Alzner, Plekanec start season as healthy scratches for Habs

A pair of Montreal Canadiens veterans will begin the 2018-19 season in the press box, as defenseman Karl Alzner and center Tomas Plekanec have been designated as healthy scratches for Wednesday's opener versus the Toronto Maple Leafs, head coach Claude Julien announced.

Alzner is in the second season of a five-year, $23.125-million contract he signed with the Canadiens last July. The 30-year-old played over 20 minutes per night on Montreal's blue line in 2017-18 and hasn't missed a single game since the 2009-10 season.

Plekanec, meanwhile, rejoined the Canadiens on a one-year contract after a trade-deadline move to the Maple Leafs last season. He recorded 26 points in 77 games split between the two teams.