Canadiens Analysis
Projected Canadiens Forward Lineup Including Bolduc
There’s no doubt the Montreal Canadiens upgraded their roster by trading for Noah Dobson and Zachary Bolduc, but there are still questions left to be answered when it comes to the actual details of the projected lineup.
We’ll start by discussing the forward situation with Bolduc in the fold.
Montreal Canadiens Projected Lines
The first line is the only easy combination to predict, with Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki, and Juraj Slafkovsky serving as the teams top trio. On that note, I wouldn’t be surprised if Ivan Demidov gets a shot on the top line at some point in the season, especially since he has the ability to execute plays at full speed, and that may match Caufield and Suzuki’s modus operandi a little better.
The second line is where things become a little more complicated.
The good news is that Kirby Dach was skating in Brossard on Wednesday. He still needs more runway to recover from his latest season-ending injury, and it’s questionable whether he could fill that second-line centre role even if he does recover his 2022-23 form. As of now, I would consider Dach a winger upon his return to play, and it has nothing to do with denigrating his value. It’s simply much easier to play as a winger in the NHL, as it allows players to focus on generating offence rather than putting all their energy into defensive responsibilities. But the Habs may have no choice but to return him to the centre position.
Canadiens’ Kirby Dach – recovering from knee surgery – on the ice now in Brossard #Habs pic.twitter.com/OT4dcPmcck
— Stu Cowan (@StuCowan1) July 2, 2025
That brings us to Bolduc, a player who has not featured as a centre in the NHL, at least not yet. He did play down the middle of the ice in the QMJHL, but even while he was enjoying success in that role it was questionable whether he’d be able to handle centre duties in a professional setting.
The same can be said about Ivan Demidov. Yes, he knows how to play centre, and he did mention that it’s easier to keep an eye on everything while playing that position, but let’s be honest, he’s built to be a winger, and that’s where he has gained the most professional experience.
However, considering the only other decent option for a second-line centre is Alex Newhook, a player who is also best suited for work on the wing, it’s starting to become apparent the Canadiens will either need to find a legitimate No.2 centre, or roll with a less-than-ideal combination on the second line, by using either Bolduc, Dach, or Newhook down the middle of the ice. Bolduc has fantastic defensive metrics, which means he has the ability to mitigate some of the defensive concerns should Dach or Newhook be tasked with playing centre on the second line.
There’s also the possibility Bolduc could be used as a third-line centre, but I’d argue he needs to be used in the top-six to maximize his value and ensure more growth from an offensive standpoint.
Finally, the fourth line may end up being very interesting. In my projection, Patrik Laine lands on the fourth line, while the other winger will have to be determined by how the young players perform at training camp. Having a rich contract on the fourth line is far from perfect, but it would allow Laine to remain fresh in anticipation of powerplay opportunities.
Things can (and will) change, and there are multiple options to fill out the fourth line, but for now here’s how the forward lines may end up looking next season:
Projected Canadiens Lineup
Cole Caufield – Nick Suzuki – Juraj Slafkovsky
Bolduc/Dach – Dach/Bolduc – Ivan Demidov
Brendan Gallagher – Alex Newhook – Josh Anderson
Xhekaj/Blais/Beck/Kapanen – Jake Evans – Patrik Laine
Do you agree or disagree with the Montreal Canadiens lineup posted above? If so, let us know in the comments below!
Too many “possibilities” to even count. That right there tells you that 2nd line is going to be a huge issue this season. There is literally no legit centre therein…that means ANY winger on that line will likely underperform.
A top Dman who is nearly a mirror image of Hutson, another “mid level” winger, but no #2 centre – even though that was Issue #1 going into this offseason.
Nice.
With all due respect, I still can’t believe you think having a defenceman who is a “mirror image of Hutson” is a bad situation.
The Habs need more puck retrievals and controlled exits. Hutson helped a lot last year, but with Dobson in the mix, maybe the Habs can create as many rush chances as Stanley Cup contenders do.
Right now, they’re a bottom-3 team in that respect (without Dobson, but WITH Hutson).
Here’s my rationale…
Dobson is essentially Son of Hutson, almost as good of a PMD and scorer. We already have that on the top line. We need a balancing Dman at the top right, one who plays D first, hits people, and blocks shots. Hutson and Dobson together will be fun for pts, but they would also give up a ton of goals due to their combined offensive game. We need a Guhle opposite Hutson, for the right balance.
