Montreal Canadiens
Eastern Conference - Atlantic division
Predicted Finish: 8th
DEFENSE LOGJAM LOOMS LARGE WITH LES HABITANTS
It could be argued that the Canadiens boast the best defensive depth in the NHL these days.
Even after trading Jonathan Kovacevic to New Jersey and Jordan Harris to Columbus over the summer, Montreal still boasts nine defensemen that could make the team this season–plus a couple more prospects that are close. Mike Matheson and David Savard are the veterans; Kaiden Guhle is the young vet with breakthrough potential; Lane Hutson, Logan Mailloux and David Reinbacher are three of the top blueline prospects in the NHL; while Arber Xhekaj, Jayden Struble and Justin Barron round out the list of Habs rearguards. Adam Engstrom and William Trudeau might be ready by 2025-26.
To that end, it makes all the sense in the world that GM Kent Hughes traded Harris to the Blue Jackets for winger Patrik Laine.
Mike Matheson
Forecasts
Centers
2024-25
Last 3 Seasons
| Rank | Name, Age | GP | G | A | PTS | PPG | 23-24 | 22-23 | 21-22 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | N. Suzuki, 25 | 82 | 35 | 47 | 82 | 1.00 | 82 / 0.94 | 82 / 0.80 | 82 / 0.74 | |
| 75 | K. Dach, 23 | 69 | 13 | 26 | 39 | 0.57 | 2 / 1.00 | 58 / 0.66 | 70 / 0.37 | + |
| 87 | J. Evans, 28 | 82 | 9 | 24 | 33 | 0.40 | 82 / 0.34 | 54 / 0.35 | 72 / 0.40 | $ |
Wingers
| Rank | Name, Age | GP | G | A | PTS | PPG | 23-24 | 22-23 | 21-22 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 33 | C. Caufield, 23 | 80 | 31 | 39 | 70 | 0.88 | 82 / 0.79 | 46 / 0.78 | 67 / 0.64 | |
| 42 | P. Laine, 26 | 75 | 33 | 32 | 65 | 0.87 | 18 / 0.50 | 55 / 0.95 | 56 / 1.00 | + |
| 56 | J. Slafkovsky, 20 | 81 | 26 | 34 | 60 | 0.74 | 82 / 0.61 | 39 / 0.26 | FINLAND | |
| 68 | A. Newhook, 23 | 78 | 18 | 22 | 40 | 0.51 | 55 / 0.62 | 82 / 0.37 | 71 / 0.46 | + |
| 180 | J. Roy, 21 | 74 | 11 | 16 | 27 | 0.36 | 23 / 0.39 | QMJHL | QMJHL | + |
| 188 | J. Anderson, 30 | 73 | 15 | 10 | 25 | 0.34 | 78 / 0.26 | 69 / 0.46 | 69 / 0.46 | |
| 197 | B. Gallagher, 32 | 62 | 10 | 13 | 23 | 0.37 | 77 / 0.40 | 37 / 0.38 | 56 / 0.43 | |
| 217 | J. Armia, 31 | 70 | 12 | 7 | 19 | 0.27 | 66 / 0.38 | 43 / 0.33 | 60 / 0.23 | $ |
Defensemen
| Rank | Name, Age | GP | G | A | PTS | PPG | 23-24 | 22-23 | 21-22 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | M. Matheson, 30 | 77 | 9 | 44 | 53 | 0.69 | 82 / 0.76 | 48 / 0.71 | 74 / 0.42 | |
| 50 | L. Hutson, 20 | 79 | 6 | 28 | 34 | 0.43 | 2 / 1.00 | NCAA | NTDP | |
| 84 | K. Guhle, 22 | 74 | 7 | 18 | 25 | 0.34 | 70 / 0.31 | 44 / 0.41 | WHL | + |
| 102 | J. Struble, 23 | 74 | 8 | 14 | 22 | 0.30 | 56 / 0.18 | NCAA | HE | $ |
