Canadiens defenseman Michael Matheson will obviously be back very soon, as he practiced with his teammates on Friday for the first time since training camp. The number 8 was obviously wearing a non-contact jersey, but he seemed very comfortable on the ice, which makes it possible to believe that he will return much sooner than expected. Kent Hughes will have no choice but to clear a space to insert him into the lineup and it could happen as early as this week. That's what Renaud Lavoie thinks, although he mentions that Evgenii Dadonov should be the one to go. <q>Renaud made it clear that he (Dadonov) could be placed on waivers, and that could happen as early as next week. - TVA Sports</q> The insider went on to explain that no defenceman is expected to be sent down and that rookies Juraj Slafkovsky and Arber Xhekaj will remain with the team. <Mike Hoffman? He won't be waived and we know it's going to be tough to trade his contract. Jonathan Drouin? I don't think we'll throw him on waivers either. So we have to go back to Evgenii Dadonov. Dadonov still doesn't have a point and we don't feel he's a threat. So, that becomes your ideal candidate if you decide to put a player on the waiver wire. I'm not saying it's going to happen 100 per cent because there's a lot of things that can happen, but... - Renaud Lavoie</q> <q>People might think the CH is going to put a defenseman to the AHL, but that's not going to happen.</q> <div align='center'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/TVASports/status/1591235265125052422?t=u-cWqWnpRK7WpXrdXW8cYA&s=19'> </a></blockquote></div> With the surplus of forwards and the number of youngsters pushing for that position in Laval, it's not surprising to learn that it will be a forward who will be waived. That would leave the Tricolore with a roster of 13 forwards, eight defensemen and two goalies. Credit: <a href='https://www.habsetlnh.com/equipe-lnh/canadiens-de-montreal/Developpement-majeur-a-venir-chez-le-Canadien-de-Montreal-Evgenii-Dadonov-place-au-ballottage-cette-semaine' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>Habsetlnh.com</a>