Montreal Canadiens training camp begins today.
Montreal Canadiens training camp begins today. It will be a slightly different looking camp for a much different looking season, but what we know for sure is the 2021 season officially gets underway later today.
We do know that 42 players will be taking part. The rules for this year’s camp are that teams can bring 36 skaters and as many goaltenders as they want to training camp.
The Canadiens elected to bring the maximum number of skaters as well as Carey Price, Jake Allen, Charlie Lindgren, Vasili Demchenko, Cayden Primeau and Michael McNiven in goal. The goaltending situation is already sorted out with Price and Allen assured spots on the NHL team, though the battle for AHL Laval Rocket’s starting job will be a heated one between the other four netminders.
As a fan, the most fun part about training camp is tracking the battles for positions that are up for grabs. Can the young winger beat out a veteran for a top six role? Is the newest draft pick ready for a spot in the lineup? Will that new acquisition click with the centre he is paired with? How do the veterans look coming back after a long offseason?
These are all questions that would normally be answered during the far too many exhibition games that teams usually play. This season will be a lot different.
There are zero preseason games for NHL teams this year so all the evaluations will have to be done in practices and scrimmages. This will make the coaches jobs tougher as it is much easier to see how a player looks in an actual game as opposed to battle drills in training camp.
Still, there are some jobs and a few high profile spots in the lineup up for grabs for the Canadiens this training camp. Fans will feel a little further away from the action without exhibition games, but we will still be watching closely to see how the lineup is going to fall into place.
There are a few key positions up for grabs. Let’s take a look at the top five position battles in Canadiens training camp.