The Canadiens will start this season with three forwards in their top six who are at least 6-3, 215 for the first time in club history. When hired to mould the team. GM Kent Hughes recognized the need for more size at the top of the forward ranks. Kirby Dach, Patrik Laine, and Juraj Slafkovsky all have the size and skill to impact the top two lines.
The other three players likely to be in the top six may be under 6-0 but Suzuki is a sturdy 210, and both Newhook and Caufield have stocky frames. All three have strong lower bodies are rarely get knocked down. It’s a nice mix and the most complete Montreal forward group in at least 25 years.
Where the effect of having Laine may most be felt is on the power play. The club will have multiple elite shooting options and the defenceman in Lane Hutson to get them the puck.
Last year’s quarterback Mike Matheson was either looking for Caufield or firing the puck toward the net on most occasions.
Hutson has more options in his puck game. He will draw more opponents to him with his puck skills and patience, opening up more space for the shooters. The Canadiens scored 44 power-play goals last season. The first unit alone may eclipse that this season. Suzuki had 12 power-play goals last season, and both Caufield and Laine have averaged 12 PP goals per 82 games for their careers. Slafkovsky as a teenager notched six despite seeing limited power-play time in the first 30 games.
Hutson finished top 30 in NCAA power-play goals with seven last season in just 38 games. Look for him to chip in a handful of PP goals if he quarterbacks the first unit as expected.
It is not unreasonable to expect this type of production from the first power-play unit:
Caufield 12
Laine 14
Suzuki 10
Slaf 9
Hutson 5
That’s 50 goals. That is hardly an unrealistic number if Laine returns to form and all five avoid prolonged injuries. He scored 15 and 20 power-play goals in his most productive seasons, and with the talent the Canadiens will have, the additions of Laine and Hutson and the return of Dach also mean that Montreal’s second power-play unit should be promising as players who saw time on the top unit over the past two seasons will be demoted to the second unit. We may see Dach centering Joshua Roy and Newhook with Matheson and several options on the point. The club may go with two defencemen on the second unit as Guhle, Struble, Xhekaj, and Mailloux (if he makes the team) are all capable puck movers with hard point shots.
Dach had six power-play goals in 58 games in 2022-23 as a 21-year-old. The second power-play unit doesn’t face the other team’s top defenders as a rule, and that group is capable of chipping in 10-15 goals at a minimum, especially if Mailloux makes the team.
An improvement from 44 goals to 60+ would see the Canadiens jump from the bottom eight into the top eight in power-play scoring, and that improvement alone would put them in playoff contention.
The Canadiens lost 27 games last season by one goal. They score another power-play goal in half of those games and they make the playoffs. The power play will be a key to the club contending this season, and Alex Burrows’s coaching replacement will have plenty of options for the two units. Hopefully, they can all get synchronized and reach their potential.
