Lines and defense pairings at morning skate – Oct. 6

MONTREAL – The biggest news coming from Canadiens morning skate didn’t take place on the ice. 

As most of the team got to work in preparation for Tuesday’s home opener against the Carolina Hurricanes, one player was absent. The Club announced at the start of the skate that forward Ivan Demidov will miss two to four weeks of action with a lower-body injury. 

That means the Canadiens will be dressing a slightly different roster against the defending Stanley Cup champions, with forward Florian Xhekaj expected to make his season debut tonight. Here’s a look at the projected lineup:

Adam Engstrom, Kaiden Guhle and Oliver Kapanen skated as extras. 

There’s no doubt the Habs are excited to play in front of their fans for the first time since May 27 and will be extra motivated to face the team that eliminated them from the 2026 Eastern Conference Final. 

“It’s exciting,” said forward Zachary Bolduc following the skate. “For me, it’s going to be my second home opener. It’s like a playoff atmosphere, now that I’ve experienced both. People are just as, if not more, excited than us, so we’re really happy to be back in front of our fans. We know they’ll show up, and the ambiance will probably be incredible.” 

Game time is scheduled for 7:00 p.m., but fans coming to the Bell Centre are encouraged to be in their seats by 6:45 p.m. to not miss the brand-new pregame presentations and light show. For tickets, click here.