Habs Daily: Defensive Training Camp Battles, Coaching Change, Demidov
Here are the Montreal Canadiens and NHL news items you may have missed on Tuesday.
Montreal Canadiens News
- With training camp just around the corner, it’s the perfect time to take a look at some of the upcoming battles between various players hoping to earn a job in the NHL. We start with the defencemen overview, including two NHL hopefuls, and a dark horse pick who recently joined the organization. [Canadiens Training Camp Battles: The Defensive Logjam]
- ICYMI: While there’s no doubt Ivan Demidov produced a very encouraging rookie season, his ice time with Oliver Kapanen yielded some concerning numbers. On the flip side of the coin, they controlled the goals, which is the most important statistic. Regardless, the Habs have to find a solution to the second line issues, and they’ll once again have to look internally. [Demidov Conundrum: Canadiens Options For The Second Line]
- Even though assistant coach Trevor Letowski was supposed to leave the team to focus on his family, he will remain with the Canadiens in an advisory role which supervises player development. [Sportsnet]
As I reported when Trevor Letowski stepped away from the coaching staff for family reasons, the Canadiens still wanted to keep him in the fold. They’ve officially done that now. His new title: Player development coach.
— Eric Engels (@EricEngels) September 1, 2026
- There were plenty of players in Brossard on Tuesday, another sign the season is about to commence. Kirby Dach was among those running drills.
Au tour de Kirby Dach de faire son retour sur la patinoire ce matin à Brossard. 🏒👀⬇️@DLCoulisses #GoHabsGo #Dach #NHL pic.twitter.com/QL6Ee1SEBT
— Patrick Guillet (@PatGuillet) September 1, 2026
- Defenceman Kaiden Guhle was also spotted in Brossard, though he was skating alone, which may indicate he’s still dealing with a slight knock.
🤔 Kaiden Guhle est-il (déjà) blessé? #gohabsgo pic.twitter.com/3P1ehosiww
— DansLesCoulisses (@DLCoulisses) September 1, 2026
- Here’s your daily dose of Lane Hutson highlights:
This Lane Hutson guy is pretty good 👀 pic.twitter.com/apg6X4JwAr
— NHL (@NHL) September 1, 2026
- Kris Letang had nothing but great things to say about Canadiens forward Ivan Demidov.
During a CardChasers Livestream, @penguins Kris Letang said Datsyuk is one of best players he ever faced. And, then he said @CanadiensMTL Ivan Demidov’s creativity & unpredictability remind him of Datsyuk. So I asked Letang, How great can Ivan Demidov be?
He replied “I told my… pic.twitter.com/JLLlC6f5XP
— Tony Marinaro (@TonyMarinaro) September 1, 2026
- ICYMI: Noah Dobson’s first season with the Canadiens went reasonably well, but the defenceman he can still provide more value on a nightly basis. His underlying numbers, in particular, were quite poor, though some of that has to do with the pairing, which featured Dobson and Mike Matheson, two offensively inclined blueliners. [Improving Noah Dobson’s Value To The Canadiens]
Sportsnaut Network
- The Florida Panthers will open training camp in about three weeks and their roster looks mostly set. The Panthers, like most teams, usually have a couple of players who did not sign as free agents during the offseason come to training camp on what is called a professional tryout, or PTO. [Florida Panthers]
- Amadeus Lombardi has never played an NHL game. He is still the New Jersey Devils prospect most ready to do it. That is the distinction. Matias Vanhanen has the prettier offensive brain and more years to grow. [New Jersey Devils]
- Any time you win a goalie trophy with Patrick Roy’s name attached you are probably doing something right. Rudy Guimond has done enough since he was drafted in the sixth round to be considered a sleeper prospect for the Red Wings. Detroit seems to boast one of the NHL’s strongest collections of young netminders and Guimond is a noteworthy member of the team’s stable. [Detroit Red Wings]
