3 silver linings to a forgettable Canadiens season
The Habs may be tanking hard for Bedard, but they've given fans plenty to be hopeful about heading into the offseason.
The Montreal Canadiens once again find themselves among the bottom-feeders in the NHL, and while it's disheartening to many to see the storied franchise so low in the standings, there have been some positive storylines to come out of this somber season.
The Habs lineup, while talented on paper, has been ravaged by injuries, leading the league in man games lost (670) for the second straight year. Fans have been largely deprived of seeing young stars like Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky strut their stuff on NHL ice as they pray for a miracle in the form of a draft lottery win — and the chance to draft generational prospect Connor Bedard.
Ownership and management will hope this rebuild turns the club's fortunes around sooner rather than later, and while a younger contingent of fans have enjoyed the meme-filled season to date, this is a market that prides itself on results on the ice.
It's not all doom and gloom in Montreal, though. Here are some positives the organization and Canadiens fans can take into this summer, next season and beyond.
The kids are alright
The Canadiens have a well-defined and promising core to invest in for the long haul, and while a plethora of young talent on the roster has not necessarily translated into wins and points this season, a number of potential stars have taken big strides in their development.
The first name that jumps out is Nick Suzuki. Only 23 years old and already captain in one of the biggest markets in the NHL, Suzuki eclipsed his season-high in points on Thursday against the Washington Capitals, notching a goal and an assist in a resounding 6-2 win at home to reach 63 points on the season. The London, Ont., native got off to a hot start in the fall, regularly combining with linemate Cole Caufield to put up boat loads of points before Caufield had to undergo season-ending shoulder surgery in late January.
Suzuki has regularly shown his high-end skill and vision, making tough, veteran plays with ease and separating himself as one of the most talented young forwards in today's NHL. He is also showing maturity on the defensive side of the puck, a necessary step in his development if he's to become the No. 1 centre Montreal envisions him evolving into.
Despite the premature end to his season, Caufield took the league by storm, displaying his uncanny nose for scoring and an elite shot. The diminutive sniper had 26 goals and 36 points in just 46 games, on pace for 46 goals and a place in the 99th percentile of goalscorers in the NHL. The 22-year-old may even finish as the Canadiens' top goalscorer this year, despite missing almost half the season (Suzuki has 24 tallies with three games remaining). At worst, he'll finish second.
The Habs have some studs on the defensive end too, starting with 21-year-old Kaiden Guhle. The rookie is fourth in average ice time on the team, regularly slotting in on the top pairing and going up against the opposing team's top line on a nightly basis.
He's also displayed some skill moving the puck from the backend and pitching in offensively, registering five goals and 18 points in 44 games. Guhle has been in and out of the lineup all season as he nursed various injuries, but his performances against some of the best forwards in the league have fans excited about his top-pairing potential.
Kaiden Guhle (MTL21) played a suffocating two-way game in MTL's 3-2 comeback win over PIT.
The rookie tallied two assists with a 63% xGF% in 24 minutes, 60% of which was head-to-head with #87.
Here are his most notable plays and puck touches from last night. #GoHabsGo #NHLPotN pic.twitter.com/mksymrHSv2— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) October 18, 2022
Jordan Harris and Justin Barron have also taken significant steps in their respective developments as NHL-calibre defencemen, balancing their puck-moving skills with a steadier presence in their own end. Harris ranks second among Canadiens defencemen in expected goals against per 60 (2.78), via Natural Stat Trick, right behind defensive partner Johnathan Kovacevic.
Meanwhile, Barron is finally coming into his own after a slower start to his time in Montreal. After he was traded to the Canadiens from the Colorado Avalanche at last season's trade deadline, Barron struggled to make an impact with his new club to close out the 2021-22 campaign. The 21-year-old started this season in the AHL with the Laval Rocket, putting up 16 points in 25 games before earning a call-up to the big club to fill in for some injured regulars. He hasn't looked back since, appearing in 36 NHL games with Montreal, notching 14 points while displaying a more mature defensive game than he had shown previously. He's also found room to flash his offensive touch, ranking second among the squad's blueliners in points per 60 (1.42).
While the development of this young group has been encouraging for the front office, a lot of eyes are still on 2022 first overall pick Juraj Slafkovsky, who managed only 10 points in 36 games before being shut down for the season with a knee injury. The 18-year-old failed to make a true impact at the NHL level as a wide-eyed rookie, as many may have predicted, but the club and its followers will hope to see some growth in his sophomore season after spending a whole year in North America.
And, on top of all that, the Canadiens are poised to pick in the top-five at this June's draft, featuring one of the most talented classes we've seen in years.
