Deciphering Canadiens' Second Power Play Unit

Dobson was more of the same, while obviously he was Hughes first splash of the offseason. The six-foot-four, 194-pound right-shot defenseman from Summerside, Prince Edward Island scored 10 goals in each of his last four seasons, a testament to his great shot, which will be utilized heavily in Montreal.

A 70-point season also gives him some credibility as an offense creator, to which he can also throw in a 50 and 55-point season. Last year was a bit of a down year statistically for Dobson, who scored 10 goals, but his assist total dipped from 60 to 29.

All signs point to Dobson being extremely motivated, and the internal competition between the two offensive dynamo defenseman should be a real 'Iron sharpens iron' kind of feel for the Canadiens' two stud blueliners.

Hutson scored 66 points, and Dobson wants to get back to his 70-point pace, that'll be a great story for another time.

Now to the other three players that will round out the second power play unit, this is with the belief that the first unit doesn't get split up.

In the playoffs, Patrik Laine was moved to the second power-play unit to try and ignite a spark, and this feels like a logical way to ice two very good power plays. Splitting up Cole Caufield and Laine will ensure both units have a scoring threat on the left side of the ice.

Now, for a center to take faceoffs, and though Kirby Dach isn't Patrice Bergeron in the faceoff dot, the Canadiens need a big year out of him, and power play two responsibilities allow him to play offensively, while still being relied upon at five-on-five to play a steady 200-foot game. Dach should want to take the second-line center role.

For the last piece, adding Alex Newhook across from Dobson on his right side provides a bit of insurance if things go awry at the blueline, because you takes the risk if you're Dobson, knowing Newhook's speed buys you a bit of time to recover from an occasional puck blunder, if you will.

With two balanced units, the Canadiens can let both groups build chemistry together, and elevate the Canadiens up the Eastern Conference, and Atlantic Division standings as they grow.