As we inch closer to the start of September and eventually, the opening of training camps around the National Hockey League, we're going to see teams dip their toes into the professional tryout (PTO) market.
There are plenty of intriguing unrestricted free agents still available on the market and as of today, August 27th, three of those players have landed PTOs. The Washington Capitals are bringing goaltender Cal Petersen to camp on a PTO, the Calgary Flames are doing the same with former eighth overall pick Alexander Nylander. Meanwhile earlier today, the Vancouver Canucks announced that they've signed goaltender Chris Driedger to a PTO.
The Montreal Canadiens don't typically bring players to training camp on professional tryouts, but it wouldn't shock me if we see one or two UFAs signed to PTO's in the weeks to come. It could increase competition in what is now a shorter training camp and preseason schedule and in all honesty, the Canadiens don't have a ton to lose, they may even find some depth scoring.
Earlier this month, I looked at three potential PTO targets for the Montreal Canadiens and today, we're going to examine three more, with training camp only 20 days away.
Three More PTO Targets For the Montreal Canadiens
Arthur Kaliyev (25-years-old)
A surprising name still available on the free agent market as of today is former second round pick Arthur Kaliyev, who spent last season primarily with the Belleville Senators, American Hockey League affiliate of the Ottawa Senators.
Goal scoring is what Arthur Kaliyev brings to the table. Across three seasons in the Ontario Hockey League, Kaliyev amassed 126 goals and seemed destined to be a consistent 20-25 goal scorer at the National Hockey League level. Unfortunately for Kaliyev, that hasn't happened just yet. His career-high in goals in the NHL is 14, which came during the 2021-22 season with the Los Angeles Kings.
After leaving the Kings organization via waivers in early 2025, Kaliyev has been trying to rediscover his offensive touch. He wasn't able to do so with the New York Rangers and last summer, he decided to return to Canada for the first time since his junior hockey days, signing a one-year contract with Ottawa. Kaliyev made 70 appearances for their minor league affiliate in Belleville and went on to lead the American Hockey League in goals with 40, earning him first team all-star honours at the end of the season.
In the days leading up to July 1st - the annual opening of the NHL's free agency period - the Ottawa Senators announced that they would not be issuing a qualifying offer to Arthur Kaliyev, making him a UFA.
Eeli Tolvanen (27-years-old)
To say that I'm surprised former first round pick Eeli Tolvanen is still an unrestricted free agent would be an understatement. I mentioned Tolvanen as a medium-term second line target for the Montreal Canadiens earlier this month and stand by that. He would be a solid middle-six option for the Canadiens.
Regardless if it's the Montreal Canadiens or another club in the National Hockey League, is a professional tryout possible for Eeli Tolvanen? I'd lean towards no, but given that we're less than three weeks before training camps open around the league and he's still unsigned, anything can happen.
The Vihti, Finland native has 423 games of experience in the National Hockey League with the Nashville Predators and Seattle Kraken. Since joining the Kraken in December of 2022, Tolvanen has been able to tap into that offensive side that scouts raved about in his draft year. Last season, Tolvanen saw a dip in the goal scoring department, going from 23 in 2024-25 to just 12, but did see a one point increase, up to 36 from 35.
As mentioned, it's more likely than not that Tolvanen will sign a contract to remain in the NHL at some point over the next couple of weeks, but if he's still a free agent by the weekend of September 12th-13th, he'll become a PTO target for many teams.
James van Riemsdyk (37-years-old)
In my previous PTO target article, I listed one veteran forward who I thought could help the Canadiens this coming season - David Perron. For this edition, I've chosen to highlight 2007 second overall pick James van Riemsdyk as a potential option for Montreal.
The Middletown, New Jersey native has had plenty of success in his career in the National Hockey League. 1,154 games across 17 NHL seasons with the Philadelphia Flyers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, Columbus Blue Jackets and last year, the Detroit Red Wings. van Riemsdyk has 13 seasons of 15+ goals under his belt, including last year in Detroit, finishing the 2025-26 campaign with 31 points in 72 games.
van Riemsdyk has shown that despite his age, he can still contribute at the highest level and from an experience & leadership standpoint, he would be a solid addition to the Canadiens' dressing room. That being said, if he were to get a PTO and it was successful, he's likely looking at fourth line minutes, which he's probably comfortable with at this stage of his career.
When it comes to considering a professional tryout for someone like James van Riemsdyk, or anyone in that age range, the Canadiens would need to weigh the pros and cons, and if they believe he'd be a better option than promoting someone from their American Hockey League affiliate, the Laval Rocket.
Montreal Canadiens Rookie & Training Camp News
Earlier this week, Anthony Martineau of TVA Sports reported the confirmed key dates for both Montreal's rookie camp and their main training camp next month.
According to Martineau, the Canadiens' rookie camp will open up on Wednesday, September 9th - 13 days from now. As was announced previously by the club, It'll be followed by a pair rookie showcase games in Gatineau, Quebec against the Winnipeg Jets and Ottawa Seantors on Saturday, September 12th and Sunday, September 13th, respectively.
On Monday, September 14th the Canadiens will hold their annual golf tournament in Laval-sur-le-Lac. Two days later, on Wednesday, September 16th, the Canadiens will officially open their main training camp. The training camp schedule remains TBD as of this moment, but most teams do physicals on the opening day, with the first on-ice sessions one day later. Should that be the case, Montreal's first on-ice session of camp will come on Thursday, September 17th.
That brings us to Montreal's training camp schedule, which was announced by the Canadiens in late-June. With the new collective bargaining agreement coming into effect on September 16th, teams are permitted to play a maximum of four preseason games, but due to Montreal's participation in Kraft Hockeyville, they'll have five, which gives the coaching staff an extra game to evaluate their players.
Montreal's Preseason Schedule
- vs Toronto Maple Leafs (split squad) - Saturday, September 19th at 7 pm ET.
- @ Toronto Maple Leafs (split squad) - Saturday, September 19th at 7 pm ET.
- vs Ottawa Senators (Kraft Hockeyville in Trois-Rivières, Quebec) - Monday, September 21st at 7 pm ET.
- vs Ottawa Senators (split squad) - Saturday, September 26th at 7 pm ET.
- @ Ottawa Senators (split squad) - Saturday, September 26th at 7 pm ET.