Montreal Canadiens: Biggest Questions Going Into 2023-24

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Kaiden Guhle and Jordan Harris of the Montreal Canadiens

MONTREAL, CANADA – DECEMBER 10: Kaiden Guhle #21 of the Montreal Canadiens stands up at the bench during the third period against the Los Angeles Kings at Centre Bell on December 10, 2022 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Los Angeles Kings defeated the Montreal Canadiens 4-2. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /

Regardless of whether the Canadiens win 50 games or 20 next season, player development will remain one of the most important things for the organization. The Canadiens have several young players, but most notably, quite a few sophomores looking to take a leap in their development going into year two.

For a player like Kaiden Guhle, that means a big step forward after what was already a very good rookie year. Whereas for Juraj Slafkovsky, that bar may not be as high, but it’s just as important he hits it. The Canadiens are going to need these players to reach their full potential for both immediate and long-term success.

This is always a burning question among young, rebuilding teams and the Habs are certainly not new to this either. But in past years, the answer was often no, or at least not good enough. Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki have sort of changed that tune, but it needs to continue with other young players.

If the Canadiens want to win now, the young players will play a significant role in that, but it’s even more imperative for the future. This is the young core of the Canadiens, and they desperately need these guys to reach their full potential. The upcoming season will give us a better idea as to the reality of that.

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