Now that the NHL offseason has concluded, it’s time to look across the Atlantic Division to see which clubs improved and how the Buffalo Sabres compare to their most common opponents. Starting with the last-place Montreal Canadiens, we’ll go over all of the transactions, free-agent signings, and probable prospect promotions from this summer that potentially help the 2024-2025 team.
Last season, the Canadiens finished eighth of eight in the Atlantic, with 76 standings points. They were two points behind the Ottawa Senators in eighth place and eight points behind the Buffalo Sabres. Their -53 goal differential was among the poorest five in the NHL, as indicated by their 28th-place league finish.
Off-season Goals
Given Carey Price’s $10.5 million LTIR status, the Canadiens had plenty of cap flexibility coming into the offseason. They are, however, committed on cultivating new players, as have the Sabres in recent seasons. If they wanted to compete, adding immediate assistance was an option. However, based on their approach, it appears that they were not determined to improve on their standings from last season.
Montreal is developing a strong prospect pool, but the results will not be apparent for several years. Instead, they are left in a state of upheaval, something Buffalo is all too familiar with.
Forwards
Montreal’s team structure is problematic from the start, with Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki, and Juraj Slafkovsky on the top line. They’re a solid top-six combination that requires more secondary help than other top lines. Suzuki had 77 points in 82 games last season, but Caufield had 65 and Slafkovsky had 50 in the same number of games. These are more second-line figures than top-line ones.
To compete with the division’s premier clubs, the Canadiens needed to add top-six talent to their squad. They have a large number of bottom-six producers and have to rely heavily on their top three. Instead, they added depth forward Alex Barre-Boulet while returning their whole forward group.
Barre-Boulet is a powerplay and shooting specialist who can generate scoring in bursts. He is not a long-term solution in the top six, therefore the Canadiens will fall short of major progress.
Defense
Their defense also relied on next-tier players to step up in key roles. Mike Matheson is a number three or four defenseman who plays like a number one. David Savard is slowing down and is no longer the league’s main shutdown defenceman. Kaiden Guhle is a rising top-four defenseman who lacks a legitimate partner to play alongside.
The goal should have been to get another top-four defenseman to play with Guhle, but the Canadiens accomplished nothing to strengthen the position. Lane Hutson, a top prospect, is ready to earn a full-time NHL duty and can improve the backend’s scoring capabilities. Aside from that, Montreal’s defensive lineup remains unchanged.
Goaltending
This offseason, the Canadiens were not as concerned about improving their goaltender as they were with their forwards and defense. Last season, Sam Montembeault and Cayden Primeau were reliable goaltenders as part of a three-goal rotation with Jake Allen. Allen left at the trade deadline, indicating Montreal’s future in goal.
Aside from an exceptional season from one of the two goaltenders, the Canadiens are not expected to make a significant jump in the standings. Montreal’s goaltender position requires more goal support to translate into wins, but none was added.
Line combinations
The Montreal Canadiens’ initial roster is nearly identical to that of the previous season. They went 2-4-4 in the last ten games of the season. The only apparent difference is the expected return of forward Kirby Dach. Dach brings versatility to the middle-six by being able to center the second line or compliment another player on the wings.
Here’s how the opening night lineup might look:
Forwards
Cole Caufield – Nick Suzuki – Juraj Slafkovsky
Alex Newhook, Kirby Dach, and Josh Anderson
Josh Roy – Christian Dvorak – Brendan Gallagher
Rafael Harvey-Pinard – Jake Evans – Joel Armia
Defense
Michael Matheson – David Savard
Kaiden Guhle – Justin Barron
Lane Hutson – Arber Xhekaj
Goalies
Sam Montembeault (starter)
Cayden Primeau (backup)
Joshua Roy made a valuable impact as a mid-season call-up last year and can continue to develop. To balance this, Josh Anderson and Brendan Gallagher are on the decrease. Without Dach and Alex Newhook to bear more of the offensive load, the Canadiens are mired in mud.
Here is how the powerplay could play out:
Power Play 1
Juraj Slafkovsky
Cole Caufield, Kirby Dach, and Nick Suzuki
Mike Matheson
Power Play 2
Brendan Gallagher
Josh Anderson, Joshua Roy, and Alex Newhook
Lane Hutson
Except for Dach, the majority of Montreal’s top powerplay unit has been around for a long. Their 27th-ranked powerplay in 2023-2024 suggests that adjustments may occur soon if the unit does not find its groove. Hutson for Matheson is the most plausible trade, given the young defenseman has scored a lot of points over the last two seasons at Boston University.
Here’s how Montreal’s penalty kill looks:
Penalty Kill 1
Jake Evans, Joel Armia
Michael Matheson – David Savard
Penalty Kill: 2
Christian Dvorak, Rafael Harvey-Pinard
Kaiden Guhle – Justin Barron
Jake Evans and Joel Armia have been a reliable penalty-killing tandem for years. Montreal’s units, however, have not improved, as they finished 24th in the NHL last season.
