Canadiens rookies get new opportunity at expense of Alex Newhook

Martin St. Louis isn't happy with the Montreal Canadiens' inconsistencies. The bench boss understood that Alex Newhook on the second line was an issue, and the Habs desperately needed an offensive boost. Loading up the top two lines hasn't worked, so St. Louis is taking a new approach. At practice on Wednesday, the head coach rolled out four new-look lines, which demoted Newhook to the fourth line and elevated two of their promising rookies.

Emil Heineman will now play on the first line with Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki. The pair made Kirby Dach look good on the wing, so the Canadiens hope that Heineman will be able to have the same success. Speaking of Dach, St. Louis chooses to return him to the middle but to do it with two new linemates. Juraj Slafkovsky and Oliver Kapanen will now be on their flanks.

The only line staying together is the Josh Anderson, Jake Evans, and Brendan Gallagher trio. Since training camp, they have looked good together, and there isn't much reason to split them up. It has been the most consistent line and the only one where St. Louis knows what he is getting night in and night out. It may not always be perfect, but it's nice for a head coach to have that kind of reliability.

The lineup finishes with the fourth line of Newhook, Christian Dvorak, and Joel Armia. It's a demotion for Armia, who has been playing on the second line for most of the season after Patrik Laine's injury. The biggest question now is where Laine will slot in once he returns. It'd be a waste to put him on the third or fourth lines, so it could be an audition for Kapanen and Heineman, with only one player being able to stay in the top six. Laine's return could lead to Slafkovsky reuniting with Caufield and Suzuki and Laine slotting in with Dach and Kapanen.

The biggest issue with these lines is Kapanen playing on the wing. He has been looking much better in his opportunities at center, so the better move may have been moving him to the middle of the third line to try to have three sold lines. Is that the direction they go when Laine returns, with Evans going to the fourth and knocking Dvorak out of the lineup?