In Kent Hughes we trust
General manager Kent Hughes had a tall task ahead of him after taking over the front office — alongside president of hockey operations Jeff Gorton — midway through last season after the long-awaited dismissal of Marc Bergevin. Hughes inherited a team destined for failure, despite it improbably reaching the Stanley Cup Final only months earlier. He managed to stock up on picks and prospects at the deadline while shipping off expiring contracts, embracing the rebuild that had been postponed for years.
Last offseason, though, is when Hughes and Co. worked their magic. First, he traded Shea Weber's contract to Vegas for forward Evgeni Dadonov, dropping a dead contract for a pending UFA that he could flip at the next trade deadline. He then stole the headlines at the draft in Montreal, trading defenceman Alexander Romanov to the Islanders for the 13th overall pick, which he then flipped to the Blackhawks for former top prospect Kirby Dach.
Just over a week later, the Canadiens traded disgruntled defenceman Jeff Petry and Ryan Poehling to the Penguins for defenceman Mike Matheson and a fourth-round pick — a somewhat underwhelming return at the time.
In August, Hughes would acquire Sean Monahan and a first-round pick from the Flames for future considerations as Calgary created cap space to accommodate the Nazem Kadri signing.
Monahan, looking to get his career back on track after several injury-riddled seasons, started the campaign with 17 points in 25 games before — you guessed it — heading to the IR for the rest of the year.
Matheson and Dach, however, have turned out to be massive gets for the Canadiens, each proving to be impactful players on both sides of the puck. Matheson has won over the Habs faithful with his elite skating, playmaking ability and passion for his hometown hockey club. The 29-year-old has a career-high 33 points in 45 games — good for fourth in team scoring — and has filled Petry's shoes admirably.
Dach, meanwhile, has finally found some consistency in his game, showing off the high-end skill and decision-making that made him the third-overall selection of the 2019 NHL draft. Dach has been utilized in different positions and roles in Montreal's top-six, driving play at a high level regardless of who he lines up with while using his 6-foot-4 frame to win puck battles all over the ice.
The former Saskatoon Blades standout has reached career-highs in goals (14), assists (24) and points (38) in his first season with the Canadiens. Dach is third on the team in Corsi for (50.3 percent), behind only Monahan and Brendan Gallagher, both of whom have played significantly less than the 22-year-old this season.
Dadonov had little to no impact while bouncing around the Canadiens bottom-six before he was traded to the Stars in late February for forward Denis Gurianov. Gurianov, who had only scored two goals in 43 games in Dallas this season, has registered eight points in 20 games — including a four-game goal streak in March — with the bleu-blanc-rouge, putting his elite speed on the wing to good use.
Diamonds in the rough
We have to give props to Montreal's scouting and development team for unearthing some serious talent seemingly out of nowhere.
First, one of the stories of the season for the Canadiens — and around the NHL — is Arber Xhekaj, a rookie defenceman who went undrafted in both the OHL and NHL before signing an entry-level deal with the Habs in 2021. The hulking 22-year-old quickly became a fan favourite for his willingness to protect his teammates, routinely squaring up with some of the toughest players in the league. He's not all meat and potatoes, though, as he's shown some reliability as a stay-at-home blueliner who can count on his hands and IQ to get out of tricky situations.
In net, Samuel Montembeault has stepped up to the plate, putting up respectable numbers while backstopping one of the league's most defensively-challenged squads.
After struggling to establish himself as a reliable NHL-calibre goalie with the Panthers, Montembeault is finally coming into his own in his home province, posting a plus-.900 save percentage season for the first time in his four-year career.
The 26-year-old is actually among the best netminders in the league in goals saved above expected at 17.64.
Sorokin, Saros, and Ullmark lead the way in goals saved above expected.
Elvis has had a rough year, so has Campbell. Things were not great for Quick in LA. https://t.co/i2iL2NhCRk pic.twitter.com/bJ9Z5yUIeI— Shayna (@hayyyshayyy) April 7, 2023
With Carey Price all but retired, and Jake Allen struggling in a starting role, the crease may be Montembeault's to lose next season if he can keep up this form.
Finally, with the team's leaders and young stars falling left and right down the stretch, fans have had fewer and fewer things to cheer for as this forgettable campaign has wound to a close. Enter Rafaël Harvey-Pinard, the 24-year-old rookie who has absolutely run away with the opportunity presented to him after being called up in January. In 33 games, Harvey-Pinard has tallied 14 goals and 20 points while capturing the hearts of fans with his fervent play style and infectious smile. Taken in the seventh round of the 2019 draft, Harvey-Pinard took the long route to the NHL, signing an AHL deal out of major junior before inking an entry-level contract with the Canadiens in 2021.
The Jonquiere, Que., native has spent most of his time with the big club on the top line with Suzuki, rejuvenating the captain's play and production midway through the season. On March 25, Harvey-Pinard notched his first career hat trick in an 8-2 drubbing of the Blue Jackets in Montreal.
Look at that smile, Habs fans. It hasn't all been bad this season.
