Canadiens Analysis
Canadiens Depth Chart: Line Options Following Patrik Laine Trade
Now that the Montreal Canadiens have acquired sniper Patrik Laine from the Columbus Blue Jackets, the team’s situation up front is much healthier than the forward lineup we projected just a week ago.
There was a decent amount of potential involved, but suffice it to say it was very similar to the lines the team rolled out in 2023-24, minus the presence of versatile forward Sean Monahan. Individual growth from young players can lead to overall improvements for the team, and consequently, a jump up the standings, but banking solely on growth from various players tends to lead to fewer advancements than anticipated, as every team in the NHL is hoping to upgrade their results based on the play of their younger players.
Adding a player who can score, on the other hand, could eventually lead to an uptick in points, which is exactly what the Canadiens are hoping they have done by acquiring Laine. Before we discuss how his presence impacts the lineup, we should mention it will take Laine a little time to get up to speed. Adopting a patient approach as he removes the rust is in order, especially since the team is unlikely to qualify for the playoffs next season, with or without Laine in the mix.
New Montreal Canadiens Projected Lines
I wouldn’t be surprised if head coach Martin St-Louis eventually runs a top line that does not feature Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki, and Juraj Slafkovsky, but for the time being, we can safely assume he has pencilled them-in as his top trio.
Caufield scores his 28th of the season. Good work by Slafkovsky on the one-timer, but look at how Suzuki created time and space for his linemates.#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/4UXyz9xIf0
— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) April 17, 2024
But the second line could be a great landing spot for the former 40-goal scorer, and not only because it would give him the proper ice time necessary to rekindle his scoring touch. One of the most important ingredients to putting a sniper in a situation that’s conducive to scoring is having a centre that excels in transition. In other words, Kirby Dach projects as the perfect line mate for Laine. His excellent play in the neutral zone would allow Laine to focus on exploiting the time and space created by the 23-year-old, and hopefully recreate the impressive underlying numbers produced by most wingers who ended up on Dach’s wing.
As for the final winger in the mix, I would once again turn to Joshua Roy. He’s a hard worker, he has a nose for the net, and his possession numbers were fantastic during his 23-game audition in the NHL last season. Dach would serve as the line’s shoe horn, allowing them to gain access to the offensive zone with regularity, Roy would be the Swiss Army knife, providing reliable play while taking advantage of scoring opportunities, and Laine would be the designed trigger man, though his presence would also give Roy a little more ice to work with, as teams are likely to focus on shutting down Laine’s shooting lanes.
ON TOPIC: Canadiens Prospect Rankings – Joshua Roy Deserves More Credit
The third line is a toss up. When we originally discussed the Canadiens’ lines, we shifted Alex Newhook to the wing to make up for the lack of options in the top six. Now that Laine is in Montreal, I’d look into returning Newhook to his natural position. While it’s certainly true he struggled at centre to start the season, playing with Josh Anderson is a difficult proposition, especially if you’re expected to be a somewhat consistent source of secondary scoring, which explains why they only managed to control 44 percent of the expected goals during their shifts together. On that note, we saw Newhook play between Brendan Gallagher and Joel Armia to close out the season, and the results were fairly encouraging. Gallagher’s return as a player who can drive the play helped, as did Armia’s improved scoring pace, but there was clearly instant chemistry at play, as evidenced by the fact that they controlled 53 percent of the expected goals, in addition to more than 63 percent of the actual goals.
Joel Armia with some great hand-eye coordination to open the scoring for the #GoHabsGo. His 15th of the year, assists to Newhook and Gallagher. pic.twitter.com/r48YOx5VBY
— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) April 4, 2024
The fourth line is fairly straightforward, though I will acquiesce to the fans who suggested Michael Pezzetta is a better option on the wing than Alex Barre-Boulet. I disagree, and not because I feel Pezzetta is overrated. He’s one of the hardest working players in the league, and he produces a fairly reasonable amount of offence considering his sporadic usage. It’s difficult to score while playing on the fourth line, and even more so when you have to skip random games throughout the season to make way for others. But Barre-Boulet is also known for his work ethic, and those who think he’s purely an AHL point producer will be surprised by how many turnovers he can create due to his penchant for never giving less than 100 percent every night.
