Montreal Canadiens: Habs Top Line Showing Growth Potential On The Fly

It's still in its infancy, but the Montreal Canadiens top line has been great, and the line has potential to be so much better.

We have a pretty good idea of how good Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield are individually and together. They were brilliant during the Canadiens' Stanley Cup run, and they continue to be the Habs' most relied-upon forwards with Sean Monahan somewhere in the mix. Juraj Slafkovsky, however, is still pretty new to the Habs and two of his two linemates.

Growth and building chemistry are two integral aspects of the Habs top line's development. All three players continue to grow and become better in their own right. But the chemistry that they have already built, looks like something to keep an eye on.

Something that stands out about Caufield and Suzuki is their willingness and desire to take on the hardest matchups and be relied upon for the offence. When Slafkovsky was drafted, many fans questioned why it wasn't somebody else. That was before though, and this is now - Slafkovsky has shown that he is cut from the same cloth as number 22 and 14.

We already knew what this line was capable of, and we were aware of the line's potential to keep getting better. But with back-to-back games against Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, then Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar, 20-14-22 were brilliant.

Defensively the line has played much better, albeit just over the last two games, in comparison with the five games before that. The strength of the line is in their ability to affect the game on both sides of the puck and cause problems for the opposition. But when they enter the offensive zone, any one of them can beat goalies clean.

Slafkovsky got the party started for the line against the Avalanche, slamming home a second-effort shot. Caufield and Suzuki earned the assists on the tally. This goal, if no other one has, showed the chemistry and individual skill of each player.

Caufield scored his second goal in as many games, and the goal against the Avalanche was brilliant. It showed a bit of Caufield's slump just melting away, his shot looked like it came out of a slingshot. It has to be one of the purest snipes that he has scored, assisted by Suzuki.

The tally against the Oilers came on the powerplay, and it was brilliant. Suzuki made a ridiculous no-look pass to Caufield, which sent Stuart Skinner's jockstrap into the stands. Caufield made no mistake labelling the puck for the top left corner.

Martin St. Louis has brought the best out of the three players, and he will continue to push his top line. The coach-player relationship will and has played a very important role in the line's ascension to their ultimate potential. It's unclear how great they can be, but Marty sure has high hopes for them.

They work hard every night and play against the opposition's top lines, so the success of late is very well deserved. Each player on the line, much like the team, plays for the crest on the front of the jersey and not the name on the back. With the top line playing the right way, the Canadiens have found success and looked great against four of the league's best players.

I am curious to see how this line looks at this time next season, considering how they seem to adapt to each challenge and continue to grow. Caufield hasn't scored to his potential, Slafkovsky hasn't scratched the surface of his potential and Suzuki has plenty of room to grow. Once the pieces fall into place, the Canadiens will have a well-balanced attack, with Slaf, Caufield and Suzuki on the top trio.