Top 5 Canadiens Players With Something To Prove In 2025

There are just 26 games left on the schedule for the Montreal Canadiens, which means time is running out for several players to improve their standing within the team in anticipation of the following season.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at the Habs players with something to prove down the final stretch of the year.

You’ll note I did not mention forward Patrik Laine, because I consider the entire season an extended audition before the last year of his contract kicks in, though you could certainly make an argument that he has to improve his 5v5 play if he’s to play an important role in the 2025-26 lineup. The same can be said about Kirby Dach, another player who has had to deal with an injury that impeded his mobility. Given they both missed significant time due to a lower-body injury, neither player will be listed today.

Juraj Slafkovsky

Some may argue that Slafkovsky is the youngest player in the lineup, and thus he needs more time to prove his worth, as he’s only 20 years old.

Others will say he was picked first overall, connoting that it’s time for him to take a significant step forward.

My personal opinion falls somewhere in between, however, you’d be hard-pressed to argue Slafkovsky is putting together the type of year that points to much better results in the future.

He’s currently on pace to earn just 12 goals this year over a prorated, 82-game schedule, which would be eight fewer goals than he produced in 2023-24. Any way you cut it, that’s a disappointing result, especially since he’s taking fewer shots per game than his first and second year in the league.

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Slafkovsky’s usage isn’t particularly conducive to taking shots, therefore we have to be a little lenient when it comes to his low shot output (4.52 shots per 60), but we also have to recognize he’s shooting less than defenceman Arber Xhekaj (4.63 shots/60).

We can’t expect Slafkovsky to suddenly channel his inner Cole Caufield on a nightly basis, but if he’s to find success in the NHL, he does need to improve his goal output, and there’s no other way to do that than taking shots. Seeing as he’s often used as a screen or a net-front presence, he’ll need to take advantage of his wingspan and size to win battles and capitalize on rebounds to improve his production.

Great work by Slafkovsky keeps this play alive, and then Cole Caufield finds Nick Suzuki in the slot. Devils lead cut to just one. #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/1e7gMBLZb0

— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) January 26, 2025

Samuel Montembeault

It’s been a busy year for the Canadiens’ starter, who is currently in Boston preparing to watch his Team Canada teammates take on the USA on Thursday.

The distractions provided by the 4 Nations Faceoff, not to mention the collapse of Cayden Primeau and the ascension of Jakub Dobes, haven’t made life easy on Montembeault, but the fact remains that his stats have regressed significantly.

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Montembeault is currently ranked 67th in goals saved above average (-10.22 GSAA) among all goaltenders that have played 300 or more minutes, whereas his backup, Dobes, is ranked 34th (0.54 GSAA). He does play a lot, which means his GSAA per 60 is 59th in the league, a slight improvement that is still far from an acceptable result.

With Dobes knocking on the back door, and Jacob Fowler dominating in the NCAA, the pressure will continue to rise. It’s up to Montembeault to remind everyone why he became such an important member of the organization in the last few years.

Jake Evans

It remains to be seen whether Evans will be moved by the trade deadline, but if he does hope to sign a rich contract this summer, he will have to hit another gear.

Simply put, Evans’ numbers have collapsed since linemate Emil Heineman was forced to miss a month of action after being hit by a car in Utah. Not only did his points per 60 drop from 1.88 to 0.37, the worst result among all forwards, his underlying numbers went from godlike to below replacement without Heineman on his wing.

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Fortunately, Heineman was spotted at practice on Tuesday, which suggests he’s nearing a return, but there’s no guarantee he will immediately re-ignite his fourth-line chemistry with Evans and Armia.

Regardless of the direction Evans takes this summer, he will have to find a way to produce with or without Heineman if he hopes to cash-in on his pending free agency.

Jayden Struble

Despite receiving an abundance of criticism this year, Struble’s possession metrics are quite encouraging. The discrepancy between the complaints and the results keeps growing, similar to how Xhekaj faced a cascade of contrived criticism last year.

But even if Struble is producing solid underlying numbers on a team that gets outshot and outchanced on a nightly basis, he is at risk of falling further down the depth chart if he doesn’t rise to the occasions whenever he’s called upon.

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There’s also a healthy chance that the Habs will move a defenceman by the trade deadline, which would provide the 23-year-old with the perfect opportunity to prove his worth on the third pairing.

For the record, Struble has produced good numbers alongside anyone not named David Savard, suggesting that it’s way too early to give up on the hard-working blueliner.

Joshua Roy

He’s not a Canadiens player, at least not at the moment, though he may end up getting a call if there’s heavy player movement between now and the end of the season.

That being said, the team sent Roy a clear message by overlooking him when they recalled Owen Beck, a player who produced less than his Roy, but has the type of skill set necessary to quickly adapt to the NHL.

That’s not to say Roy is failing in the AHL. With 15 goals and 15 assists in 38 games, Roy is registering his name on the scoresheet more than any other drafted player on the Rocket roster, but he’s yet to establish the type of consistency required for a promotion to the NHL.

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When Roy is on, few players can  match his skill. When he’s off, it’s difficult to tell whether he played at all, as he has a habit of quickly disappearing.

I don’t have a negative view of Roy by any means, and I do think the criticism he’s faced has been unfair to a certain extent, as it has not been applied to most players who did earn a place in the Canadiens lineup at camp.

However, the perception that he runs hot and very cold will only be defeated if he puts together an extended stretch of high-level production in the AHL.

Joshua Roy nets his second professional hat trick in a 6-3 @RocketLaval victory🚀🧢 pic.twitter.com/yS5AfgSOMe

— American Hockey League (@TheAHL) November 2, 2024

All Montreal Canadiens statistics 5v5 unless otherwise noted, via Natural Stat Trick.