After battling through a ton of injuries early in the season, the Montreal Canadiens are finally getting healthy, and it could not come at a better time. The injury bug hit the Canadiens early, with Kirby Dach, Kaiden Guhle, Patrik Laine and Alex Newhook all going down at roughly the same time. Both Dach and Guhle have been back in the lineup since January, and while Laine has been practicing with the team for some time now, there are no indications that he will play for the Canadiens again. However, there’s been a new development on the injury front, with Newhook returning to practice during the Olympic break. With Newhook on the verge of returning to the lineup, the Canadiens will potentially be at full strength for the first time since the opening week of the season.
The lineup looks a little different from what it was before Newhook suffered the fractured ankle. Before the injury, Newhook was playing on a line alongside the Canadiens two rookies, Ivan Demidov and Oliver Kapanen. They showed they had great chemistry together, but after losing Newhook, the Canadiens decided to move Juraj Slafkovsky off the first line to play alongside the two rookie forwards. Since coming together, the “Kid Line” has become one of the Canadiens most dependable offensive lines, which means when Newhook returns to the lineup, he will likely be playing with new linemates.
How the Canadiens lineup will shape up
Left-Wing | Centre | Right-Wing |
|---|---|---|
Cole Caufield | Nick Suzuki | Kirby Dach |
Juraj Slafkovsky | Oliver Kapanen | Ivan Demidov |
Alex Newhook | Phillip Danault | Alexandre Texier |
Brendan Gallagher/Zachary Bolduc | Jake Evans | Josh Anderson |
Out of all the Canadiens' offensive lines, the “Kid Line” is the only true untouchable. The Canadiens have rotated players on the wing next to Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield since moving Slafkovsky to the second line. The Canadiens tried out Zachary Bolduc with Suzuki and Caufield when Newhook first went down, but found better success with a different former St. Louis Blues forward, Alexandre Texier. Texier found success playing on the Canadiens top line, recording his first-ever three-point game and followed that up the next night, scoring his first career hat trick.
However, right before the Olympic break, Dach got an opportunity to play on the Canadiens first line when Texier was dealing with a lower-body injury. The question now becomes: Who plays on the first line when everyone is healthy? Dach has points in three straight games since moving up to the first line, which will likely give him the edge for now, as the Canadiens likely do not want to break up a line that is working.
Keeping Dach on the first line means Texier moves to the third line alongside Phillip Danault, and when Newhook is fully fit to return to action, he would slot in on the other wing. Playing those three together gives the Canadiens a true shutdown line, as Danault and Newhook are key players for the team’s penalty kill, but at the same time, it does not come at a cost for their offence. Texier will be the offensive engine for the Canadiens third line, and Newhook’s speed will always be a threat when he is on the ice. With the Canadiens' top nine all falling into place, the issue now becomes who joins Joe Veleno in the press box when Newhook returns?
Jake Evans is pencilled in at centre, and it is very unlikely Josh Anderson would leave the lineup, as he brings the physical presence you need on your fourth line, especially when it is time for the playoffs. Leaving Brendan Gallagher and Bolduc battling for the final spot. Both have struggled this season, but there is no doubt that when the playoffs begin, it will be Gallagher who gets the last spot. Gallagher brings playoff experience, leadership, and is the heart of the team. His value may not always show up in the stat sheet, but when the playoffs come around, the Canadiens will need him in the lineup.