Bolduc missed Friday's practice and Saturday's preseason finale and is considered day-to-day as the regular season approaches. For now he's considered questionable to play in the season opener on Wednesday. Expect Joe Veleno to replace him in the lineup if Bolduc can't play.
Demidov left Tuesday's game with a wrist injury, but the Canadiens said he was pulled for "precautionary reasons." Demidov was also held out of the lineup for Saturday's preseason finale, but there's no concern for his availability for the season opener on Wednesday.
Dobson returned to the Canadiens' lineup in Saturday's preseason finale after suffering a groin injury vs. Toronto on September 25th. Dobson, who was acquired in a big trade with the Islanders this offseason, is expected to open the season on a pair with Mike Matheson.
Bolduc was acquired by the Canadiens in the offseason and his team debut might have to wait, as he is day-today with a lower-body injury. Bolduc is a 22-year-old right-winger who was drafted in the 1st round (17th overall) of the 2021 NHL Draft. Across 72 games with St. Louis in his first full season in 2024-25, he had 19 goals, 36 points and a +20 plus/minus.
Demidov did not finish Tuesday's preseason game but appears to be on the mend after practicing on Thursday. It's unclear if the 19-year-old will play in Montreal's preseason finale on Saturday but his availability for their season opener seems promising.
With Montreal off on Wednesday, Ivan Demidov's injury update will have to wait until Thursday after the 19-year-old prospect left Tuesday's preseason game vs. Ottawa following a slash from Nick Cousins. Demidov is the current favourite to win the Calder Trophy after putting up 19 goals and 49 points in SKA St. Petersburg (KHL) last season.
The Canadiens' fifth-overall pick in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft has battled injuries early in his professional career and will be sidelined again to start the 2025-26 season. The 20-year-old defenseman has yet to play an NHL game and was limited to only 10 contests with the Laval Rocket in 2024-25, scoring five points (2G / 3A).
Struble has appeared in 56 NHL games in each of the last two seasons, most recently posting 13 points (2G / 11A), 124 hits and 54 blocks in 2024-25. Struble became a reliable partner for rookie Lane Hutson, posting a 60.7 xG% together, the best of any Canadiens' pairing. Entering 2025-26, Struble will likely be in the mix to be the No.6 defenseman, and his strong play alongside Hutson last season should give him the upper hand.
Farrell was Montreal's fourth-round pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. The 23-year-old played six games for the Canadiens in the 2022-23 season but has exclusively played in the AHL since. He scored 44 points (20G / 24A) in 67 games with the Laval Rocket (AHL) last season.
