Canadiens Must Fill 3 Holes Before They Can Contend for Stanley Cup

So, both goalies exceeded expectations, with the Canadiens going so far as to extend Montembeault for three more seasons. It shows they’re going with him as their No. 1 into the medium term, but questions remain. For example, Montembeault saved 11.8 goals above expected in 2022-23 to rank among the league leaders (per MoneyPuck.com), but that figure just fell considerably (3.3 vs. 3.6 for Primeau, ranked Nos. 30 and 31).

Considering Montembeault was widely seen as a third-string goalie upon his initial acquisition, it must be restated all he’s accomplished has been gravy. It’s also become readily apparent elite goaltending isn’t required to go all the way, with, for example, the Vegas Golden Knights having won it all in 2023 and Connor Hellebuyck, arguably the 2024 Vezina Trophy favourite, having just failed miserably to get his Winnipeg Jets past Round 1.

Seeing as the Canadiens failed to win the Cup with Carey Price, one of the best of his generation, they obviously have higher priorities. Ultimately, they can realistically find success with Montembeault (and Primeau), even if neither one pans out as a top No. 1, which is more of a nice-to-have. The team in front of them just needs to get better.

2. Top Right-Handed Defenseman

That speaks primarily to the defense, or lack thereof, which gave up 33.4 shots against per game, third-highest in the league. That needs to change in a bad way. On the plus side, the Canadiens seem to have most if not all the pieces in place. For example, with 48 goals scored, which ranked fourth in the league, the team’s defense has little problem contributing offensively, Mike Matheson leading the way with an elite 11 (and 62 points).

There is obviously a school of thought the Canadiens should trade Matheson. Operating under the assumption he’s not going anywhere right now, as a just-30-year-old with a cost-effective $4.875 million cap hit for the next three season, the Habs are in beyond-good shape on his left side. They’ve got him, Kaiden Guhle, Jordan Harris, Arber Xhekaj and Jayden Struble, each of whom has begun to establish themselves as an NHL defenseman.

Lane Hutson, the highly hyped offensive dynamo is also in the pipeline. The future of the right side is similarly stacked. Logan Mailloux earned an all-star nod in the American Hockey League. David Reinbacher, the team’s controversial fifth-overall selection from the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, just came over to North America, with a defensive-minded skill set that could offset the offense of Matheson, if not Hutson a few years down the road.

So, even those who criticized the selection (as leaving better players available on the table) must admit Reinbacher can pan out exactly as the Canadiens need. However, his first season after having been drafted didn’t go as well as they might have hoped. And, as a projected top-four defenseman with the potential to become elite, his proponents must conversely accept the possibility he’s not the answer, and, if not him, who? Because, overall, the right side needs much more love than its counterpart, despite the young talent.

Right-handed veterans David Savard and Johnathan Kovacevic could be on their way out as pending unrestricted free agents. Despite a second-ranked seven goals and a first-round draft pedigree, Justin Barron hasn’t caught on (yet at Age 22). Even if he had, neither he nor the similarly offensively talented Mailloux fail to address what’s keeping the puck out of their own net, with the Habs having given up 53 more goals than they scored in 2023-24.

1. Top-Six Winger

Playoff teams like the Tampa Bay Lightning and Toronto Maple Leafs effectively scored their apparent defensive shortcomings away. The Canadiens, while flush with NHL players, even up front, simply don’t have the same level of firepower as they do, though.

Thankfully, the top line of Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky seems like a keeper. If Kirby Dach returns and stays healthy after an injury kept him out of action for all but two games in 2023-24, he’ll realistically end up an above-average No. 2 centre. Alex Newhook filled in admirably in his place down the stretch, with 21 points in his last 30 games, potentially putting him in line to play down the middle on the third line.

That would in one way help address the team’s need for greater offensive depth, with Newhook having been initially tapped to play on Dach’s wing. However, even if rookie Joshua Roy is ready to take that spot and play in the top six permanently, the Canadiens still lack at least someone else to play so much as a complementary role effectively there.

The notion speaks to the dire need the Canadiens face. Neither Brendan Gallagher, Josh Anderson nor Joel Armia can be relied on as long-term solutions to consistently pull their fair share in a top-six capacity, putting Canadiens management under the gun. On top of that, it’s not like just anyone will do.

Logically, if the Canadiens lack elite talent in net and aren’t in a position to effectively limit the amount of goals they give up, they need elite talent up front. They don’t have it, as of yet. Thankfully, with a second consecutive fifth-overall pick coming up at the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, they’re in prime position to fill the aforementioned hole in the top six.

It’s just uncertain:

Five of the eight remaining playoff teams had scorers with 100 or more points in the regular season. Some had two (Colorado Avalanche, Edmonton Oilers). Of the remaining three, one had a 50-goal scorer (Florida Panthers). Another had a 100-point scorer last season, who’s still with the team and has yet to hit his prime (Dallas Stars). The other team just barely avoided being swept (Carolina Hurricanes). Funny enough, it’s their leading scorer, Sebastian Aho, the Canadiens targeted with an offer sheet once upon a time.

That’s not meant as an insult to Aho. Any team would be lucky to have him. It’s a reflection of how the Canadiens were and continue to be built, for better or worse, lacking a true superstar skater. However, on the plus side, Aho was a second-round pick (35th overall in 2015). Ditto for Stars forward Jason Robertson (39th overall in 2017).

New York Rangers forward Artemi Panarin went undrafted altogether. The Canadiens even made a worthwhile play for him, when he was still playing in the Kontinental Hockey League.

According to reports though, he accepted less money to join the Chicago Blackhawks, which is admittedly a reflection of the reality Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes faces when trying to attract talent to come to Montreal. The true takeaway: The Habs can make life a whole lot easier on themselves by picking the right player in June. There’s no alternative.