Montreal Canadiens: Storylines and battles heading into training camp

New Forward Lines

There will have to be some new forward lines. How does that whole ordeal play out? We know for a fact that Jonathan Drouin and Phillip Danault will be the one (1) and two (2) down the middle. Plekanec is likely to take one of those bottom nine holes as well.

The placement of the wingers could take some time to figure out. Max Domi and Joel Armia are among the bigger additions of the offseason. Domi spent time last year playing centre with the Arizona Coyotoes, but that doesn’t look like it’ll be an option with the Montreal Canadiens. However, he was praised by his head coach for his commitment to his play away from the puck. And we all know that’s something Julien admires.

However, Domi most likely stays on the wing and playing him with Drouin works as an early experiment. Both are playmakers, yes, but that may be the way the 2013 12th overall pick finds his scoring touch. Domi has yet to hit double-digit goals since his rookie season where he scored 18. Drouin is a wizard with the puck in transition and Domi has the speed to keep up and match him on the zone entries. It could be a two-way street as well. Domi isn’t a bad playmaker and has seen his skills in the field increase in the last two seasons.

Armia saw mostly third line minutes with the Winnipeg Jets, and could likely play a similar role on the Habs. He’s a big body who can work the boards well and likes to set up shop in the slot using wrist shots for chances.

A style like that could work with a player who gets a lot of rubber on net, (Hudon comes up here again), so it’ll be interesting to see who the coaching staff winds up playing him with.

Tomas Tatar is in the same boat. The 27-year-old is on a mission to prove what happened last season in playoffs was a one-off. He’s a very creative player and could have success with Phillip Danault who would’ve had Max Pacioretty on his left.

Do those assumed duos work? Maybe they’ll need to be shuffled.