So then we paid $9.5M a season for a second line Dman? That’s outrageous. And frankly a waste, especially when that type of money would have been much better suited for another top center, AND we have Reinbacher waiting to arrive (who is also a defensive player first.
I’m sorry, but when your biggest glaring need was ignored at the expense of other secondary needs, I just don’t get it.
Hut n Dob will be fun together. That second line could be awful at times. I see the latter making more noise than the former…..
Guhle-Dobson and Hutson- Reinbacher would be a terrific top four who can be on the ice 45 to 50 minutes every night for next 8 years.. Reinbacher may take an year or so to get there
Yes, that’s the line plans, I would think. That would be fantastic. I just would rather have paid that $9.5M to go get a legit top centre. That second line will be a significant weakness otherwise.
Top centers don’t grow on trees….LOL,Every team wants one of those.
Every team would love to have Dobson. Dobson Guhle would be a perfect pair. Guhle is a stay at home defensemen and Dobson is two way defensemen. Hutson and Reinbacker would also have the same profile. Having them as our top 4 would be unbelievable.
I agree.
Given that Dobson is making 9.5 million, what do you think Hutson will likely command? And shortly after that reinbacher? It may end up a good chunk of the salary cap is suctioned up by the defense. It did not really work in Nashville so will it be able to work in Montreal? I think we probably have a better top line than Nashville ever did and if Michael hage can develop comfortably and soon then having those two top lines could be enough.
Yeah, and that too is now an issue. Hutson sees Dobson getting $9.5M, so now what does his camp now want? $12M per??? By signing Dobson to this mega rich contract, the Habs just handed an ADDITIONAL $2M or $3M to Lane.
And no, I don’t think $9.5M for a second line Dman is a good contract.
Regarding Hage, that’s 3 or 4 years down the road – even if it happens as you claim.
Remember, the priority is the future
… top pair RHD will play 23-25 minutes a night. It’s much more important than 2C. It’s also a premium handedness, whereas we want our 2C to be left handed. As Marc said, we were atrocious on puck retrievals, something Dobson is ELITE at.
We also have more in-house options for 2C. Dach and Hage could perhaps both do it. The problem is, one is always injured, the other a prospect with uncertainty. But for top pairings RHD, we only had one option: Reinbacher. The problem is, he’s BOTH injured often AND a prospect. He combines the uncertainty of BOTH our 2C options.
This means 2C is very clearly NOT the biggest issue because it’s not as important as top pairing RHD AND we already had more options. So your whole premise is flawed.
Next… where do we get this mythical 2C? Only one team is actively selling assets to rebuild: Pittsburgh. Except they aren’t an options cuz they aren’t trading Malkin or Crosby. So we check free agency…. Dvorak got over $5M. That’s insane, and an indicator of prices. Granlund is small, horrible defensively (5th percentile) and got over paid for a contract probably longer than we’d be willing to give. Suter is small and verryyyyy slow. And the biggest issue: WE CANT FORCE PEOPLE TO SIGN. And no, overpaying is not an option because every team that does that fails to win cups. Cap space is paramount.
Maybe you say to overpay in a trade? Except, then we wouldn’t have assets to fill other holes. Hugo managed to get better AND younger. They filled our ACTUAL biggest hole (top pair RHD), AND another hole (grotty scoring winger who also has speed… btw he can absolutely be a top 6 player within a year or two AND he gives is another kick at the can for an internal 2C option, even if it’s unlikely). And they did it all while keeping a bunch of assets. We still have a surplus of both picks and prospect, plus Mike Matheson. All of which can be used for a 2C, and in a market that isn’t absurd like the current one, where almost every team is fighting for a 2C.
Now, when the season progresses and some of these other teams realize they should be rebuilding, the market will soften and we’ll have more options. But this way, we’ll have more options to fill this need. If we had done things your way, we likely would’ve overpaid drastically for a 2C, and had much less left for a more glaring hole (RHD) and a secondary hole…. If both of those options even became available.
Is it ideal to not have the 2C? Of course not. But our situation now is WAY better than what your pathway would’ve likely left us with. Imagine being like “we have two Lane Hutson’s” and being mad at that… that’s certainly a take man….
