3 Canadiens players who were the biggest surprises in 2023-24
The Montreal Canadiens weren’t surprising anyone this season, but their fans got to see a few players who enjoyed some surprising 2023-24 campaigns.
A few teams enjoyed surprising seasons in 2023-24, for better or for worse, but the Montreal Canadiens weren’t one of them. Some teams, like the Philadelphia Flyers and Washington Capitals, outplayed expectations, while others, like the Buffalo Sabres and New Jersey Devils, disappointed their respective fan bases.
But that doesn’t mean there weren’t quite a few Canadiens players surprising their fans. One of whom was newcomer Alex Newhook, who in his first 53 games with the Habs, put up 33 points and 14 goals. But his points per game is a career-high, and if you take his numbers and tweak them to an 82-game pace, they would sit between 51 and 52 points and between 21 and 22 goals.
During his days with the Colorado Avalanche, Newhook never accumulated over 0.464 points per game, still a far cry from the 0.622 he’s currently sitting at. But it isn’t just points that he’s excelled in; Newhook has dramatically improved in the faceoff dot with a 46.7 faceoff win percentage, which sits over five percent higher than what he ended with last year.
Alex Newhook is one of a few surprising Canadiens players in 2023-24
With Newhook in town, the Canadiens also found an excellent player for their power play. Sure, their man advantage is something they will need to find a few more pieces to, but they may have found a keeper in Newhook, who through 164.3 minutes at 5-on-4, has been on the ice for 16 goals.
As much as Newhook may have surprised fans with an increased role this season that should continue into 2024-25 and beyond, he wasn’t one of the top three players in Montreal who surprised us. In the following slides, you’ll meet one forward, a goaltender, and a blueliner whose respective seasons more than met expectations.
Few saw Juraj Slafkovsky enjoying an incredible sophomore season
Unless Alex Newhook scores about 20 points in the final week of the season, it’s safe to project Juraj Slafkovsky has taken fourth place on the team in points this season, and wow, what a difference a year has made for the 20-year-old.
Slafkovsky could still easily hit the 50-point mark if he lands just two more points, and he can also hit the 20-goal milestone, or even end the year with 30 assists. But even if he remains with just 48 points on the year, we all need to consider it a successful outing when you compare this season’s numbers to last year’s.
So far, his points total has increased by an eye-popping 38, and he’s also scored 15 more goals, while his average total ice time was up by over five-and-a-half minutes. Overall, Slafkovsky was a more physical, confident player, and his play in all three zones gives the vibe that he will be a franchise cornerstone.
If Slafkovsky moves up yet another rung in the NHL echelon next season, he will no longer surprise us. Expectations have more than risen for the first-overall pick in 2022, and now, it’s time to see how he deals with those expectations. But if his high draft status serves as an indication, it’s safe to say he will more than exceed them.
Sam Montembeault finally showed he could be a 1A
Sam Montembeault doesn’t deserve to shoulder most of the blame for his relatively poor numbers over his first two seasons with the Canadiens following a pedestrian 25 games with the Florida Panthers. His first season in Quebec was a disaster, with eight wins in 30 starts and 38 appearances, but at 26, he wasn’t looking like a 1A goaltender.
That changed this season when, despite the Canadiens struggling through another year of building, Montembeault posted a solid 0.904 save percentage, a 3.10 GAA, and a whopping 0.718 quality starts percentage. Montembeault also allowed just three goals above expected at even strength, providing even more evidence that he can sidle into the 2024-25 season as the 1A.
Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes also opted to move Jake Allen to New Jersey, which left Montembeault as the clear-cut 1A for the rest of the year.
Sure, there is always a chance Cayden Primeau could ultimately overtake Montembeault, considering his numbers this season. But given the number of games Montembeault appeared in and his number of starts, plus his remarkable numbers and consistent performances this season, fans should be fine with the 27-year-old in the crease for at least 45-50 games in 2024-25.
Mike Matheson outplayed even the wildest expectations from critics
Mike Matheson could have played his way into the top 15 for the Norris Trophy, thanks to what was an excellent year in Quebec. Like Montembeault, Matheson began his NHL career with the Florida Panthers, where he never registered over 27 points in a season. He also spent two years in Pittsburgh, where in 2021-22, he put up a career-best 31 points and 11 goals.
Fast-forward to 2022-23, and Matheson broke his own record yet again, this time with 34 points in 48 contests. Take Matheson’s 0.708 points per game and multiply that number by 82, which gives you 58 points. Not a bad number for a blueliner who evolved his play into a decent two-way game, but his offensive output only grew in 2023-24 when he posted 62 points and 11 goals in 80 games.
With another few days left in the regular season, Matheson could further increase his points total in what has become a career-best outing. But let’s talk about more than just his production, as Matheson also posted 178 blocks, posted over 500 minutes on special teams, and helped Montreal score an outstanding 38 goals on the man advantage.
At 30, Matheson is still well in his prime, and it will be more than exciting to see what he will do next season if his overall numbers continue to trend north.
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(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)