Montreal Canadiens: The Kids Are Alright, And There Are More On The Way

Kent Hughes has given the Montreal Canadiens organization a facelift, and because of it, the Habs powerplay woes should be fixed soon enough.

Alex Burrows has faced some flack and questioning for most of his tenure as the power play coach. But with more chemistry and experience playing together consistently, the two units have shown improvement. It’s a far cry from where you want the production to be, but such is the situation we find ourselves in right now.

Montreal has talent on the roster, and making big moves right now could take money away from other players. Now that’s a vague statement, who are the other players, right? Well, you can take a map, and run your finger over Canada, The United States and Slovakia. These three countries are home to some of the Canadiens’ brightest future stars.

The development team is helping the players by assessing and giving the players feedback. From the CHL to the KHL, NL and SHL, the Habs have their hands full keeping tabs on their young talent. Likewise, they are preparing for the 2024 Draft, which Hughes is fully aware has some very talented prospects.

It has been a long time since the Canadiens have been in the dominant tier for power plays in the NHL. There have been improvements, but with injuries, and guys that will help in the future still developing, that should spark some excitement. Be it the draft, or injuries and even players that are developing still, the Habs have some reinforcements on their way.

I thought it would be a fun exercise to look at the players the Canadiens will rely on to help the current Habs players. In the system, some are developing around the globe and some are in the Canadian junior leagues, and the NCAA. While there will be more added who have yet to be drafted, they could rocket up the depth chart and find a role on one of the Canadiens’ top two powerplay units of the future.

The Injuries & Prospects In The System

It has been well documented and considered when analyzing where the Canadiens are in their rise through the rebuild. They have been hounded with injuries over the past two seasons, and that injury bug has struck again. Kirby Dach is a big piece that stands out right at the top, simply because he has such high potential and had an excellent camp, and his play continued into the preseason and short regular season.

David Savard and Chris Wideman are also out with injuries, however, I feel these two players won’t be around for more than another season. Arber Xhekaj and Jordan Harris are also out and will join a crowded left side of the blue line. This leads me to believe that when they are both healthy, Kent Hughes might start fielding calls for them.

Speaking with full transparency, there is a group of three defenders playing in the different leagues, who will be ready to make the jump to the NHL sooner rather than later. I expect over the next season or two that Logan Mailloux (AHL Laval), Lane Hutson (NCAA BU) and David Reinbacher (NL Kloten) will be pushing for spots on the Habs blueline.

Any one of the three could potentially play on the power play, with Hutson and Mailloux projecting as offensive quarterbacks on the man advantage. Reinbacher strikes me as a penalty killer, who could grow into a power play option.

Offensively the Canadiens would like to have more quality than quantity, but we will discuss another option to address that in June in the next portion of the article. Joshua Roy will benefit from learning how to consistently make the right play at the professional level, and sustain that for a season. He will benefit from learning, and excelling in the American Hockey League because he will be familiar with gaps, speed and how to defend against talented pros every game.

Filip Mesar is heating up, and many critics have crawled back into their dark holes. Mesar has shown how quickness and speedy skating are an issue for opposing teams, especially when he can make plays at top speed with ease. He discourages defenders with his speed and his vision has allowed him to develop a nice one-two punch with Seattle Kraken prospect Carson Rehkopf.

Sean Farrell has played quite well for the Laval Rocket at this juncture of the season, but because of his size, I see him projecting more as a trade chip. The Canadiens enjoy small skilled players, but you need a mix with some bigger bodies. Harris could also find himself on the outside looking in as well, he is smaller and less physical. On defence, the Habs seem almost a lock to have Lane Hutson very soon, and he isn’t a mammoth, but his offensive capabilities can be dealt with.