The biggest change for the final trio is the options on the other side of the wing. If Christian Dvorak is relegated to the fourth line, he could take face offs on his strong side while Jake Evans takes care of the rest of the puck drops. In this scenario, Josh Anderson would start the season as a healthy scratch, a harsh, yet justifiable decision that may not line up with how St-Louis and Co. see their lineup.
Montreal Canadiens Projected Lineups With And Without Laine
Adding Laine to the lineup changes things significantly, at least on paper. The Habs go from a team that has one legitimate line, to a team that could potentially have up to three lines that have the ability to provide a respectable level of play on a nightly basis. This would make life on the first line a lot easier, as teams would have to modify their defensive game plans. That being said, there’s a risk running three new lines will also delay team-wide improvements, as many of the forwards will have to rebuild their chemistry alongside certain linemates.
Before we conclude this piece, I would like to invite every member of the community to post their own projected lineups with Laine in the mix by writing a reply in the comments below the article.
Things can (and will) change, but I would also like to point out the projected top six has an average age of just 23 years old, making 26-year-old Laine the elder statesman. Most Montreal Canadiens fans are well aware success is not just around the corner, but it’s very difficult to remain negative about the future of the club, especially when we consider Ivan Demidov, one of the best prospects in hockey, is yet to join the team.
Canadiens Prospect Highlights: Ivan Demidov Four-Point Night
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Canadiens Rookie Highlights: Hutson & Engstrom Shine
Habs Wrap: Rookie Camp Lines, Demidov’s Ice Time, Suzuki Trade
Canadiens Highlights: Reinbacher, Mailloux, & Thorpe Excel
Cole-Nick-Slaf
Andy-Dach-Laine
Roy-Newhook-Gally
Dvo-Evans-Armia
Potential lineup
Believe Dach has potential to make anyone who plays with him better, helping Andy find his game
Also means 3rd line will have some teeth, could be Gally or Armia on that line with Roy & Newhook.
Love your lineup, only change I make is I switch armia and andy
Line 1 : Caufield-Suzuki-Slafkovski
Line 2 : Laine-Dach-Newhook
Line 3 : Gallagher-Dvorak-Roy
Liine 4: Anderson-Evans-Armia
Extras : Pezzetta, Barre-Boulet
Yeah I think this is the one. Newhook supporting Dach with faceoffs is more valuable than having Roy up there, at least to start the season.
Evans >Dvo value wise.
Dvo has chemistry with basically only Anderson
Sticking Gally with Dvo 100% Guarantees both struggle 10/10.
There is no exception to that rule as evidenced by history.
Evans we can get a good haul for now
TDL we could get more but he has value regardless.
He’s a reliable Faceoff Center for bottom 6 who’s a great PK guy
Dvo we got to give him time or risk being fools like CGY was with Monahan.
IF Evans makes it to the Pre Season ill be shocked.
We almost moved him last TDL as offers were coming in
This year there’s even less Centers going into free Agency
Its a great time to have too many Faceoff Centers with expiring contracts.
I like it. I think MSL will want to give Andy a chance to rebound, so switch Roy and Andy. Or, make it clear that 3rd RW is a heads up competition between the two. If Hughes can trade Dvo (or at least Armia) before season starts, then I see the season opener lines as …
CC – Suzy – Slaf
Laine – Newy – Dach
Gally – Evans – Andy
Roy – Beck – Armia
Extras – Pezzetta, ABB
I really want to see Slaf on the Laine/Dach line. I think Nick and Cole can have good chemistry with whoever is on their line till Demidov gets there. I’m excited
At some point, I’d like to see Roy play with Caufield and Suzuki. A great possession line with creativity and a great trigger man.
