Four Canadiens rookies make opening night roster
The Montreal Canadiens have set their roster ahead of the 5 p.m. submission deadline and among those on there are four rookies, Juraj Slafkovksy, Kaiden Guhle, Arber Xhekaj and Jordan Harris.
All four players were brought into a meeting with management and the coaching staff and told together that they've made the Canadiens' opening night roster.
"I think if we had brought them one at a time, they'd have thought they were being cut," head coach Martin St. Louis said.
«I think if we had brought them one at a time, they'd have thought they were being cut.»—Martin St. Louis. https://t.co/MQK1PLh5T9— Eric Engels (@EricEngels) October 10, 2022
With injuries to Joel Edmundson, who is out indefinitely, and Mike Matheson, who is day-to-day, it opens up two spots on Montreal's blue line for the trio of Guhle, Xhekaj and Harris. They'll also be competing with Johnathan Kovacevic who was claimed off waivers by the Canadiens on Saturday.
At practice on Monday, Jordan Harris skated on the top pair with David Savard, while Arber Xhekaj was on the left side of the second pairing, as Kaiden Guhle and Chris Wideman rotated on the right side.
As for Juraj Slafkovsky, the first overall pick in the 2022 draft, he didn't have the best start to the pre-season but as the games went on, his play improved significantly along with his confidence to make certain plays he didn't early on in camp. During Monday's practice, he skated on the third line with Christian Dvorak and Brendan Gallagher.
"I told my parents they can come now," Slafkovsky said, hoping they can make it to Montreal in time for Wednesday night.
Juraj Slafkovsky on making Habs: «I told my parents they can come now.»
He's hoping they'll be there for Wednesday's home opener @Sportsnet @hockeynight— Eric Engels (@EricEngels) October 10, 2022
The Canadiens will open their 2022-23 season on Wednesday night at the Bell Centre at 7 p.m. ET against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Top 10 latest hockey stories
