The Montreal Canadiens and their fans aren’t comfortable when the team isn’t winning. The Canadiens are the most storied franchise in the NHL, winning 24 championships, 11 more than any other team. Montreal has been on a downswing recently, finishing in the bottom five in three consecutive seasons. However, the poor results helped them draft players like Juraj Slafkovsky, David Reinbacher, and Ivan Demidov. Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes has done a fine job upgrading his roster, but he’s now looking for veteran game-changers to help them contend for a playoff spot.
The Canadiens may have been content to go through another lean year to get one more good draft pick. That changed Monday evening when the Canadiens acquired sniper Patrik Laine from the Columbus Blue Jackets. Montreal has Laine under contract for the next two seasons, which gives the Canadiens’ front office time to decide if he is worth keeping around for their contending years. The idea of having him alongside their other elite offensive talent and defensive depth intrigues everyone. The problem is Laine had some poor years with the Blue Jackets and Winnipeg Jets.
Another issue for the Canadiens has been their lack of forward depth. It was a problem when they couldn’t get top goaltender Carey Price his elusive Stanley Cup, and it continues to be a problem now. The Canadiens have played some over-the-hill veterans in integral spots in the past few seasons, but that changes now with their young top six. Can these veterans elevate their games in a bottom-six role and help the Canadiens return to contention?
Brendan Gallagher’s healthy 2023-24 is promising
It’s difficult for Habs fans to watch the downfall of Brendan Gallagher. He was a fan-favorite in Montreal since he joined the team in 2012-13, combining grit and tenacity to stir up trouble in front of the net and score some important goals for the franchise. Gallagher is the type of player you win with in the playoffs, the problem is that style led Gallagher to some injury issues.
Gallagher had various injuries throughout his career, but his stretch from 2019 to 2023 made Montreal realize he may never return to his previous form. He missed more games than he played, which was an issue when he signed a six-year deal worth $6.5 million annually. The Canadiens’ lack of talent masked how much of the salary cap Gallagher was taking up, but they need him to earn his salary in the next two seasons.
The 2023-24 season was promising for Gallagher, as he played in 77 games. The number was his highest percentage of games played since the 2018-19 season when he had 52 points in 82 games. He didn’t have nearly the same production, tallying just 31 points, but he returned to his pesky style of play.
A 31-point winger isn’t ideal when playing him on the second line, but the additions of Laine and Kirby Dach back from injury will allow Gallagher a third-line role this season. He doesn’t have to be the old Brendan Gallagher, but the Canadiens could work with another healthy year and last season’s production.
Josh Anderson needs to start contributing
Josh Anderson is another player who has a high cap hit for the next two seasons. Unlike Gallagher, Anderson doesn’t bring much if he isn’t contributing to the offense. The power forward will sometimes wake up and throw his body around or get in a fight. However, it doesn’t happen often enough for Canadiens fans to get excited about his potential.
Anderson played in 77 games last season, tallying just nine goals and 11 assists. He sometimes played on the fourth line, which is unacceptable for a player making $5.5 million annually. Adding Laine could force Anderson to the bottom of the lineup again this season, as Joshua Roy and Gallagher look like they could be the third-line wingers.
The Canadiens wish Anderson would give them a reason to have questions about the lineup out of training camp. The problem is he hasn’t shown any reason to believe that will happen.
Samuel Montembeault’s role just got bigger
Samuel Montembeault believed that his role with the Canadiens was to be a placeholder while they waited for the arrival of Jacob Fowler. Fowler is a goaltender with Boston College who most believe is the Canadiens’ heir apparent to Price in the Habs’ net.
Hughes made some interesting comments after the Laine trade about wanting to be a playoff contender this season. Montembeault likely assumed he would be Fowler’s backup by the time the Canadiens were contending, but now faces the prospect of taking on the high-stress role of being the starting goalie in a playoff game at the Bell Centre.
Montembeault’s past performances show he could be up to the task, and it’ll be an integral season for him. Canada doesn’t have many standout goaltenders, so a successful season for Montembeault could elevate him into talks of being one of the country’s netminders in the Four Nations Faceoff or the 2026 Winter Olympics.
This season could be the most important of Montembeault’s career, but the question is whether he can answer the call.
