Newhook and Dach define Canadiens’ push for continuity

As the Montreal Canadiens prepare to open their season in Toronto, the biggest storyline is how little has changed. Based on Monday’s practice in Brossard, the club is poised to begin with only three new faces compared with last year’s opening-night lineup: Chris Kreider, Phillip Danault and Alexandre Texier.

Rare continuity shapes Canadiens’ identity

In a league where many contenders overhaul their rosters every off-season, the Canadiens’ stability has become a central pillar of Martin St. Louis’ approach. The head coach reiterated that, in his view, culture and continuity are the keys to sustaining success, pleased that the core group has now grown together over several seasons.

Twelve of the 20 players dressed for the October 2024 opener remain with the team, along with Jayden Struble and Oliver Kapanen, who were extras that night. Roles are largely familiar: Nick Suzuki is entrenched as a true first-line centre, supported on the top power play by Lane Hutson, Cole Caufield, Ivan Demidov and Juraj Slafkovský. Jake Evans continues to anchor the depth lines and penalty kill.

That continuity does not preclude tactical tweaks. The Canadiens are implementing a more aggressive penalty-kill structure, although the recent split-squad games against the Ottawa Senators highlighted how much work remains in that phase.

Newhook’s promotion and Dach’s shifting responsibilities

Within this mostly stable framework, Alex Newhook stands out as the player whose responsibilities are expanding the most. After starting last season as the left winger on the third line, he is now pencilled in as the second-line centre, flanked by Slafkovský and Demidov. The move reflects the strong impression he left in last spring’s playoffs, which bolstered his belief that he can be leaned on in high-pressure situations.

Newhook is also a key piece of the revamped second power-play unit, skating with Noah Dobson, William Bolduc, Texier and Kreider. The top unit remains built around Hutson, Caufield, Suzuki, Demidov and Slafkovský, signalling that Montreal intends to double down on an established offensive core rather than reshuffling its stars.

The picture is more complicated for Kirby Dach. He began last season as the club’s second-line centre but is now stationed on the fourth line at wing, and on Monday he was absent from both power-play groups. Instead, Dach worked on the penalty kill, a role he has barely occupied during his time in Montreal.

St. Louis said the staff wants to evaluate Dach in that dimension, noting that Kapanen’s injury and the heavy power-play usage for Newhook and Kreider opened a need for additional penalty-kill personnel. The coach sees Dach’s length and reach as potential assets when defending down a man and suggested that adding PK duties could give him another pathway to earn ice time.

Kapanen sidelined, Reinbacher starts season in Laval

Oliver Kapanen did not practice Monday because of a lower-body injury. The Canadiens listed him as day-to-day and confirmed he will not play in Tuesday’s opener in Toronto, although he has travelled with the team for its two-game road trip. Kapanen logged heavy minutes in Saturday’s pre-season game in Ottawa and had been projected to open the season as the second-line centre before getting hurt.

On defence, the club’s decision to assign David Reinbacher to the AHL’s Laval Rocket remains a talking point. Despite a rough final pre-season outing, St. Louis judged that the Austrian defender had a very strong camp overall. The coach believes Reinbacher is getting stronger and already capable of playing in the NHL, but stressed that heavy usage in Laval is the priority for his development. As a result, the Canadiens will enter the new season with a roster that looks much like last year’s, but with Newhook and Dach embodying the subtle internal shifts that could define their next step.