Emil Heineman has been starting his NHL career successfully since making the Montreal Canadiens out of training camp. He has played in every game except one and has two goals with a -3 rating. The point output and/or minus are positives, considering he has spent most of his time on the fourth-line wing with Christian Dvorak. Heineman has yet to have a chance to shine, but that'll change in the Canadiens' next game when he plays on a line with Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki.
Any player who slots next to Suzuki and Caufield this season has had immediate success. Juraj Slafkovsky was the first player to play alongside them, a carryover from their newfound connection last season. Slafkovsky had six points in six games, which was no surprise while playing alongside the NHL's leading goalscorer, Caufield. Slafkovsky suffered an injury, putting Kirby Dach on the first line.
Dach struggled to generate all points alongside Alex Newhook and Joel Armia all season. The Canadiens knew they had to find a way to unlock his offense, and they felt playing on the first line was the way to do it. It didn't take long for Dach to rediscover his scoring touch, as he had a goal and three assists in the first three games on the line. The Canadiens suffered a devastating loss against the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday night, which prompted Martin St. Louis to reshuffle the lines. It put Dach back down in the middle of the second line and Heineman in the first.
Heineman has shown glimpses of being an average offensive contributor. He had 39 points in 58 games with Laval and 31 points in his final 73 games in the Swedish Hockey League. Heineman did have one season in the J20 league in Sweden, where he was over a point per game, but that was his biggest season. He may be unable to keep it going for the entire season, but there could be a one or two-week bump where Heineman brings some fantasy value. Heineman could hold this spot until Patrik Laine returns.