2023-24 Season

Super Sophomore

College Free Agents

At this time of the year there is always speculation about NCAA free agents who are legitimate pro prospects. Signing these free agents allows teams to add to their prospect pipeline without using a draft choice and because these players are older, NHL general managers will often have a better idea of the floor and/or ceiling. A handful of the top NCAA free agents are still involved in playoffs so the final destination for these players will remain unknown for a while. Some will make it directly to the NHL, others will require development in the minor pros before making the jump and still others will never make it to the NHL. But signing these players eats into the 50-contract limit and once that limit is reached, teams would be unable to offer contracts to unsigned draftees before July 1. It’s a bit of a chess game. Four teams are already at 49 contracts and five more are at 48 contracts. One way around it would be if the player was willing to sign an amateur tryout (ATO) with the AHL affiliate of an NHL team and then sign an NHL contract on or after July 1. For the record, the Canadiens have 45 players under NHL contract but may want to sign Lane Hutson, Luke Tuch, Jared Davidson, Cedrick Guindon and one or more of their European prospects. Of that group, only Davidson and Guindon require contracts before June 1 for the Canadiens to retain their rights. Will Gorton and Hughes be active in the college free-agent market? Time will tell. – Trask

Power Forward Famine

A quick scan of the Montreal Canadiens’ prospect pipeline reveals a lack of power forwards in the organization. Other than Luke Tuch, who may or may not sign after his college career, and Florian Xhekaj the Habs lack a true power forward prospect in their system. Xhekaj has really come into his own during the last half of the season and is somewhat of unicorn among Habs prospects. Emil Heineman may be the closest among the rest but he seems to lack the “bite” of a prototypical power forward. Last year Kent Hughes has shown a willingness to draft for need in the later rounds when he selected three goaltenders. Given that every successful team seems to have this type of player on their roster, will he take a similar approach at this draft to address the shortage of power forwards. – Trask

Habs Need Forward Thinking

This season’s edition of the Montreal Canadiens has made noticeable progress over last year’s team, even without 2nd line center Kirby Dach in the lineup. The next goal for the team is to challenge for a playoff spot. The question is, what will it take to do that? Various suggestions as to what is required have been put forward. Some want to improve the PP or improve the PK, others want a top 6 winger or a top pairing RD added to the mix, and the list goes on. Another way to look at it is by taking a big-picture view. For the sake of argument let the top 16 teams make the playoffs. If you look at those teams who are challenging for that last spot, they all have one thing in common. Their goal differential hovers around zero; they score approximately the same number of goals as they allow. The Canadiens are currently around -49. They sit 28th in goals for and 26th in goals against, so both departments need improvement. Adding 25 goals for and subtracting 25 goals against should put them right in the middle of a fight for a playoff spot. With those issues identified, general manager Kent Hughes can look for solutions. The return of Kirby Dach should help the offense, and the continued maturation of the young defense corps along with a more settled goaltending picture should help the defence. But more will be needed. What approach will Hughes take? We will learn more at the draft and in the offseason. – Trask

Internal Competition at Center

It’s a good sign for the Montreal Canadiens when they have strong internal competition for spots within the organization. And that is exactly the case when it comes to Owen Beck and Oliver Kapanen. Both are RH centers that have continued to develop nicely since the Habs drafted them. Kapanen has played the last three years in a men’s pro league while Beck has played his past three years in the OHL so using scoring statistics as a measure isn’t a good comparison. Kapanen has been lighting it up lately in Liiga, particularly in the playoffs where he has 10 points in seven games. Similarly, Beck has broken out offensively since joining Saginaw for their run at the Memorial Cup with 51 points in 32 games. In addition to their offensive skills, both players are noted for their attention to the two-way game. Extended playoff runs will be a great experience for both players and there is a good chance that both players will be in Laval next year. Maybe they will even get a cup of coffee with the Canadiens. It’s another reason for Habs fans to be optimistic. – Trask

