Montreal Canadiens: Possible line combinations to start 2022-23

Montreal Canadiens Forwards

1. Cole Caufield–Nick Suzuki–Josh Anderson
2. Mike Hoffman–Kirby Dach–Jake Evans
3. Juraj Slafkovsky–Sean Monahan– Jonathan Drouin
4. Evgeni Dadonov–Christian Dvorak–Brendan Gallagher
5. Extras: Rem Pitlick, Michael Pezzetta

While the top line has been pretty solid getting reps together throughout the pre-season and practices. There are some other changes I had that differed from some of the combinations that have been shown by the Habs in camp.

For JakeEvans to find that sort of production he had last year and hopefully surpass it, he deserves a bump up, and I think there’s a chance he could slide to the wing on that second line with Kirby Dach and Mike Hoffman.

He may end up seeing more time at center with Dach on the wing if this were to be the actual combinations, but it’s just how I laid them out for these predictions. The bold move of dropping Sean Monahan to the third line was within reason.

I wanted to keep that fourth line together as Brendan Gallagher has been working well with Christian Dvorak and Evgeni Dadonov in camp and commented on his new linemates being good for him. So I opted to keep them together as the fourth line.

Since I was high on Evans and moved him up the lines, Monahan had to come down. While Hoffman is likely to be moved downward first, putting him into a bottom-six role and watching him struggle again is not what the Canadiens need.

I also opted to go with Jonathan Drouin over Rem Pitlick, but those two are interchangeable in the lines I put together. Both are left-handed shots that can play center or wing. I threw Drouin on the off-handed wing since he has played there before.

Though, I’d expect to see Pitlick more often at center or wing, which throws off some of the combinations here. But that’s how I lined up the forwards, again, totally opinionated from an armchair coach position.