Montreal Canadiens news and notes
- One of the top battles at camp will be Oliver Kapanen versus Owen Beck to see which player looks most able to fill a centre role and help out on the penalty kill. [La Presse]
- Pascal Vincent informed Beck to focus on his skating and faceoff skills at training camp to stand out from the pack. [RDS]
- Kapanen and Beck will be joined by Ivan Demidov, Florian Xhekaj, and David Reinbacher on the top power-play unit this evening. [TVA Sports]
- Kent Hughes’s long-term vision to build a contending team while maintaining a healthy prospect pool would make the club an attractive option for both Sidney Crosby and Kyle Dubas in a trade. [The Athletic]
- Jacob Fowler is looking forward to his first start at the Bell Centre, even if tonight’s game is only a rookie camp outing. [TVA Sports]
- Fowler is one of the players to watch in the four-team Prospect Showdown. [Sportsnet]
- Wanting to add more size this off-season, the Canadiens got that from Tyler Thorpe, who added 20 pounds. [TVA Sports]
- Add Luke Tuch to list of the list of big players who got even bigger. [TVA Sports]
- Pascal Vincent knows Filip Mesar wants and needs to be better this season, but believes an injury-free start will let him show off his abilities more. [La Presse]
- Simon Lavigne, a rookie camp invite from Concordia, speaks about the benefits of the U Sports route he’s taken. [La Presse]
- “I try to lead in my own way, without changing who I am as a person,” Nick Suzuki said on the third anniversary of earning the captaincy. [TVA Sports]
- Suzuki tested out the new shooter tutor he helped design this summer. [TVA Sports]
- Most people thought it was charming that the Canadiens players thought they could make the playoffs last season. This year, that’s the expectation for the team. [Sportsnet]
- Patrik Bexell and Marc-Antoine Godin run through the entirety of EOTP’s T25U25. [Spotify | Apple]
Around the league and elsewhere
- Marc-André Fleury signed a PTO with the Pittsburgh Penguins and will play one period of the pre-season game on September 27 to officially end his career. [NHL.com]
- Jonathan Toews’s muscle memory has taken over as he begins to ramp up for a first NHL season since 2022-23. [NHL.com]
- The Chicago Blackhawks are hoping a young group of defencemen can carry them this season. [NHL.com]
- Four teams that should be sellers this season. [Sportsnet]
- Cancer survivor Will Francis is happy to be attending the Anaheim Ducks’ rookie camp. [NHL.com]
