conference finals last year. And since the team's roster is almost identical to last spring's (with Chris Kreider joining the mix), it makes sense for the coach to trust the group that took them so far in the playoffs.

That makes life difficult for young players like Xhekaj and Engström… but also for David Reinbacher. And the coach made a similar point regarding the Austrian: he had a good training camp, but the Habs wanted to see him get more ice time.

And they clearly don't see him as being able to get those minutes in Montreal.

Martin St-Louis on the decision to send Reinbacher to the American Hockey League:

“He had a good camp, but we want to make sure he gets plenty of ice time.” pic.twitter.com/HRjuijDQm9

— Anthony Martineau (@Antho_Martineau) September 28, 2026

The 84-game season will be long, and we can expect that sooner or later, spots will open up on the roster. There will be injuries and slumps that will prompt Martin St-Louis to shuffle his lineup.

But in the short term, the coach doesn't want to tamper with a formula that proved successful last spring—even though he's aware that some of his young players are ready for the NHL.