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Very interesting article….and on the day Price’s contract gets traded :'( I sincerely hope that plans are firmly in place to allow Carey to retire as a Hab at the end of his contract. How does everyone feel about the trade?
Also, what terrible news about Ken Dryden’s passing. A legend! Larger than life.
I am not sure if Dach is ready to go or not, have heard lots of confecting reports, from the organization and outside.
Seems to me, more than anything, the Habs are trying to temper expectations not only for Dach but the whole second line as well.
Ahhhh, the Dach dilemma! We actually dove into all these conflicting reports a bit more this week on the Canadiens Connection podcast…including some more recent comments by Kent Hughes that throw even more doubt into the mix.
But : CC Question of the Week: Who is the key roster player to the Montreal Canadiens having a successful season in 2025-26?
I will go with Nick Suzuki. Not only a number one centre, but most likely a top 10 centre in the NHL. He had to put the team on his back last season and if he has another great season, Mtl should make the playoffs.
That’s a good choice! Agree that he needs to “put the team on his back” as you say…and then his teammates need to step up as well!
I an not sure where he will fit in this coming season, due to his medical issues. He has essentially missed most of two seasons and has had major surgery on the same knee twice in that time. Is it reasonable for him to perform as he did during that short time before the first knee injury? He was awesome then! Can be perform at that level now, after the operations? I feel that he will need time to get back to where he was. Think about how Caufield essentially needed a season after his surgery. I suspect Dack will need that kind of time, but I suspect that he will not be given that kind of time to get back to where he was. I am thinking that the organization and perhaps that fan base will not allow him that time. Wouldn’t it be fantastic if he plays like the pre-injury Dach? I am just not expecting that from him out of the gate in training camp and the start of the season.
I agree that he likely won’t have as much leeway when it comes to getting his performance back up to par this year…Jeff Gorton has all but said he’ll be on a shorter leash. Fingers are crossed that he’s finally turned a corner (and can stay healthy), but I’m also more in the “I’ll believe it when I see it” camp.
Monty will get more starts, but the Habs need to keep him at around 50 games, lots of back-to-back games this year because of the Olympic break.
I still question whether Dobes can play the other 32-ish games. He came out strong, was fairly decent afterwards, but teams exposed a few of his weaknesses that he needs to work on as the season progressed. I would not be surprised to see Dobes back in Laval at some point during the season.
I can see Kähkönen getting 10-12 starts this year in Montreal.
Unless we have a bad rash of goalie injuries, Fowler stays in Laval all year, maybe a later call up at the end of the season for a game or two, if the Habs have locked up a playoff spot early (or eliminated, I guess).
I think Dobes will pleasantly surprise some people this year. He’s quite a personality, but he’s got some solid foundations in the net as well – and he’s a big kid. I agree that Montembeault’s starts need to decrease in number a bit – it’ll be interesting to see what happens if Dobes really steps up to the plate in his share of the starts and builds some momentum for himself. I mentioned above that I think the Fowler/Kahkohnen tandem in Laval will be a good fit, and I’d like to see Fowler get a game or two with the big club before the end of the year just to test him at NHL level. For Kahkonen, my guess is that if he gets NHL starts it’ll be due to injury – but that’s why he’s a solid piece to have in the pipeline in an emergency situation, without having to suddenly put a ton of pressure on Fowler.
kicksave856 wrote:
dobes. i don’t really get the design on montembeault’s pads.i have always though habs goalies would look best with solid red, or solid blue gear. or like roy’s pads that were mostly blue with some red bits (you remember them).
these are the things i think about.
Dobes did have a sharp looking setup! I’m thinking Fowler will do something pretty solid as well.
1- Montembeault will definitely get more starts, unless of course he gets injured… He should be playing fewer games than last year though, I expect him to play around 50 games, the rest going to Dobes.
2- Fowler will spend the whole year with the Rocket as the starter there, but once again, if injuries occur, you never know I guess lol. Anyway at 20 years old he’s way too inexperienced to become a regular NHL goalie, there’s no rush in bringing him up too soon.
3- Kähkönen is most likely an insurance policy more than anything, I guess he could be a veteran goalie supporting Fowler during his development in Laval…
Fowler spending the majority of the season in Laval would be the best thing for him, and yes with Kahkohnen as a mentor of sorts…but I would like to see Fowler get a crack at some NHL games midway or 3/4 of the way through the season just to see how he’s progressing.
i usually decide my goalies based on their gear.
that’s fair – whose setup did you like best last year?
I hated Kovalev with a passion, more than Karl Alzner or Drouin combined.
???????? That’s some pretty deep feelings!!
and if Dach is not injured 37 seconds into the season.
Could be one of the most important factors for the makeup of the whole team to start this season!
indeed…
I definitely don’t want the summer to be over yet but I gotta say I’m pretty excited to see this edition of the habs in action, I have a feeling they’re going to be very entertaining to watch ????
Yes – and training camp will be super competitive with new guys and players trying to get promoted from Laval!
Well we always encourage thinking outside the box! And moving Caufield to PP2 is definitely that! There’s been some uproar this offseason with suggestions of moving Laine off of the top unit, I can’t imagine the fan reaction if Caufield was to be bumped off the first wave As you say, likely not to happen, but you’ve laid out a good case and considered how to use some of Hughes’ new pieces he picked up this summer as well. The problem is, can MSL get out of his own way and think outside the box, too?
with the additions of Demidov and Dobson to the mix, MSL is gonna have some very interesting options to play around with… while I agree with HabsFinn that the shooting % that some guys had last year on the PP is likely unsustainable, they should be able to have two very effective powerplay units that don’t necessarily require such high ratings. I’m not sure what the exact composition of both units will be but fans shouldn’t be appalled if Caufield for example is placed on the 2nd unit, the point is to have the most chemistry and generate as many scoring chances as possible, so if having him there results in having a more effective powerplay, then everyone should be happy about it (although I think he’ll remain on the first wave lol).
That’s also a good point! The goal should absolutely be to form the most effective power play units, regardless of what names are assigned to those units and in which order they come over the boards. I agree that Caufield would likely remain on PP1, but really – whatever generates the best offense and the best results is what should be used…and that goes for ANY aspect of the team and roster!
Well we always encourage thinking outside the box! And moving Caufield to PP2 is definitely that! There’s been some uproar this offseason with suggestions of moving Laine off of the top unit, I can’t imagine the fan reaction if Caufield was to be bumped off the first wave 🙂 As you say, likely not to happen, but you’ve laid out a good case and considered how to use some of Hughes’ new pieces he picked up this summer as well. The problem is, can MSL get out of his own way and think outside the box, too?
Thanks for your posts! Dobson was an expensive piece to add, but it does seem that it was the right move given how the rest of the first round played out. Now we just have to wait and see if he can deliver on a Montreal roster! I agree that Heineman has terrific potential, and sorry to see him go, but it was a better asset to move then the likes of Mailloux or Reinbacher – they both need to have a legit chance at cracking the Habs roster before they’re considered as trade chips.
Now to see what Kent can do on free agency day!
