The Canadian | The start of serious things

The first half of training camp certainly wasn’t just about passing the time, but the Canadian is getting ready to get down to (more serious) things this Saturday evening.

Against the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Habs will deploy a formation which, especially on offense, will closely resemble the one which will begin the season on October 9. We will notably see the main numerical advantage unit at work.

The first two trios, driven by Nick Suzuki and Kirby Dach, will be complete. We will therefore see Patrik Laine in action for a second time, he who plays to the right of Dach. On defense, veterans Michael Matheson and David Savard will be at their posts, in front of goalkeepers Samuel Montembeault and Cayden Primeau, who will share the work.

Around them, four rookie players will play a third preseason match: Lane Hutson, Owen Beck, Logan Mailloux and David Reinbacher.

If Hutson seems increasingly assured of a position in Montreal, and Reinbacher increasingly assured of a position in Laval, Beck and Mailloux will be closely monitored. Even with a return to the American League hanging over their heads, the two could perhaps extend their stay in camp with a strong performance on Saturday night.

Of the two, Mailloux seems to be skating on thinner ice. He himself claims to know a “decent” and not “excellent” camp.

From the two games he has played so far, against the Philadelphia Flyers and the New Jersey Devils, he remembers a few sequences where he did not appear in his best light.

For the occasion, he will be paired with Arber Xhekaj, with whom he had success during their short association in the American League last year.

Speaking of Xhekaj, here is one who knows a fairly beige camp. If Kaiden Guhle were to recover in time for the start of the season — he skated for the first time Saturday with the main group since undergoing an appendectomy — it is far from assured that number 72 would be the starting lineup as the curtain-raiser to the season.

Martin St-Louis said Xhekaj was still trying to regain his timing and rhythm after undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery last spring. “It’s been two years since he played a full season,” recalled the head coach. We continue to get him where we want him to be. It happens one day at a time. His attitude and work ethic are excellent. We want to help him find his bearings. »

Owen Beck, for his part, will certainly find himself in a privileged position to show his know-how, since he will be at the center of the team’s third line, along with Joshua Roy and Josh Anderson.

“It’s exciting, they are two good players,” he said. Roy is a talented playmaker, giving his teammates plenty of space, while Anderson brings pace with his size and speed. »

The Ontarian explained in recent days that he had put a lot of pressure on himself at his first two NHL camps. Today he is trying to approach the situation with more detachment. “I’m not in the management’s head,” he said, smiling. I just want to show that I am capable of playing in this league. »

Even if it will probably come with a detour via the American League.

Leafs without a star

The Toronto Maple Leafs have released their roster for Saturday night’s game, leading us to learn that virtually all of the club’s veterans will be off, with Simon Benoit, Steven Lorentz and Logan Shaw essentially being the three players the most experienced in their camp. Martin St-Louis did not indicate whether Samuel Montembeault or Cayden Primeau would start the game for the Habs.