The Canadiens are beginning to get healthy with return of Juraj Slafkovsky

The Montreal Canadiens' morning skate before their game against the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday night presented some optimism for Habs fans. Juraj Slafkovsky has been out of the lineup since suffering an upper-body injury, while Justin Barron hasn't seen the ice since Jacob Trouba's massive hit last week. Both players were back at practice, while Barron lined up alongside Kaiden Guhle, who has also been out for an extended period.

The most glaring storyline from the Canadiens' lineup at the morning skate is Kirby Dach staying on the wing alongside Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield. We talked about the possibility of Dach becoming a winger, but I believed the possibility of splitting up the Slafkovsky line once he was healthy was unlikely.

Martin St. Louis now hopes Slafkovsky can carry a line alone, which Dach couldn't do. These lines aren't set in stone. St. Louis won't want to crater Slafkovsky's confidence and development to keep Dach rolling. The best-case scenario is Slafkovsky looking good alongside Alex Newhook, but the first line may reunite if he doesn't.

It's also important to remember that Patrik Laine's return isn't too far away. If Slafkovsky can look decent for a few weeks next to Newhook and Joel Armia, it'll bridge the gap until Laine is healthy. The second line, Slafkovsky-Newhook-Laine, would look much better on paper and could answer the Canadiens' top-six problem.

Montreal would like a better top-six center to place on the second line. Rumour has it that the Canadiens are shopping for a bottom-six forward, but is it time to strike on a top-six center? It makes much more sense as we advance if they view Dach as a winger.

Barron isn't ready to enter the lineup yet, but that return is on the horizon. When looking at the Canadiens' blue line for tonight, I see two precise places where Barron and Guhle can slot in when they're healthy. Barron can go in for Jayden Struble and Guhle for Arber Xhekaj. Their returns could reopen the Xhekaj trade speculation.

The Canadiens are in a good spot. They are on the cusp of being a playoff team and will soon be the healthiest they've been all season. After the Laine injury, I mentioned that the Canadiens had the schedule to stay in the hunt until he returned, and so far, that has been true. Are you optimistic about the rest of the Canadiens' season?