Canadiens finalize 23-man roster as Engström and Florian Xhekaj make team

The Montreal Canadiens have locked in their 23-man roster for opening night, completing their final round of cuts after the pre-season schedule wrapped up. The club had to submit its official list to the NHL ahead of Monday’s roster deadline.

Engström and Florian Xhekaj crack opening-night lineup

Two young prospects earned spots to start the year. On defence, Adam Engström will remain with the big club, with his stay described as likely temporary while Kaiden Guhle recovers from surgery and works his way off injured reserve. Up front, Florian Xhekaj turned heads over the pre-season and secured the 14th forward role.

The Canadiens’ forward group will feature 14 skaters, including Josh Anderson, Cole Caufield, Kirby Dach, Phillip Danault, Nick Suzuki, Juraj Slafkovský, Chris Kreider, Alex Newhook, Alexandre Texier, Zachary Bolduc, Ivan Demidov, Jake Evans, Oliver Kapanen and Xhekaj. Lucas Condotta also appears on the opening roster but is on injured reserve and is expected to be assigned to the Laval Rocket once healthy.

On the blue line, the seven healthy defencemen are Alexandre Carrier, Noah Dobson, Engström, Lane Hutson, Mike Matheson, Jayden Struble and Arber Xhekaj. Guhle and Bryce Pickford round out the defence corps but will both open the season on injured reserve. Pickford is rehabbing from shoulder surgery and, like Guhle, will stay on the NHL roster list until he is cleared to join Laval.

In goal, Samuel Montembeault and Jakub Dobeš are the two netminders who will start the season in Montreal.

Reinbacher and Fowler headline final cuts

To reach the 23-man limit, the Canadiens announced a slate of final cuts. Among healthy forwards, Owen Beck, Jared Davidson, Filip Mešár and Tyler Thorpe were sent down, while Alex Belzile, Brett Berard, Hunter McKown, Sasha Pastujov and Samuel Poulin were placed on waivers. AHL-contracted forwards Dillan Bentley and Laurent Dauphin were also returned to Laval.

On defence, Luke Mittelstadt, Owen Protz and David Reinbacher were reassigned without needing waivers, while Ethan Samson, Maksymilian Szuber and Reilly Walsh were waived. Reinbacher’s demotion stands out, as his early pre-season performances had positioned him as a strong contender for an NHL job to start the year.

In net, Jacob Fowler and Kaapo Kähkönen were the final goaltenders cut, with Kähkönen requiring waivers. Fowler, who served as Montreal’s backup and started a significant number of games last season, will no longer be part of the initial tandem. All of the waived players are slated to join the Laval Rocket if they clear waivers and once injury and roster details are finalized.