The Montreal Canadiens opened their preseason calendar on Monday night at the Bell Centre, taking a 5-0 win over the Philadelphia Flyers. Technically, it should have been 5-1 thanks to an incorrectly disallowed goal during a first-period penalty kill, but it was a fun debut for the fans in Montreal nonetheless.
More important than the score was seeing how ready some young players are to make an impact, and Oliver Kapanen sure didn’t disappoint.
He was arguably the most impressive forward for either team in the exhibition, putting up two points and presenting a scoring threat on seemingly every shift. You have to wonder how much of his play could be credited to his superior game shape – having played preseason in the SHL already – but it was more than just stamina that made him so impressive against the Flyers. He was making highly intelligent plays, delaying after gaining the zone and then locating teammates through traffic to create scoring chances.
While this is just one preseason game, Kapanen undoubtedly improved his chances of making the roster. He looked like a player that could contribute from day one, and as though he intends on making the decision to send him back to Sweden incredibly difficult. He’s knocking at the door, and even if it isn’t this season, it won’t be long before he gets the answer he’s looking for.
And if Kapanen is knocking at the door, Lane Hutson has kicked down the one in his way.
Even when things don’t go his way, Hutson figures out a way to implicate himself. He finished the night with one assist, but could have had a lot more with the chances he was generating. The game didn’t look all that different from the rookie showcase for him, as he was clearly the most offensively gifted defenceman on the ice.
What’s more is that he looked as good as he did with David Savard as a partner. Savard is obviously going to be on the opening night roster, and if this is Hutson’s audition to join the veteran blueliner, it’s an excellent start. Even some of the most experienced forwards on the ice last night were deferring to Hutson with the puck, so it’s not just the fans that are excited about Hutson, his teammates trust him to make something happen with the puck as well.
But the Bell Centre does make a different kind of sound when Hutson is carrying the puck. The fans want to see this kid make the team, and it is very hard to envision an opening night lineup that doesn’t involve him at this point.
Click the play button below to listen to your full Bottom Six Minutes, also available wherever you get your podcasts. We’ll be back again after a different group of Habs hopefuls take on the New Jersey Devils.
