Canadiens News: Kahkonen, Xhekaj, Right Wing Updates
Here’s a breakdown of the key information from the provided text, focusing on the Montreal Canadiens’ training camp updates:
Goaltending:
* Backup Goalie: Jakub Dobes is currently considered the frontrunner for the No. 2 goaltending position,with it being “his job to lose.”
* Kahkonen’s Role: The Canadiens signed Michael Kahkonen primarily to mentor top prospect Jacob Fowler in the AHL (Laval). His relatively low cap hit ($1.15MM) allows them to possibly send him to the AHL without significant cap implications.
* Prospect Fowler: Jacob Fowler is the Canadiens’ top goaltending prospect and highly regarded in the sport.
* Dobes’ Stats: Dobes had a .909 save percentage in 16 NHL games last season.
* Kahkonen’s Stats: Kahkonen has a career .898 save percentage in 140 NHL games.
Defense:
* Arber Xhekaj’s Progress: Xhekaj is performing very well in training camp (“outstanding” according to Basu) and is a strong contender for a spot in the opening-night lineup.
* Xhekaj vs.Struble: Xhekaj is competing with Jayden Struble for the role of playing alongside Alexandre Carrier on the third defensive pairing.
* Xhekaj’s Momentum: Xhekaj appears to have a lead in this competition.
Key Players Mentioned:
* Sam Montembeault
* jakub Dobes
* Jacob Fowler
* Michael Kahkonen
* Arber Xhekaj
* Jayden Struble
* Alexandre Carrier
Source: The information is based on reports from The Athletic (Arpon Basu) and La Presse (Katherine Harvey-Pinard), and also data from Hockey Reference and HockeyDB.