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Montreal Canadiens: Top 3 Roster Battles To Watch At Training Camp

By Ken MacMillan

MONTREAL, QC - APRIL 06: Ryan Poehling #25 of the Montreal Canadiens skates against the Toronto Maple Leafs in his first career NHL game at the Bell Centre on April 6, 2019 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Montreal Canadiens defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-5 in a shootout. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
MONTREAL, QC - APRIL 06: Ryan Poehling #25 of the Montreal Canadiens skates against the Toronto Maple Leafs in his first career NHL game at the Bell Centre on April 6, 2019 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Montreal Canadiens defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-5 in a shootout. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /
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The Montreal Canadiens officially open training camp today. There are several key roster battles about to take place and here are the three biggest ones to keep an eye on during the exhibition schedule.

The Montreal Canadiens 2019-20 training camp is finally here! The offseason is over and it is finally time we get to see Habs players in their red white and blue jerseys once again. Of course, it won’t be long before we start asking when the preseason games finally end and we get to the real schedule.

However, there are many key position battles to be worked out during the exhibition schedule. The Canadiens have invited 57 players to their camp and will play seven preseason games. Their first exhibition contest is on Monday night against the New Jersey Devils.

Though there are close to five dozen players showing up for camp, many positions are already set in stone. I don’t think Carey Price is on the hot seat to keep his job as the starting goaltender. Shea Weber and Jeff Petry are clearly the first and second defensemen on the right side. Victor Mete, Ben Chiarot and Brett Kulak may battle each other for ice time on a given night, but it would be a shock if they weren’t the three defenders on the left side on opening night.

Up front, the trio of Phillip Danault, Tomas Tatar and Brendan Gallagher played so well together it would be foolish to split them up now. Max Domi and Jonathan Drouin will also be playing top six roles next season.

However, there are some big roles still up for the taking during this year’s camp. There are several interesting young prospects with a chance to force their way into a prominent role right away with a great showing over the next three weeks.

Let’s take a look at the three biggest position battles and who are the players that will be fighting for those roles.

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