Young players trying to impress management and win a spot in the lineup, tough guys fighting each other because that’s all they can hope to do in the NHL, unexpected players performing well against the other team’s “C” team, fans ready to trade NHL veterans because that one guy drafted in the 2021 draft is on absolute FIRE.

Yes, the time is ripe for overanalysis and overreaction by everyone because, let’s face it, we’re really happy to see our team back on the ice and we all hope to see them improve.

Of course with the Montreal Canadiens current contracts situation, the odds of an unexpected young player making the team are slim, especially in the forward group. Which means we’re most likely hyping players that will still end up in Laval, in junior or in Europe if everyone remains healthy. I mean, why wouldn’t they be healthy? Right? Right?!?!

But that won’t stop us from talking about who’s currently showcasing some interesting skills or flashes that could indicate they have some form of future with this franchise. We can also guess who’s likely not quite ready to make the jump. After seeing these young guys for 3 preseason games, I’m giving you a few personal conclusions about some of the stories at camp:

Lane Hutson

Most likely THE story of the Habs camp, Lane Hutson has done nothing to diminish the already very high expectations about him. Not only has he shown his expected great skills with the puck, he’s been thrown into different situations to challenge him defensively (like playing over 10 min in the third period against the Leafs, on the right side no less) and seemed to perform well enough to justify him sticking in the NHL. It shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone when he begins the season next to David Savard as a 2nd pair defenseman.

Logan Mailloux

While Mailloux will most likely have every opportunity to stick around until the end of camp, I’ve mentioned on this blog before that he needed to significantly surpass Justin Barron to justify staying with the big club for the official puck drop in Octobre. So far, I don’t believe he achieved that feat. He’s not looking out of place in the NHL and with his combination of size and skill, it’s most likely a matter of “when” and not “if” he’ll play in the NHL. But it probably won’t be right now unless injuries occur.

Oliver Kapanen

If Hutson is the main story of camp, Kapanen managed to become the most interesting spinoff. Coming in with high expectations for himself of making the team despite no professional experience playing hockey in North America, Kapanen managed to stand out every game he’s been part of. He’s shown an interesting combination of speed, strength and combativity that suddenly seems to make him rise in the Habs depth chart. With his current contract stipulation that sends him back to Europe if he doesn’t begin in the NHL, expect the Canadiens to keep him around for as long as possible until they have to make a call on his future as he’s likely the only forward forcing management to even think about where he should be playing.

Knowing the importance general manager Kent Hughes gives to not losing assets on waivers, it’s still likely he’s sent back to Sweden for one more season in Europe. Which is unfortunate because I believe it would be far more interesting (both for him and the team) if he were to stick very close in Laval for a possible callup.

Adam Engström

After showing very interesting promises about his potential in the rookie tournament, I think time is showing us how Engstrom needs some time in Laval to get used to North American hockey. We need to be patient with this former 3rd round pick in 2020. The players he’d need to best on the left side of the defense are numerous but Engström definitely has the potential to play in the NHL one day.

David Reinbacher

Reinbacher was given opportunities to play significant roles in both preseason games he took part of and has shown a very interesting maturity in his game. His positioning is sound, he makes a very good first pass and doesn’t get beat by opposing forwards easily. This being said, I was hoping to see him showcase his skills a little more as he played an extremely safe game in every showing, even while playing against rookies when training camp began. I think a full season in Laval will do wonders for him, hoping we see him take a similar jump in his development as we’ve seen with Mailloux.

William Trudeau

The often forgotten but highly effective defenseman has been…. Well exactly that actually. Whenever fans get excited about Montreal’s future, you’ll rarely find a conversation where Trudeau is part of that future. After a somewhat disappointing season for him in Laval last season, he’ll need to change that narrative this season and be one of his team’s best defenseman if he wants to transform how he’s perceived by everyone. I think he’s an extremely underrated player and maybe his future will be with another team, but he’s a player that deserves to be remembered in the Habs prospect depth chart.

Montreal will likely make their first cuts hours (if not minutes) after you’ve all read this, but are there other stories in training camp you think are worth following or maybe get a longer look? Either way, we’ll find out soon enough.

Thank you for reading and have a nice weekend!

Hugo Brossoit (Scabeh)

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