Who were top five in assists for the Montreal Canadiens in 2023-24?

1. Mike Matheson - 51 Assists

It will be hard to replace Matheson's playmaking abilities when he eventually leaves the Canadiens. Montreal's abundance of blueline prospects makes Matheson's departure inevitable, but some players in the pipeline, like Lane Hutson, may lead this list one day. Matheson is left to quarterback the powerplay and feed Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky on the flanks.

2. Nick Suzuki - 44 Assists

The assist totals will rise if Caufield continues playing on a line with Caufield and Slafkovsky. The young stars are only getting better and the trio weren't together on a line for the entire season. A full year should help Suzuki get 50+ assists next season and reach a new career-high in points.

3. Cole Caufield - 37 Assists

Caufield aimed to become a more all-around player last season and look no further than his assist totals to see that it became a reality. He also looked good as a two-way player, but he especially wanted to build on his 2022-23 totals where he had just ten assists in 46 games. He nearly quadrupled that total in 2023-24 and hopes to continue progressing. The next step for Caufield will be becoming a 30-goal, 40-assist player.

4. Juraj Slafkovsky - 30 Assists

Slafkovsky can't complain about his production in 2023-24, as he had a 40-point improvement from his rookie season. There were plenty of concerns about Slafkovsky's future after the 2022-23 season, but he answered many of his doubters with the 20-goal, 30-assist year in 2023-24. There is intrigue about how much he will grow after a full season on the first line with Caufield and Suzuki.

5. Sean Monahan - 22 Assists

There is no better example of the Canadiens' lack of depth on offense than Monahan coming in at No. 5 on the assists list. He played just 49 games with the team before the trade to the Winnipeg Jets, while many players with 70+ games played couldn't surpass him in the assist category.