Two Lane Hutsons should NOT be on the same line together. That means Dobson plays on second line. For $9.5M per, that’s an overpay at this point. That money would have been better spent extracting a decent centre from another team.
But then again, the Habs already had plenty of chances to get that centre, but let it slip away. Cooley is better than Slaf right now, and is a top centre. Cooley is the guy they should have drafted with that #1 pick 3 years ago. They also had Monahan and let him go…he too was a pt per game centre last season.
Careful, morrisk, don’t want to sound like you’re critical of the managing skills of the mighty Kent Hughes. He’s the second coming of Sammy Pollock don’t you know.
There’s literally zero reason we can’t run two top pairings that play 23-25 minutes a night with Dobson and Hutson on different lines.
You’re getting absolutely lit up in these comments for a reason. You’re acting like things just MUST be a specific way and that way WILL NOT work. Stop getting mad at management just cuz you can’t see the obvious alternatives that clearly exist.
In no universe does monahan fit our timeline, what an atrocious suggestion.
Lol “Cooley is better than Slaf RIGHT NOW”… who cares? No one should be worried about right now. We aren’t cup contenders right now and aren’t supposed to be. Bigger players almost always take longer. Talk to me in 2-3 years. And what you’re not realizing is we just got physically dominated in the playoffs. If we had Cooley, who is not big, we’d just have yet another hole on our roster, we we’d be looking for even MORE size for our team, and it would have to be our top 6 at worst, but likely top line. That would also be difficult to find.
Your entire approach to everything is awful. Your suggestions would leave us with more holes, less assets, and don’t account for proper context at all. You’re really bad at this.
I don’t see Arber Xhekaj being in the top six so why not try him at forward on the 4th line with his brother sounds like it could wreck havoc on the opposition.Also if a defenceman gets injured he can always go back.
It’s really tough to switch positions as a professional athlete.
Going from D to a winger is probably the easiest potential switch, but I still don’t see it being a legitimate possibility. It’s just too difficult to learn on the fly in the NHL.
I agree that learning a new position in today’s NHL would be tough for a young player who’s still on his first 200 NHL games . It’s not tried much now but it was done a lot more with success in the past. Scotty Bowman had Mathieu Dandenault switch to defence in Detroit , afterwords he’d play either wing or defence . Scotty had two others with the Habs in Jim Roberts and Rick Charthraw who could change from one to the other position.
Brent Burns went the opposite direction and has played almost 1000 games in a row, so if he can do it in a more difficult position, then it is feasible for Arber to try forward. Although, I’d personally like to keep him on D. We’re going to need a big, mean dude to clear the crease like we had with the 4 Horsemen on the run to the Cup final in ‘21.
I could see a unicorn like Hutson having the ability to perform either role full-time.
That’s an interesting thought.
Arber started as a power forward in the OHL… he wasn’t good, but he was big and tough so although undrafted, he made the Rangers… one of the coaches on the Kitchener Rangers saw his potential, his skating, his shot, his size, but also saw how poor he was as a forward – and he converted him into a D… I can’t see him going back. I honestly don’t think it’s even an option.
But I do see Arber on our bottom pair and I also see him as an important, long term, depth piece. I think he’s a lot more valuable than Struble (and I don’t mind Struble, but I love our Sheriff) 😉
PS – Arber is clearly in our top 6 too
Laine in the fourth line sounds awful expensive to me. He can score when fed so needs to be with talented players.
Yeah, it’s not ideal.
On that note, there are always injuries. Right now, we’re saying there are too many forwards in play, but that situation could flip rather quickly should one important player go down for a long stretch.
Do you really thing Laine is best suited on the fourth line?
Not at all.
But we have to be realistic. He can score when he has time and space (IE: the powerplay), but his 5v5 play is….terrible. Now, we do have to allow for a resurgence there, especially since he’ll finally have a full camp before the season starts.
If an injury occurs, he would be a good target for a promotion, but for now, I’m not sure if he deserves top-six usage, even if he has that huge contract.
I look at him as a special teams player, more than anything. He’s still excellent on the PP. If he can mitigate the issues at 5v5 with lower ice time, and still be fresh for the powerplay, you may get much more value out of Laine.
But it’s not perfect by any means, no.
