The Montreal Canadiens have plenty of reasons to get excited about their future. They have one of the best defensive pipelines in the league, a possible stud goaltender waiting to sign his pro contract, and chose two elite offensive players in the first round of this year’s draft. Their defensive group is so loaded that they’re looking to trade some top veterans like David Savard and Mike Matheson this offseason. The Canadiens might have to wait for Ivan Demidov and Michael Hage to make their debuts, but they have some other young breakout candidates in 2024-25.
The Canadiens are the most successful franchise in the NHL. They have 23 Stanley Cups, with the Toronto Maple Leafs having the second-most with 13. No other team is close to having their success, but the Canadiens’ last Stanley Cup was in 1993. They miraculously advanced to the Stanley Cup Final in 2021, losing to the Tampa Bay Lightning in five games. Montreal has been rebuilding since and is on the precipice of being a great team.
The Canadiens feel they have a few sure things in their prospect pool. Demidov looks like a future superstar, and David Reinbacher and Lane Hutson are defensemen who could make the NHL roster at some point this season. Hutson and Reinbacher will likely get some development in the American Hockey League for most of this season, as the Canadiens don’t expect to be contenders for a year or two.
The Canadiens would love for Hutson and Reinbacher to be breakout candidates in the 2024-25 season. However, some players have more experience and are favorites to play all season in the NHL.
Joshua Roy is a late bloomer for the Canadiens
The Canadiens drafted Joshua Roy with the 150th overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft. He had 35 points in 35 games in the QMJHL that season, but the Canadiens acknowledged he had some injury issues and believed in his ceiling. They would have been content with Roy developing in junior and finding that ceiling once he turned professional.
The Canadiens’ scouting staff couldn’t have predicted the growth that Roy would show the following season. He joined the Sherbrooke Phoenix midway through the 2020-21 season, but the year after his draft was his first full season with the team. It was a perfect fit for the winger, tallying 119 points in 66 games.
Roy turned pro last season and recorded 32 points in 41 games with the Laval Rocket in the AHL. The Canadiens recalled him for 23 games, where he had an acceptable nine points in 23 games. Montreal isn’t concerned about his output last season. Roy has shown an ability to be a breakout candidate before, and the Canadiens believe he can do it again.
Roy doesn’t have a place on the Canadiens’ top two lines in the future. Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, and Juraj Slafkovsky emerged as a valuable first line last season. Alex Newhook and Kirby Dach should be on the second line if they are both healthy this season, and Roy could earn that spot on the wing. Demidov and Hage are eventually coming to join Dach in the top six, so Roy and Newhook are likely third-liners of the future.
However, Joshua Roy breaking out this season will give the Canadiens hope that their top three lines could be the best in the league sooner rather than later.
Can Kaiden Guhle become the No. 1 defenseman?
Kaiden Guhle has been such a big part of the Canadiens over the past two seasons that it’s easy to forget he’s only 22. Guhle has been progressing in his two seasons with Montreal and he is very close to surpassing Mike Matheson and David Savard as the Canadiens’ No. 1 defenseman.
Matheson and Savard share those duties, as Matheson is the offensive guy and Savard is the defensive. It’s easy to see a scenario where Hutson debuts and he and Guhle replicate that setup. However, the Canadiens also have 2023 fifth overall draft pick Reinbacher claiming to be the No. 1 guy of the future.
Guhle won’t blow anyone away with his offensive abilities, but he is a steady force on the defensive end. Hockey Canada rewarded him for his play last season by making him a World Championship team member. The honor was his first time playing with the Men’s National Team and demonstrated how people view him in league circles.
Kaiden Guhle may not be good enough to challenge for a spot on Canada in the Four Nations Faceoff or the 2026 Olympic team. However, the Canadiens only need him to be a breakout candidate and become a leader on the Canadiens’ blue line.
