The Montreal Canadiens got off to a slow start to begin the season, raising questions if they were going to regress after making the playoffs last season. However, they reached the midpoint of the season on a high note, and that has continued on Thursday night by beating the Florida Panthers 6-2.
While the Canadiens have gotten great performances from their top stars, like Nick Suzuki, Lane Hutson, and Cole Caufield, the reason they are now atop the Atlantic Division is that they have had some unexpected players step up and make an impact.
When looking at the first half of the season, these are four players who have really helped the Montreal Canadiens enter the halfway point of the season in a great position to get back to the playoffs for a second straight season, the first time they have done that since 2020.
Alexandre Texier
The Canadiens signed Alexandre Texier back in November after his contract was terminated by the St. Louis Blues. He had gotten off to a slow start with only one assist in eight games with the Blues, but Texier is showing that the system and the team matter as much as the player.
The reason is that with the Canadiens, he has stepped up in a big way and producing on the top line. In the game against the Calgary Flames, Texier had his first career three-point game with one goal and two assists. The very next game, he had his second career three-point game while also recording his first-ever hat trick against the Florida Panthers.
As a member of the Canadiens, Texier now has seven goals and seven assists in 22 games, which is already more than he had in the 39 games as a member of the St. Louis Blues. This is a type of move that doesn't generate big headlines at the time, but could play a huge factor down the stretch.
Montreal Canadiens second line
The next surprise is how productive the Canadiens' second line has been with Ivan Demidov, Juraj Slafkovsky, and Oliver Kapanen. The Canadiens didn't begin the season with these three together, but an in-season adjustment might have unlocked something that will help in the second half of this season.
Over the last 10 games, this line has been on the ice for 11 goals for but only three goals against, according to Natural Stat Trick.
Entering this season, all three players entered with pretty high expectations considering they were top draft picks with Slafkovsky being the first overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, Demidov being the fifth overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, and Kapanen being a second-round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft.
While Slafkovsky has been at the NHL level for a few seasons now, he hasn't been nearly as productive as he has been with 35 points in 44 games. At this pace, he will easily surpass his career-best of 51 points last season.
As for Demidov and Kapanen, this is their first full season at the NHL level, and they have quickly shown they belong as Demidov is fourth on the team in points, while Kapanen is third in goals with 15. All three of these players entered the season with uncertainty, but together they seem to be eliminating any questions there might be about them.
The emergence of Alexandre Texier and the dominance of the second line as of late have provided the Montreal Canadiens with the depth required to survive a gruelling NHL season. By finding scoring beyond their established stars, the Habs have transformed from a top-heavy roster into a balanced contender capable of competing with the Atlantic Division's elite.
If these four players can maintain this level of production through the second half of the year, Montreal won’t just be looking to make the playoffs; they’ll be looking to make some noise once they get there.