A Winning Habit
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Montreal Canadiens: Top Five Players Under 25

By Tyler Major-Mcnicol

Apr 2, 2022; Tampa, Florida, USA; Montreal Canadiens right wing Cole Caufield (22) reacts after scoring a goal against the Tampa Bay Lightning during the second period at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 2, 2022; Tampa, Florida, USA; Montreal Canadiens right wing Cole Caufield (22) reacts after scoring a goal against the Tampa Bay Lightning during the second period at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Montreal Canadiens have gone through quite the whirlwind of events dating back to the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Injuries piled up, the team went to the Stanley Cup finals in 2020, and the then head coach, Dominique Ducharme was fired, and so too was the general manager, Marc Bergevin. Carey Price sits on long-term injured reserve, and Shea Weber suffered the same fate, which resulted in the Canadiens trading his contract to the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for forward Evgenii Dadonov.

In November 2021 Habs owner Geoff Molson brought in Jeff Gorton and appointed him the role of VP of hockey operations. Gorton then began his gm search and decided to hire player agent, Kent Hughes on January 19 to take on the duty of turning the Canadiens around, with a proper rebuild. The first task on the to-do list was bringing in a new head coach, and while the recycled carousel of head coaches seemed like the likeliest route, Hughes opted to sign Quebec native and Hockey Hall of Famer, Martin St. Louis on February 9, 2022.

While there have been ups and downs, as would be expected, the team has taken on a new culture. The days of the team looking old and sluggish are a thing of the past, and the roster is much more competitive. The youthful exuberance and never die attitude has seen an uptick in the team’s morale and fewer lopsided losses.

The team has turned a new leaf and the prospect pool has benefitted from the new player development staff that the Canadiens have put in place. Hughes has been clearing out the mess the former Habs regime left behind. And a new captain was named at the Canadiens’ annual golf tournament in 2022, just ahead of their first campaign under new management, with Nick Suzuki earning the honours.

August was when the staff at A Winning Habit ranked the top 31 Canadiens prospects. But September means we’re in the midst of training camp, and the regular season is inching closer and closer. So with that, we will dive into the top five players in the organization that are under 25 years old.

We kickstart the top five rankings at number one. And who better to start the countdown, than our 5-foot-7 sniper?

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