The Montreal Canadiens haven't been able to bring in any clear roster upgrades yet this offseason. Certainly, general manager Kent Hughes is continuing to work the phones, and a trade for a player like Kirill Marchenko would change that, but for now, the roster is essentially the same as what they had in the Eastern Conference Final.
If the Canadiens are going to advance further in the playoffs, it will be in large part to players either taking that next step or matching the career season they just had. When looking at the current roster, these are three players who fall into that second category, where they are going to need to produce at the same level they did last season.
Cole Caufield
For the first time in over 25 seasons, the Montreal Canadiens had a 50-goal scorer after Cole Caufield had 51 in the regular season. He was almost unstoppable in the second half of the season and could score seemingly from anywhere on the ice.
As special as the regular season was, the playoffs were a completely different story as Caufield was basically invisible and couldn't make the same impact. He finished the playoffs with six goals in 19 games, but only two were in 5v5 situations.
When looking ahead to this season, Caufield is going to be looking to prove that the 50-goal regular season wasn't a fluke. The pressure for Caufield will really come in the playoffs, though, as he will want to show he is capable of more.
Nick Suzuki
Nick Suzuki was excellent in the regular season as he broke 100 points and set the regular-season record for points by a Montreal Canadiens captain. He would also go on to win the Selke Trophy, which was the first time a Canadiens player had won it since 1992.
While he didn't have the same slump that Caufield did in the playoffs, he also struggled in the playoffs with 16 points in 19 games, but none in the final four games with a +/- of -5.
This will be Nick Suzuki's fifth season as the Canadiens captain, and he has done a good job stepping into that leadership role. The Canadiens may not be able to expect much more from Suzuki, but they will need him to play at least at the same level he did last season.
Jakub Dobes
The first two players are under the most pressure for another career season because the Montreal Canadiens need it. However, Jakub Dobes needs another career season not only to help Montreal but also to hold onto the starting job.
Dobes was excellent for the Canadiens last season after the Olympic break and into the playoffs. In 19 playoff games, Dobes had a goals against average of 2.61 and a save percentage of .908. The performance he put together was enough to earn him a new three-year contract extension.
Unlike Caufield and Suzuki, there really isn't another player waiting to take their spot, but for Dobes, that isn't the case, with Jacob Fowler expected to be in the mix at the position this season. Fowler is one of the best goalie prospects in the NHL and certainly looks ready to make that jump full-time.
Right now, Fowler probably starts the season in Laval with Samuel Montembeault on the roster. That is not because Montembeault is better, but rather Fowler benefits more from getting regular starts in the AHL than having to be in a rotation of three goalies in the NHL.
However, if Dobes struggles at any point during the season, the Canadiens would be wise to give Fowler the starting job instead of turning to Montembeault. It will be Dobes' job to start, but he will have to be looking over his shoulder with Fowler right behind him.
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