Montreal Canadiens: Why Habs Need To Closely Watch Cayden Lindstrom

The Montreal Canadiens have done a wonderful job addressing their center depth, but adding 2024 Draft prospect Cayden Lindstrom to the fold, despite his position could be a wise decision.

A British Columbia boy, Lindstrom is a man amongst boys in the Western Hockey League with the Medicine Hat Tigers. Yes, we have heard that before, as recently as the 2022 Draft when the Canadiens opted for the hulking Slovakian winger Juraj Slafkovsky. But this is a little different, while Lindstrom is just 17 years old, he stands 6’5” tall, and weighs in at 215 lbs, which he uses to create space for himself.

Physically he is a specimen, and he thrives because he can outmuscle opponents or keep the puck away from them if flying by them or dangling through them. Now, suggesting for the Habs to draft another big-bodied player could spark some debate, and that’s fine and dandy. I think that Lindstrom would present a nice piece to the Canadiens top six, and he would add some nice size.

Now hear me out, ideally, Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki, Kirby Dach and Slafkovsky will occupy four out of six spots on the Habs’ top two lines. Caufield and Suzuki are both under six feet tall, and I’d imagine Alex Newhook will be the fifth player to occupy the top six, which is another smaller player. But Anderson doesn’t exactly fill a role in the top six, so there opens up a need, it can be argued that Joshua Roy could be a fit, and you might be right.

But for the sake of drafting a player that could shore up the top six would be smart. Along with Dach and Slafkovsky, Lindstrom could add another 6’3” or taller player to balance out the smaller players. Also, because centremen generally take longer to adjust to the NHL, he could slot onto one of the wings, until he is ready.

Now, this is where things become interesting, and this is opinion-based, but I think this makes sense. Sidney Crosby and Patrice Bergeron (was) are 5’11” centres, just like Suzuki. However, I think moving Suzuki to the wing and letting him cook with Caufield could be damn fun, then Dach or Lindstrom could slot into the centre role, and the two big centres could grind down the opposition.

Cayden Lindstrom, A Future Number One Centre?

The real intriguing thing about Lindstrom, is what stands out about Dach. For their size, they are just such fluid skaters. And with the puck on their sticks, they can create with slick passing, nifty puck skills or just dropping their shoulder and driving to the net.

Lindstrom hasn’t yet scratched the surface of what he could become, and it’s tough to predict what a player will become in their prime. Especially when they are 17 years old, and living in a man’s body. Lindstrom plays like a much smaller player and is constantly improving, so when he grows into his large frame, it’s quite interesting to try and gauge what he could be in his prime.

This is Lindstrom’s sophomore year in junior, and while he put up a respectable 19 goals and 23 assists through 61 games last year, he was just getting started. I say he was because he has started off the 2023-24 season looking like an absolute force for the Tigers. In just 18 games, Lindstrom has scored 14 goals and 11 assists and doesn’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon.

He can shoot, which the Canadiens surely need, but he isn’t one dimensional, he is also a strong playmaker. The ability to freeze defenders and goalies with a feint one way, or by showing a shot, but making a brilliant pass to a linemate is NHL-level good. I don’t see a glaring weakness in his game, and the offensive skills he has can’t be taught.

Defensively he isn’t Selke-level good and may never be, but the tangible skills are there, and the right coaching will be huge for him. Physically, he is still maturing, but he can lay the body, and flatten opponents. And in transition, he can pivot and rush up the ice at a moment’s notice, which fits St. Louis’ vision for the Habs.

He looks like a stud, and Kent Hughes would be wise to send some scouts to Medicine Hat to watch him. If the Canadiens secure a top 5-10 range pick, and he is still available he should be a consideration.

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