If the Montreal Canadiens' offseason moves weren't evidence enough, the opening training camp roster is proof positive that they are a working at building a new core. Last year they successfully placed a young player on their front line, Michael Dal Colle, who netted 29 goals and 64 points in the position. This year, all indications point to the same thing happening, with the team's first skate including Brendan Shinnimin in the first center position between Nik Bergsfors and Dal Colle.
And the spot is reportedly up for battle. JG Pageau and Tage Thompson have not been formally assigned to the minor squad as of yet, with both expected to get the same look Shinnimin is getting.
Anton Zlobin has also been skating with the Habs' core players, and if he looks good, could find himself in a couple of games.
While the infusion of younger players is at least partially brought on by the cap crunch that occurs with so much success, Montreal management is excited at the challenge of continuing to develop internally while still remaining one of the biggest threats in the league. Dal Colle, Kevin Porter, Sam Morin, and Noah Juulsen have all worked their way to becoming core members while the team has been winning championships.
As there are three centers fighting for one spot in the lineup, the likelihood of a trade giving more clarity to the situation remains high. The Habs reportedly still look to acquire a defenseman that carries a cap hit of 2.2 million or less.
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