It may be summertime, but the Montreal Canadiens’ top players have already started gearing up for next season. Ivan Demidov now has the keys to the Canadiens’ CN Sports Complex in Brossard and skates multiple times a day; he has taken Alexander Zharovsky under his wing and brings him along, too, until the youngster must head back to Russia for the KHL season, which starts much earlier than the NHL’s. When Demidov’s on his way out, he stops to sign autographs for fans despite the unbearable heat outside.
Lane Hutson, who was in town for the Habs’ development camp, joined his road roommate on the ice in Brossard as both worked intensely with Adam Nicholas ahead of the prospects’ ice time. After that, he stuck around to watch the organization’s future on the ice and to give the rookies a presentation.
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Alex Carrier, Jake Evans, and Zach Bolduc all signed up to play in the three-on-three Living Sisu hockey league starting July 7th at Hockey Etcetera.
Players do not have to be in Montreal to work out, though. This week, pictures of Juraj Slafkovsky training in his native Slovakia alongside Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak surfaced on Instagram.
Meanwhile, newly re-signed goaltender Jakub Dobes spoke to the media live from his summer home in St. Louis after signing his new contract and said he would keep training there for three to four weeks before moving back to Montreal to continue preparing for the season.
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Watching them all go this summer, it feels like the NHL season is right around the corner. It’s not that far away since the NHL has decided to start earlier this time around, having a condensed preseason and a longer 84-game regular season. The preseason games will be played from September 19 to 26. Last season, the Canadiens held their golf tournament on September 15 and their preseason games from September 22 to October 4th. We can therefore expect the season to start at the end of September or the start of October at the latest.
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