Projecting The 2024-25 Montreal Canadiens Opening Roster

With the start of the 2024-25 around the corner, it’s time to take a stab at the potential opening-night lineup for the Montreal Canadiens.

Montreal Canadiens Forwards

There are currently 15 forwards remaining at camp: Josh Anderson, Joel Armia, Alex Barre Boulet, Cole Caufield, Kirby Dach, Christian Dvorak, Jake Evans, Brendan Gallagher, Emil Heineman, Oliver Kapanen, Alex Newhook, Michael Pezzetta, Joshua Roy, Juraj Slafkovsky, and Nick Suzuki.

Here’s my take on what the forward lineup may end up looking like by the time the team faces the Toronto Maple Leafs on October 9.

N.B. The lines aren’t as important as the players included, they were just placed in a mock lineup to facilitate visualization.

You’ll note there are 14 forwards in the mix, giving head coach Martin St-Louis more options in his lineup, as well as insurance should injuries hit.

The player I expect to be sent to the AHL is Emil Heineman. He didn’t have a terrible camp by any means, and his shooting prowess could serve this team well in the future, but for now, seeing as he does not require waivers to return to the AHL, Heineman is the odd-man out.

Joshua Roy is the logical choice for a promotion to the top six, though I recognize that I may be a little higher on his overall value than the team, and that he did not have the best camp. That’s the thing with Roy, he either runs hot or cold, but when he runs hot, it more than makes up for slower stretches.

MUST READ: Canadiens Prospect Rankings – Joshua Roy Deserves More Credit

I also believe Alex Barre-Boulet is the best choice for the current lineup, rather than Heineman. I hate watching an offensive-minded forward prospect toil away on the fourth line. I can’t think of a worse setting for a player who needs to provide offensive impact, as evidenced by Jesse Ylonen’s usage in the NHL.

That’s a job best-suited for a player who is a little older, and is used to watching his fair share of games from the press box, such as Michael Pezzetta or Barre-Boulet.

Of course, this flies in the face of keeping Oliver Kapanen in the lineup, but even if I have him listed as an extra forward, I would expect the Canadiens to use him on the third line if there’s an opening. Fortunately, due to Kapanen’s contract status, the Canadiens can simply return him to Sweden should they not be able to provide consistency in his usage. There’s no rush to do so, as his entry-level contract kicks in either way.

ON TOPIC: Oliver Kapanen’s Contract Situation Benefits Canadiens Roster Construction

Montreal Canadiens Projected Defence

The one area that’s easy to project is goaltending, with Samuel Montembeault and Cayden Primeau sharing netminding duties, which means we can focus on the defencemen.

There are only nine defencemen remaining at camp: Justin Barron, Adam Engstrom, Lane Hutson, Logan Mailloux, Mike Matheson, David Savard, Jayden Struble, Kaiden Guhle, and Arber Xhekaj. This means there are nine defencemen vying for seven spots in my 23-man roster scenario.

My projected defensive group is as follows:

Adam Engstrom has not shown enough at camp to merit a roster spot, and that’s fine. He needs to gain professional hockey experience in North America, and Laval is the perfect landing spot for such a task.

The same can be said about Mailloux, who has already defied the odds when it comes to his development. His offensive play is excellent, but he still needs time to improve a few aspects of his defensive play, particularly his positioning. Of course, the Canadiens could simply keep eight defencemen in the mix, which would signal they believe Mailloux is ready for the NHL, but once again, the lack of guaranteed ice time feels like a red flag when it comes to his development. I’d like to see him playing 20+minutes in the AHL rather than a handful of shifts in the NHL.

I’d also like to see Guhle playing on his natural side rather than his offside, and Mailloux would help in that respect, but such is life in a professional sports setting. Roster compromises are inevitable.

Final 23-Man Projected Roster For The Montreal Canadiens

14 Forwards: Josh Anderson, Joel Armia, Alex Barre-Boulet, Cole Caufield, Kirby Dach, Christian Dvorak, Jake Evans, Brendan Gallagher, Oliver Kapanen, Alex Newhook, Michael Pezzetta, Joshua Roy, Juraj Slafkovsky, and Nick Suzuki.

7 Defencemen: Justin Barron, Lane Hutson, Mike Matheson, David Savard, Jayden Struble, Kaiden Guhle, and Arber Xhekaj.

2 Goaltenders: Samuel Montembeault, Cayden Primeau.

As per usual, we invite our community members to participate in the discussion by posting their preferred rosters in the comments below the article, If you feel I’ve made one (or twelve) poor decisions in my 2024-25 Montreal Canadiens roster projection, make sure to drop us a note to let us know