Season Preview – 27. Montréal Canadiens

The Montréal Canadiens are heading in the right direction. After General Manager Kent Hughes steady approach to the rebuild this offseason, it is clear to see that the Canadiens are committed to investing in the future rather than the present. With new faces ready to make an impact, we will likely see the Canadiens take a major step in their overall development this season. However, they will still remain on the outside looking in, hoping to become a playoff team in the Eastern Conference as early as next year.

Season Expectations

One of the toughest undertakings in all of professional sports is convincing fans of an intense market to commit to a rebuild. GM Hughes and Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations Jeff Gorton have done a tremendous job not only selling a market like Montréal on the idea of a rebuild, but following through with their word. Investing in the younger generation and making low-risk, high-reward transactions, is exactly what will get the Canadiens back into continuous contention.

This year will be a little more painful than the last few, seeing how much excitement surrounds the team in hopes for a stable future. Yet realistically, in a extremely competitive Atlantic Division, the Canadiens will not be competing for the playoffs this season though improvements all around are expected. As head coach Martin St. Louis continues to find balance in the lineups and takes advantage of strengths while developing the weakness of his players, we can expect the Canadiens to look like a completely different team from the last few years.

Projected Lines

As we take a dive deep look into the Canadiens projected roster this season, we can see there is a lot of room for different combinations as the season progresses. HC St. Louis is not shy when it comes to trying new blends and tends to avoid staying stagnant when chemistry is not evident. We can also see there is a clear lack of one more top-six forward, that top prospect Ivan Demidov is poised to claim as his own in the near future.

To clarify, these line projections are meant to only predict the start of the season. With so many potential combinations possible, its almost certain that there are tweaks and additions of new faces by the end of the year. Expect the season to start as such:

Juraj Slafkovsky – Nick Suzuki – Cole Caufield
Alex Newhook – Kirby Dach – Patrik Laine
Josh Anderson – Christian Dvorak – Joshua Roy
Joel Armia – Jake Evans – Brendan Gallagher

Mike Matheson – Kaiden Guhle
Lane Hutson – David Savard
Arber Xhekaj – Justin Barron

Sam Montembeault
Cayden Primeau

Scratches: Alex Barré-Boulet, Rafael Harvey-Pinard, Jayden Struble

Line 1
One of the most exciting young lines in hockey. The chemistry these three started to find last season should translate seamlessly this year. Slafkovsky is certain to take a big step in his development and show doubters why he was chosen first overall in 2022. Suzuki is the clear leader of this team and with his poise and complete two-way play, he will continue to carve his way into the top centers in the NHL. Caufield is the greatest 40 goal scorer to never score 40 goals, expect that to change this year.

Line 2
GM Hughes made a savvy move this off-season by acquiring a low-risk, high-reward player in Laine. With the bright lights of Montréal set to shine on Laine, expect him to revitalize his career with the unwavering support of Habs fans and confidence boost from HC St. Louis. Dach was set to take a leap last year before an injury forced him to miss 80 games. If he can stay healthy, he will be able to provide secondary scoring with ease. Newhook seems to produce better as a center, however, with lack of top-six options, it would be safe to say he at least starts the season on the wing.

Line 3
Anderson has been lackluster to say the least in his tenure as a Canadien, yet, he found some chemistry at the end of the year in limited playing time with Roy. Roy should get a full-time spot this year after his well earned playing time last season, his speed and compete level will help in dividends. Dvorak has been a disappointment, but it makes sense for the Habs to keep him in the third center position in hopes to get some sort of return come the trade deadline.

Line 4
Armia and Gallagher played a total of 235 minutes together last year and seemed to find comfortability in each others game towards the end of the season. While Gallagher is making too much money for a 4th line role, HC St. Louis will be focused on developing the younger players over the veterans that have lost a step. Evans could easily replace Dvorak on the 3rd line throughout the season.

Pair 1
This pair was a rock for the Canadiens last year. Playing a total of 60 games together and almost 450 minutes, they proved they can stabilize each others game and provide offense on a weaker Canadiens blueline. Expect HC St. Louis to rely heavily on this pair in all situations. If they can take steps to better their defensive habits, they could be a diamond in the rough for the Canadiens.

