The Montreal Canadiens Top Two Lines Are Broken

Now that the early season glow has come off the team, it is time to look at some serious flaws that have arisen on this young Montreal Canadiens team. After wins in Toronto and Ottawa, there have been some eye opening losses to Boston, Pittsburgh and Los Angeles.

This team was always going to struggle from the top down to score goals, and that has been true this year. Outside of a red-hot powerplay, the offence hasn't been exciting, and that really comes down to the top two lines.

Outside of Alex Barre-Boulet, who was recently waived to join the Lavall Rocket, each Canadien forward has a point, and that is more than you can ask for depth forwards at this time like Brendan Gallagher, and youngsters like Emil Heineman and Oliver Kapanen.

Its the top of the lineup, the players that are depended on to put up the most points and carry the team, that have been a disappointment. The numbers haven't really been there, and the eye test hasn't been that more forgiving.

The Second Line

We will start with the second line, because the problems there are a bit more obvious.

There is a clear hole on the line, and that hole is named Patrik Laine. It is pretty clear that Martin St. Louis and the Canadiens like keeping the three big youngsters on the first line, and Laine would slot in most naturally on the second line.

And Laine is better than Joel Armia, Josh Anderson, or whoever could fit in on the second line right now, so its unfortunate, but at least Laine is not out for the season like many feared when his injury first occurred.

The second factor is that Kirby Dach has definitely not been great this year. There are flashes where he has used his size and skill, but the whole picture hasn't come together this year. And there is good reason for that.

In case you missed it, Dach missed the entirety of last year with a combination MCL/ACL tear, and just recently got back to NHL hockey.

Just being off the ice for that long would undoubtedly set anyone back, but those tears can have longstanding effects that Dach is surely still feeling.

Newhook is an interesting player, but isn't the type of offensive threat that can create Grade-A offensive chances on his own, and can be a great supplementary player.

The First Line

The first line is a bit more difficult to decypher, because on the surface things look good. Caufield has had a fantastic start to the season, scoring 4 goals in his first 3 games. Juraj Slafkovsky individually has also looked great, while not putting up as good of numbers. But his game has matured and he looks more confident.

Nick Suzuki has struggled to produce offensively this year, and has not yet found the back of the net.

The problem is, a lot of those positives have come when the Canadiens have been on the powerplay. Slafkovsky's only goal came on the powerplay, and the powerplay itself has been clicking along at 23.5%, which is good, but also fantastic for a team that hasn't had a lethal powerplay in years.

The issue is that the line has not been clicking at even strength. They haven't been able to find the back of the net, and they just haven't been as puck dominant as you would like a top line to be.

I think this is because the line doesn't quite have the synergy that you would want between the three players. Caufield is an out-and-out sniper, and works best with a smart, creative playmaker.

While Slafkovsky does have some of that playmaking in him, just look at his assist on the first Canadiens goal of the season, he is more of a power forward, using his size and skill to create offense. He is effective on the powerplay as he can block the goalies line of sight, but can also tip and score from that area.

Suzuki isn't a premier offensive threat, but is far more a two-hundred foot player, being equally good in the offensive zone as the defensive zone. He doesn't have a specialty, but can shoot, deke and pass equally well.

As a trio, the Canadiens top line have enough skill and talent to make it click at times, but they don't mesh well enough to form a truly dominant first line.

After these recent losses and the lack of dangerous chances for the top two lines, there needs to be something changed, because its obvious that these two lines are not working out.