The CH has the best core of players aged 25 and under in the NHL, according to Sportsnet

DansLesCoulisses.com
The CH has the best core of players aged 25 and under in the NHL, according to Sportsnet
Credit: Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images

The Canadiens were impressive throughout their playoff run. After eliminating the Lightning and the Sabres, the Habs fell to the team that went on to win it all.

All of this was accomplished with one of the youngest teams in playoff history. We've known for a long time that the Habs' young core is excellent, but last season, it stood out even more.

Sportsnet's Sonny Sachdeva noticed it, too. He recently published a ranking of the best cores of players 25 and under in the NHL, and the Canadiens earned the top spot.

Sachdeva ranked the Habs' core first because of their excellent playoff run and the fact that their roster is well-balanced.

That last point is important. The Canadiens have plenty of scoring potential up front with Cole Caufield, Ivan Demidov, and Juraj Slafkovsky, along with talent on the blue line in Lane Hutson and Kaiden Guhle—not to mention two goaltenders of the future, Jakub Dobes and Jacob Fowler.

What impresses Sachdeva even more is that he ranks the Canadiens first without even factoring in captain Nick Suzuki (26), who just had a 100-point season and won the Selke Trophy.

It's quite impressive to see the Habs' core rank ahead of the Sharks', which is simply breathtaking. The Sharks have fewer established players aged 25 and under, but they have Macklin Celebrini, who boosts the team's value exponentially.

Sachdeva didn't mention it in his list, but the issue of contracts also tips the scales. The Canadiens' numerous discounted contracts give them a serious advantage for the future.

Montreal will have the opportunity to fill out the rest of its roster with top-tier role players thanks to these savings.

If young players on other teams continue to demand such high salaries, the Habs will really widen their lead in this area and will be able to build dominant teams.

This isn't the first time the Canadiens' young core has been praised, but it's always nice to get this kind of reminder.


In a Nutshell

– Incredible.

– He's dominant, and other teams are after him.

– He'll have to silence the critics again this season.

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