Canadiens general manager (GM) Kent Hughes’ rebuild plan is starting to bear fruit as the young players who continue to graduate to the NHL are performing at or above expectations. The holiday road trip has been the team’s Achilles’ heel for many years. This season there was a marked difference but there are both positive and negative points to discuss. With that, here’s a look at the latest 3 Up, 3 Down.
Plus One: Slafkovsky’s Growth
After a 10-point season in his rookie year — which was halted at 39 games due to an injury — Juraj Slafkovsky had to face added scrutiny from fans and the media this season. It’s true that he didn’t have very many good games last season, or even in the first two months of this season to go on to showcase his skills. However, with head coach Martin St. Louis and player development director Adam Nicholas spending time with the 19-year-old daily, the fruits of their labours are starting to show.
Slafkovsky has been adding skills which have started to make him a beast to play against. He is difficult to take off the puck when he acquires it in the offensive zone and is becoming difficult to defend against when he is on the forecheck or one-on-one.
Since his addition to the top line, he seems to have found his niche and is fitting in very well with the others. His progression has now been showing on the scoresheet as he has recorded six points during this seven-game road trip and seven points in his last 10 games.
“Yeah, one of the better ones. Always when I have good games, we just say that. Yeah, it’s one of the better games, but I don’t look at it that way. It’s just part of the journey and I just keep getting better.”
-Juraj Slafkovsky
In fact, he’s been having good games consistently over the last month and that is a sign of progression for him. This personal progression has helped lead to progression for his line. Also, he is now being used at the end of games when the team needs to hold onto a lead or needs a goal. That wasn’t something fans saw at the start of the season as St. Louis relied on others for those jobs, but not anymore.
Plus Two: A Top Line — Finally
Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield have been Montreal’s dynamic duo for a few seasons, and now, they have found their third Musketeer in Slafkovsky. The good news is that this isn’t just a top line because they are the best on this roster, they are a top line when measured against the rest of the NHL. For lines that have played over 190 minutes, Montreal’s top line sits seventh overall in expected goals for percentage at 60.2% and second in expected goals against. This is sustainable as they are a strong possession line with a 55.4% Corsi For and 57.53% in High Danger Chances For.
Related: Canadiens: 3 Burning Questions Heading Into 2024
Their defensive play has also been very strong, sitting sixth-best in the NHL in goals against per 60 minutes played at 2.04 goals against. Montreal has a top 10 line in the NHL, which is a major building block. This isn’t like the Phillip Danault, Tomas Tatar and Brendan Gallagher line who were more of a shutdown trio that gave some offence. Instead, this line is a possession line that has natural offensive skill sets. Add a healthy Kirby Dach and Alex Newhook and now Montreal is looking at a very dangerous top six.
Plus Three: Youthful Defensive Depth
One of the Canadiens’ strengths is their defensive depth, especially the depth of good young defensemen with high ceilings. Jordan Harris returned to the lineup after missing time due to injury as if he never left. Jayden Struble — Harris’ partner from his time in the NCAA — has been surprisingly steady and effective. Kaiden Guhle and Justin Barron have had their ups and downs, but it is clear there is potential, especially for Guhle who could be a top-pairing defender.
Montreal is one of the leaders in the NHL in scoring by defensemen, and that has a lot to do with the construction of that group. Hughes has been adding mobility, puck moving ability, and offensive skills since his arrival. The coaching staff has used that to their advantage by encouraging them to jump up in the play and helping them identify when to do so without being a defensive liability.
The prospect depth in the American Hockey League’s (AHL) includes the organization’s version of the Bash Brothers — Arber Xhekaj and Logan Mailloux — who have been terrorizing AHL forwards and helping to turn the Laval Rocket’s season around. Further down, not in the North American professional system yet, are Lane Hutson and David Reinbacher, who are seen as the future top-pairing d-men. With so many good young defensemen, there will be very difficult choices to make on who they want to keep and who they will use as trade bait to fill holes elsewhere in the lineup.
Minus One: Lack of Consistency
A lack of consistency may be the most important minus to solve. The inconsistencies are team wide, and occurs from one game to the next as well as one period to the next. Montreal has been notorious this season for poor starts, such as allowing goals early, like the one in Dallas where the Dallas Stars scored 11 seconds into the game.
Consistency helps to build momentum, develop good habits, and stay focused. This is what St. Louis will need to focus on. This isn’t just about being consistently dominating a shift, but rather about a mindset. Giving the full measure of effort — whatever is in the player’s “gas tank” — is essential as it is that consistency that will provide the best outcomes. Consistent effort, even on the days when they don’t feel like they’re at their best, will create habits and positive outcomes.
Minus Two: Injuries, Injuries, and more Injuries
Josh Anderson seemed to have suffered a significant injury in the game against the Stars. Anderson wasn’t putting any weight on his right leg and had to be helped back to the dressing room after he collided with Stars defenseman Thomas Hartley and dropped to the ice midway through the third period.
This was in a game the Canadiens were playing with only 11 forwards as they lost Christian Dvorak only two days before, making it two consecutive games playing with only 11 forwards, and in the Dallas game, they had to make do with only 10 for an entire period. This has been an issue all season and the history of injuries over the last three seasons has starting to become alarming. Add their names to a list that includes Rafael Harvey-Pinard, Newhook, and Dach as other top-nine forwards lost for long periods of time. Somehow, the team continues to be competitive despite the loss of so many key pieces, but for how much longer, and more importantly, how this trend can be reversed, are bigger questions.
Minus Three: Canadiens Stuck in the Middle
The road trip has been exciting and shown some progress for the club in the rebuild. They’ve been highly-competitive despite the injuries. But this is also a problem because it raises them up the standings and further away from top draft picks. Montreal desperately needs to add an elite offensive talent. There is significant depth in the team’s prospect pool, but not one player there can be seen as elite. There is no clear path to acquiring elite talent, and even via the Draft, luck is involved. Some way, somehow, the Canadiens’ management team will need to find a way to address this, and if their plan was via the Draft, the team’s improving results will make that more difficult without some form of trade.
The holiday road trip had more good moments than bad and the 2023-24 season continues to give fans hope as well as entertainment. The expectations for this season were low, but the performances are causing those expectations to grow as the season wears on. The Canadiens are still not a playoff-calibre team, but this trip does point to that being changed, perhaps as early as next season.
