Montreal Canadiens: Time to get excited

The Montreal Canadiens are a legendary franchise that, until they last won the Stanley Cup in 1993, was regarded as the go-to place to become a champion. Those days could be returning soon.

Since the Montreal Canadiens last won the Stanley Cup in 1993, it has been a challenging couple of years. They have missed the playoffs 11 times and have only been to two trips to the conference finals losing both to New York Rangers (2014) and Philidelphia Flyers (2010) respectably.

Now you may be saying, “well only missing the playoffs 11 times in 26 years isn’t that bad”. Well, if you’re comparing it to some of the franchises that came around during that span, (looking at you Columbus), sure, that might look good.

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Yet, if you look at the years prior to 1993, the Canadiens only missed the playoffs once since the expansion of 1967. They won the Stanley Cup 10 out of 11 times when they made it. So, that’s a pretty stark difference when you look at the years following their last cup in 1993.

The argument against why they struggled is that the East got stronger, or parity in the league grew or what have you, but when you have the most successful franchise in the NHL not living up to its former glory something has to change.

And change is here, the future is here. What gets me excited about Montreal is all the great young talent they have acquired the last couple of years all coming together as soon as next season.

Not to compare the Canadiens to the Toronto Maple Leafs, but the guys that are waiting for their chance could make an impact like how the Leafs young players did when they came on.

The arrival of Jesperi Kotkaniemi last season was the “W” the Habs’ brass needed after choosing him in what seemed like a “hail mary” pick in a player that was supposedly not going to be ready for 1-2 more seasons. 79 games, 34 points, and 9th in Calder Trophy voting later, Kotkaniemi looks like a budding first-line center that is already great in his own zone with untapped offensive potential.

While a lot of people want to compare Kotkaniemi’s career arc to that of the Colorado Avalanche‘s Mikko Rantanen, I think the better comparative is that of Florida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov. Barkov was drafted with second overall pick in 2013 and with players like Seth Jones and Jonathan Drouin being ranked higher, his getting chosen so high came to a surprise to some.

Through the first two seasons of his career, “Sasha” had a combined 60 points in 125 games. Not a lot of points but the potential was there. After that, Barkov recorded 50 points and over the following 4 seasons including a 96 point effort during the 2018-19 campaign all while being considered one of best two-way forwards in the game.

In saying all that, while you can never expect the same output from player to player, the excitement for a breakout season in Kotkaneimi should be at an all-time high.

Speaking of Centres, don’t you be sleeping on Nick Suzuki. After getting drafted 13th overall by the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2017 NHL Draft, Suzuki was a top prospect that was suspected to make a run for a roster spot on Vegas.

Partly due to predictions for the Vegas roster being weak and Suzuki being that good, he ended up getting sent back to the Owen Sound Attack in the OHL where he posted a 100 point season and added 12 points in 11 playoff games for the Attack. Following that season he was shipped to the Habs’ in the Max Pacioretty trade.

Having gotten traded so late in the 2018 offseason, Suzuki missed prospect camp and was sent back to junior for more seasoning. After 30 games and becoming Captain with the Attack. Suzuki was traded to the Guelph Storm.

This is where his development went up another level. During the OHL playoffs, Suzuki notched 42 points in just 24 games winning the championship. It was there that Montreal Canadians director of player development, Rob Ramage, said Suzuki “upped it to another level.” After that exciting run and now being able to attend a full Canadiens prospect camp lookout for Nick to make a run for a roster spot as soon as this season.

Last but not least we have the Americans. This Canadiens haven’t always drafted Americans, and when they did it rarely worked out unless your name rhymes with Stax Mancietty. That has changed in the last two years.

After making the playoffs in 2017, the Canadiens ended up with the 25th pick in the draft and they selected Ryan Poehling. While he didn’t make his NHL debut until 2019, he made quite the impact. In the final game of the 2018-19 season, Poehling not only scored a hattrick but scored the game-winning shot in the shootout. Welcome to the NHL kid.

Poehling should fight for a spot on the roster next season and could fight for a top 6-9 spot with some depth players leaving Montreal in the offseason. The next American though could be the next great goal scorer for the Habs.

Cole Caufield is a Montreal Canadien. I repeat, COLE CAUFIELD IS A MONTREAL CANADIEN! If you’re a Habs’ fan, you were definitely sweating as the picks got closer to 15. The dream of finally having elite goal-scorer came true.

Caufield is the best pure goal scorer of the 2019 draft class. During the 2018-19 season, Caufield played with the USNTDP Juniors, U.S. National U18 Team, and the USA U18. Three teams combined.

In 99 games played, he scored 115 goals, including 14 goals in 7 games in the U18 tournament. Safe to say he can score goals. If you can’t wait to see him in a Canadiens jersey go watch his highlights and run them on repeat.

For a player of Caufield’s caliber to fall to 15 is a blessing for the Canadiens. The only knock on him is his height. At 5’7, 163 pounds the size factor came into play and teams passed on him. The same thing happened to Alex Debrincat, who is also 5’7, who scored 41 goals and is considered one of the top forwards on the Chicago Blackhawks.

The forward future for the Canadiens looks bright and while the backend could use some more prospects, there are still a few bright spots back there. Victor Mete is quickly becoming one of the best defensive defensemen at the young of 21. He is only getting better from here.

The other is 20 year old is Josh Brook, who will still need some seasoning,. He played last season with the Moose Jaw Warriors putting up 75 points and played 7 games with the Laval Rocket collecting one assist.

For the Canadiens, the last couple of years have been rough. But the future does look bright and with already established young stars like Max Domi and Drouin along with veterans like Shea Weber and Carey Price. So chin up Habs’ fans, the playoffs could be right around the corner.