The Canadiens make their first wave of cuts, reducing the roster by 27 players
With 59 players at training camp, it was expected that the Canadiens would eventually make a big wave of cuts, and that's normal.
They proceeded following the loss to Toronto, and 27 players must now leave to join the Rocket de Laval camp.
There aren't many surprises, except for the fact that Owen Beck is part of the first wave. The young man shouldn't take this negatively, as the organization likely wants him to dominate in Laval and return stronger.
For the goaltenders, mission accomplished for Jakub Dobes, who has proven to Kent Hughes that he deserves to continue with the big club.
Honorable mention to Logan Mailloux and Lane Hutson for still being around, but that's not surprising at this stage.
Let's remember that Oliver Kapanen is not eligible to play with the Rocket, so nothing is guaranteed for him, and David Reinbacher got injured during Saturday's game, making it impossible to cut him in this situation.
A thumbs up for Emil Heineman who remains, but a slight disappointment for Filip Mesar, Florian Xhekaj, and Luke Tuch, who nonetheless left a good impression while learning from the best.
Saturday night's game was unfortunately very costly for the Habs, as Patrik Laine suffered a serious injury that could compromise his season.
There are now two preseason games left for the Canadiens, on Tuesday night and Saturday night against the Ottawa Senators. So, in a week, we should have the final picture of Martin St-Louis's lineup.
