The Montreal Canadiens shaped their opening-night roster on Sunday by announcing a series of player reassignments, with forward Florian Xhekaj surviving the cuts to earn a spot on the NHL club, according to the Montreal Gazette.
Florian Xhekaj will join his brother, defenceman Arber Xhekaj, on the Canadiens’ roster for Tuesday’s season opener against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The club must submit its official 23-man roster to the NHL ahead of the league’s Monday deadline.
In addition to Florian Xhekaj securing his position, defenceman Adam Engstrom avoided Sunday’s reductions and earned the role of the team’s seventh defenceman. Engstrom won the spot over David Reinbacher while teammate Kaiden Guhle continues his recovery from adductor muscle surgery.
Meanwhile, the Canadiens trimmed their organizational depth by assigning several prospects and players to the AHL’s Laval Rocket. The players sent down on Sunday include goaltender Jacob Fowler, defencemen David Reinbacher, Owen Protz, and Luke Mittelstadt, as well as forwards Owen Beck, Filip Mesar, Tyler Thorpe, Laurent Dauphin, Jared Davidson, and Dillan Bentley.
Follow-up Questions
What is confirmed in this story?
Xhekaj secures roster spot as Canadiens finalize opening lineup Forward Florian Xhekaj avoided Sunday’s cuts and will join his brother Arber on the Montreal Canadiens’ season-opening roster.
What should readers watch next?
The club must submit its official 23-man roster to the NHL ahead of the league’s Monday deadline.
What remains unclear: The available reporting does not yet fully settle the next step in the story.
