Canadiens: Six Interesting Training Camp Line Combinations

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Montreal Canadiens inter-squad games on Thursday marked the Habs brass’ first time to see new faces blended in with some regulars. First-round picks played together, giving a first glimpse into the potential of high picks meshing together for the future. It can be taken with a grain of salt; as it was just the first day of scrimmages, but the combinations were nonetheless nice to see.

The offseason, like the others before it, was long and gave players the time they needed to heal and prepare for another season. But today’s A, B, C and D squads allowed fans to have questions about which players might develop chemistry together, answered. Rookies and new acquisitions got to show their stuff, and newly healthy players got back into game action.

Here are a few line combinations and a couple of defensive pairings that would have caught the eye of Canadiens fans.

Forwards

Caufield-Suzuki-Heineman

One thing has been a constant for the Canadiens, and that is Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield playing together on the top line. Another thing has been equally as constant, and that is the carousel of wingers that have been tested on this line, without any sustained option emerging. To be a strong fit with the Canadiens all-star duo, the player who would fit best needs to be able to keep up with their pace; in terms of speed, and be able to connect plays and retrieve pucks.

The latest player to have an audition as the top-line right wing was Emil Heineman during the inter-squad game. He has great playmaking skills, and having him opposite Caufield could make this line a huge threat with two very capable snipers. Heineman adds a bit of size to this line at 6’0” and 194 lbs, and he is also no slouch defensively, leveraging his swift skating to keep pace with the opposition.

With a need on the top-line right wing, Heineman could prove to be a fantastic piece for the Canadiens, and his three seasons of professional hockey experience form a great foundation for a player ready to take the next step. Suzuki and Caufield are young in their own right, but with their playoff pedigree, they could prove to be great mentors for Heineman. Aside from Jesse Ylonen, he has the best shot, and release of the prospect pool, and the confidence that he would gain from playing with two talented players like 22 and 14, could help him break out in the NHL.

Harvey-Pinard-Beck-Gallagher

Let’s cut to the chase right away, this line gives us a glimpse of Brendan Gallagher and the guy who has been compared in length to Gally, Rafael Harvey Pinard. Think speed, tenacity and in-your-face play, that’s exactly what you get with this line. Their bread and butter is hardnosed, blue-collar work in the trenches, and they will very likely get under opponents’ skin.

The one-game audition may be all that we get, but, I’m in the group that would love to have more of this trio injected into the lineup throughout camp, and the preseason. Yes, the line lacks size, but I don’t think that it would affect their plays all that much. The undying motors will present headaches for the opposition all over the ice, and defences and goalies will get all they can handle from these three guys.

Owen Beck will benefit greatly from playing alongside these two high-compete wingers. And the two wingers will benefit from Beck’s strong play at centre ice. They can play with pace, battle hard every shift and even chip in some nice complimentary secondary offence.

Feb 25, 2023; Denver, Colorado, USA; Alex Newhook. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports /

Slafkovsky-Newhook-Anderson

This is likely just one of the stops for Alex Newhook to see where he fits best, but if he proves able to centre his own line, it could open up Monahan to slot in on Kirby Dach’s wing and help him with faceoffs. Newhook’s speed and relentless pursuit of the puck will gel perfectly with the two big bodies of Juraj Slafkovsky and Josh Anderson, and his smaller stature will be perfectly insulated by both wingers. Slafkovsky and Newhook are looking to flip the page on the new season and leave the 2022-23 season in the past, and Anderson is hoping to stay consistent, which should translate to a well-rounded line.

Slafkovsky wants to prove the Canadiens right for drafting him, by putting all the hard work he did throughout the offseason to the test during year two. This line has the potential to be a revelation, should the high hopes of Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton be met by Newhook and Slafkovsky. Anderson could be the cherry on top, he creates space with his speed and large frame, and the two youngsters could wreak havoc from the increased real estate in the offensive zone.

Defensively there could be issues if Anderson and Slafkovsky don’t make a conscious effort to support their centre. But the potential to be a great complement to the top line is there, and the drive and determination from each of these guys will be the ultimate factor in determining how great they could be together. Speed, skill, size and great offensive potential describe this mine to a ‘T’ and they would be fun to watch with a bigger sample size.

Pearson-Kidney-Farrell

The Tanner Pearson acquisition seemed to spark mixed reviews, and the question of him taking away ice time from the younger guys is valid. But he does come with Stanley Cup pedigree, having his name etched on the 2014 Stanley Cup alongside former Canadien Tyler Toffoli. Sean Farrell and Riley Kidney would definitely benefit from playing alongside a player with the pedigree of Pearson, and it makes sense to add him to this very young and inexperienced line.

It may be best described as a mentorship role for Pearson, but his two young linemates aren’t some scrubs, and they should balance this trio out well. This trio would have a high IQ, and play great on both sides of the puck, with a great ability to create offence. This line does lack a shooting threat, but, in year two of the rebuild, the benefits the two young guys will gain from playing alongside Pearson would be plentiful.

Riley Kidney is smart and has some crafty puck skills, just like Sean Farrell, and if they could develop some chemistry while learning from Pearson along the way, they could really form a nice duo just in need of a shooter. Fortunately, the Canadiens have Joshua Roy and Jesse Ylonen looking for a spot, and either one should be grinning if they get to play with Kidney and Farrell. It’s only early into camp, but Farrell and Kidney looked solid with Pearson on their wing.

Mar 9, 2023; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens defenseman Kaiden Guhle. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-USA TODAY Sports /

Guhle-Reinbacher

It was a very small sample size, and I wholeheartedly hope that there will be more time to watch these two play together. Kaiden Guhle and David Reinbacher skate beautifully, they think the game well and they have the physical attributes to be a matchup nightmare. They defend well, using their long reach and great positional awareness to break up plays.

Their edgework and playmaking abilities are underrated, and after a bigger sample size playing together, they will show just how valuable they are for the Canadiens. Along with Logan Mailloux, Lane Hutson and Adam Engstrom, the Canadiens have some incredible young defenders coming through the pipeline, and these high-potential pairings will emerge over the next couple of training camps.

These two can be a great pair in any situation; penalty kill, powerplay, to start the game and to close out games. Ideally, you would want to put a more offensive guy with each of these two, balancing out the strong defending amongst two pairings, which is where Mailloux and Hutson’s names draw into the conversation. These two former first-round picks have all the tools to be a shutdown penalty-killing pair, with an overlooked offensive touch, because their defensive play is so strong.

Bisson-Mailloux

I was a little disappointed to see Logan Mailloux playing with Tobie Bisson because he projects to be a top-four guy, and during the first day of inter-squad scrimmages, you would hope he would have a defence partner with higher NHL potential. No offence to Bisson, but he just doesn’t sit high on the list of defenders who might get some playing time with the Canadiens this year. It wasn’t all negatives though, because Bisson added some experience to the pairing, something that Mailloux will only gain from.

Mailloux skated well and played the way we all expected him to, and Bisson was a nice stable presence. I don’t love the pairing, but I do understand why management decided to slot the two defenders together. Mailloux is very new and likely to take chances to help out on offence, and having a steady defensive veteran presence to help stabilize the pair is great for Mailloux to learn on the fly.

I don’t think it’s likely that these two will remain together in Laval, simply because I feel Mailloux will sit at the top of the pecking order, possibly alongside William Trudeau. Any chance to watch Mailloux is a treat, but I was largely disappointed by the partner that Mailloux was given, even if I understood the decision. It was a bit of a surprise pair for me, and while I enjoyed watching Mailloux, Bisson doesn’t exactly garner the same level of interest for me.

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