The Montreal Canadiens announced a significant round of roster cuts following their 4-2 win in a preseason contest against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday at Scotiabank Arena.
The Habs had not made cuts until Sunday, sending 24 players down to the Laval Rocket ahead of the start of AHL training camps.
Check out the full list of players here.
Some interesting, but unsurprising, names are included on the list of cuts. Tyler Thorpe, who had an assist on Saturday night, and Riley Kidney, who scored a power play goal, were among the players heading to the AHL. Also, goalie Jacob Fowler, who saw action in the Canadiens’ 7-2 loss to Toronto on Thursday night, was sent down.
None of the other players included in Sunday’s camp cuts were expected to make the team. They will now get a chance to play full-time with the Rocket.
In total, 34 players remain on the roster for the time being. More cuts will be expected as the Canadiens will need to bring their final Opening Night roster to 23 players before their October 8 showdown with the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Bell Centre.
Canadiens make additional roster moves
The 24 players sent to the Rocket were not the only roster cuts made by the Canadiens on Sunday. The club also announced that forward Vinzenz Rohrer will play with the Zurich Lions of the Swiss League. Rohrer was a third-round pick of the Canadiens in the 2022 NHL Draft. He was slated to play in Switzerland this season. However, the Habs invited the 21-year-old to camp.
Meanwhile, five other players were placed on waivers: forwards Alex Belzile, Lucas Condotta, and Sean Farrell, and defensemen Nathan Clurman and Marc Del Gaizo. Farrell had two points on Saturday night against the Leafs, while Belzile drew an assist. All five players are expected to clear waivers and report to the Rocket on Monday.
Les Canadiens soumettent au ballottage les attaquants Alex Belzile, Lucas Condotta et Sean Farrell, ainsi que les défenseurs Nathan Clurman et Marc Del Gaizo, dans le but de les céder au Rocket de Laval.
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) September 28, 2025
The Canadiens have placed forwards Alex Belzile, Lucas Condotta and Sean…
The en masse roster cuts come as a strategy by the Canadiens to avoid losing players to waivers. As Habs insider Marco D’Amico noted, the purpose of a large-scale roster cut was to come out “unscathed.”
People asked why the Canadiens had so many players left on the roster after last night's cuts. Reason was that they needed to wait until 2pm today to place them on waivers.
— Marco D'Amico (@mndamico) September 28, 2025
Canadiens hoping they can come out of this unscathed by making a large number of cuts early. https://t.co/Wf6J73dk2i
Judging from last night’s game, several players could be of interest to teams looking for affordable, reliable depth. Names that come to mind are Sean Farrell and Alex Belzile. Perhaps they might just slip through the cracks before any other club chooses to scoop them up.
The Canadiens will play their next preseason matchup on Tuesday night against the Ottawa Senators. The game might be the last chance camp hopefuls have to make an impression before the next round of cuts.