How the Canadiens’ lineup could look once Laine, Dach, and Evans return

Early in the season, the Montreal Canadiens could not finish a game without losing a player to injury. Whether it was Alex Newhook, Kaiden Guhle, Patrik Laine, or Kirby Dach. Then, a couple of months later, Jake Evans went down with an injury of his own. The Canadiens were able to stay afloat despite all the injuries, thanks in large part to the young players stepping up and the signing of Alexandre Texier. Guhle has already returned to the Canadiens' lineup, and with Laine, Dach, and Evans set to return to action in the next couple of weeks, Montreal’s offensive lines could be in for a shake-up.

First Line

The change that comes with the Canadiens' first line is who will be playing alongside Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield. For a while, Zachary Bolduc took over Juraj Slafkovsky's duties when he moved to the team’s second line. When Bolduc’s production dried up, the Canadiens moved Texier onto the first line, and he is arguably playing the best hockey of his career since moving onto a line with Suzuki and Caufield. The Canadiens rewarded Texier with a contract extension, keeping him in Montreal for two more years. However, the price tag should give you an indication of where they view him in the lineup. Carrying an AAV of $2.5 million, the Canadiens probably see him more as a player who will be on their third line, who could chip in and help with secondary scoring.

That means when Laine and Dach return to the lineup, one of them will take over on the team’s first line. Now the question is who will get the first opportunity to showcase that they can mesh on that line. With Laine being the closest of the two to return to the lineup, he will likely get the first opportunity. He provides Suzuki with another shooter on the line and could free up space for Caufield, who garners all the shooting attention right now. The problem with Laine is that he does not really give you anything defensively, so if the pucks are not finding the back of the net, he could easily find himself dropping to the third line when Dach returns.

The "Kid Line"

No matter what happens, the one thing that cannot take place is moving anyone off the second line. Since moving Slafkovsky onto a line alongside Ivan Demidov and Oliver Kapanen, it has been the Canadiens' most consistent and productive line. The Kid Line has been able to take some of the scoring pressure off the top line, giving the Canadiens two lines that opponents have to game plan against. Demidov leads all rookies in points with 39, while Kapanen leads all rookies in goals with 16. Then there is Slafkovsky, who has looked dominant since moving onto the second line and is on pace for the first 30-goal, 70-point season of his career. Whatever happens, the one thing the Canadiens can not do is move anyone off this line.

Third Line

The Canadiens traded for Phillip Danault in an effort to stabilise their centre ice position. The plan was that Danault would centre the third line with Evans returning to his duties as the fourth-line centre. However, as soon as the Canadiens traded for Danault, Evans went down with a lower-body injury. Before the Danault trade, Evans was tasked with the third-line centre role and has not been the same player he was in the last couple of seasons. When Evans does return, he will return to the fourth line, where he has been the most effective throughout his career.

To go alongside Danault on the third line, Texier will be one of the players on his wing. Texier has fit in seamlessly into the Canadiens' lineup since signing with the team after the termination of his contract with the St. Louis Blues. Texier had his first career three-point game against the Calgary Flames and followed up that performance with his first career hat-trick the very next day against the Florida Panthers. Texier brings playmaking and skill to the third line alongside the defensively responsible Danault. The last piece of the third line will likely be either Dach or Laine. Dach will probably start off on the third line once he returns, but if Laine becomes a defensive liability on the first line, he could easily be moved to the third line because of the cover that Danault provides on the defensive end.

Fourth Line

The Canadiens' fourth line will look entirely different from what we have seen so far this season. Evans will go back to centring the fourth line, which means Joe Veleno will be heading to the pressbox. Veleno has not brought much to the table offensively, with just four points in 42 games, and most of his value comes from his ability to win face-offs. To go alongside Evans, Josh Anderson will most probably be on the Canadiens fourth line. His speed and physicality will be valuable, as well as his ability to kill penalties. The biggest question mark is who will play alongside them.

It comes down to two options: Brendan Gallagher or Bolduc. Gallagher has been a valuable member of the Canadiens organization for the better part of a decade, but age looks to have caught up to him. The five-time 20-goal scorer looks like a shell of himself this season, with just four goals in 47 games. Bolduc, on the other hand, is in just his second full season in the NHL, and after a hot start to his Canadiens career, the points began to dry up, with just one point in his last 10 games. The Canadiens might lean towards the veteran presence with Gallagher, but it will be a difficult decision for them to make, considering they gave up one of their top prospects to acquire Bolduc from the Blues.

How they will lineup

The Canadiens have not had this much depth on offence in over a decade. They will have three lines that have the capabilities to chip in offensively. With the addition of Danault, you have a one-two punch of him and Evans, who will be tasked to shut down opposing teams' offences and will be critical on the penalty kill. The emergence of the “Kid Line” gives the Canadiens two high-powered offensive lines that other teams will have to worry about. The Habs are in a great spot, and with Laine, Dach, and Evans set to return, this team could be one of the true contenders in the Eastern Conference.