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Montreal Canadiens: Training camp is right around the corner

By Omar L |
LAVAL, QC - SEPTEMBER 09: Montreal Canadiens Prospect Centre Jesperi Kotkaniemi (15) skates towards Toronto Maple Leafs zone with the puck during the Montreal Canadiens versus the Toronto Maple Leafs Rookie Showdown game on September 9, 2018, at Place Bell in Laval, QC (Photo by David Kirouac/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
LAVAL, QC - SEPTEMBER 09: Montreal Canadiens Prospect Centre Jesperi Kotkaniemi (15) skates towards Toronto Maple Leafs zone with the puck during the Montreal Canadiens versus the Toronto Maple Leafs Rookie Showdown game on September 9, 2018, at Place Bell in Laval, QC (Photo by David Kirouac/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The Montreal Canadiens are one day away from opening up training camp for the 2018-19 season, and there will be no shortage of storylines to go with it.

Twas the day before training camp, and all through Bell Centre, were the players of the Montreal Canadiens, the cities epicentre.

Not the strongest rhyme, but you get the tone I was going for. Training camp is right around the corner! However, rookie camp is still technically taking place. The Habs sent eight players back to junior Tuesday including draft picks Allan McShane and Cam Hillis. Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Lukas Vejdemo, and Will Bitten to name a few will have a final practice at the Bell Sports Complex. Afterwards, those remaining 22 players are off to join members of the main team.

It’ll be the first chance for fans to see the new additions on the roster. Tomas Tatar and Nick Suzuki are the latest to join up, but it continues on to Max Domi, Joel Armia, and Matthew Peca. There’s also Simon Desprès who signed a professional tryout early in the season.

But what’s going to be more interesting is where they fit in lineup wise. A couple of ideas have floated around that makes sense. However, Claude Julien could choose to be a little innovative with his line combinations.

Then things get really fun. The Montreal Canadiens will have their intrasquad games coming up on Sunday followed by the preseason which starts on Monday against the New Jersey Devils. Charles Hudon turned heads at last year’s match when he went on an offensive surge with Tomas Plekanec and Artturi Lehkonen. Perhaps something similar takes place.

It’s about time the focus around the team is what’s taking place on the ice. And with training camp right around the corner, we’re getting closer to that being an everyday thing.

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