Your need a big forward playing with them. I like the line you propose but it takes a big forward away from Suzuki and Caufield. Maybe when Demidov is ready I’d have this line up
Laine Suzuki Demidov
Caufield Dach slafkovsky or
Caufield Suzuki slafkovsky
Laine Dach Demidov
Swap Laine and Caufield. I want to see one of biggest lines in nhl
I think its more likely you see Caufield move beside Dach and Roy.
Laine if he and Slaf click they’ll need some strong to lead/anchor them.
Caufield in his own right took huge steps in becoming a 200ft player last year.
I’d like to see him with Dach and Roy as i feel they could create a lot of OZ chances.
Dach’s our very best at OZ Entries along with Suzuki then everyone else way behind them. Roy on the other hand can do it all like a better version of Paul Byron and i think Caufield leading the Charge would be lights out Lethal.
Armia-Newhook-Gally was the single best line the last 15 games.
Newhook hit Career highs on the final run of 9 points in 10 games.
They felt kinda like Danault-Gally did with Patches before Tatar replaced him
Newhook was great on faceoffs in the second half of the season, so whether he is at center or wing on the second line he should be taking the majority of face-offs. I think the big loser is Joshua Roy as he might be sent back to Laval.I see Dvorak as center on the third line to possibly showcase him for trade sometime during the season (so that would open a spot for Owen Beck). In addition I predict a comeback for Josh Anderson as I firmly believe it takes an extended period to fully recover (some never)from a severe high ankle sprain.
I can see Dvorak centering the third line, but I can’t see Anderson getting back on track with DeVo as his center.
Starting the year will be greatly different than after the trade deadline. I have a feeling that Evans will be joining Dvorak, Armia and Savard as trade capital. So to start, Dvorak and Evans will play centre but not together. Newhook will be on Dach’s wing with Laine. Roy and Gally on line 3 and Pezz with Anderson on line 4. They open with Toronto and Boston so size and grit will be needed. Plus Anderson kills the leafs. After deadline day Roy will move up and play on line 2, Newhook will centre line 3 with Gally and Anderson. Line 4 will be Pinard, Beck and Pezz. Sorry but Barre- Boulez IS just an AHL player, nothing more.
LINE 1 Caufield Suzuki Slafkovsky
LINE 2 Laine Dach Armia (2 Finns together)
LINE 3 Gallagher Newhook Anderson
LINE 4 Roy Evans Dvorak
Extras Boulet Pezzetta
That’s not bad, actually. The only problem is Dach on draws. Here’s hoping Santa put some Faceoff MoJo in his sack!
I would hate to see Roy wasted on the 4th line like Ylönen was.
I agree with you completely. It is because I did not want to put a veteran like Anderson on the fourth line, so I reluctantly put Roy on the 4th line to make room for Anderson on the third line.
But would you feel bad putting Armia on the 4th line instead? I imagine not. I’d much rather see Roy (someone hopefully with a long future on our team) get the plum assignment than a guy that’s not even going to finish the season in the organization (hopefully). I know what I’d do. Cheers. 😁👍
You make some good points. I guess I am a bit like a previous coach who wanted to keep the veteran players happy.
I totally understand the sentiment. I get that the room has to be managed and egos stroked. I guess I’m looking at it like a GM. I’m just building the best team on the ice to win games (maybe not right now, but certainly with an eye to the future).
There’s a saying in pro hockey … got pay your dues when you’re a rookie.
I don’t disagree, but how did that work out for Ylönen? How about Slafkovsky on the 4th line? Unmitigated disaster for both. There’s also a line of thinking about putting people in a position to succeed. It’s certainly a damned if you do, damned if you don’t kinda thing. I just look at it as the kids are the future of this franchise and guys like Armia are not.
as Tyrone points out, it’s a fine line between “paying your dues” and being set up for success… furthermore not all prospects are built the same… look at Slaf on the top line – did he earn that role before he got there? Thank God Nick asked for him to join their line…
The reason why I put Armia on the second line is because I felt that the two Finns might have great Chemistry together. But if this experiment does not work out then I would move Armia down to the third or fourth line, in which case I might move Roy up to a higher line.
