The regular season is finally here, and the Montreal Canadiens are set to begin their 2026-27 season on the road against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Last season, the Canadiens won three of the four meetings with the Maple Leafs, but they are going to need to be prepared for a very different Toronto team than they saw last year. This summer, the Maple Leafs brought in a new general manager, a new head coach, and almost an entirely new roster with the additions of Gavin McKenna, Sergei Bobrovsky, and potentially Kirill Marchenko, who was traded by the Blue Jackets on Monday.
As for the Canadiens, the roster is mostly the same as what they had last season when they reached the Eastern Conference Final. The big difference is the addition of Chris Kreider, and he is the first player to lead off this list of players to watch in the first game of the season.
Chris Kreider
The Montreal Canadiens shuffled their top line this training camp by replacing Juraj Slafkovsky with Chris Kreider. The veteran forward gives Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield a different type of player, as he excels in front of the net, which should be good news for a player like Suzuki, who moves so well with the puck.
While the Canadiens are hoping to get more balanced scoring across their lines, this team is only going to go as far as the top line can take them. It will be a good test for this group, especially in what could be a high-scoring game.
Ivan Demidov
One of those players who could be a difference-maker for the Canadiens and take some of the pressure off that top line is Ivan Demidov. The Canadiens saw all they needed to after one season and gave him a new nine-year extension this summer.
The biggest concern among the forwards was at center of Demidov's line, and the Canadiens are going into this game with more questions than they were expecting. On Monday, Oliver Kapanen missed practice due to a lower-body injury, and Martin St. Louis confirmed he will not play against Toronto and be replaced by Alex Newhook.
Newhook had an excellent run in the playoffs and is in a pivotal spot going into this game. However, Demidov is the key player that who will drive that line in this game.
Arber Xhekaj
Arber Xhekaj was the last player to re-sign with the Montreal Canadiens due in part to the fact that he wanted some clarity on his role on this blueline. He wants to be a permanent part of this lineup and will have the chance to prove that starting with this game against the Maple Leafs.
However, his window to prove that might not be as wide as initially expected, as Kaiden Guhle is already back skating at practice. Guhle had offseason surgery and while he is still in a non-contact jersey, this is a big step towards returning.
Xhekaj is one of the more physical players the Canadiens have, and it is going to be important to put that on display in this game against Toronto.
Jakub Dobes
The last player to watch is Jakub Dobes, who should get the start in net to open the season. Dobes was excellent for the Canadiens down the stretch last season and into the playoffs. He was one of the big reasons Montreal went as far as they did with some stellar performances.
However, he has looked a little shaky this preseason, including giving up four power-play goals in his last game.
The preseason performances shouldn't be overly concerning but they do become a problem if he continues to play like this into the regular season. The Maple Leafs have some really good shooters and it will be a big test for Dobes as he will probably need to make some big saves to keep this game within reach.
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