The Montreal Canadiens may not yet be a good team as the rebuild continues in Quebec — but they certainly will be exciting to watch in 2023-24 if this roster can stay healthy. The team boasts a plethora of young talent with the ability to put the puck in the net; that was on full display as the Habs scored five goals against the Toronto Maple Leafs in their opener on Wednesday.

Unfortunately for fans of the most storied franchise in NHL history, it still ended in a loss after the team blew a late two-goal lead and lost 6-5 in a shootout on the back of an Auston Matthews hat trick. It seems likely that Montreal will have quite a few games with similar stat lines, where they score enough goals to win but can't keep enough out of their own net.

In a very difficult Atlantic Division, the Canadiens are not expected to be competitive by the end of the season. In fact, they're the only team in the division that doesn't necessarily have hopes of still playing meaningful hockey in April. Yes, any player on the team will tell you that the postseason is the goal for this team. But that just isn't realistic, and it's going to take a few years for this team to build a roster like the one that advanced to the Stanley Cup Final just three seasons ago.

If the Habs hope to surprise the hockey world this year, it's going to start with two key breakout candidates: Cole Caufield and Kirby Dach.

Can Cole Caufield score 50?

Cole Caufield entered the 2022-23 campaign coming off an excellent rookie season in which he scored 23 goals and 43 points in just 67 games. He showed immediately chemistry with Nick Suzuki, and the pair will play together on the team's top line for the foreseeable future. After a promising rookie showing, Caufield picked up right where he left off last season, scoring 26 goals and 36 points in just 46 games to begin the campaign. But he was limited to just those 46 contests after he suffered a brutal shoulder injury that required surgery. It was a disappointing end to what was shaping up to be an excellent season for the young American.

Despite the ailment, Habs GM Kent Hughes knows what he has in this player, signing the 22-year-old to a massive eight-year, $62.8 million contract back in June. It was well-earned after Caufield scored at nearly a 46-goal pace with the lowly club. The former No. 15 overall selection in the 2019 NHL Draft is already off to a great start in 2023-24, scoring a goal against the Leafs while playing 19:11 on Wednesday night.

Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli made this bold prediction ahead of the season: “Count on six players to hit the 50-goal plateau: McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, David Pastrnak, Tage Thompson, Auston Matthews and Cole Caufield. Yep, the Canadiens' 5-foot-7 sniper will be Montreal's first 50-goal scorer since Stephane Richer way back in 1989-90. Caufield scored at a 46-goal pace before requiring shoulder surgery, but he’s healthy and ready to start his $63 million contract in style.”

If he can play a full 82-game slate, there's a great chance Cole Caufield will score 50 goals and become a true breakout candidate this year.

Kirby Dach primed to breakout

Kirby Dach is fresh off the best season of his career, scoring 14 goals and 38 points in 58 contests in 2022-23. Dach was selected with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft by the Chicago Blackhawks, but struggled with the team. That was especially true after a disappointing 26-point showing in 2021-22. He finished his Hawks career with just 59 points in 152 games. Last July, he was traded from the Windy City north to Canada in exchange for the 13th overall pick at the 2022 NHL Draft and a third-round pick. Dach was immediately given a vote of confidence from Kent Hughes, who hoped the highly-touted prospect could live up to his potential despite struggling in his preceding seasons.

It looks like a change of scenery has been just what the doctor ordered for the young Canadian. Dach looked great in Montreal last year; the 6-foot-4 forward scored double-digit goals for the first time in his NHL career and looked rejuvenated compared to his days in Chicago. This is expected to be the first season Dach plays a full 82-game schedule, and it could be the year he breaks out. Dach is centering another (hopeful) future star in former No. 1 overall pick Juraj Slafkovsky, along with Alex Newhook, who was traded from the Colorado Avalanche and scored two goals in Game 1. Dach is also a staple on the first powerplay unit that features Suzuki and Caufield and has the potential to be lethal.

It may be another long season for the Montreal Canadiens, but if Cole Caufield and Kirby Dach can stay healthy, they are both primed for excellent offensive campaigns in Quebec.