Montreal Canadiens likely to wait until 2019 for burst of youth

Projected Defence Pairings *Shea Weber IR*

Victor Mete-Jeff Petry

It might seem odd to some to pair Mete with Petry, but these are the two guys you are going to want to see with the most ice time on the Canadiens back-end. There’s also an intriguing factor of what these two skilled, smooth-skating defenceman will be able to do with each other given the circumstances.

Mike Reilly-Noah Juulsen

One thing that Reilly can certainly do is skate. The defenceman needs some technical work, and to think the game a little better, but there’s reason to believe he should be given a chance at success this year in Montreal.

Karl Alzner-Simon Desprès 

There has never been any concern about whether Despres can play hockey. If not for concussions, Despres likely wouldn’t have to settle for a PTO with Montreal, but alas here we are. Despres hasn’t been the same player after multiple concussions, but if he can prove to be healthy, and that’s a big if, the Canadiens would be silly not to give him a chance.

Extra: David Schlemko, Jordie Benn 

Schlemko can play his way back into the top-six, but he’ll need a great camp to get back in the Canadiens good books after a mostly dismal 2018.

If these eight defencemen make the big club, expect Xavier Ouellet and Brett Lernout to be the first call-ups.

Given this lineup, it’s tough to see the Canadiens sniffing anywhere near the playoff race, but that doesn’t mean this can’t be viewed as a valuable year for player development.

Kotkaniemi will likely be playing as a top-six center back in Finland, while Suzuki could see time down the middle on the top line in Owen Sound. Both players will play significant roles for their respective countries at the World Junior tournament, one that Canadiens fans will be keeping a close eye on.