New Canadiens Connection: Rookie Powered

On a Saturday night in Nashville, it was the rookies who led the Montreal Canadiens to their fourth straight victory. Ivan Demidov and Oliver Kapanen each tallied a goal and an assist and had a combined rating of plus-6. Jacob Fowler had a quiet night in the Montreal goal but made 23 saves for his seventh win of the season.

All season long, the Canadiens have been labeled as the youngest team in the NHL, and usually that comes with the expectation that youth leads to inconsistency, mistakes, and growing pains.

But as this season has gone on, it’s clear that the narrative doesn’t really hold up the way people expected it to. When you look at where this team’s success has come from, it’s often been the younger players driving things, pushing the pace, and making an impact, while some of the struggles haven’t necessarily been tied to inexperience at all.

So yes, they’re still the youngest team in the league, but instead of that being a reason to temper expectations, it might actually be one of the biggest reasons they’ve been able to stay competitive. And that shifts the conversation a little bit.

This Week’s Show

Montreal’s young players have in large part fueled the success of this team and have become a true strength as the season has progressed. We covered this subject in depth on the latest episode of the Canadiens Connection podcast.

NEW PODCAST: Youth Isn’t a Problem in Montreal — It’s the Canadiens’ Advantage | Canadiens Connection ep 393

We also discussed these important topics on this week’s episode of the podcast:

Five Canadiens’ under-23 skaters featured in prospect rankings.
Canadiens sign physical defenseman to three-year, entry-level contract.
Legendary goaltender Carey Price likes what he sees in the current Montreal crease.

CC Question of the Week: Which young Canadiens player has impressed you the most this season, and why?

It is our eighth season, with a new episode of the podcast dropping every Saturday afternoon. Be sure to subscribe using your favorite podcast app! Or watch our episodes on YouTube!