Hockey

The Habs are the youngest team in the NHL
Marc-Olivier Cook
The Habs are the youngest team in the NHL
Credit: Getty Images

Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky, Kirby Dach, Alex Newhook, Ivan Demidov, Oliver Kapanen, Zachary Bolduc, Noah Dobson, Kaiden Guhle, Jayden Struble, Arber Xhekaj, Lane Hutson, Jakub Dobes… All these guys have something in common. What am I talking about? The fact that they're all 25 years old or younger. The Habs have a young club heading into next season, but it goes even further than that. In fact, the Canadiens go into the season as the youngest team in the NHL. The club has an average age of 25.8… which ranks it first in the league at that level. And the Habs are the only team in the league with an average age under 26:

There can be repercussions at this level, especially in terms of club leadership. You need veterans and experienced players to win in the National League – as in all the other major leagues – and that's no secret. But even if the Canadiens are young, they can also count on players who have that quality. Suzuki, at 26, is a leader. So is Caufield. Slaf is appreciated in the bedroom. Arber Xhekaj is a guy who has an important voice in the dressing room, as is Kaiden Guhle. Add to this group guys like Brendan Gallagher, Josh Anderson, Jake Evans, Brendan Gallagher… Just because the Canadiens are young doesn't mean there isn't leadership within the group. The guys are close-knit, they spend a lot of time together, and that, too, can help off the ice or in more important moments. But the fact remains the same: knowing that the Habs are the youngest team in the National League, that's interesting.

'Overtime'

– Now that's funny.

– I'm going with the Stars. You?

– This is going to be expensive.

– Come on!

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