The images of so many Habs practising in Brossard this week was inspiring. Can you remember a pre-season where something like that has happened with so many veterans taking part?
Matt Crawford
“The fact that for the last month we’ve had close to 40 guys here training together … guys are hungry to be back and there’s a lot of excitement in the room,” Gorton said last year. “I think we’re all trying to see what’s next for our group and the players are like that, too. Just the overall excitement, enthusiasm, the commitment the guys are showing. I think it shows that they want to be here.”
I believe the addition of Patrik Laine has increased the overall excitement and enthusiasm this year.
Could the Habs benefit from a PTO tryout for a veteran at this stage — if only to make sure the young guns fight for their spots?
Shawn Lagace
I think the competition for spots at training camp will be intense with the players the Canadiens already have and there’s no need for a PTO. Management will want to give their young guns every opportunity to show what they can do at camp and in pre-season games. As for the forwards, Joshua Roy will be looking to prove he belongs in the NHL to start the season (I believe he does), while Owen Beck, Filip Mesar and Florian Xhekaj will want to show they have what it takes to make the Canadiens in the future. On defence, Lane Hutson and Logan Mailloux will be given every opportunity to make the team.
Laine and Cole Caufield are two right-handed shots who play on the left side — especially on the power play. Will there be room for both on the first PP unit?
I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Canadiens go with four forwards and one defencemen on both power-play units — with Mike Matheson and Hutson as the point men — and that would make room for both Caufield and Laine on the No. 1 unit. They can both shoot from either side of the ice and would give Nick Suzuki and the point man plenty of playmaking options with Juraj Slafkovsky positioned closer to the net. It will be interesting to see whether Matheson or Hutson end up on the No. 1 unit.
Would it be better to have Alex Newhook centre the third line and have a guy like Roy on the second line?
Eric Laverdiere
I think the Canadiens are set with their four centres in Suzuki, Kirby Dach, Christian Dvorak and Jake Evans, so I expect Newhook to be on the second line with Dach and Laine.
Newhook shoots left and Dach shoots right, so as linemates they would be able to both take faceoffs on their strong side. Neither of them are great on faceoffs, with Newhook winning 46.5 per cent last season and Dach winning only 38.3 per cent two seasons ago before suffering a season-ending knee injury in the second game last season. Taking faceoffs only on their strong side would help them both.
As for Roy, it will be interesting to see where coach Martin St. Louis ends up using him. At this point, I expect Roy will start on the fourth line with Evans and Joel Armia with a third line made up of Dvorak between Josh Anderson and Brendan Gallagher. But if Anderson continues to struggle early after scoring only nine goals last season I can see Roy moving up.
What Habs line combos, both defensive and offensive, are you looking forward to seeing next season and why? Are there any combos you would suggest they make?
Johnny The Greek
I’m looking forward to seeing if veterans Dvorak, Anderson and Gallagher — who will make a combined US$16.45 million this season — can inspire each other to produce much more offence together as a third line after they combined for only 30 goals last season, led by Gallagher with 16. On defence, I would suggest Hutson be paired with steady veteran David Savard and that Arber Xhekaj and Mailloux play together.
What’s the No. 1 defence battle for spots? Mailloux-Barron? Struble-Mailloux?
Steve Lunney
Since I expect Matheson and Kaiden Guhle to be the top defence pairing — and along with my other pairing suggestions above — that would leave Justin Barron and Jayden Struble battling for the seventh spot on the 22-man roster. Barron will have the upper hand since he would have to clear NHL waivers before the Canadiens could send him to the AHL’s Laval Rocket. It’s hard to imagine another team not claiming the 22-year-old Barron, who was the 25th overall pick by the Colorado Avalanche at the 2020 NHL Draft.
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