Senators Send a Clear Message to Canadiens After Explosive Preseason Clash in Quebec City

Tuesday night at the Videotron Centre, the two teams delivered a duel as intense as it was chaotic.

Vicious hits, fights, repeated altercations: everything was on display.

Hayden Hodgson notably provoked the Canadiens' anger by hitting Alex Newhook before dropping the gloves.

Hodgson along with Cousins were both fined for their antics during the game.

Less than 24 hours later, it seems Ottawa decided to cool things down. As reported by Anthony Marcotte, the Senators will not dress any players from their main lineup for Saturday's game in Montreal, opting instead for a roster filled with call-ups from Belleville.

By doing this, Ottawa is sending a clear message: they want to protect their key players.

However, that doesn't mean things won't get physical anyway. These young players might bring even more energy and intensity as they try to prove themselves to their coaches.

The real question now is whether the Canadiens will do the same.

For Kent Hughes and Martin St-Louis, the decision is not simple.

Aligning their best players risks exposing them to another festival of dirty hits, but it's also an opportunity to prepare the team for the start of the season.

In my view, this kind of situation perfectly illustrates the absurdity of preseason games between direct rivals.

And honestly, I believe the Canadiens would have everything to gain by copying Ottawa, letting their young players enjoy this context while avoiding unnecessary injuries to key players.

We wouldn't want anything to happen to a Lane Hutson or a Cole Caufield in a game that doesn't really matter.