This will likely be the preface to all of this year's Season Preview posts: Unlike in the distant past where I would post different texts on this collectibles blog and my personal one, I've been using a new format for the past couple of years, where I'll copy the same text on each one. As a father of two young kids, I just do not have enough time to write two separate posts per day on each blog. This year again, the entire scope of the analysis will take place first and the featured player will have a direct or perhaps indirect connection to what's written, below.
Caveats: At this point, despite training camp being underway, several players haven't found a team yet, (at least) three star players have active trade requests, and a few clubs are currently above the salary cap, which means there is much left to do.
Key Exits: Brendan Gallagher (RW), Patrik Laine (RW), Joe Veleno (C), Samuel Blais (LW), Joshua Roy (RW), Luke Tuch (LW), William Trudeau (D), Marc Del Gaizo (D)
Key Arrivals: Brett Berard (LW), Hunter McKown (C), Maksymilian Szuber (D), Samuel Poulin (LW), Reilly Walsh (D)
Top prospects: Michael Hage (C, 20), Jacob Fowler (G, 21), David Reinbacher (D, 21), Alexander Zharovsky (RW, 19), Gleb Pugachyov (RW, 18), Adam Engstrom (D, 22)
How deep is that prospect pool? A fifth-overall draft pick is third on it, last summer's first-rounder is fifth, and an NHL-ready defenseman who would be a #5 on many NHL teams is sixth. There simply isn't enough ice time to go aorund, which is why the list of names that left seem more impressive than those who were brought in to fill (mostly AHL) roster spots.
What makes their odds look good:
Nick Suzuki just had a 101-point Selke-winning season; Cole Caufield was one of just two NHL players to score over 50 goals, falling two short of Nathan MacKinnon for the Rocket Richard Trophy; Lane Hutson, in just his second season, showed he is ready to enter the Norris conversation; many think Ivan Demidov will end up a top-five forward in the NHL in a few years; Juraj Slafkovsky's 30-goal, 73-point season seems to just be the tip of the iceberg for this new era power forward; Hage will probably sign after his collegiate season and join the team for the playoffs after averaging two or three points per game in the NCAA.
Question marks:
The Montréal Canadiens have two relatively young goalies with some experience as NHL starters in Samuel Montembeault and Jakub Dobeš, but both of them are fully aware that the organization sees Fowler as the man between the pipes during their contention window - how long will the honeymoon between all three goalies last? Fans don't need to worry about it yet, but management sure does, especially if no-trade clauses come into play in the decision-making: should the NHL expand, the team will lose a big part of the core; who will be left unprotected?
Outlook:
The Habs are built to win between 2028 and 2031, and management's plan is that the contention window extends to the decade after that. They certainly have the potential in place to get there. But in the here and now, they are lacking an elite #2 centre, a right-shot defenseman capable of playing 20-22 minutes per game, and a clear plan in net. And, sure, they made it to the Eastern Conference Final last season after finihsing third in their division and they're expected to keep improving internally and individually, but they haven,t addressed any of these issues in the offseason, and other teams in the division improved, so I see the development cancelling the idleness to a stalemate in the standings.
Prediction:
3rd in the Atlantic Division.
Hutson is breaking all kinds of records for young Canadiens defensemen: fastest to X number ofd points, to X number of assists, assists in a rookie season, in a sophomore season, etc. - and the names he surpasses are impressive, all Hall Of Famers, like Chris Chelios, Guy Lapointe, Larry Robinson, as well as recent superstars like Andrei Markov and P.K. Subban.
People tend to forget just how good Robinson was. Sure, a Defensemen Mount Rushmore would have Doug Harvey, Bobby Orr and Nicklas Lidstrom for sure, and many would argue Ray Bourque or Cale Makar should be the fourth, but Robinson was just about right there with Bourque, despite "only" having two Norrises and a Conn Smythe (1978) in terms of individual honours. The fact that he played with fellow Hall members Lapointe and Serge Savard as the original Big Three certainly took away from the awards he could have received, whereas everyone else only had to contend with their opponents for those. But wearing the "A" on his jersey, through six Stanley Cups and three Canada Cup titles with Team Canada in 1976, 1981 and 1984 is a testament that he was important on very good teams, and even more so when you realize his performance against the Philadelphia Flyers brought the end of the Broad Street Bullies after only two seasons is the stuff of legends.
Here is Big Bird in the Canadiens' white (then-home) uniform, on card #AF-LR from Upper Deck's 2008-09 SP Game-Used Edition set and Authentic Fabrics and Dual Jerseys sub-sets:
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