In the 2023-24 season, the Montreal Canadiens had one of the worst defensive cores in the NHL. They were reeling after Shea Weber’s retirement and had just shipped out veterans like Jeff Petry, Ben Chiarot, and Joel Edmundson. However, two years later, their blueline group could potentially be one of the best in the game. They now have some elite talent, defensive depth, and promising young talent. Let’s analyze the Montreal Canadiens defence core and see where they stack up against the Atlantic Division and around the National Hockey League.
Montreal Canadiens Defence Core
Elite Players at the Top
At the beginning of last season, Montreal’s number one defenceman was Mike Matheson. However, since then, we have seen the emergence of the Calder Trophy winner, Lane Hutson, as well as the acquisition of Noah Dobson. Hutson, 21, is one of the most exciting young players in the NHL. He gives Montreal some elite talent on the blueline. Moreover, after just one season, he is already the most exciting Habs blueliner since P.K. Subban. Despite being only 5’10, Hutson makes up for it with his elite puck skills and high level of hockey IQ. He will be given a bigger role for the Canadiens this upcoming season, and anyone thinking his rookie year was a fluke should think again.
Montreal and general manager Kent Hughes were thrilled with their young group last season. As a result, they decided to acquire another elite talent on defence. 25-year-old Noah Dobson is a big, right-shot, offensively gifted defenceman. He is only a year removed from a seventy-point campaign for the Islanders. Montreal has been lacking someone to play on the right side since it lost Shea Weber. Dobson doesn’t have the shutdown ability and physical presence that Weber brought to the lineup. However, these are elements that he is capable of bringing and will assuredly work on under his new coach, Martin St. Louis.
Deep Group on the Blueline
With the addition of Dobson, Montreal can now slot its players better on the depth chart. Matheson and Alexandre Carrier were often playing top-pair minutes last season. Matheson, in particular, was frequently tasked with logging over 25 minutes a night. That won’t be the case any longer as Dobson, Hutson, and Kaiden Guhle will all be playing over twenty minutes on a nightly basis. Having the two veterans in Matheson and Carrier, potentially on the third pair, is a luxury that most teams don’t have.
Montreal’s final roster spot will be a battle between Jayden Struble and Arber Xhekaj. Xhekaj brings a much-needed physical element to the Canadiens lineup. However, he had a rough 2024-25 campaign and is looking to bounce back. Struble likely has the inside track for opening night, and we could potentially see him in a top-four role for Montreal. There is also some young prospects who will be pushing for roster spots. Namely, David Reinbacher and Adam Engstrom. The Canadiens traded another defence prospect in Logan Mailloux, over the summer, but with the depth they currently have, they were able to afford it. It’s unlikely we see a prospect crack the Habs current roster, but with a strong training camp, they could force Montreal’s hand.
Comparing Montreal’s Defence to Others Around the League
When looking around the league at some of the top defence cores, Montreal isn’t that far off. They are an inexperienced group with some question marks, but they are one of the most talented cores around the league. Few teams have two top-pair defencemen like Hutson and Dobson at their disposal. However, they need a bounce-back year from Dobson and can’t see any regression from Hutson if they want to be successful. Depth-wise, having one or two of Matheson, Guhle, and Carrier on the bottom pair is a luxury. Matheson’s game should see improvement in a lesser, more comfortable role. Meanwhile, we could see a breakout season for Guhle after an injury-riddled 2024-25 campaign.
When you think of the top defensive groups around the NHL, a few come to mind. For example, the Colorado Avalanche, Florida Panthers, and Dallas Stars, and each teams’ defence is built similarly. They feature two dominant defencemen, Cale Makar and Devon Toews in Colorado, Gustav Forsling, and Aaron Ekblad in Florida, and Miro Heiskanen and Thomas Harley in Dallas. The rest of their bluelines are filled out with big, physical, puck moving defenders. It’s this mold that has given them all so much success in recent years.
Despite Montreal being a young group, they have a promising future. They likely are currently somewhere in the middle of the pack amongst defences in the NHL. However, the development of their young stars and the additions of David Reinbacher as well as other young blueliners, could see them vault up the rankings. The Montreal Canadiens defence could be one of the top groups around the NHL in very short order.
Main Photo Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images
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