Vincent Arseneau and 11 others are headed to Laval as Martin St-Louis and the Montreal Canadiens make their first major camp cut.
The Canadiens announced Saturday that Arseneau, Jacob Dion, Aiden Dubinsky, Braden Haché, Hunter Jones and Francesco Lapenna have been assigned to the Laval Rocket.
Aleksandr Legkov, Kevin Mandolese, Kale McCallum, Israel Mianscum, Josh Nadeau and Xavier Simoneau are also part of the group leaving NHL camp.
That makes 12 players moving out at once, giving St-Louis a smaller group to work with as Montreal gets closer to its final roster decisions.
The move isn't a surprise for several names. Arseneau, Legkov, Mianscum, Nadeau and Simoneau were already projected as part of Laval's forward group entering the 2026-27 season.
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Dion, Dubinsky, Haché and McCallum were also listed among Laval's defensive options, while Jones, Lapenna and Mandolese were part of the Rocket's goaltending picture.
Canadiens begin clearing the NHL roster
The timing matters more than the names. Montreal opened camp with 57 players, leaving St-Louis and his staff with plenty of bodies to sort through before the regular season.
This first wave removes players who were largely positioned for AHL roles and creates more practice reps for those still pushing for jobs with the Canadiens.
For Laval, the move delivers a sizeable piece of its expected roster in one shot. Arseneau brings experience up front, while the Rocket also receives several younger players looking to establish themselves at the professional level.
Mandolese's assignment adds another established option in the crease. Jones and Lapenna also head down, giving Laval multiple goaltenders as its own roster takes shape.
The Canadiens' decision also turns the spotlight toward the players who survived this round. Every cut now carries more weight because fewer camp spots remain and NHL jobs are getting closer to being settled.
More moves are coming. Saturday's announcement is the first clear sign that Montreal's camp has shifted from evaluation toward roster construction.
For St-Louis, the next decisions should be much tougher.
Did the Canadiens make the right first cuts?
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