I figured as much, but developing Roy is more important to me than uses Armia as an experiment. I know Armia would be a great defensive presence on the line allowing Dach and Laine to really focus on offense, but I just don’t want to ruin Roy like we did with Ylönen. I guess I’m just being hyper-protective of Roy’s development as a result. 😁
I do not think you need to worry too much because Martin St. Louis has a very high opinion of Roy. St. Louis loves players who are very smart and intelligent and is very impressed with Roy. So he will be much nicer to Roy then he was with Ylonen. St. Louis loves the way Roy plays.
He may have a great opinion on Roy, but there’s plenty of other factors to consider too. MSL knows what it means to be a grizzled vet that’s earned his place, not to have it given away to the next kid coming up. He also knows he’s got to stroke those vet’s egos in order to not create dissension between the older players and younger ones to keep a cohesive dressing room. The vets weren’t born yesterday. They know what’s coming and the future is with the kiddies, but it doesn’t make it any easier to swallow. Every guy is playing for their next contract and they know that the higher they play up in the lineup, the more points they’re likely to get, thereby adding $ and term to their upcoming contract. The vets we have now are all playing for their first UFA contracts too, so they’re definitely looking to hit a home run with what could very likely be their last big contract. That alone would make anyone grumpy and we haven’t even mentioned anything about ice time and just getting to play the game they love as much as possible. Anyone who’s ever played hockey knows you want to be on the ice the whole game if you could. The pros are no different than the rest of us in that sense.
I agree with you Robin. Andy at 5.5m per on 4th line is bad asset mgmt. He needs to be on 3rd line for rebound recovery and boost trade value. Dvorak as well can’t play on 4th line for same reasons. Evans and Armia get extra TOI with PK. So if those who believe Roy is that good, he should be able to produce and lift both Evans and Armia on 4th line.
If Roy is not on one of the top 3 lines, he’d be better off in Laval playing near 20 minutes a game than on our 4th line… it’s simply not a good fit or good role for him… Pezz, Barre-Boulet, and even young Heineman are all better 4th line fits IMO… but me, I do have Roy on line 3 with potential to be on line 2 (depending on whether Newhook is 2LW or 3C – I think even in the small sample Roy has proven himself to be ready… 😉
It’s a good problem to have!
Slaf-Suzuki-Caufield
Armia-Dach-Laine
Newhook-Evans-Roy
Anderson-Dvo-Gally
This would probably be the most expensive 4th line in the league.
Totally agree. RHP must be still hurt.
Yup. Harvey-Pinard is not expected back in the lineup before November, at the earliest.
Idk that I have line ideas yet, but I’ll come up with something in a bit lol. I think I’ll do a little experiment with them based on what I saw with other aging vets the last couple yrs…
I like the article, I just have a hard time believing that MSL and Hugo won’t do everything they can to maximize the value of Armia, Dvorak, Evans, and Anderson. All of their contracts expire at the end of this year (except Anderson) and will likely be targeted as options to sell at the TDL. As for Anderson, he just has much more potential than his unbelievably frustrating year last year and they’ve got decent offers for him before. Laine Dach Anderson could very well be the 2nd line coming out of camp. It’s a MASSIVE line lol, but Laine doesn’t ACTUALLY play that big and Anderson could help, and it could maximize the number of ppl Dach can give a boost too. I know Newhook and Roy likely deserve that spot more, but Hoffman, Anderson last year, etc… there are multiple examples of players getting opportunities they prob didn’t deserve and I’m guessing here, but it seems like this is done to either just get them going or to boost trade value.
Then maybe Newhook Dvorak and Armia on line 3… two players whose trade value needs boosting with Newhook there to help. And the two players probably aren’t top 6 guys so line 3 works.
Then Gally Evans and Pezz/ABB….
