After a number of analyses this summer, here and elsewhere, Simon Boisvert has now officially joined those who believe that the Habs will be the team to watch in the East over the next few years. Let's say, within the next 5 years.
And I could have named just about every serious analyst/expert except Corey Pronman… That said, no one can guarantee a Stanley Cup to anyone over a 5-year horizon, especially when we already know that the competition is shaping up to be fierce
And as Boisvert reminds us, this may be even more the case in the West, with the Sharks, Ducks, Mammoths and Hawks all destined to be very good for a long time to come.
So, while we can logically project that the Habs could make it to the finals in a few years' time, we can also predict that, should they do so, they'll have quite an opponent in front of them. And let's not forget that the Sharks and Hawks will continue to accumulate elite draft talent for a few more seasons..
As you can see, these kinds of projections almost always revolve around the core of each team. Indeed, a core of 10-12 above-average players, including at least 5-6 forwards – ranging from impact to elite – is rightly thought to be the foundation of any champion club.
In recent years
, and even more recently, it has been shown time and again that the Habs' core is well on its way to this target… In addition to Hutson, Dobson, Matheson and Guhle on defense and Montembeault in net, the CH's forwards are already down to four solid young players in Suzuki, Caufield, Slafkovsky and Demidov.
To stay up front, at least one forward among Laine, Dach and Bolduc could join the group of impact players. And we like the chances of Hage, Zharovsky and Mooney in a few years' time. If one of them develops as expected, and we also acquire another through a trade or on the free agent market, the deal will be pretty ketchup for the offensive core.
But we also know that champion clubs more often than not rely on great depth
It's this depth, among other things, that has probably made the difference between the Panthers and the Oilers over the past two years. That and the goalkeepers…
But let's stick to the idea of forward depth for today: Who will be the support staff in Montreal? Of course, by definition, support players are more easily found, replaceable, interchangeable and whatever else you want. But in my opinion, it's always better to cultivate them yourself if you have the luxury. In that sense, this training camp gives us a pretty good idea of what the Habs' blue-collar players will look like over the next few years, with many of them currently playing for their future with the team…Right now, up front, Zachary Bolduc, Jake Evans, Alex Newhook, Brendan Gallagher and Josh Anderson make up a pretty solid quintet when you think about it. All of them are still under the Habs' control for at least another two years, so there's just one forward spot left to fill.Joe Veleno and Samuel Blais could very well fill that chair in alternation for a good part of the season.If more speed is needed = Veleno. If more toughness is needed = Blais.And if Veleno ever broke through a bit in Montreal, enough to establish himself as a regular, who'd complain? It would be a godsend! At 25, Hughes might even be tempted to extend the experiment with him beyond this season if that were the case.We'll see, let's not get ahead of ourselves…
But for the time being, this approach could leave Beck, F. Xhekaj and Kapanen time to hone their craft in Laval without any problems. These three have just one season of professional hockey (in North America) under their belts. So, if the Habs have the luxury of starting the season healthy at forward, why not let them gain more experience in Laval, at least until the holidays? It's not as if they outrageously dominated the AHL last season either. They were good, impressive at times, but not extraordinary on a consistent basis. That's what this second season in Laval would be for. To dominate on a consistent basis and polish their game “in their identity”.
I could also have talked about Joshua Roy, but in his case, in his third season in the pros and with a few bad marks accumulated on his 2024-2025 report card, midnight is already approaching a little.Is this already the last chance camp with the Canadiens? Perhaps it's a little early to say. After a very serious summer, he's not doing badly under the circumstances. He's faster and we're seeing more of his innate game.
Beck and F. Xhekaj: sure things for the future?There's never any guarantee. But at this point, with what we already know about them, it would still be a pretty big disappointment if Beck and Florian didn't turn out to be excellent depth forwards for the Habs. Both seem to possess too many NHL-level qualities to miss out. Beck isn't always great offensively in his game-reading, but remains an effective player on 200 feet, fast to a fault, a good shot, strong, burly and sturdy for his size. He can play both center and wing with ease. It's easy to imagine him becoming a key player on the power play. Finally, he's an excellent leader, as well as a Memorial Cup winner and
MVP. Way ahead of Jake Evans at the same age… Oh yes, let's not forget that Evans is under contract until 2029, the only player in the
bottom-6 to have that kind of deal in his pocket. Let's call it a safety measure, just in case…
As for Florian, a lot has been said about him in recent weeks. His courage, his toughness, the fights, his good attitude, his mother, and so on. But Xhekaj is simply, and above all, a good hockey player. The Habs sorely need a big, left-handed center who can win face-offs, impose himself physically, read the game well and score goals. Little brother” isn't far from being able to do all that for the Habs. A hidden card for the 2nd half of the season? Kapanen's case is a little more nebulous. Even if he makes few mistakes, his style of play doesn't leave much to the imagination. In my opinion, and as MSL regularly suggests, a good support player must have at least one dominant quality. He has to be an “ingredient” that stands out in the recipe, a player who brings a little something extra to the team, either by scoring his share of goals, or by a dose of toughness, or by speed to spare in the forecheck or on the break.
Anything!“
Kapanenis more of a ”
no-factor ” player, a pale Evans at the moment. I don't really see a future for him with the Canadiens, other than plugging holes here and there. But perhaps he could do very well elsewhere in the NHL…
The “others”…As for the others, we'll be keeping a particularly close eye on Rohrer and Thorpe. Maybe Davidson in the
depth of the depth chart… Toughness and intensity at the bottom of the lineup is never a bad idea, especially in the playoffs, and these three are also capable of some offensive contribution. For one, Rohrer looks set to leave a very nice calling card this year while paving the way for next year. A Gallagher of sorts. Better skater, less good scorer. Mesar? He hasn't said his last word within the organization or, at the very least, in North America. He could become one of the AHL's top scorers in the next few years, and I wouldn't be surprised. Best passer in Laval this season if the stars align? Not impossible.
That said, it's hard to see a big future for him in Montreal, except perhaps in the event of a hecatomb of injuries. The kind of guy who needs to play with talented players, which doesn't always rhyme with “bottom of the formation”. But if we're talking about the future, I see more for the big, tall and fast Hayden Paupanekis. He's a man with many strings to his bow, and it's a shame we weren't able to evaluate him at camp. We'll be keeping a close eye on him in Kelowna when he returns from mononucleosis…
In the notebookWe'll come back to the David Reinbacher case another time…
/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn-tor.buminteractif.com%2F2025%2F09%2F27201042%2FFlorian-Xhekaj-22e-but-1-1.jpg)