Guhle on Slafkovsky’s Improvements

Kaiden Guhle was asked in today’s press conference what the biggest change has been in Juraj Slafkovsky’s game: “I think the biggest one is just how he uses his body. I know you guys saw last year there were a couple of times getting blown up and you said how is he getting hit like that…he’s like 240..he’s a big body…I think he just kind of understood that he can use that body to his advantage. I think a lot of guys even told him in practice: You’re skating at me with your back turned…I’m not going to be able to move you. So that’s a big thing I’ve noticed is that he’s just so good at protecting the puck at 19 years old, and you can just see that there’s guys on the other team that just don’t know what to do when he’s coming at them, so I just think that’s the biggest thing; just using his body, and he just looks so much more confident with the puck. He’s not really afraid to make mistakes and that’s something that’s fun to watch. I mean I’m happy for him. Obviously, it was a little bit of a tough year for him last year so it’s good to see him get some results and have a good one this year.”

Importance of Team Culture

Culture. It’s almost seen as a joke to some fans, who believe that talent is far more important. Yet in a team sport like hockey, building the right environment (ie team culture) can have a massive impact. Look to the gutsy and emotional win by the Canadiens on the road in Colorado. It was an inspired victory over a Cup contender. It was Alex Newhook’s 1st game back in Denver, which is a bit of a boost for a team, but the bigger story was that it was also the return of head coach Martin St. Louis. Martin McGuire of 98.5 Montreal described an emotional reunion between St. Louis and his players in the hotel lobby where the coach greeted each one of them, the coaches and management, with handshakes and hugs. This kind of team culture helps lead to wins, but for a team in a rebuild, it also provides an ideal environment for individual player development. This is why it’s no fluke that Juraj Slafkovsky is starting to find his game and that St. Louis is a big reason for that. Bottom line: this demonstrates why Kent Hughes was trying to build this type of environment from his first day on the job and why St. Louis is the right man to be the coach of the Canadiens right now. -Potvin

Progress

Compared to last season’s edition of the team, the Montreal Canadiens have made some progress. While it may be less than what fans had hoped for, there is a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel. The Habs have accumulated four more points than at the same point last year while reducing their goals against by 17. It is not a bad result when you consider the man games missed by key players and the recent trades of a couple more. In the background, the Laval Rocket have stepped up their performance after early season struggles and more than one player on that team could challenge for a position on the Canadiens next year. Success can come slowly, then all at once. Will it happen with the Canadiens? -Trask

The Injury Effect

It’s easy to accept the notion that the Canadiens are a long way from contending for a playoff spot. After all they have shown little progress over last year as far as points in the standings go. The idea that they only need to fill a hole or two is dismissed as overly optimistic by many. But I will point to Kirby Dach and Alex Newhook … again. It would not be unreasonable to expect 18 to 20 goals from Dach along with 28 to 30 assists. That was his pace in the 2022-23 season. It is also not unreasonable to expect 24 or 25 goals and an equal number of assists from Alex Newhook. That is his pace over 82 games this season but injuries have limited him to 60% of the schedule so far. Given that these two could complement each other better than their previous or existing linemates, those expectations could be conservative. And their replacements have not come close to those numbers. Injuries have robbed the Canadiens of two key players and their opportunity to develop some chemistry together. Additionally, when you factor in their return to the lineup, everyone below them gets bumped into a role they are more suited to. Now if Kent Hughes can add a winger to complement this duo, the entire dynamic of the team changes. – Trask

Suzuki On Team Canada?

Nick Suzuki has to be considered a strong bet to play for Canada in the next couple of international events. He is entering his NHL prime at 24 years of age and on the cusp of being a point-per-game center who is solid defensively. Great character, a solid work ethic, and a proven playoff performer in both the OHL and NHL. He is one of the 11 most productive Canadian forwards in the NHL this season, and he’s the youngest of the bunch. When you add in all of the above factors and consider his versatility and the fact that he is one of only two Canadians who is captain of a Canadian-based NHL team, I don’t see how he can be passed over. You can’t go wrong having him on your team. -McCagg