The Canadiens' opening night lineup appear to have been decided and there are a few surprises
The Montreal Canadiens made significant changes to their groups this morning, and we've just received some very clear hints.
The management has formed a new "NHL" group, and the lines/pairs are as follows:
Newhook - Dach - Laine
Roy - Dvorak - Anderson
Armia - Evans - Gallagher
Pezzetta
Matheson - Struble
Hutson - Savard
Xhekaj - Barron
Montembeault
Primeau
Yes, this looks a lot like an official lineup. Let's obviously be cautious about all this, as things can still change, but it seems to indicate that David Reinbacher and Logan Mailloux will start the season with the Laval Rocket.
David Reinbacher and Logan Mailloux with the Laval Rocket?
Nothing is set in stone 100%, but it really looks like this, considering the changes made in the last few minutes.
This would also mean that Justin Barron has earned his spot, as he also had the advantage of having a contract that wouldn't allow him to simply be sent to the Laval Rocket (unlike Logan Mailloux).
And we know how much Kent Hughes dislikes losing "assets" for free.
At 21 years old, Logan Mailloux is a right-handed defenseman standing 6 feet 3 inches and weighing 220 pounds. He was the 31st overall pick by the Canadiens in the 2021 NHL Draft (first round) and collected 47 points in 72 games last season with the Laval Rocket.
He also added 1 point in 1 game with the Montreal Canadiens.
And what do you think, where should Logan Mailloux start the season?
As for Struble, he is replacing Kaiden Guhle on the first line temporarily as Guhle recently had surgery.
| POLL | ||
Do you believe that Logan Mailloux should start the season in Montreal instead of Justin Barron? | ||
| Yes | 613 | 61.7 % |
| No, he will be good in Laval | 380 | 38.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
