The Montreal Canadiens had a relatively slow summer, with general manager Kent Hughes seemingly on an extended vacation. That was until they acquired Patrick Laine on Monday. Here’s how the team would look if they only had players 25 or under, which should be a good indication of what the team might look like in the next couple of seasons.
Canadiens Under 25 Forward Group
The forward group has six players 25 or under, so they technically have two lines. Still, not all the under-25 players are top-six quality, meaning we need a bit of guessing and projecting to make up the lines with prospects. It’s safe to say that Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky on the wings, and Nick Suzuki at centre, would make up the top line. The second line would be made up of Kirby Dach at center, with Alex Newhook on the left side and 2024 fifth-overall draft pick Ivan Demidov on the right wing. These two lines give the Canadiens a solid top six that could be a dominating force in the future.
The bottom two lines are a little more challenging to set up, but there’s a lot of potential with Owen Beck at centre and Emil Heineman and Michael Hage (who could also center the line) on the wings. The fourth line could have Oliver Kapanen, Sean Farrell and Filip Mesar, all able to play any position on the line.
However, this leaves Florian Xhekaj, Riley Kidney, Jacob Perrault, Jared Davidson, and Xavier Simoneau to fill one spot. Davidson and Simoneau probably won’t make the Habs, and you could argue that Farrell, Kidney, and Perrault are long shots, leaving Xhekaj as the 13th forward.
Canadiens Under 25 Forward Lines
Slafkovsky – Suzuki – Caufield
Newhook – Dach – Demidov
Heineman – Hage – Beck
Farrell – Kapanen – Mesar
F. Xhekaj
Canadiens Under 25 Defensive Group
The Canadiens’ defence has five of seven players under 25. Only Mike Matheson and David Savard are older. Depending on how well some of the younger defencemen do, Savard could be gone as early as the start of the season or as late as the trade deadline. The Habs must also move out at least one more contract to be cap-compliant without putting Carey Price on long-term injury reserve (LTIR). Of course, this move could involve anyone, but with a plethora of defensemen, it’s likely one would be moved.
Related: Canadiens Give Young Core a Vote of Confidence
If they develop properly and reach their potential, the Canadiens’ young defence could be one of the organization’s best defensive cores since the 1970s. A top pairing of Lane Hutson and David Reinbacher could dominate, with Hutson’s scoring ability and Reinbacher’s solid two-way game. Then we have Kaiden Guhle and Logan Mailloux, again with Guhle playing a solid two-way game and Mialloux being the scoring defenseman. The bottom paring would be made up of Arber Xhekaj and one of the top young Russian players in the Kontenetial Hockey League (KHL), Bogdan Konyushkov. That leaves Jayden Struble, Adam Engstrom and Justin Barron battling for the seventh spot.
Canadiens Defensive Pairings
Hutson – Reinbacher
Guhle – Mailloux
A. Xhekaj – Konyushkov
Struble
Canadiens Under 25 Goaltending
This will be short and sweet: the Canadiens have one of the best goaltenders in the Northern Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) system in Jacob Fowler. They also could have one of the better goalies coming out of Russia, Yevgeni Volokhin. Cayden Primeau is the backup in Montreal right now, and Jakob Dobes, the starter for the Laval Rocket of the American Hockey League (AHL), has pro experience.
So, who would be the duo between the pipes? This could go two ways: experience, which would be Primeau and Dobes, or potential, which would be Fowler and Volokhin. Ultimately, I’d go with a mix of both and have a tandem of Folwer and Dobes.
Canadiens Goalies
Jacob Fowler
Jakob Dobes
You might be wondering why I left Rafael Harvey-Pinard off the list of forwards. I don’t think he will fit on the team this season, and his recent injury will set him far back (and I forgot). Harvey-Pinard had his chance, and I think you will soon see other prospects pass him. Other than that, this future Canadiens team looks excellent; of course, not everyone will hit their potential, and a few will be traded away for veterans to help the team win. Under Hughes, the Canadiens are in good shape, and the rebuild is so close to being over.