| 137 | D. Savard, 33 | 66 | 2 | 16 | 18 | 0.27 | 60 / 0.40 | 62 / 0.32 | 62 / 0.27 | + $ |
| 143 | A. Xhekaj, 23 | 62 | 6 | 10 | 16 | 0.26 | 44 / 0.23 | 51 / 0.25 | OHL | + |
Goaltenders
| Rank | Name, Age | GP | W | SO | GAA | Sv% | 23-24 | 22-23 | 21-22 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | S. Montembeault, 27 | 46 | 19 | 1 | 3.08 | 0.904 | 41 / 16 | 40 / 16 | 38 8 | |
| 35 | C. Primeau, 25 | 38 | 17 | 3 | 2.96 | 0.908 | 23 / 8 | 3 / 0 | AHL | $ |
Depth Chart
Left Wing |
Center |
Right Wing |
|---|---|---|
| C. Caufield 1 |
C N. Suzuki |
J. Slafkovsky (LW) 1 |
| P. Laine (LW) | K. Dach (RW) | J. Armia (LW) |
| J. Roy (RW) 5 | A. Newhook (C) | J. Anderson (RW) |
| M. Pezzetta 6 | J. Evans 7 | B. Gallagher 5 |
| R. Harvey-Pinard (RW) 7 | C. Dvorak (LW) | A. Barre-Boulet (LW) |
| F. Xhekaj* (C) 4 | O. Beck* (RW) 2 | F. Mesar* 1 |
| L. Tuch* 2 | R. Kidney* 2 | J. Perreault* |
| S. Farrell* (C) 4 | J. Davidson* 5 | I. Demidov* 1 |
Defense |
Goaltender |
Notable Departures |
|---|---|---|
| M. Matheson | S. Montembeault | J. Harris (T-CBJ) |
| D. Savard | C. Primeau 7 | J. Kovacevic (T-NJ) |
| K. Guhle 1 | J. Dobes* 5 | T. Pearson (UFA) |
| L. Hutson 2 | C. Hughes | M. Stephens (FA-Sea) |
| A. Xhekaj | J. Fowler* 3 | C. White (FA-AHL) |
| L. Mailloux* 1 | Y. Volokhin* 5 | J. Ylonen (FA-TB) |
| J. Struble 2 | Q. Miller* 4 | |
| D. Reinbacher* 1 | E. Croteau* 6 | |
| A. Engstrom* 3 | M. Vecvanags* 5 | |
| W. Trudeau* 4 | J. Vrbetic* 7 | |
| J. Barron | C. Price 1 |
Forecasts: *: Rookie; 
: injury concern; 
: contract year (UFA in 2025);
: Must-draft player Last 3 season stats: GP and PPG for skaters, GP and W for goalies; Rank is based on PPG or Ws compared to players in the same position. Age as of October 10, 2024.
Depth Chart: (Secondary Position); *: Rookie; 
: Team captain; Orange denotes off-season acquisition via free agency or trade; 1 to 9: Organizational draft pick with round selected.
Lines: Projected lines, pairs and units are for the majority of the season, not neccesarily opening night; 2023-24 Power Play TOI and G-A-PTS in parenthesis
Projected Lines/Pairs
Power Play Units
| Forwards | Defense |
|---|---|
| C. Caufield - N. Suzuki - J. Slafkovsky | M. Matheson - K. Guhle |
| P. Laine - K. Dach - J. Armia | L. Hutson - D. Savard |
| J. Roy - A. Newhook - J. Anderson | A. Xhekaj - L. Mailloux |
| M. Pezzetta - J. Evans - B. Gallagher |
| First Unit | Second Unit |
|---|---|
| M. Matheson (3:39, 5-23-28) | B. Gallagher (1:33, 1-3-4) |
| N. Suzuki (3:37, 12-19-31) | J. Anderson (1:47, 0-2-2) |
| C. Caufield (3:34, 9-12-21) | K. Dach (4:07, 0-0-0) |
| P. Laine (2:52, 1-1-2) | A. Newhook (3:05, 2-6-8) |
| J. Slafkovsky (2:59, 6-8-14) | L. Hutson (0:51, 0-0-0) |