The Montreal Canadiens are set to take the ice against the New York Islanders on Thursday in their first game since early February, before the NHL took a break due to the Olympics. Unlike last season, the Canadiens are in a great position to get back to the playoffs, and the focus is not chasing a spot but holding onto the spot they have.
It is a pressure-filled next two weeks, though, as the trade deadline is a week from Friday and general manager Kent Hughes could look to make moves to help their playoff chances. The Canadiens have only three games before the trade deadline, and players have limited opportunities to prove they should keep the spot they have in the lineup.
Three players in particular are fighting for their spot or needing to show the team they can be a key contributor down the stretch and into the playoffs.
3 Montreal Canadiens under the most pressure coming out of the Olympic break
Samuel Montembeault
The player who is probably under the most pressure coming out of the Olympic break is Samuel Montembeault. The Canadiens' goalie was expected to be the starter entering the season, but stumbled through the first part of the season with a 10-8-2 record, a save percentage of only .875, and a goals against average of 3.34 (both career-worst marks).
The Canadiens confirmed that Montembeault will get the start against the New York Islanders, which is a little surprising, as Jakub Dobes has been the better goalie over the past few weeks leading into the Olympic break. This feels very much like Montembeault's last chance to prove he can be the starter and has to replicate the performance he had in his last start when he stopped 36 of 37 shots against the Winnipeg Jets on February 4th.
If he does struggle, the Canadiens do have options, and they could look to call up Jacob Fowler, who was with the team earlier this season and looked good. They could also look to trade for a goaltender before the trade deadline.
Either way, Montembeault is going to have limited chances to prove he can fill the role, and he needs to have a big performance against the Islanders.
Arber Xhekaj
Another spot the Canadiens could be looking to upgrade before the deadline is their third pair on defense. Heading into the Olympic break, they shortened the rotation, and Arber Xhekaj saw his ice time cut pretty substantially and had 11 minutes or less in seven of the last eight games he played. He was also a healthy scratch against the Winnipeg Jets in their final game.
It will be interesting coming out of the Olympic break if Xhekaj continues to have a limited role or if the coaching staff trusts him with a bigger role to take some of the workload off the Top 4 at the position.
Oliver Kapanen
Oliver Kapanen has had a breakout season with the Canadiens, with 31 points in 57 games, and the line of himself, Juraj Slafkovsky, and Ivan Demidov has been an exciting part of this offense. Kapanen would earn a trip to the Olympics as part of Team Finland, but was limited to only three games and had no points in the games he played.
The Canadiens could be looking for an upgrade to their Top 6 and are probably looking more for a wing to play with Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki. However, another center isn't out of the question, and they are a popular team in Nazem Kadri trade rumors.
If they do trade for a center, then Kapanen's spot could potentially be in jeopardy on that line. After a lackluster performance in the Olympics, it will be important for him to get off to a fast start to make sure the Canadiens don't view this as a position they need to address.