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Reinbacher may be less certain, but I like his chances. At worst, it’ll be during the winter.
Will these “newcomers” make the Canadiens a better team on paper than the one that started last season?
Not necessarily, because we haven’t (yet) replaced everyone who left. And the Habs are also likely to field an even younger line-up than last year’s.
And that’s much more important than whether or not the club will be better in Game 1 of the next calendar…
Few clubs have such a core, and the Habs’ is still a few years away from maturity.
Following on from my analysis last year, here’s a new version of the Habs’ projected core compared to that of recent Stanley Cup champions and runners-up, the Panthers and Oilers.
|
Category |
Value (points) |
| Generational | 20 |
| Elite | 17 |
| Superstar | 14 |
| Vedette | 11 |
| Impact | 8 |
| Categories / Cores | Montreal | Edmonton | Florida |
|
|
McDavid | ||
| Elite: A player with exceptional qualities, including a far superior hockey IQ. Just below the so-called “generational” players. One of the best players in his position. The crème de la crème. Dominant and can sometimes be a “concession” player. Makes other players better. Capable of consistently executing exceptional plays with ease. Generally above-average level of competition. Pulls his club up every season. Exceptional career, often rewarded with individual and team honours. Hall of Fame almost assured early in career. | Draisaitl |
|
|
| Superstar: Player with similar qualities, but usually just a little less complete, consistent and dominant than the elite. Production generally well above average. Superb career punctuated by more dominant or productive periods. Often “second-best players” of aspiring or champion clubs. High chances of individual honors and/or Hall of Fame induction. Generally among the top 3-4 players of their vintage. | Hutson Demidov |
Tkachuk | |
| Star: Above-average player with a good number of dominant qualities or several fine qualities, but who won’t necessarily drag his club along on his shoulders. Significant impact, abundant and consistent production without being “exceptional” over a good number of years. Very fine careers. Aspiring or champion clubs often have several players in this category. Easily ranks among the top 5-10 in their draft. | Suzuki Slafkovsky Dobson Caufield |
Bouchard |
Reinhart Bennett Marchand Jones Ekblad Bobrovsky |
| Impact: Above-average player. Generally ranks among the top 15-20 players in their draft. Stands out in at least one facet of the game, but lacks one or more elements to be considered a star player (regularity, consistency, efficiency, production). Also includes former glories nearing the end of their careers. |
Reinbacher |
Hyman Ehkolm Nurse Perry Kane |
Verhaeghe Lundell Forsling |
| Total core value | 120 | 99 | 121 |
Once again, this isn’t an exact science, but it does give a good idea of the potential (and increasingly actual) strength of the Canadiens’ core compared to the current elite.
With its “12 players”, the Habs’ core has much more depth than the Oilers’ (9).
It’s a model more akin to that of the Panthers, but perhaps even closer to that of the Blues in 2019, since it’s built more by the draft.
So it’s easy to see the coherence and relevance of the Habs management’s plan. A core of 12 rising impact players, including several stars and a few superstars (almost “elite”), is a formula that can work.
But let’s make a few additional comments.
0. I’ve revised the rankings of some players, modified/cleaned up the weight of the categories a little and removed the “complementary player” category. Although they can be very useful, these players (Newhook, Rodrigues, Arvidsson, for example) are often interchangeable and it’s too risky to count them in a core.
1. I didn’t dare include the “new sensation” Alexander Zharovsky in the equation. But he was undoubtedly drafted with a view to his becoming part of the core sooner rather than later in Montreal, at least as a top-6 impact player. Lapointe and Bobrov would even have selected him 16th or 17th, they happily confessed… Let’s wait and see how he fares over a full season in the KHL.
2. Perhaps Hutson and/or Demidov will be among the “elite” in the not-too-distant future. Hutson came close. He’s already “elite” in many ways. But given that he’s not yet playing shorthanded and still has a few things to work on (his shooting, among other things), I was a little embarrassed. As for Demidov, the sample is still too small to project him among the elite with any certainty.
3. Suzuki needs to repeat last year’s season or, ideally, even surpass it before he can be considered a “superstar” on the level of Matthew Tkachuk. He really isn’t that far off…
4. It’s still a bit of a projection to classify Slafkovsky as a star player, but he’s already a “unicorn” in his own way. At the same age, Suzuki and Caufield had yet to have a single 50-point season. Slaf has two. He’s still among the top three players in his (low) draft, along with Hutson and Cooley.
5. Matheson is still there. But Kent Hughes’ very short “yes”, without further explanation when asked if he “sees himself continuing with Matheson “, left me puzzled. At worst – or at best, depending – Matheson will be traded for an impact forward. So, it’ll all add up.
6. I don’t really count Laine among the Habs’ future core and would be very surprised if he extends his career in Montreal beyond next season. That’s why I’m already giving Zachary Bolduc his “chair” as an impact player.
7. Dach still has a chance of staying in Montreal and becoming a core impact player. But if it’s not him, it could very well be Michael Hage. I’ve only counted one of the two, but it could eventually be both…
8. Call me crazy, but I don’t hate L.J. Mooney’s chances of being part of this core someday… Kind of like how I almost included Evan Rodrigues in the Panthers’.
9. In addition to their impressive core, the Panthers’ strength lies in the quality of their complementary players, the Rodrigues, Schmidt, Mikkola, Luostarinen, Samoskevich, Boqvist and company. Not all big guys, but intense players. In this respect, we really don’t dislike the Canadiens’ approach. There will, of course, be a few “big boys” (F. Xhekaj, Paupanekis, Thorpe), but there are also intense players like Beck and Mooney who could well support the core.