MSL is the best coach Laine can get. I think he was playing injured half of the games. He may turnaround.. if the top brass doesn’t believe in that he will be traded. I think the big checking forwards Slaf, Josh and Zach will be spread across 3 lines. I don’t think they are giving up hopes of Dach as 2C. Training camp will reveal it
Laine could be packaged along with money to attract a 2nd line D even if that player is older and temporary.
I sort of agree on the first 2 lines, but my bottom 6 looks like this:
Newhook – Kapanen (or Beck) – Laine
Gally – Evans – Anderson
It should also be noted, Anderson and Newhook together have never worked – they are terrible on the same line. We also can not use both Dach and Newhook as centers at the same time – we will never win a draw…
I still think Hughes will try to find a 2C, but he is not going to force anything.
PS – I see Blais as an energy 13th forward to replace Pezz… he should not be a regular unless we get hit hard with injuries 😉
Liking the lines 1-3 with Bolduc definitely on the wing . He’s played mostly there in recent times and he’ll need time to get up to speed on systems, teammates etc. Evans should be the 4th line center and I like having Kapanen there with him , he’ll learn with the veteran Evans much like Suzuki did on Nate Thompson’s line when he broke in. Maybe the other wing position alternates between Laine and Blais depending on the need for skill or sandpaper that night . Blais showed he can still be effective with Abbotsford and we can use his size and grit . The other two , Xhekaj and Beck are the young guns and can use some more seasoning in Laval .
It’s an interesting situation, and there doesn’t appear to be a simple obvious solution of how to build the lines. What I will suggest is that we don’t need the end game this season. This is a very young and talented group that is developing their craft and working towards their potential. I think experimenting with line combinations and positions during this phase makes sense, chemistry requires experimentation. Last year Marty did lots of it and we made the playoffs and it teaches players some valuable lessons. I don’t endorse that as a permanent strategy, but at this stage of the game, find out who can do what and where and with whom so then we become a force, the tool kit is full.
It appears Laine may only have a year ( or less) remaining as a Hab, and I agree with a bottom 6 assignment until he earns top 6. I would also assign him to the second pp unit if he’s not part of the long term core. Executives know what he can do, you don’t need to showcase him, he’s a know goal scoring commodity and could be very attractive at the deadline. If he learns defensive skills, consistency and physicality in the bottom 6, that adds to his value.
Line has an elite shot but his speed and intensity doesn’t fit this teams identity.
Could a package with Liane and another asset or pick get us a stop gap 2C?
Is Jack Roslovic who is a UFA be a solution?
I want to see Laine ready to go. Want him on the second line with Demidov and I’m selfish. I want a true 2C. I don’t care if we overpay but get us a real one assuming Hage is not ready and who knows if he ever will be. Trade any of Dach, Newhook, Roy, Kidney, Mesar, Engstrom as well as however many first round picks for the next couple of years and bring a real player in. Not Crosby or anyone who is close to retiring.
Having a true 2C is the only way I think we can afford letting Laine play on line 2… IF Dach is our 2C, we need someone much more responsible on that line, hence Bolduc – a young, responsible, gritty, goal scorer…
I also think Matheson is our best trade bait to find a 2C, he won’t land a top 2C on his own and Hughes won’t force anything, but to land a 2C Mike would likely need to be part of the package….
I’d probably even do Matheson for Trocheck straight up if the Rangers would bite – Trocheck isn’t the ideal 2C I’m looking for, but I think he’d be a solid short term option as a responsible guy that can play any situation and he even wins draws 😉
In the 2021-2022 season and the 2022-2023 season Patrik Laine was a very productive 5 on 5 player for the Columbus Blue Jackets getting s lot of goals and assists 5 on 5, but for some reason last year it as mainly on the power play where he produced. If he can regain the form that he displayed in 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 then I might consider him for a top six role. Hopefully he is training hard to get into shape for this season.
Ducks signed Granlund.. .time to put a package together for MacTavish 😉
Matheson might not be a piece for them and he’s our best trade bait, so a 3 way trade might work best to make something happen…
I agree
I have to agree..
Our 4th line should be counted to shut down lines at 5 on 5. Laine would hurt that cause, so I’d rather see him with better linemates higher in the lineup, and bring a different player down to the 4th line.
