The Montreal Canadiens (1-1-1) have had a decent start to their season, but with Kirby Dach now ruled out for the rest of the 2023-24 season with a torn ACL and MCL, things might get rocky in a hurry.
Before going down with his devastating knee injury against his old team, the Chicago Blackhawks, Dach was arguably the Canadiens' most effective forward. His line, which was completed by Juraj Slafkovsky and Alex Newhook, out-attempted the Toronto Maple Leafs 13-6 in their first game of the season. Dach's expected goals-for percentage (xGF%) of 63.35 percent that night was the third-best figure on the team, trailing only Slafkovsky (69.74) and defenseman Kaiden Guhle (73).
If the Canadiens are still going to have a successful season, these three players will need to step up.
3. Juraj Slafkovsky
With his center now out of commission, the newest challenge in the young Slafkovsky's career is for him to find chemistry with some of his other teammates. Against the Minnesota Wild, Newhook and Slafkovsky were joined on a line by veteran Tanner Pearson, but that didn't go so well. Their line was out-attempted 7-5 and only created one scoring chance compared to the five their opponents had on them.
After missing most of his rookie season through his own injury, the onus is on the now-healthy 2022 No. 1 overall pick to show why he was chosen at the top of the order. Slafkovsky's underlying numbers have looked strong early on, but eventually, pucks need to start getting to the back of the net.
For future's sake, head coach Martin St. Louis and the Canadiens would be wise to leave Newhook and Slafkovsky together; they might have something there. However, this is a club that is seeking to take the next step forward, and the fans expect the same. Montreal desperately needs Slafkovsky to continue to elevate his game.
2. Alex Newhook
Slafkovsky's linemate and new center Newhook is already on his second chance at life in the NHL, and the Canadiens promptly rewarded their newly-acquired RFA with a four-year, $11.6 million contract upon arrival.
Newhook was drafted 16th overall by the Colorado Avalanche in the 2019 NHL Draft, and although he's managed to establish himself as a regular NHLer over the last few seasons, he hasn't quite lived up to his draft status. The 22-year-old scored a career-high 33 points in 71 games back in the 2021-22 season but took a big step back last year with only 30 in 82 games.
With the Canadiens giving him a second chance and a fresh opportunity, Newhook needs to take advantage and consistently show the offensive skill and dynamism that got him drafted four years ago. Like Slafkovsky, Newhook is still a young player in the NHL, but he's been around the superstars that his linemate has not — Stanley Cup pedigree and all. This season could define who Newhook is as an NHL player.
1. Sean Monahan
Once upon a time, Monahan was one of the best up-and-coming players in the NHL, scoring 82 points in 78 games with the Calgary Flames in the 2018-19 season. That was before Matthew Tkachuk reached the peak of his powers, and since that season, Monahan's offensive production has dipped dramatically in direct correlation with his health.
After bottoming out to a career-low 23 points in 63 games during his final season in Calgary in 2021-22, Monahan got a mulligan with the Canadiens after being traded on Aug. 18, 2022. Although the longtime Flames center posted a respectable 17 points in 25 games, that also meant that he missed 57 games last season.
At 29 years old and on a one-year contract, this could be one of Monahan's final opportunities to prove that he can a.) stay healthy, and b.) still play at a high level — but not necessarily what we saw five seasons ago. If the once-dynamic center can re-discover his scoring form and stay on the ice, it'll be a welcomed boon for a Canadiens team that is going to need all the help it can get.
Through the first two games of the season, Monahan is ninth on the Canadiens in on-ice xGF% with 51.5 percent — below Cole Caufield's 56.2 and above Jake Evans' 49.4. Playing with one-dimensional grinders like Josh Anderson and Brendan Gallagher won't help Monahan's cause, but this is the hand he's been dealt.
