Montreal Canadiens Split Up Caufield and Suzuki, New Lines

The Montreal Canadiens suffered yet another setback on Saturday night, an uninspired 4-1 loss to their longtime Ontario rivals, the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Beyond getting outplayed, the lineup was rather timid in its approach. It’s a painful situation for the fans, who, at the very least, hope to see a little entertainment in the mix as the Canadiens continue to lose more games than most teams in the NHL.

With that in mind, head coach Martin St-Louis made a decision that was a long time coming in the third period, when he separated captain Nick Suzuki from sniper Cole Caufield. Neither player managed to generate much offence in November, and the addition of Kirby Dach to the trio only made things worse when it came to their possession numbers.

To put it simply, the Canadiens’ top six is broken, and an adjustment is clearly due.

The bottom six won’t change as the Habs face the Buffalo Sabres on Monday afternoon, but the top six has a brand-new look.

Montreal Canadiens Lines At Practice On Sunday Morning

First Line: Kirby Dach, Nick Suzuki, Juraj Slafkovsky

Juraj Slafkovsky returns to the top trio, however, this isn’t necessarily a promotion in the sense that he clearly deserves more ice time. More than anything, St-Louis is attempting to spread the offensive wealth a little more evenly throughout the lineup. The top line will now have the type of size that helps maintain puck possession, though we should note that the forecheck and cycling by Canadiens forwards has been excellent this season. The main holdback is the lack of goals off the rush.

I’d love to eventually see Dach played as a centre on a line with Cole Caufield, but you’d be hard-pressed to argue a change was not overdue, and giving 20-year-old Slafkovsky a chance to find his rhythm with premium ice time, both at 5v5 and on the powerplay, is a logical step forward. Few players will play a more important role to play than Slafkovsky in the next decade or so.

Second Line: Cole Caufield – Jake Evans – Alex Newhook

If the Habs were run as a meritocracy, Brendan Gallagher would be on the first or second line. He’s been the team’s best forward this season by a rather large margin, because when he’s on the ice, the Habs control the play, unlike most of his Canadiens counterparts.

On that note, seeing as Alex Newhook has played well in recent games, and that Jake Evans is one of the few forwards who provide an honest effort every shift, it makes sense to see if a player with Caufield’s shooting prowess can be the missing link on the second line. And if all else falls, you can always turn to Gallagher, because he’s a rare constant in an inconsistent organization.

This is not the first time Brendan Gallagher has hit a puck in midair to score a goal.

He’s now 19th all time in Canadiens scoring with 225 goals. #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/0JHBkIPjXW

— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) November 10, 2024