October 15, 2023
The Montreal Canadiens got their 2023-24 season underway this week with two games. On Wednesday in Toronto, they suffered a 6-5 shootout loss to the Leafs, and on Saturday night at home, they defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 3-2. Here are some thoughts on the Habs after two games.
Josh Anderson is working out just fine on that top line.
I find guessing line combinations under coach Martin St. Louis to be a waste of time. He’s an out of the box thinker, and some of his ideas have been surprisingly effective. I was not a fan of his choice to place Anderson next to Suzuki and Caufield for another round, but so far he’s working out just fine. I love how he’s come to Caufield’s defense after a big hit, and that play last night to avoid an offside call and offer up a perfect pass on the Caufield goal was beautiful. Cole has two in two.
Perhaps Juraj Slafkovsky can develop without a stint in Laval.
Yes, it’s just two games. But the kid is looking good and getting lots of touches. I might not have loved Marty’s call for the top line, but his choice to line up the New Kids on the Dach was brilliant on paper and on the ice. Two big men, two centremen, playmakers and goal scorers with a defensive conscience. In their prime, this can be a top line. Now we wait for news on the Dach injury – it will be unfortunate if this line doesn’t get a prolonged chance to shine.
There is no such thing as too many centremen.
Dach left early last night favouring his leg after an awkward hit. Yes, there was the usual tangly bit of making lines out of 11 guys, but there was no struggle to find a centreman. If you follow me, you know I’d like the Habs to build toward having 7 or 8 guys in their forward group who can play centre if called upon. Here’s a prediction for you – the Habs will trade a centreman before the deadline, but I’m not convinced it will be Sean Monahan.
The resuscitation line may actually work out.
On Wednesday, the line of Sean Monahan between Tanner Pearson and Brendan Gallagher was like an early Halloween horror show. By Saturday they were already finding some chemistry. Last night they were noticeable in a good way. It was great to see Pearson pot one, and Monahan is just such a smart player. If he can stay healthy, and perform well in a third line centre role and special teams, Monahan might have a longer term place on this team than some think.
Rafael Harvey-Pinard has taken a page from the Paul Byron penalty kill book.
The shorthanded breakaways are a lot of fun to watch, but perhaps he’ll need to have a look at the Monahan book to learn how to finish them.
It’s another year of development for the defense group.
Fans and pundits have been perseverating on the need for the Habs to land another elite goal scorer if they want to become a cup contender. I don’t dispute that, but I don’t believe they are as limited in the offensive talent category as some. I’m keeping an eye on the defensemen. Some are ready to crown unproven kids as top performers, while I see a lot of third pairing guys. I have no trouble understanding why HuGo went for it when a complete defender they love was available.
We might be asking questions about goaltending for a while.
Jake Allen let in a couple of bananas on Wednesday. Sam Montembeault looked good on Saturday. They will be competing for starts, while Marty will also have to find some for Cayden Primeau… won’t he? Do any of them have a future in Montreal? This question will continue to circle around the team until Kent Hughes makes a move.
The Habs took three of four points in their opening week of the season, which is good by any standard. But in another developmental year, the opening two games were a lot of fun to watch.
Hab At Her 
I like MSL’s move towards/preference for positionless hockey. Some observers still hold the view that “centers can play wing but wingers can’t play center…”. Sure, some forwards aren’t good enough to play anywhere with anyone, but it must be a coach’s preference to have forwards capable of playing both positions. Also note the Habs’ using defencemen on both sides even as everyone hungers for “more RD”.
Really like your work, keep it up.
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Thanks Tom. You’re right. Under Marty the positions will be less rigid, and having players who have the hockey sense to be flexible will be key.
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Thanks Lori. Good summary but alas me thinks Gallagher on 4th line at most. Monahan-Pearson works just need a different winger. Injury to Dach and maybe Matheson last night will create a shuffle of the deck. Monahan is a leader and keeper in my opinion. Could be that Armia is back in the fold.. Cheers
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I’m not sure they will rush to bring Armia back up. Gallagher is a tough one. He was better last night, but to me it was still clear that he struggles to keep up with even Monahan and Pearson.
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Agree on Armia, if it was our choice. My thoughts are HuGo definitely needs him in Montreal to be able to package him for a trade. I do realize many have made Gallagher into an idol cult but these past three years have shown that his overall play is dismal. He never could carry the puck in full stride and forever loss board battles for the puck. But everyone loved his effort and the old ‘David vs Goliath; in front of the net, When I was much younger and played we hat a term for what he did. “Whack-A-Mole”. He goes from the bench to the front of the net and chops at ankles/and goalies. His skating has gone from average to painful. One short burst on any shift and he is done for the evening. The drop-off is so visible.. He did not win a ‘chair’ last year at training camp, nor this year. His massive contract is the issue, almost 8% of the Cap Ceiling. It is gonna be ugly going forward.
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About Gally, he has surprisingly looked better in the last three games. He’s never going to live up to that contract, but if he can be useful that is a weight off, at least for a while. That said, it’s almost inevitable that the Habs have a future where he and Carey are on LTIR at the same time unless they elect for a buyout. As for Armia, I’m not sure playing him is going to increase his trade value…
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