Montreal Canadiens: Expectations on 4 prospects ahead of 2022-23

The Montreal Canadiens are currently rebuilding, even if that term hasn’t necessarily been used by management to this point. The roster reflects that, as there are plenty of young players, some of which have yet to play in the NHL, up and down the lineup.

This is an exciting time for Habs fans, but with great excitement comes great expectations. It might be important for Habs fans to keep those expectations relatively tame.

Having high expectations thrust upon you seems like a right of passage for any new Montreal Canadiens player, especially if that player was a high draft pick or the critical part of a blockbuster trade.

As we have seen with a player like Jonathan Drouin, those expectations can weigh on a player and often be unrealistic. It might be wise for Habs fans to scale it back this time around.

This feels especially true for the several young rookies that will likely play some games with the Canadiens this season. It should be an exciting year in Montreal, primarily because of the influx of young talent.

Regardless of the team’s overall success, the Habs should always have something worth watching this year. Let’s take a closer look at some of the more prominent names and what we can expect to see from them this year.

Here’s a look at four Montreal Canadiens prospects ahead of 2022-23.

Montreal Canadiens fans need to exercise patience with Justin Barron.

Justin Barron is another Montreal Canadiens prospect that got into some games last year, which gives fans a baseline for what to expect, but he played in just five games. Barron is a smooth skating defenseman who is just 20 years old.

Most of his development came as a member of the Avalanche organization, coming to Montreal in the Artturi Lehkonen trade. Barron, like Harris, will likely see some NHL action this year but is someone I expect will play in the AHL at times this year as he continues to develop.

Kent Hughes has made it clear that they plan to use the AHL to their advantage, where players will go down to get more opportunities than they would have gotten in Montreal. Make no mistake, Barron, like Harris, will get opportunities to play in Montreal but don’t be surprised if he gets sent down at times this season.

It won’t be a demotion but rather an opportunity to pay more. This is positive, as previously in Montreal, Laval wasn’t really used as a development team, and so being sent down was seen as a demotion. It seems as though that has changed.

Barron has plenty of upside, and it’s Montreal’s job to get the most out of him. We did not really get to see it last year because of an injury that limited Barron to just five games. I expect Barron to take a step forward this year, and if he can show more flashes like he did last year, Habs fans should be excited. His first career goal is just a small glimpse into what he can do.

Much like Harris, I wouldn’t expect any Calder talk surrounding Barron, but he should still show lots of promise. His smooth skating is really something to watch; as a result, he’s more likely to jump off the screen, but it may not translate to many points right away. I think Canadiens fans need to be patient with Barron. He’s on the right path, but there is still a lot of development to do.

Montreal Canadiens prospect Kaiden Guhle has the most to be excited about.

The last defenseman worth talking about is Kaiden Guhle, and he might also be the best prospect the Habs have on the blue line. Unfortunately for Guhle, the Canadiens’ defensive group is pretty crowded.

As it stands right now, the Habs have five defencemen that I expect to make the NHL roster right out of camp. That list includes Joel Edmundson, David Savard, Mike Matheson, Chris Wideman, and Corey Schueneman.

Add in Justin Barron and Jordan Harris, and the blueline becomes even more crowded. That already makes playing time in Montreal hard to come by, so it wouldn’t shock me to see Guhle start the year in Laval.

But I expect to see him play some games in Montreal this year, especially if he looks good at roaming the blueline for the Rocket. Guhle’s junior career was phenomenal, and he showed tremendous growth as a prospect in his post-draft years. So much so that I believe Habs fans are higher on him now than ever before. But I’m not sure he’s NHL ready, and giving him some time to develop in Laval might be the ideal start for him.

Really, it will depend on how the preseason fares for Guhle. A good performance there can force the Habs’ hand. Either way, I fully expect Guhle to play in Laval this year, which is more than okay. The Canadiens and their fans alike think highly of Guhle.

I believe they think he has top pairing upside, and I think they believe the best way to develop him is not to play him on the Habs’ third pairing but instead let him play 20-25 minutes a night in Laval in higher leverage situations. That, to me, is the better of the two options and will add to the many reasons to tune in to some Laval Rocket games this season.

Here are expectations for Montreal Canadiens’ no.1 overall pick Juraj Slafkovsky.

I figured I’d save the best for last, which is about forward and first overall pick Juraj Slafkovsky. Let’s start with the obvious; the Habs have too many forwards as it is, and yet it’s difficult to imagine a scenario in which Slafkovsky doesn’t start the year with the Canadiens.

Of course, his performance during training camp and the preseason will factor into that decision. My concern is what the reaction will look like if the Canadiens do decide to send him down at some point.

What is reasonable to expect from Slafkovsky before any claims of a bust start to come out is tough. In a smaller hockey market, like Seattle and fourth overall pick Shane Wright, expectations may not be relatively high.

In Montreal, I’m not so sure. Slafkovsky didn’t have the greatest showing at the prospect tournament, and some have already begun to panic. I think it’s safe to say, even for Montreal, that’s a bit much. There were some flashes, but it’s clear Habs fans wanted a little more.

Slafkovsky is obviously going to have the spotlight on him, and that’s alright but how the fan base reacts when he struggles is what worries me. As previously mentioned, it can weigh on players when they struggle, and the outside pressure doesn’t help.

With Slafkovsky, if expectations are that he’ll be a point-per-game player and Calder trophy winner his rookie year, then the fanbase is already setting him up for failure. He isn’t going to do that, as few 18-year-old rookies do.

What he will do is what’s important, and he should be a pleasure to watch as he learns to adapt to the NHL. He’s got skill that’s given. But how quickly that will all translate remains to be seen. Regardless, the Habs have a talented player on their hands, and well, I think preaching patience can only be true for so long; I also don’t think it’s fair to thrust too much on him too quickly.

It’s the reason why it wouldn’t surprise me to see him play in Laval at various points this year, and I think Habs fans should prepare for that too. You just got to hope he doesn’t stay down there for long.