Trying to Envision the Montreal Canadiens Opening Day Lines

A lot can happen between now and October 13th when the Montreal Canadiens will be in Toronto to take on the Maple Leafs for opening night. The Canadiens still need to figure out what they are going to do with the money that Shea Weber will be leaving behind, as it’s believed that he will be put on Long Term Injured Reserve (LTIR).

Barring any trades, which is definitely probable with the likes of centers Jack Eichel and Evgeny Kuznetsov out there as possible trade targets, the team is set. The only thing that remains is figuring out where everyone lines up. Here is the best guess on how head coach Dominque Ducharme will deploy his lines on opening night. This is just a look at the 5-on-5 lines and not the special teams.

Line 1: Cole Caufield – Nick Suzuki – Tyler Toffoli

This was a line that was birthed in the opening round of the playoffs. Following a Game 4 loss to the Maple Leafs, which resulted in Montreal trailing 3-1 in the series. The Habs were in search of a scoring line. They absolutely found one in putting these three together! Suzuki emerged as one of the bright young stars in the game.He plays an incredible two-way game and finished with a team-high 16 points in 22 playoff games.

Then you have Tyler Toffoli and Cole Caufield who finished second and third respectively in points during the playoffs. Toffoli also had 28 goals in just 52 games, meaning he was on pace for over 40 goals in a full regular season. The Canadiens finally have a dynamic scoring line and these three will be the catalyst to the team’s success.

Line 2: Mike Hoffman – Jesperi Kotkaniemi – Josh Anderson

The second line is a little bit more intriguing because it all depends on the maturity and growth of Jesperi Kotkaniemi. Kotkaniemi or KK as he is referred to in the dressing room just turned 21-years-old and has already played in 29 playoff games. Unfortunately for KK, he was residing in the press box when the Canadiens dropped Game 5 of the Stanley Cup.

However, one thing to note is that the young Finnish forward has never really had continuity in terms of linemates, and this might be the year that changes. Josh Anderson proved to be one heck of a signing and a legit power forward (when he wants to be). Anderson was an absolute force for most of the season and in the playoffs. His second year in Montreal under Ducharme should help his game flourish even more.

Then you add in a scoring machine in Mike Hoffman and all of a sudden the Canadiens have two legitimate forward lines. One of the big reasons Marc Bergevin brought in Hoffman was because he has scored in every level, and the team needs some more scoring depth. To put into perspective Hoffman had his lowest goal tally this past season at 17 in a shortened season. Had he played a full season he could have easily had close to 30 goals. The other thing about Hoffman is once he gets hot, he goes on an absolute tear and is nearly unstoppable.

Line 3: Brendan Gallagher – Jake Evans – Joel Armia

At this point in Brendan Gallagher’s career, he is better served to be on the checking line where he can go up against the opposing team’s top line. This was most evident with his role in the Canadiens postseason run where he was on a line that did not score in much but was absolutely critical to the team’s success.

Gallagher’s scoring totals might take a hit, but this is a guy who will probably be named the next captain, and all he cares about is winning. Jake Evans proved last year that he is willing to play in any role and on any line. A young kid with a spark on and off the ice. His ability to play sound in his own zone was a big reason why Ducharme and the coaching staff believed so highly on him to have him in the lineup instead of the likes of Tomas Tatar.

You toss in Joel Armia who is one of the most underrated players in the league and at just $3.4 million a year he is an absolute bargain. He can play both on the power play and shorthanded and on top of that, he is a big body around the net that likes to get in the dirty areas. Simply put he is a bigger Brendan Gallagher and you cannot have enough of those types of players.

Line 4: Artturi Lehkonen – Cedric Pacquette – Jonathan Drouin

Let’s be honest here, this is the one line that will have the least amount of continuity because there is no certainty who will be on it. It seems like the only guarantee on this line isArttuir Lehkonen who is returning on a one-year deal. Lehkonen scored the biggest Canadiens goal in the last two decades sending Montreal to the Cup following with his overtime heroics against the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 6. Not only that, but he is a trustworthy player on the Penalty Kill unit which is something that can not be understated.

Outside of Lehkonen, you have newcomer Cedric Pacquette or possibly Ryan Poehling or Mathieu Perrault down the middle. I will give Pacquette the edge just because he is a poor man’s Phillip Danault. A player who can win faceoffs and is surehanded in his own zone. Then you have $5.5 million forward Jonathan “Jo” Drouin as a fourth-line winger. There was some concern surrounding Drouin who stepped away from the team near the end of the season for personal reasons.

First and foremost it’s great to hear that he is doing much better than before, but secondly, if he does come back and is healthy, is his best fit on the fourth line? It is unsure where he fits in with a roster that seems to be set in stone, but he is a locker room favorite and has play-making ability, so it will be interesting to see what happens to him. For now, he is being placed on the fourth line because there is literally nowhere else to put him.

D Pair 1:  Jeff Petry – Joel Edmundson

This is the easiest pair to figure out because they were matched up for most of the regular season and playoffs. Petry had an incredible year finishing with 42 points. He also is the Canadiens best puck-moving defenseman which bodes well when you have Joel Edmundson who is a hard-hitting defenseman and likes to grind in the dirty areas.

D Pair 2:  David Savard – Ben Chiarot

With Shea Weber no longer able to play, looking for Ben Chiarot’s partner had become a bit of a situation. Bergevin was not going to let that be an issue, so he added David Savard fresh off winning a cup. Savard will come in and assert his defensive prowess alongside Chiarot on top of being a hometown kid from Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec. These two will not light up the score sheet but they will be extremely tough to play against. Even though the shoes left behind by Weber are massive, Savard will prove to be a viable addition.

D Pair 3: Alex Romanov – Chris Wideman

Alex Romanov proved his durability and ability to play in the NHL after his rookie season. Despite not seeing a lot of ice time during the playoffs, Romanov played in 54 out of 56 games during the shortened season. Romanov’s hard-hitting prowess was on full display and he will prove to be the perfect partner to new Canadiens defenseman Chris Wideman. Wideman finished with nine goals and 41 points in the KHL with the Nizhny Novgorod Torpedo and will be a welcomed addition to a defensive unit that does not have a ton of scoring prowess.

Wideman and Romanov both have a great shot and will both be expected to help make plays in their own zone as well as contributing to the scoresheet.

Goalies: Carey Price & Jake Allen

With Marc-Andre Fleury getting dealt to the Chicago Blackhawks, the pair of Carey Price and Jake Allen have now become the number one goalie tandem in the entire NHL. There were some eyes raised when Allen was kept in the expansion draft making Price vulnerable to being selected by the Seattle Kraken.

However, the Kraken passed on Price and the two should split the duties evenly throughout a full 82-game season. We have all seen what a healthy Price can do in the playoffs, so keeping Allen was such a smart and savvy move by Marc Bergevin.

Extras: Ryan Poehling, Brett Kulak, Mathieu Perrault, Paul Byron (IR)