Montreal Canadiens: What Will Habs Lineup Look Like In 2025-26

It seems quite apparent that the Montreal Canadiens are still moving along in the rebuild, but waiting on some player's arrival. 

Scattered all over the globe, the Canadiens have pieces that aren’t quite ready for the jump to professional hockey. A few prospects are dispersed throughout the NCAA, the OHL and some in Europe. Each progressing closer to making the jump.

Just ahead of them are the few players playing within the Canadiens organization. Down in Laval the Habs have a couple of guys who could find themselves on the big club sooner rather than later. Possibly a top-four defenseman, and two top-nine forwards. 

There is so much skill and talent on the way, and Kent Hughes has begun scouting for the 2024 Draft. With that, there is another player who will join the Habs fold early at the draft in June. A player who will likely be as important to the organization as Hughes's last two picks. 

Juraj Slafkovsky is advancing towards becoming a massive piece for the top six. And in Switzerland, David Reinbacher is playing important minutes on the top pair for EHC Kloten in the NL. Both players will be huge for the Canadiens' rebuild, and the Habs ‘24 draft selection will be no different. 

Habs Starting Lineup - October 2025

I will break it down by offence, Defence and then goaltending. So lines one through four, and defence pairs one through three. The two goaltenders will be discussed last. 

The Offence

Line One - Cole Caufield-Nick Suzuki-Juraj Slafkovsky

This line is just starting to find its next gear, with Suzuki and Caufield mentoring Slafkovsky. Once Slafkovsky hits his stride, his two linemates will be in their prime. Slafkovsky will be 2 and will have another full season under his belt. 

With 22-14-20 on the top line, they will be the catalysts that drive the offence. The stud two way center, with his elite goalscorer and power forward wingers. This line is exactly, in my eyes, is exactly where Hughes drafted Slafkovsky to play.

With the Habs a year and a half further into the rebuild, having a well-established first line will be crucial. Thankfully, the cards fell right for the Habs. Vegas no longer wanted Nick Suzuki, and 12 teams passed on an undersized Caufield. The first overall pick was the cherry on top. 

They will lead the offence and complement the second lines speed and skill beautifully.

Line Three - Joshua Roy-Owen Beck-Emil Heineman

This line features three players, two with Laval and one still playing junior, but mostly because of his age. Roy has shown all the tools against AHL competition and despite his slump, he has shown great progression. Heineman has shown what he can do before getting injured, and if he can find chemistry with Roy, that could be a nice winger duo to add to the top nine.

Beck is in the OHL with the Peterborough Petes, but his first two NHL training camps saw him as one of the Habs final cuts. He even made his NHL debut, and didn’t look out of place. He will be the third line pivot, leveraging speed and strength in the faceoff dot to help his line.

I expect that speed will be the strength of the Habs third line, and they will devastate defences who take them lightly. Heineman’s shot, an absolute laser alongside Roy who can also rip the puck, will strengthen the Habs' depth. So being able to make plays at high speeds will be the line's bread and butter, and Beck can be an outlet and play connector.

That isn’t all that Beck will do, I expect that he could become one of the league’s best third line centers in his prime. And the line will benefit from his offensive growth ahead of his first NHL season. Montreal will be very good if the top three lines can play well.

Line Four - Rafael Harvey Pinard-Jake Evans-Jesse Ylonen/Filip Mesar

This line could stand to add a little more size, but each of the three players, aside from Mesar plays bigger than they are. Speed and strong positional play will be the driving force for the trio. While supporting one another is how the fourth line will thrive, their play in transition through the neutral zone should give the opposition fits. 

Harvey Pinard is the dog on a bone, and any loose change in front of the net is often cleaned up by him. Evans is just a reliable centre who makes very few mistakes and could be the perfect complementary piece, using great speed and strong defensive instincts. Ylonen will also aid in the defensive zone, but can use his speed in transition and his offensive instincts paired with his great shot will be a sure bet for some goals.

For a fourth line to be this fast, smart and still capable of growth, the Habs depth could become a strength. I think a Florian Xhekaj would be the perfect option to slot in for some added size and strength, but otherwise, the trio will keep opponents on their toes. Evans is strong on the penalty kill and his strength on faceoffs, make him the ideal fourth-line center. 

Such balance and strength throughout the lineup will serve the Habs well in the playoffs. There are a few other options that might find themselves in the lineup, but this appears to be a cohesive group of 12 forwards to run the Canadiens offence. 

The Defence

Pair One - Lane Hutson-David Reinbacher

Perhaps the most exciting defence prospect in all of hockey, Hutson has silenced every doubter. He has done everything to prove he is an elite talent, up there with some NCAA defence alumni thriving in the NHL. I expect he will be the Habs' number-one powerplay quarterback, and impact the game much like some of the NHL’s most talented defenseman.

David Reinbacher, while still developing, has shown maturity beyond his 18 years, and looks like one of the top right defence prospects. His size and skill combo, matched up with his mobility and quickness are all NHL translateable traits. I would hold him to the same distinction as David Jiricek, Simon Nemec, with the potential to impact the Canadiens' defence, like Moritz Seider does for the Detroit Red Wings. 

The Canadiens defence is showing signs of being the strength of the entire roster. Jayden Struble’s recent emergence has further solidified the theory. And the Habs may still not have their best defender on the roster, but they haven’t struggled with that at all. With four players under 22 years old, the Habs have a young, but extremely talented group of defensemen. 