Obviously Joshua roy isn’t here. Top line minutes in Laval until one of Laine, Dach or someone else inevitably gets hurt… I know it’s not really meritocratic, but it does make sure Roy gets prime deployment, and we at least have a shot to ensure trade values are maximized. In this way the two big parts of the rebuild are addressed: acquiring assets and development, as opposed to just development. Though admittedly it is a gamble cuz there’s no guarantee the vets will boost their value
With Roy in Laval, they could have a VERY good team and start developing a winning culture together. Mailloux, reinbacher, maybe Hutson (doubt it), maybe struble, roy, Farrell, kidney, Mesar, Beck, Engstrom, Heineman, Trudeau, Gignac, Davidson, Tuch, F. Xhekaj… plus some other vets… looks REALLY fun lol.
Again, I don’t think these WILL be the line, nor are they the lines that give us the best chance to win… but as you guys will like make groupings that cover that, I think it’s good to look at a “pure rebuild” lineup. Though I COMPLETELY understand that a non-meritocracy, and keeping players like Roy in the minors if they’re good enough for the nhl could be detrimental to development. Lines change all the time anyway… he’ll get nhl games for sure
Dach and Newhook are NOT centers.
Depends how you look at it. If you base their value on how they can make a positive impact on the game, then Dach definitely is. When he plays centre, the team is better and his linemates are better. That’s the good stuff right there.
But if you base it purely on faceoff efficiency, even if that faceoff efficiency doesn’t impact their play negatively, which is the case for Dach, then I guess he isn’t.
Way too many armchair fans decide whether someone’s a good center based on their face off percentage. 2 years ago the narrative among some silly fans was Suzuki couldn’t make it as a center because his 46% face off percentage was horrible. Now he’s flipped that to over 50% and all the sudden he’s a darling. The same thing is constantly tossed around about Dach not being able to make it because of his face off percentage without looking at the 1001 other things that a center can do to impact the game.
Here’s a little math. Suzuki 2 years ago averaged 17 face offs per game which put him in the top 10 in the NHL. A 46% rate means that he would win eight and lose nine per game. This past year he won nine and lost eight per game. In other words, all he did was win one extra Face-Off per game and people now like to point out how great he is on face offs. On a game-to-game basis, it’s such a small sample size that literally one win or one 50/50 that the scorer may have attributed to one team or the other can skew your percentages. Of COURSE you want your center to win as many draws as possible, and winning an extra one each game adds up to a lot by the end of the season. But game to game? Most players are winning close to half and losing close to half no matter how bad or good you are.
Whatever happens, I sure as heck hope we don’t ruin Roy like we did with Ylönen. Ideally, I’d like to see him on the 2nd line with Dach and Laine vs wasting away on the 4th line or coming in and out of the lineup. GMs tend to favour their own players over ones from the previous regime. With Roy being a Bergevin draft pick and Newhook being a HuGo acquisition, I can see Newhook getting preferential treatment to play on the 2nd line though. Instead of picking apart offensive players for not playing good defensively, and defensive players for lacking offensive production, I think we should play guys to their strengths and partner them with complementary skilled linemates to balance out things on both sides of the puck. With Laine often being criticized for lackadaisical back checking, I think having Dach and Roy focus on playing a 200ft game and maximizing Laine’s offensive acumen to the fullest, is a smarter play than having Dach carry all the defensive load for Laine and Newhook himself. Dach and Roy are no offensive slouches themselves though, so I’m hoping that Laine helps lift their offensive games too. I also wouldn’t be shocked to see Laine on the top line with Suzuki and either Caufield or Slafkovsky at some point. With Caufield being a Bergevin draft pick and Slafkovsky being a HuGo selection, it wouldn’t surprise me to see Caufield as the one to vacate his spot on the top line, however I doubt that will be a long term experiment. I think having Laine with Suzuki at times, perhaps even very early on in the season, can help Patrik’s transition to the team. It’s in our best interest to get him feeling good about himself as soon as possible to help him get his mind in a good place and keep fans/media off his back. Once he’s rolling, we could go back to the usual top line from last year and then have Laine on the 2nd line with Dach and Roy/Newhook. I really don’t see a bad combo using and of our top 6 interchangeably with each other. The interesting thing will be seeing what happens once Demidov arrives. If Laine has regained his form we hope he does, Roy/Newhook will be the odd man out of the top 6. If Laine struggles and is not working out at all, then we’ll have a problem on our hands, but I’m not going to worry about for now, and just look forward to watching some very exciting offensive players bring us out of our seats this season with regularity. Can’t wait! Drop the puck, let’s go!
