Hockey

A question for each Canadiens forward with the season just a few weeks away
Charles-Alexis Brisebois
A question for each Canadiens forward with the season just a few weeks away
Credit: Getty Images

Over the next month, there'll be some Canadiens hockey to get your teeth into. Whether it's a rookie game, an intra-squad duel or a warm-up game, the Habs will be in action in a few weeks' time, setting the table for the regular season. And with that in mind, I have one question per Canadiens forward. Yes, there's a lot at stake here…Nick Suzuki: can he reach 100 points?After breaking the 82-point barrier (he had 89… as well as taking the Canadiens back to the playoffs) in 2024-2025, it's a natural question.Cole Caufield: can he score 40 goals?For the first time in his pro career, Caufield scored more than 30 goals in a single season in 2024-2025. Can he go from 37 to 40 in 2025-206?Ivan Demidov: can he handle the pressure?Clearly, the Russian will be at the heart of all discussions. He's got the talent to knock it out of the park, but he's going to have to be ready. Our doubts are virtually non-existent, that said: we believe he's ready for big things.

Juraj Slafkovsky: can he start his season strong?For the past two years, it's been harder at the start of the season for the Slovak. But now, with his new contract, we have to wonder if he'll start performing in September.Zachary Bolduc: can he play center?We could wonder if he'll be able to perform as well as he did after the Four Nations Confrontation in St. Louis, but the question of center is always present…Kirby Dach: can he trust his knee?No need to tell you that this is one of the biggest issues of the camp in Montreal. We know he's skating better and better… but we also know that it's worth what it's worth, for now.

Patrik Laine: can he go for consistency at five-on-five?We know he can score on the powerplay, but by his own admission, it's not always easy at even strength. With a healthy knee, will he be any better?Alex Newhook: can he find an identity for himself?Second-line center… third-line winger… how well can the speedy forward find his own chair for next season?Joe Veleno: can he play up to his talent?We know he's happy to be playing at home. We know he's bursting with talent. But can he show that talent on the ice? To be useful in specific phases of the game if he can't score on a particular sequence?

Jake Evans: can he be consistent offensively?At the start of the 2024-2025 season, when he was looking for a contract, he was scoring like never before. And at the end of the season, it was harder.Brendan Gallagher: can he repeat his 2024-2025 performances?We didn't think the little warrior would be so useful to the Habs in 2024-2025, but he showed he still had gas in the tank. We'll have to take another look at Gally in 2025-2026.Josh Anderson: can the Habs pretend they're playing playoff games as early as October?Of course, we say this knowing that we can't really sustain such a pace for 82 games. But in the playoffs, we were reminded just how useful he can be.

Samuel Blais, Alex Belzile, Oliver Kapanen, Joshua Roy, Owen Beck, Florian Xhekaj, Jared Davidson et al: can they make the club?

I expect the first 12 names in the text, if healthy (nothing certain for Dach, then), to have a better chance than the others of making the club. But there will still be a 13th forward and room for those pushing for a chair upstairs.blais, Belzile and Kapanen are among those to watch out for.

'Overtime'

– There's a full house at CF Montreal practice for Ivan Jaime.

– That's the right mentality.

– No surprises here.

– To be continued.

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