Montreal Canadiens preview: Carey Price holds the keys to success
Projected Lineup
How will the Montreal Canadiens look this season? Here’s a look at how their lineup should look. Roster projections are with the help of Daily Faceoff and Roster Resource. Additions are designated by italics.
Forwards
Tomas Tatar – Jonathan Drouin – Brendan Gallagher
Max Domi – Phillip Danault – Artturi Lehkonen
Paul Byron – Tomas Plekanec – Andrew Shaw
Charles Hudon – Matthew Peca – Joel Armia
Extra forward: Jacob de la Rosa
Depth forwards: Nicolas Deslauriers, Nikita Scherbak,
Byron and Shaw will both miss time to start the year. I’d expect Hudon and Armia to get promotions to the third line. Any number of their depth forwards could fill in on the fourth line. Their top line would be a pretty good one, except they have a left wing playing at center.
I’m more sold on their second line, which could be a nice bright spot for the Canadiens. Danault is a great example of one of the few times general manager Marc Bergevin won a trade. Lehkonen is a pretty outstanding shot generator but had a down year as far as finishing. Domi should fix that.
Outside of Hudon, Byron, and Armia, their bottom six isn’t anything to write home about. Suzuki likely won’t earn a full-time spot this season, but I’d expect him to make his NHL debut at some point, whether that’s towards the beginning of the season or the end.
Defensemen (with Weber)
Victor Mete – Shea Weber
Extra defensemen: Jordie Benn, Mike Rielly
Without Weber
Alzner – Petry
Mete – Benn/Rielly
Schlemko – Juulsen
Even with Weber, this is a pretty underwhelming defensive core. Their primary issue is the Canadiens have few guys who can move the puck effectively. That’s what happens when you trade P.K. Subban and Mikhail Sergachev. But I digress.
Mete is definitely someone to keep an eye on. I’ve been quite impressed with the young defenseman thus far. His defense is still a work in progress, but on offense, he’s impressive. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s the Canadiens best defenseman this year, though that’s likely more due to those surrounding him.
Juulsen has done alright in a small sample size. But since he’s one of the few guys the Canadiens have on their blueline who can do things on offense, they’d be wise to play him regularly. Petry is the designated scapegoat, but he’s a pretty solid defenseman, albeit one miscast in his current role.
Goaltending
Carey Price
Expect the Habs to trade Niemi because Lindgren deserves to be in the NHL. The Canadiens will rely heavily on their goaltending. And I must admit, their goaltending might be capable of stealing games for the Habs. Now, whether or not that’s a good thing for a rebuilding team to have is a debate worth having.