The start of the regular season is less than a week away for the Montreal Canadiens and for head coach Martin St. Louis, the lines should be coming into focus for what he wants to have on the ice against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
At this point, a majority of the lines and defensive pairs should be set, but there are still some decisions to be made between now and then. The Canadiens have another set of preseason games left that could help shed some light on what the coaching staff might be thinking, but from my perspective, these is the best forward lines and defensive pairs the Canadiens could have to begin the season.
Forwards
Cole Caufield - Nick Suzuki - Chris Kreider
In the first preseason game of the season, the Canadiens went with Kreider on the top line next to Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki. It was initially a surprise to see Kreider on the top line in place of Slafkovsky, but it also makes a great deal of sense to try to balance out their Top 6.
Kreider sat out the game on Monday night, and Alex Newhook took his place, but this was likely more so to give a veteran a rest, as he doesn't need as much to get ready for the season.
Juraj Slafkovsky - Oliver Kapanen - Ivan Demidov
The move to put Kreider on the top line opens the door for the Canadiens to go back to a trio that worked well early last season. There was no question that Oliver Kapanen looked his best when he had Juraj Slafkovsky and Ivan Demidov on either side of him.
There is no question that Ivan Demidov has the biggest expectations to have a breakout season, but it wouldn't be surprising to see all three improve over last season once again playing together.
Alex Newhook - Phillip Danault - Zachary Bolduc
The bottom six is really where Martin St. Louis is going to have some decisions to make. For the third line, the best trio would be Alex Newhook, Phillip Danault, and Zachary Bolduc, and the hope is that the Canadiens get playoff-level performances from Newhook and Bolduc.
Both of those players were great in the playoffs, and if they can continue that, with a defensive-minded veteran like Danault in the middle, there is an opportunity for this group to be productive.
Josh Anderson - Jake Evans - Florian Xhekaj
It certainly would be shocking if Florian Xhekaj made the lineup to begin the season, but with the way he has played so far this preseason, he has earned that spot. Josh Anderson is another player who has probably already earned his spot in the lineup. If that is the case, then it is a battle between Jake Evans and Kirby Dach for the center spot.
In this scenario, Evans has the slight advantage with being very strong on the faceoff, but it might be a spot the coaching staff rotates to begin the season. This also means that Alexandre Texier will begin the season as one of the extra forwards on the roster.
Defense
Lane Hutson - David Reinbacher
While Florian Xhekaj being on the ice would be surprising, the biggest shocker would be David Reinbacher starting next to Lane Hutson. However, it is something that has been a long-time coming, and these two looked great together against the Ottawa Senators on Monday night.
It will be interesting to see if Martin St. Louis shuffles the players between the groups because Reinbacher and Hutson have not practiced together yet this training camp. If they are moved to the same group, it increases the possibility of this being a reality.
Mike Matheson - Noah Dobson
If Reinbacher is paired with Hutson, it opens the door for Noah Dobson to play alongside Mike Matheson. This will be nothing new, as these two spent the most time together last season of any Canadiens defensive pair, but the results were mixed, with a Corsi For % of 45.39%.
Jayden Struble - Alexandre Carrier
If these are the Top 4 for the blueline, it leaves four players fighting for the third pair, with Kaiden Guhle expected to miss the start of the season. Among this group, Jayden Struble and Alexandre Carrier probably should get the first chance, as neither Arber Xhekaj nor Adam Engstrom has been able to stand out to warrant passing them.
In this scenario, Arber Xhekaj probably is the extra defenseman while Adam Engstrom heads back to Laval. If either Struble or Carrier struggles early, Xhekaj then should get his chance but this group once again gets crowded when Guhle is back.
While most of the roster is set, the Canadiens will have some tough decisions to make over the next week or so and a few of these spots might be decided in the final preseason games.
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