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Montreal Canadiens: Predicting Habs Final Cuts At Each Position

By Ken MacMillan

Sep 25, 2023; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens defenseman Logan Mailloux (94) skates during warmups before the game against the New Jersey Devils at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 25, 2023; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens defenseman Logan Mailloux (94) skates during warmups before the game against the New Jersey Devils at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports /
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Sep 27, 2023; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens left wing Emil Heineman. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 27, 2023; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens left wing Emil Heineman. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-USA TODAY Sports /

Forwards

How many forwards are still left at camp? 15. How many need to be cut? At least 1, and possibly 2.

Who is still on the roster? Josh Anderson, Joel Armia, Cole Caufield, Kirby Dach, Jake Evans, Brendan Gallagher, Rafael Harvey-Pinard, Emil Heineman, Sean Monahan, Alex Newhook, Tanner Pearson, Michael Pezzetta, Juraj Slafkovsky, Nick Suzuki, Jesse Ylonen.

The two forwards who were placed on waivers yesterday, Lias Andersson and Philippe Maillet, brought the total number of forwards down to 15 and left really just one more to go. The Canadiens could choose to cut two more and open up a little more cap space, but they don’t need to do that to be cap compliant.

Teams are allowed to have 23 players on their roster and if the Habs cut down to two goaltenders and seven defenseman as we previously mentioned, they would likely keep 14 forwards.

So, who is the final cut up front?

Though he has had a strong camp, the easy decision to make is to send Emil Heineman down to the Rocket. He has played well, showing off strength, a good, powerful skating stride and a hard shot, but he has only 13 games of experience in North America and is just 21 years old. He does have years of pro experience in Sweden, but starting the year in Laval will not hurt him.

Also, he does not require waivers to be sent down while many of the other players still in camp do, so that is working against Heineman as well. This makes Heineman the right choice to be sent down to begin the season.

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