Canadiens’ decisions on Dach, Montembeault and blue line loom after camp

The Montreal Canadiens closed out their pre-season schedule on Saturday night by splitting a pair of split-squad games against the Ottawa Senators. With the exhibition slate now complete and the regular season opener against the Toronto Maple Leafs coming on Tuesday, the organization is down to a handful of key decisions on its roster.

Kirby Dach slipping down the depth chart

Up front, the biggest question surrounds Kirby Dach, whose place in the lineup appears increasingly uncertain. Over the course of camp, he was outperformed by several players pushing up from the AHL ranks, with Florian Xhekaj standing out among those making a strong bid for NHL minutes.

Even if the Canadiens did not originally intend to carry an AHL call-up in a regular role to start the year, they have enough established NHL forwards that they could move ahead without Dach in the lineup. Based on the performance breakdown, he looks more likely to be in the press box for the season opener, and there is speculation that general manager Kent Hughes may already be exploring trade possibilities involving him.

Montembeault rebuilds his case for the backup job

In goal, Samuel Montembeault quietly put together one of the most convincing camps of any player on the roster. Jakub Dobes’s work last season appears to have secured him the starting job, but the backup role was still open when camp began, with Jacob Fowler also in the mix and potentially ticketed for heavy duty with the AHL’s Laval Rocket.

Montembeault did about as much as he could to stake a claim, delivering strong performances in each of his pre-season appearances and saving his best for Saturday night’s finale against Ottawa. His limitations are well known and any role with the big club would likely come with a short leash, but his recent form suggests he may have taken a step in his game. There has been no official announcement yet, though talk of his time in Montreal being over now seems premature.

Reinbacher, Engstrom and veterans battle for blue-line jobs

On defence, the picture is muddied by Kaiden Guhle’s status. He has been skating and may return sooner than first expected, but until he does, there are two spots to fill. Arber Xhekaj and Jayden Struble bring the most NHL experience among the hopefuls, yet both endured difficult pre-seasons compared with the rest of the group.

By contrast, David Reinbacher and Adam Engstrom made stronger impressions in their minutes, while also being waiver-exempt, giving the Canadiens flexibility to shuttle them to Laval if needed. The analysis presented would see Reinbacher start the season in Montreal, Xhekaj claim the other open spot, Engstrom return to the Rocket for now, and Struble watching the first few games from the press box.

The competition does not end with the final cuts, however. Engstrom remains close to forcing his way into the conversation, and Luke Mittlestadt also showed he intends to push for a role. Whether in Montreal or Laval, the young defencemen in the organization will spend the 2026-27 season battling for what they hope will become long-term positions on the Canadiens’ blue line.