Patrick Laine is better when he plays on his off wing so I love ur 2nd line with him on the left wing and I like Joshua Roy on the right wing. Agree with the first line tho Laine and Caufield could go back and forth on lines 1 and 2. I agree with your 3rd line. For the 4th line, I see Christian Dvorak at left wing,Jake Evans at center and Josh Anderson at right wing and Alex Barré-Boulet as the 13th attacker who could replace easily either Dvorak or Anderson if they don’t produce. I hope we’re through trying Anderson on either the 2nd or 3rd line, he has no trade value same for Dvorak, so put them where they should be. Joel Armia may get traded at the deadline and maybe Jake Evans as both will be ufa’s and have some value if we aren’t in the playoffs picture. Think we may see Owen Beck in the mix during the season. Michael Pezzetta is just an extra at this time, doubt we re-sign him next year.
off wing on the PP sure, but at 5 on 5 with guys that already struggle defensively, it’s a set up to fail…. Slaf, Caufield, Roy, and Laine are all on the wrong side – which has zero chance at happening.
We will be forced to use one of the vet RWers on the left in the bottom 6, but there is no reason to play all our top 6 wingers on the wrong side… seems like a complete joke to me, but I guess opinions vary…
They can (and have) played on both wings, so it’s an issue at all.
In the preseason the Dach , Newhook and Slaf line was a very good line. Slaf is comfortable playing with Dach. imo They would have a 1a and a 1b situation .For the opponent try to match lines.I see Beck starting in Laval , Dvorak being traded . Beck taking his place. Anderson is the big IF. I think RHP is gone. Evans , Broulet and Galley 4th line
Your projected lineup W/O Laine was fine. Just switch Roy and Andy. I still think that HuGo and MSL will start Andy on 2nd line (w/o Laine), to give him last opportunity to rebound and be productive and increase his trade value. Yes, Andy played on 4th line near end of last season, when games didn’t mean much. Take into account all of the centermen injuries to Dach, Dvorak and Newhook – Andy didn’t play with consistent wingers.
Roy, once again has to earn 2nd or 3rd line promotion. 23 games is too small sample size.
NOW, with Laine, Andy goes down to 3rd line RW with Dvorak and Gally. 4th line is Roy-Evans-Armia.I think powerhorse will be motived enough to produce, given he has only 2 years left, and hopefully injuries don’t factor in.You need Newy with Dach to take faceoffs as Dach will need time to get mentally and physically back in shape on rebuilt knee.
So, with Laine, here’s what I think Forward lineup will be (14 players)
Slaf – Suzy – CC
Newy – Dach – Laine
Gally – Dvorak – Andy
Roy – Evans – Armia
Extras – ABB, Pezzetta or Beck
After this season, all of Dvorak, Evans and Armia are gone. Roy will be guaranteed a spot in ’25-’26.
lmao – you have Caufield, Slaf, Laine, Roy, and Gally all on the wrong side – which shows how poorly constructed this article was done 😉
The way I see it, we likely try to dump one forward before the season which should help free a spot but also help us get back under the cap prior to using LTIR, but until than, this is my version of what the forward lines should look like:
Slaf – Suzuki – Caufield
Newhook – Dach – Laine
Roy – Dvorak – Anderson
Gally – Evans – Armia
spares: Pezzetta, Barre-Boulet, and Heineman with RHP also in the mix once he’s healthy…
If Dvo is moved we can try Roy in the top 6 with Newhook at 3C, although I doubt I’d want Josh and Newhook together as that experiment already failed, so we’d likely need to shift things around if Newhook is at 3C….