Pair 2
Hutson has been on the radar of Canadiens fans since they drafted him in 2022 and will look to earn a top-four role in camp this year. His edge work, speed and ability to work the point is truly elite. Pairing him with a veteran stay-at-home defenseman like Savard looks to be the perfect match. Hutson will no doubt be making mistakes as he continues to transition into a full-time NHL player, and Savard will be there to provide calmness and leadership.

Pair 3
Is there anything not to like about Xhekaj? The kid plays with heart, tenacity and prowess that most NHL fans love. While he may not be a top-four type of defender, he can surely be an anchor on the bottom pair, able to be effective on the penalty kill or provide energy when it’s needed. Barron will have to have a great camp and maintain defensive reliability this year if he wants to remain in the NHL, especially with a player like Logan Mailloux itching for his spot.

Goalies
Montembeault proved last year he is capable of being depended on in a 1A/1B tandem setting. If he continues to build his game and show consistency like he did last year, the Canadiens can be confident in relying on him to steal more games. Primeau has never been able to secure a full-time NHL spot, this year that will change. He played very well last season, and at 25 years old, he is just entering his prime. Difficult to project what his future in Montréal will be, but time will tell.

Scratches
Barré-Boulet and Harvey-Pinard are great depth pieces to have for a team in the situation the Canadiens are in. They will be injury replacements that can be effective with limited ice. Who knows, one may even earn a spot in camp. Struble proved he can be an effective bottom pairing defenseman, so we will see how HC St. Louis utilizes him. Maybe they are careful with Hutson’s playing time and use Struble for the tougher matchups.

Keys To Success

The definition of success this year for the Canadiens will be found in the development of players like Slafkovsky, Caufield, Dach, Guhle and Hutson. All players that should be part of the core for years to come. There can also be success in the form of veterans rebuilding their game and becoming valuable on the trade market. While both Anderson and Gallagher have contracts that are not favourable for teams acquiring them, there could be stronger possibilities that either are moved if they can produce consistently. Another important factor comes in the form of newly acquired Laine. If he can find his goal-scoring prowess again and obtain a comfortability in a market like Montréal, he could find a long-term home and be the perfect winger for Demidov in the near future. GM Hughes also will have some tinkering to do whether it be fast tracking players to the NHL, moving expiring assets for futures, or investing in the development of prospects within the system.

Potential Downfall

Veering off course of the rebuild is the most significant mistake the Canadiens can make this year. We saw this happen last year with the Philadelphia Flyers finding themselves in an unrealistic competitive limbo that management had a difficult time identifying. GM Hughes has proven already during this past free agency period that the Canadiens are not looking for short-term fixes that will produce long-term problems. As long as they stay this course, they can avoid any potential damage to the upwards trajectory they are in. Also, staying healthy is a must. Injuries are impossible to project, yet we can recognize the negative impact they can have on a young player who will need to have steps in their development this year.

Future Outlook

Fans around the league of different teams should be jealous of what GM Hughes and the Canadiens management have accomplished in a short time. Demidov, Hutson, Mailloux, David Reinbacher, Oliver Kapanen, Owen Beck, Michael Hage, and Jacob Fowler make up one of the better prospect pools in the league. With a young core already establishing themselves with the likes of Slafkovsky, Suzuki, Caufield, Dach, Roy and Guhle, its safe to say the Canadiens are headed in the right direction. The Canadiens also hold two first round draft picks this year, along with twelve picks in total with another strong draft class in 2025. The Canadiens have set themselves up for long-term success, and could look to return to the playoffs as soon as next year, depending on overall development. Exciting times are ahead for the young Canadiens team in an Atlantic Division that is only getting older.

Final Thoughts

This season will provide plenty of exciting moments and continue to manifest long-term hope in an educated fanbase. Yet, the Canadiens will fail to impress in the standings and will look to take another leap out of their rebuild after this year. With both Hughes and Gorton at the helm, fans can be confident that every transaction will continue to be made for the betterment of the franchise and not a short-term fix. That being said, the Canadiens have timed their rebuild perfectly and will return to a prominent status before you can spell out the name, Juraj Slafkovsky.