My other concern with Laine on the 4th line is what will his attitude be like? Right now we are building a great team culture. I’d hate to see that get messed with by having a pissy Laine in the room.
agreed, but if we need to use Dach as our 2C, Laine is not responsible enough to play on that line either… I have Laine on the 3rd line, Newhook the other winger, and one of Kapanen or Beck forced into the 3C role… but my 4th has Evans between Gally and Anderson, and my 4th will probably get more ice time than my 3rd 😉
Time to move on from Laine? Dach looks good in training. Last chance at 2C. If things don’t work out add at the deadline once the pretenders have faded. D is stacked.
Is it possible that the acquisition of Noah Dobson is related to the fact that Lane Hutson might be requesting a salary of $ 12 million dollars per season and that Kent Hughes does not want to pay so much and now he is considering trading Hutson for a top notch center. Perhaps Kent Hughes prefers to overpay a big offensive defenseman than a small offensive defensive.
Anything is possible.
Is it likely? Absolutely not. You don’t worry about paying a player like Hutson, and trading him well before his prime even kicks in would be a fireable offence.
where did you come up with this nonsense?
Hutson has already bought in and love being a Hab… he’ll take less to win just like everyone else has been doing (including Dobson taking less on that bargain extension we got him for) 😉
not good
I would have liked us to have gone after Soderblom from the Red Wings with an offer sheet. He signed for $1.13M x2. That’s below the value of having to pay any compensation whatsoever. We could have gone as high as $2.3M and all it would have cost is a 3rd rounder. Guys who are 6’8” don’t grow on trees. They ARE the tree! He’s a LW too and we could have used a guy there before all the recent moves. He’s still a bit of a project, but man, if we could develop him as I feel we could, what an elite shutdown beast he could be for us. I’ve liked him for years and I would love for us to find a way to add him to our pipeline. He has the attributes we need to be adding to our bottom 6. I also would have rather seen us sign Kaliyev instead of Ottawa. He’s on a 2-way contract, so I believe he has to go through waivers before being sent to Belleville. Snagging him would be an interesting add to see if perhaps being on a team with Demidov could actually pull out the potential that teams who’ve had him in the past have tried to unlock. If he hits for the Sens, that’s a double bummer for us.
Blais and Beck is not ready for nhl. Better choose between kapanen or Xjavkai for 4 th line. Not sure if Laine should be on 4th. Better 3rd line.
Disagree…1st line. Caulfield…Suzuki…..Slavkosky.
2nd line…Bolduc….Demidov…Anderson/Laine
3rd line..Newhook/Gallagher/Blais…Newhook/Dach…Anderson/Laine
4th. Line…Dach/Xhehaj/BlaisKapanen…Evans…Laine/Blais/Xhehaj
With this lineup…Play Demidov at center now by game 70 he is your 2nd line center…you have forgotten he was a winger…assuming Laine can skate better than last year…Demidov at center will give Laine more time to position himself to be a receiver of the puck…and give him more space to make plays also…Canadiens have a better forward group than last year and their could still be other pieces yet to come…still I like the additions and the subtraction..and moving these guys around will give us a much better assessment of what combinations m8ght work best…
I would not rush, a 22 year old fresh face, a player returning from major injury, and a rookie to the second line. I’d personally use Evans at second line center, at least temporarily. He would allow his wingers to focus on offense, while allowing his potential replacements time to adjust. I think we need to have a bit of patience.
Demidov has to play 1st line right away…Slafkovsky not a 1st line talent and never will be. Let him play 2nd line and benefit from better matchups. Habs already have a center for Demidov…his name is Nick Suzuki.
Doesn’t really look like there’s a place for Laine much longer on the Habs?
If I compare Bolduc to Joshua Roy they both have extremely good hockey sense, but Bolduc provides more services such as body checking, forechecking and excellent defensive play. Nevertheless I still think that Joshua Roy is a very good player who would be a welcome addition to my team if I can find a suitable spot for him.
I like him, but I think his game-to-game intensity might be hurting him. A lot of arrivals have this trait – hungry for the puck. If he can bring to the NHL table what he brought specifically to the WJC, he may carve out a place. If he doesn’t, he probably won’t IMO.
I don’t see Beck or Xhekaj making it in September and there are many interchangeable players depending who is hot and who is not on any given night. I like the idea of having Dach & Newhook on the same line as is left handed and the other is right handed so the can each take draws on their dominant side. Kapanen is a natural center so hopefully he can handle the duties of the 3rd or 4th line with Evans.