Line combos well covered in the comments.
I think it’s time to go full development mode where you play the kids, the future in top 6 and relegate the vets to primarily bottom 6 roles.
It’s probable we don’t maximize trade value on some of the vets but we have so many high picks coming and other prospects that the greater organizational need is in development for the future and not in additional draft capital. Goes for defense too. Marty won’t damage kids through poor utilization, but with Demidov and Beck likely coming in 25/26 and Hage the next , we want the current guys to have experience with responsibilities- Roy specifically. Beck should get some games this year, maybe spilt the season depending on trades and injuries. And I’m clinging to hope demidov makes a cameo late in the season. Maybe Florian gets a cup of coffee too so he can experience it and recognize what he needs to work on.
Here’s my top 6
Caufield Suzuki Slafskovsky
Laine Dach Roy
Newhook Dvorak Gallagher
Armia Evans Anderson
Pezzeta
Start of the season lines vs the lines in Feb/March will depend on success. If we are sellers? You gotta showcase Armia, Anderson, etc to see if we can get something, anything, in return at the deadline. These are playoff type guys so if we’re not competing? See what we can get. If we’re competing? You want the kids higher up and these guys in the 4th.
Am I allowed to participate?
Slafkovsky-Suzuki-Caufield
Newhook-Dach-Laine
Gallagher-Evans-Roy
Armia-Dvorak-Anderson
Rotate: Barre-Boulet, Pezzetta
Remember pre-rebuild when the Habs would always get off to some piping hot start in October and November and be near the top of the league? They seemed to do it year after year. My impression in those years was that they used to run their third and fourth lines a lot early in the season. Then their usage would dry up as the season wore on. Their advantage over other teams seemed to be a stronger bottom six than most other teams, given our lack of talent in the top six.
I like a lot of the line combos that people have proposed where you have a really strong fourth line with some combination of Dvorak, Gally, Evans, Andy, Army… Those guys would cave in other teams’ 4th. But the 4th and 3rd lines would have to be used more than the traditional 8 or 9 minutes per game.
Of course there are many interesting and possible line combinations proposed here but most of them forget the unexpected dynamic that each camp brings. Let me just suggest one: Owen Beck. I believe this is his third camp and he was a standout in the other two if memory serves. He either will be the very last forward cut or he will force his way onto the team. What if management is forced by his strong play to keep him with the big club? There will be a ripple effect on the bottom two lines with some interesting possibilities opening up. For example, here is a line that becomes possible: Beck centring Newhook and Roy. Imagine that potential third line. Now I do realize that the implications of Beck joining the team this year would have some real ramifications, but that is for management to sort out if such an unexpected thing happens. Hockey is a fluid game both on and off the ice.
I would say this…
a top line that does not feature Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki, and Juraj Slafkovsky, means we are in OUTSTANDING shape offensively and should dominate the league. OMG, if that would ever happen…
Regardless, the Laine deal now crowds the forwards lineup. Someone now can’t play on a regular basis. If they want Newhook to go back to center (which I think is a mistake), then Dvorak doesn’t really play. If Newhook stays on the 2nd line as a winger, which he can handle, then Dvorak can have the 3rd line and be showcased for a trade at max value (hopefully) by the TDL.
Seems everyone has at least some value, or more, beyond the top 6 – except for Anderson. He simply is not worth that cap hit for 3 more seasons. Its time to move on. Just buy him out. The buyout spans 4 years, with a total cost of $5,666,668 and a savings of $2,833,332. At 31 years old, he has a buyout ratio of 2/3. It saves some $ and another player can take his spot and produce the same, but at a fraction of the cost.
I’m mostly in agreement with the author.
