Montreal Canadiens: Predicting The Laval Rocket Top Powerplay Unit

MONTREAL, CANADA - SEPTEMBER 29: Logan Mailloux #94 of the Montreal Canadiens skates during warm-ups of a pre-season game against the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Bell Centre on September 29, 2023 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Montreal Canadiens 2-1. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
MONTREAL, CANADA - SEPTEMBER 29: Logan Mailloux #94 of the Montreal Canadiens skates during warm-ups of a pre-season game against the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Bell Centre on September 29, 2023 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Montreal Canadiens 2-1. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
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The Montreal Canadiens are probably a year or two away from having their top prospects breaking into the lineup. Still, their American Hockey League affiliate Laval Rocket will have a nice cast of youth.

A testament to the new development team that has been implemented will be how the Rocket play this season. It will take a little time for the first-year pros to find their footing, but once they do, the Rocket will have a fast, skilled and exciting team.

An uptick in the offensive production throughout the roster is likely, and with that, the powerplay should reap the benefits of the youthful overhaul. There are some very talented young players, and once the chemistry develops there will be a lot for Habs management to see. An area that will see an uptick, is the quality of players that will earn call-ups, with the journeymen and career minor league players left in the past.

An area that I would like to hone in on with a fine-toothed comb is the number one powerplay because this is where the cream of the crop will be found. There will be reinforcements on the blue line, with a few guys that could emerge as number one power play quarterbacks. Offensively, at least throughout the forward core, there are some great playmakers, and some very good shooters as well.

Predicting the top power play won’t be a perfect science, there are injuries and there are always moving pieces to try and balance the talent between the top two units. But this will garner a ton of attention, and give the Canadiens faithful a glimpse of what is to come in the future. There will be battles for the first call-up, and it will be a big benefit for the on-ice product.

Let’s dive in, and try to predict what the top powerplay might look like.

There will be positional battles throughout each position, and that will be a huge benefit for every area on the team, from defence to offence. Penalty killing and the power play will be very telling and will prove important for the players’ confidence.