Montreal Canadiens 2023-24 NHL Preview
The Montreal Canadiens had a weird run to the Stanley Cup Final three years ago. They never deserved to be there if we’re being honest. Since then, Montreal has mostly been terrible. Can this team get back on track in a tough Eastern Conference? Let’s preview the team heading into the 2023-24 NHL Season.
Line Combination (Combinations Obtained via DailyFaceoff.com)
Not pictured are the two goalies Sam Montembeault and Jake Allen. Carey Price is for sure done so don’t expect him to come out of that tunnel. It’s pretty easy to see why this team has fallen off. Shea Weber is gone and this team doesn’t have a top end blue liner anymore. The shut down center Phillip Danault is gone too. The hope is that some of these young players can eventually become that.
New Faces
Not a ton of changes this year for Montreal. The most notable is the acquisition of Alex Newhook. The Canadiens traded for Newhook after he failed to impress in Colorado. We’ll see if he can have more success on the wing with Kirby Dach centering him. Outside of that, there really aren’t any notable changes.
Three Players To Watch
- Nick Suzuki
Suzuki is the captain and the top line center for this team. He started off last season on fire but really cooled down when the team lost Caufield for the year. Suzuki had 24 points in the first 22 games but only finished the season with 66. Heading into his age 24 season, now is the time to prove he’s a top line guy.
- Cole Caufield
The potential is there. We all know that. Caufield has the potential to be a 40 goal guy. He’s just been slowed down by injury. At some point, the guy just has to come through. The Wisconsin product needs to prove he’s more than just a pure sniper too. It should be an exciting year for Caufield who hopefully proves he’s a healthy asset.
- Kirby Dach
Dach was the former third overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft by Chicago. He has a ton of skill but he hasn’t quite put it all together. Dach posted 38 points in his first year with Montreal. Can that number climb even further? It better given that he’s getting over 18 minutes of ice time. Potential only gets you so far. It’s time to prove it.
Biggest Riser
Kaiden Guhle had a really nice rookie season. Forget about the box score. Trust me on this. He passes the eyeball test especially defensively. I’m curious if Guhle eventually becomes the team’s top blue line option. I wouldn’t bet against him.
Biggest Faller
Brendan Gallager has just vanished. He used to be a tough guy that put up points. Now he’s a tough guy that isn’t reliable offensively. 14 points last year and 24 the year before. It’s not good enough. He just looks slow and is heading into his 30’s. I think we’ve probably seen the best of him.
The Biggest Question Is…
I honestly have no idea so I’ll just make something up here. This team isn’t very good but one X-Factor could be Rafael Havey-Pinard. The former 7th round pick produced 20 points in 34 games a season ago. He’s supposed to start this season on the 4th line. I think that’s a mistake. 14 of those points were goals. RHP showed some serious finishing ability and could become that secondary scorer eventually.
Verdict
This team isn’t very good. I don’t see how they make playoffs. It’s not a barren cupboard but they don’t have nearly enough depth to be taken seriously. The blue line is average. Ditto for goaltending. We’re here to watch Caufield pop and if that happens Hab fans will be happy.
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