L1: Caufield, Suzuki, Slafkovsky
L2: Roy, Dach, Laine
L3: Gallagher, Newhook, Armia
L4: Evans, Dvorak, Anderson
As you see, the only change is on the 4th-line. I’m not yet ready to give up on Anderson because the effort is there. He can provide energy, and with nearly no expection with respect to goalscoring, he might eventually contribute more than just energy.
I was tempted to switch Slakovsky and Roy, but I want to see sustained success on Roy’s part first. I feel that he could become the perfect complement for Caufield and Suzuki, because Roy’s skillset would likely improve the top-line possession numbers.
Y’all are forgetting Camp coming up
Florian Xhekaj will be in the line up 100% im certain.
I said this about his brother and i was right when 99.95% of fans werent.
Im saying it again now
Caufield-Suzuki-Slaf
Laine-Dach-Roy
Armia-Newhook-Gally
F.Xhekaj-Dvorak-Anderson
Why?
Evans has value and can be moved easily.
He’s a pending UFA at a cheap cap hit
Dvo you scratch for Pezzetta as needed
How he’ll keep his minutes is by assuring Florian is ready.
Florian’s a great Power Center and Dvo can help him with Faceoffs.
Flo will spark Anderson in a way others dont
By TDL you move out Dvo who’s also a pending UFA
Pezz-F.Xhekaj-Anderson finish the year together.
I predict when this trio unites Anderson scoring comes back in bunches.
They can all shoot and all like playing along the board/netfront as well.
What teams 4th line can handle that much Energy in our 4th line ?
I like this add
But honestly how do you deal Dvo?
He was injured, he’s not now
Seen Monahan go through this too
CGY regretted paying to move him as he rebounded nicely
Like Monahan ,Dvo is a 55%+ Faceoff winner over 1200 faceoffs capability.
Thats like 15-20 guys in the NHL roughly doing it at that volume ?
This is fun! Watched a youtube video from “Habs Culture”. Two dudes laid out their projected season starting lineup. And I have to say, it’s the one that makes the most sense, to me IMO. Here it is, with key notes;
CC – Suzy – Slaf
Leave well enough alone. They clicked all of last half of season
Newy – Dach – Laine
Newy and Dach can share FO’s. Newy takes most of d-zone draws. Laine can also play offside LW to use that lethal shot. Dach more than thrives on RW and did so when he played with Monahan ’22 – ’23.
Roy – Dvo – Andy
Roy gets middle 6 minutes to prove last year’s 23 game underlying stats are proven? Dvo and Andy get proper minutes to show bounce back and prove their worth. Dvo needs to play for his next contract.MB paid a 1st and a 2nd for Dvo. Hughes needs to raise Dvo’s trade value as much as he can. Andy needs to do something, anything …
Armia – Evans – Gally
These guys have been together long enough to know how to play with each other. Gally just needs to bite the bullet with 4th line assignment. If he has solid to very good start, then he goes up to 3rd line, and if Andy is still a bust, he goes down to 4th, and has to earn a promotion. Lots of defensive responsibility here. And they can check the hell out of opposing teams’ 4th line.
On each line, there is a good balance of skill, size and speed.
Extras – ABB/Pezzetta (If Beck has excellent camp, he may push one of these guys to the press box. Beck can be spotted in on the 4th line for either Armia or Evans) Sleeper is obviously Florian Xhekaj. Rookie and main camp will see what we have in this guy? I think he plays in Laval to start. He may beat Pezzetta out of a job though.
Hopefully, Hughes can trade at least 2 or 3 of Armia, Dvo, and Evans between now and TDL. This gives Heineman, Beck and Florian, possibly Mesar a long and good look as regulars in Montreal.
Caufield Suzuki Slafkovsky
Laine Dach Armia (Demidov 2025)
Newhook Dvorak Roy
Gallagher Evans Anderson
Barré-Boulet Pezzetta
Kinda like it but might swap Roy and Slaf. Love to see that big line play to see what other team would do. And as Slaf seem to like the Liane deal.