‘Good problem to have’: St. Louis has options as Canadiens’ roster crunch looms

BROSSARD — Montreal Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis has some difficult roster decisions to make before training camp wraps up — and he’s not complaining.

St. Louis joined the Canadiens as the franchise began a full-scale teardown in 2021-22.

As Montreal prepares for another season with playoff aspirations, St. Louis can draw on a deeper roster in his fourth camp behind the bench.

“I feel I’m equipped with more options than I ever have in the past, which is a good problem to have,” St. Louis said Monday.

Montreal chopped its roster to 27 players over the weekend, leaving four cuts to be made before the Oct. 8 season opener in Toronto.

Most spots in the opening night lineup are spoken for with two pre-season games left — both against Ottawa — but one forward position remains up for grabs.

And Oliver Kapanen appears to have the inside track.

The 22-year-old from Finland lined up with regulars Alex Newhook and Ivan Demidov in a red practice jersey at CN Sports Complex. Meanwhile, two-way centre Owen Beck, bruising youngster Florian Xhekaj and veterans Joseph Veleno and Samuel Blais skated as extras in blue.

A centre who split last season between the NHL and Sweden, Kapanen has impressed with his two-way play, versatility and high hockey-IQ.

“Kapi plays a very mature game,” St. Louis said. “He has an NHL-level computer.”

“I’ve noticed that when he’s played up with us before,” added Newhook. “He thinks the game really well, puts himself in really good spots, makes plays all over the ice, and I think everyone in the room is confident in that.”

St. Louis, however, downplayed the significance of jersey colours and stressed that the season opener is only one game of 82.

“The camp is going to be over and it’s going to feel like it’s a finish line, and it’s not,” he said. “It’s not a finish line. That finish line always moves. Can you keep sprinting, not knowing how long the distance is? Because that deadline of the first game of the regular season is a deadline, but the league keeps going.

“There’s still a race out there.”

The competition also extends beyond simply who makes the roster.

Montreal’s top line of captain Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky is locked in, as is the grinding fourth line of veterans Jake Evans, Brendan Gallagher and Josh Anderson.

The second and third lines? Less so. On Monday, St. Louis swapped rookie-of-the-year favourite Demidov and off-season addition Zack Bolduc.

Bolduc joined Kirby Dach and Patrik Laine on Montreal’s second trio, while Demidov skated with Newhook and Kapanen on the third.

St. Louis fielded question after question about his thinking behind the move. His most common refrain? “I don’t know.”

“You think I have all the answers,” he said. “You guys come to practice and you watch the jerseys today and you’re thinking like, ‘Oh, he’s found it, he’s got it. I don’t. … Whatever I think, I’m not sure that it’s actually the answer. That’s why we’re trying it.

“You take (Suzuki’s) line out of the equation — it’s very competitive after that. We’re not sure yet how it’s all going to shake out.”

NEWHOOK’S NEW ROLE

The fast-skating Newhook was drafted 16th overall by the Colorado Avalanche in 2019 after two high-scoring seasons in the BCHL, and his strong production continued at Boston College.

But the 24-year-old from St. John’s, N.L., hasn’t come close to the same point-per-game levels in the NHL. Last season, Newhook had 15 goals and 11 assists in 82 games.

Newhook, despite lining up with the high-flying Demidov on Monday, is transitioning to a more defensive role, which includes killing penalties.

“I definitely have it in me,” he said. “I’ve killed my whole career except in pro, so I think with my speed, I think I can be dangerous on the kill, I think I can be pretty effective there, and I’m excited — I’ve wanted to kill since being here.”

As part of the transition, Newhook is trying to improve in the faceoff dot. He “worked on it a fair amount” over the off-season and canvassed known specialists like Patrice Bergeron for advice after winning just 42.8 per cent of his draws last season.

“It’s an important part,” he said. “If I can raise that part of my game to be reliable there and be relied upon to take big draws, it just helps our team for sure.”

OFF THE SHELF

Noah Dobson, acquired in a blockbuster trade with the New York Islanders over the summer, and fellow defenceman Kaiden Guhle returned to practice Monday after both were listed day-to-day with groin injuries.

Dobson exited Thursday’s exhibition game against Toronto before the third period, while Guhle was a late scratch.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 29, 2025.