Speaking of the youngsters, a few of them were in action this week at the development camp. Let’s take a quick look.
Unlike my colleague Marc-Olivier Cook, I wasn’t on site in Brossard this year, but I did enjoy watching the intra-squad game from the development camp on Youtube.
Well, we certainly won’t be drawing any major conclusions from this little fifty-minute four-on-four game, but that won’t stop us from making a few observations.
1. I like the four-on-four formula. It gives everyone a chance to show what they can do, and to come up with some great offensive or defensive sequences, whether it’s a display of intelligence, a heightened level of intensity, a rush, a sequence along the boards, a brilliant pass, a sense of anticipation, a harpoon or a check. In short, it’s the ideal formula for seeing, in different ways, who manages to stand out.
2. Michael Hage: It looked easy for the alpha male on the ice. Perhaps a little too easy at times, he could almost afford to take it easy… Powerful, fluid skating stroke, big frame, long reach, excellent hands. Not easy to take the disc from him, as Pierre would say. But he’ll have to work on his intensity level if he wants to become an excellent second-line center/player and rise to the top 10-15 players in his draft (2024). He’s got the talent. And what’s more, he speaks French like the wind. We’d almost forgotten about him!
Here is Habs prospect, Michael Hage. Not only is his comprehension in French very good, his ability to speak it is even better.
He’s from Mississauga, Ontariopic.twitter.com/rcQ1bZIbVV
– Shaun Starr (@ShaunStarr78) July 3, 2025
3. L.J. Mooney: The game doesn’t often die with him. Very creative and dynamic. What a pass on Thorpe’s first goal! Vigorous and hard to contain along the ramps; an essential quality for players his size to reach the NHL. A very encouraging performance from the 113th pick in 2025. This guy’s been eating hockey up since he was a kid. The Habs are onto something with him.
This video of LJ Mooney throughout the years is unbelievable.
(Credit to @ICHockeypgh) pic.twitter.com/p8AlN6Mhez
– Jonny Lazarus (@JLazzy23) July 3, 2025
4. Hayen Paupanekis: “Big Paupi” has a dream physique for big boy hockey. Very good skater. Wide skate. Good hands. Great reach. Some passing ability. Correct feel/understanding of the game, but still needs to develop, as does his level of sturdiness. His progress next season in Kelowna (which will host the Memorial Cup) will be most interesting to follow. A great bet for the Habs in 69th place last week…
5. Filip Eriksson: You can see he’s starting to get a bit of pro hockey under his belt. Executes quickly and well. Not a bad feel for the game. Quite a good skater. The kind of player we’ll want to see in Laval a year from now. Still a marginal prospect. Not great stats in the Swedish first division last year (SHL), 6 points, differential of -11, in 37 games. Will change clubs to join Lulea, next season’s SHL champions…
6. Félix Trudeau: “Little guy” from Terrebonne! Atypical career path. Never played in the QMJHL. Two goals! Makes himself forgotten, gets into the slot, draws fast! 23 in September, played at Sacred Heart University (NCAA), where he was nominated for the Hobey-Baker Trophy. Could he earn a contract in Laval or Trois-Rivières?
7. Sam Harris: Complemented Hage quite well. You can see the experience he accumulated in the NCAA, where he made the third all-star team last year with his 23 goals and 35 points in 43 games. Will turn 22 in the fall. Ready for the AHL soon, but has chosen to play at least one more year at the University of Denver. No guaranteed chair for him in Montreal, that said…
8. Bryce Pickford: Perhaps one of the only defensemen to stand out a bit with Owen Protz. Great goal. No bad hands, good attacking sense. Unless I’m mistaken, did nothing wrong defensively. Should have another big WHL season at 19. Will be 20 next April. Provides good depth on the right side. Not a bad replacement for Mailloux in the prospect bank… Will probably finish the season in Laval.
9, Tyler Thorpe: “The Thorpedo” has gained a bit of speed since last year. The guy can play hockey and has a major-league wrist shot. Pretty good hands. Confident, calm, protects his puck well. At 6″5, this 5th round pick in 2024, also plays “big boy hockey” and should be doing so (alongside Florian Xhekaj?) in the AHL as early as this fall. He’s part of Montreal’s future plans at the bottom of the line-up.
Tyler Thorpe with a late snipe to put team red on top #gohabsgo pic.twitter.com/TTOnR6n3XU
– Matt Drake (@DrakeMT) July 3, 2025
10. Aatos Koivu: Aside from his very nice jump-shot goal and a good wrist shot, didn’t show anything very convincing at four-on-four. Often looks more like a “hockey boy than a hockey player”, to use Martin St-Louis’ language… Very discreet at 18 with TPS in Finland (8 points, 1 goal, in 32 games), will have to show more next season. No one’s holding their breath here…
11. Logan Sawyer: I expected more. Decent skater, but nothing more. Not very good hands. But converges at the net, plays “direct” with a bit of dog and seems to want to get into the pay zones. Can’t wait to see if he improves in Providence after a pretty good first season (16 points in 37 games)…
12. Makar Khanin: Some nice flashes. The guy wanted to show us his puck-possession skills and good hands, but his ordinary stats (10 goals, 19 points in 34 games) at age 19-20 in the Russian junior circuit (MHL) call for the utmost caution. Maybe this 7th-round pick in 2024 can get out of St. Petersburg and continue his development in Laval one day, but he’s also the kind of guy we might never see again in America…
Well, that’s that! I’ll be back in the coming weeks with my traditional ranking of the Habs’ top prospects and other analyses here and there to fill the “dog days of summer”!
It’s always a pleasure to trade with you on FB and Twitter!
