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The Montreal Canadiens had plenty of reasons for optimism entering this season. Lane Hutson, Oliver Kapanen, and Emil Heineman signaled the rebuild was working, Patrik Laine was the team's newest sniper, and the team wanted to contend for a playoff spot. Fast-forward seven games and Laine is out until December or January, and the Canadiens have the worst defense in the league. Therefore, the Habs must look to the future and make some trades early in the 2024-25 season.
Lane Hutson has been the subject of much hype this season. At times, he has looked like an elite offensive defenseman, but other times, his defensive liabilities have shone through. The Canadiens rank last in almost every defensive category, which has put Martin St. Louis under the microscope. Montreal must now balance giving their young players playing time while not getting blown out of the building every night.
The Canadiens may have been a bit early on their playoff contender claims. However, internal help is on the horizon in the coming seasons. For now, the organization needs to weather the storm.
Canadiens must make room for rookie forwards
The Canadiens have already taken action to resolve the situation. Emil Heineman and Oliver Kapanen have secured spots in Montreal's forward group, which has put some players on the outside looking in. Alex Barre-Boulet was placed on waivers for reassignment and cleared, which put him in the American Hockey League. Barre-Boulet replaced Rafael Harvey-Pinard, who is recovering from a broken leg.
Harvey-Pinard and Patrik Laine will return from their injuries before the calendar turns to 2025. It's hard to see Kapanen or Heineman coming out of the lineup for either of those players, considering they've been two of the Canadiens' most consistent players. So, who comes out of the lineup?
Juraj Slafkovsky is also battling an injury, which took him out of the lineup on Tuesday night. St. Louis elevated Kirby Dach to the first line and replaced Dach as the second-line center with Kapanen. It's a bad sign for Christian Dvorak, as he sits as the fourth-line center on the depth chart.
When Slafkovsky heals, Dach could return to the second line, pushing Kapanen down the lineup. Patrik Laine's return will send another forward out of the lineup, which currently looks like it'll be Dvorak. Dvorak's $4.45 million cap hit is too expensive to be watching from the press box, which makes him a viable trade candidate.
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The Canadiens might even consider a Joel Armia trade. Armia is playing second-line minutes right now, but that is where Laine will slot in. Armia likely leaves this summer in free agency or at the trade deadline, so the Canadiens could pull the trigger early instead of waiting for the deadline.
Arber Xhekaj's healthy scratches are concerning
Forward isn't the only position where there is a logjam of personnel. The problem with the defense is that none of them are playing well right now, but St. Louis has plenty of options. A concerning trend for the Canadiens is that Arber Xhekaj has been a healthy scratch for the past two games. Xhekaj's inability to crack a struggling blue line full of injuries isn't a good showing of his place on the roster.
Kaiden Guhle and Mike Matheson have been battling injuries, which put Jayden Struble and Logan Mailloux into the lineup. Justin Barron took a vicious hit from Jacob Trouba on Tuesday night, which could take him out of the lineup for a few games. Xhekaj has to be the next player in line, but if Guhle is ready to go by Saturday, he will likely leapfrog Xhekaj and take the spot on Matheson's right side.
Since returning to the lineup, Struble hasn't been good. Mailloux also struggled against the Rangers and could return to Laval until the Canadiens had a full-time spot available. Saturday night's game could tell us everything we need to know about Xhekaj's place in the organization. If Struble and Mailloux stay in the lineup while Guhle returns and Xhekaj stays in the press box, the writing is on the wall.
Does St. Louis have an issue with Xhekaj? It wouldn't be the first time a player falls out of favor with a coach, and it'd be easy to do with how many options he has available. Some teams could use him in their regular rotation and keep him out of the press box. It'd be best to trade Xhekaj while he still has value instead of letting him fall by the wayside in the Bell Centre rafters.