Hutson and Reinbacher have not yet arrived, so it’s purely predictions right now. I expect that will all change at the end of this season, or the beginning of the 2024-25 season. Hutson could realistically turn pro at the duration of his sophomore season with Boston University, and Reinbacher will likely play in North America.

Even if Reinbacher plays next season with the Laval Rocket, I think it’s very likely that he will make the jump to the Habs ahead of the 2025 season. Hutson will likely get sheltered minutes to start, perhaps alongside Kovacevic or even Xhekaj to insulate the Habs' prized defender. The two defenders sit atop the Canadiens prospect pipeline and look to be the Habs' go-to duo for many years to come.

Pair Two - Kaiden Guhle-Logan Mailloux

I hesitated to put Guhle on the top defence pair, and Mailloux could be in that conversation as well. I see Mailloux more as a powerplay weapon than a top-right defenseman. Guhle with Reinbacher could be dominant but I feel that the balance of the pairs makes most sense how it’s written above.

Guhle, in my eyes is already the Canadiens best all-around defenseman, and he is only 21 years old. I see him as a dominant two-way defender, in the mould of Shea Weber, Alex Pietrangelo and Larry Robinson. He is defensively mature beyond his years, and he has such a high ceiling, that I see him as a guy who will lead the blueline, no matter where he plays. 

Mailloux is a little rougher around the edges, but with some stronger defensive awareness and continued offensive growth, he will mesh perfectly with Guhle. The right is more offensive-wired than Guhle, and he loves to shoot the puck. Defensively he is mean like number 21 for the Habs, using all of his 6’3” 215 lbs frame to kill plays. 

Both defenders are mobile for bigger guys, and so strong, they just aren’t fun to play against. They are both gamers, and their competitive fire runs deep in both their games. Guhle is a fair bet to play on the top penalty kill unit, and Mailloux on the powerplay, alongside Hutson or running the second unit. 

Pair Three - Arber Xhekaj/Jayden Struble-Justin Barron

I can’t think of a better defender than Xhekaj to put on the third pair. And I think that Struble has a higher potential than both Barron and Xhekaj. Because of that, I have three defensemen instead of two. 

Xhekaj is the physical menace who can chip in offensively, defend well and punch opponents' heads off their shoulders if he tries. Struble, the steady, physical presence with such beautiful edges and elite mobility. And Barron, the shooter, whose strong offence masks some of his defensive inefficiencies. 

In the interest of having three balanced pairs, with a right and left shot defender, Barron slots in with Xhekaj. But I wouldn’t be surprised if Struble slotted in on his weak side, and still impacted the game at a high level. Barron is sort of the hard one to predict, you hope that he can correct the mental mistakes, but if he struggles, Struble could most certainly fill his role. 

This group of seven defenders could be the group that brings the Canadiens to a Stanley Cup berth. With a combination of skill, speed, talent and physicality, I would love to see this group grow together. Surely the blueline will contribute to the Canadiens goal totals. 

Goaltenders

Starter - Samuel Montembeault

Fresh off a shiny new three-year extension, Montembeault appears to have emerged as the Canadiens starter. And for my money, he will maintain that role until another goaltender unseats him from his role or forces a trade. Number 35 has outplayed Jake Allen and Cayden Primeau, and his numbers speak for themselves. 

Monty has cemented himself as the starter, and pushed Primeau down the depth chart, and Allen is likely out of town. He consistently makes the big save, and the fans love him, he competes until the whistle every play. The leather flashes bring the crowd to their feet, with memories of Carey Price circling in their minds. 

There isn’t another goalie in the organization, at this point that could supplant him his starter post. The backup may soon push very hard for the role, but up until the 2026 season, Montembeault is the number one masked man in Montreal. When the backup is ready, Montembeault could be a high-value asset to leverage some draft capital or another roster player.

Backup - Jacob Fowler

Fowler has been one of the highest character prospects in the entire Canadiens pipeline, and he has been through adversity. He has zero ego, and is truly a fierce competitor with a real chip on his shoulder. I can almost feel the script writing itself, and at the end of the novel, Fowler will end up becoming the goaltender that wins the Canadiens a Stanley Cup.

I understand completely how big those expectations would be for an 18-year-old goaltender, but Fowler is wired like the greats. He just relies on his strong positioning, and while he isn't overly athletic, he has great lateral mobility and a strong posture allows him to stay upright. His glove hand and vision to find a puck through a maze are impressive and he is so positionally aware, that he makes tough stops look routine.

I think that it takes a special kind of human being and hockey player to play goalie for the Montreal Canadiens. Carey Price was special in that he was calm, cool and collected - Patrick Roy was fiery, mouthy and so dominant. Jacques Plante saved pucks with his face, and Ken Dryden towered in the crease, but was another rookie goaltender who had ice in his veins.

The Boston College Eagles' starting goaltender, picked up where he left off in the USHL. Fowler dominated the league after he was passed over during his draft year. He won a Clark Cup championship, and was named MVP of the Tournament. Now, 17 games into his rookie season, Fowler sports a 13-3-1 record, with a .925 save percentage and 2.16 goals against area.

When the 2025 season rolls around, the Canadiens could have a lot of talents drafted by the club playing on the roster. Many of which will hold such important roles. Which is a testament to the improved development team, and steady scouting.