Sputnik1: Remaining Montreal Canadiens Forwards At Training Camp
Josh Anderson, Joel Armia, Alex Barre Boulet, Cole Caufield, Kirby Dach, Christian Dvorak, Jake Evans, Brendan Gallagher, Emil Heineman, Oliver Kapanen, Alex Newhook, Michael Pezzetta, Joshua Roy, Juraj Slafkovsky, and Nick Suzuki.
Of the 15 forwards still at camp, 11 are essentially guaranteed a roster spot: Anderson, Armia, Caufield, Dach, Dvorak, Evans, Gallagher, Newhook, Slafkovsky, Roy, and Suzuki. Given that Roy is one of the few players with the skill set necessary to thrive in the NHL, I feel safe adding him to the list, as it would be foolish to return him to the AHL while the team lacks offensive firepower.
If we remove the 11 roster players from the mix, we’re left with the following players who will be fighting for two or three roster spots, depending on whether the Canadiens start the season with 13 or 14 forwards: Barre-Boulet, Heineman, Kapanen, and Pezzetta.
While there’s no doubt a player like Heineman or Kapanen could add a decent layer of offensive value to the team, the best for their development may involve giving them as much ice time as possible this season, and that’s not necessarily a realistic expectation in the NHL as a rookie that was not drafted in the first round.
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Josh Anderson, Joel Armia, Alex Barre Boulet, Cole Caufield, Kirby Dach, Christian Dvorak, Jake Evans, Brendan Gallagher, Emil Heineman, Oliver Kapanen, Alex Newhook, Michael Pezzetta, Joshua Roy, Juraj Slafkovsky, and Nick Suzuki.
Of the 15 forwards still at camp, 11 are essentially guaranteed a roster spot: Anderson, Armia, Caufield, Dach, Dvorak, Evans, Gallagher, Newhook, Slafkovsky, Roy, and Suzuki. Given that Roy is one of the few players with the skill set necessary to thrive in the NHL, I feel safe adding him to the list, as it would be foolish to return him to the AHL while the team lacks offensive firepower.
If we remove the 11 roster players from the mix, we’re left with the following players who will be fighting for two or three roster spots, depending on whether the Canadiens start the season with 13 or 14 forwards: Barre-Boulet, Heineman, Kapanen, and Pezzetta.
While there’s no doubt a player like Heineman or Kapanen could add a decent layer of offensive value to the team, the best for their development may involve giving them as much ice time as possible this season, and that’s not necessarily a realistic expectation in the NHL as a rookie that was not drafted in the first round.