Top 5 Canadiens to watch in 2024 training camp – Hockey Writers – Canadiens prospects

Training camp just opened for the Montreal Canadiens. On-ice sessions begin Thursday, Sept. 19, while the first preseason game is Sept. 23 against the Philadelphia Flyers, giving fans a chance to see the players in action. Many highlights have appeared on paper ahead of time. Here’s hoping they justify the attention with actual performance.

A reported total of 59 players participated. Obviously, barring an injury like Rafael Harvey-Pinard, only 23 will make the cut. And, although some will not end up making the opening night program of special interest to fans, we are only talking about a fraction of those 23 in total who represent personified question marks.

Here are the top five:

5. Josh Anderson (RW)

Logically, pitcher Josh Anderson is in no danger of losing his job. He has a contract for the next three seasons worth $5.5 million. However, after veteran Joel Armia was cut last season following a poor 2022-23 campaign, Anderson suddenly looks vulnerable to a place in a deep team up front after a disappointing 20-point campaign.

Fans already know what Anderson brings to the table as a speedy, 6-foot-4 power forward. At his best, he’s a 20-goal scorer if given ice time equal to top-six expectations. It will be interesting to see what he brings to the middle-six role, where there should be no more space at the top of the lineup. The irony is that if he doesn’t perform as well as the goal scorer who has just shown his lungs four years ago in this training camp, there may not be a place for him at all. At least there won’t be, if it’s true respect

4. Joshua Roy (RW)

Likewise, Joshua Roy still has to prove himself, even though he has established himself as one of the best players on the team after the All-Star game. Technically still a rookie, eligible for the Calder Memorial Trophy, Roy is exempt from waivers. That makes him an easy target for takedowns, even if he surpasses someone like Anderson above.

So, it’s Roy’s job to a) make that decision as hard as possible on the management and b) then prove he’s fit to play in the crowded top-six pool. Seeing as he plays as a top-six forward, it’s admirable for the Canadiens to put him in a better position to be successful like this, but it’s on his shoulders to start putting pressure on them to make good choices.

3. Kirby Dach (C)

One of the reasons why Roy has reestablished himself as a top six striker is due to the way he finished last season on the shelf. While Kirby Dach is in the same boat, after playing just two games, he has almost zero risk of finding himself on the outside looking in when all is said and done. He has proven himself to be that much more valuable when he is healthy. However, it remains to be seen how healthy he is.

Although Dach says he is 100%, fans will want to see for themselves how close he is to the same player. Remember, many saw him (eventually) surpassing Nick Suzuki as the team’s best center. While that seems like a lot less now, it has more to do with Suzuki’s progress than any step backwards.

Dach is still thought to be an above-average second-line center… the team’s success largely depends on him. If he can stay healthy (and the rest of the team), the results cannot be underestimated, as he can give the team two dangerous lines… and, based on how there is space for someone like Anderson on Line 4, maybe More.

2. Lane Hutson (LD)

Rookie defenseman Lane Hutson has undoubtedly impressed as one of the top prospects at the 2024 Rookie Camp. In fact, he was widely regarded as the Canadiens’ most viable prospect as someone who could truly make the team. However, that is based on how he played against the odds. He has yet to play in big camp against NHLers.

Of course, Hutson has proven himself to some extent, getting two games at the end of last season. However, it was a small sample and he still has a lot to show, which is why it makes sense for the Canadiens to keep him around despite the log jam on his left side, with no less than four other lefties staking claims for roster spots. .

Remember, general manager Kent Hughes has gone on record saying: “If [Hutson] he needs to improve some aspects of his game and would be better suited to play in the American Hockey League, we’ll send him there, but we won’t keep him in the NHL just to make him a power play champion. “

Related: Canadiens to keep Hutson true to AHL through 2024-25

With that in mind, Hutson is logically competing with three other defensemen for a top-four spot: Lefties Mike Matheson, who recently scored 62 points and Kaiden Guhle, who recently signed a six-year, $33.3 million extension, and rightie Logan Mailloux, who was named an AHL All-Star last season.

Hutson needs to play better than Matheson to force Hughes to make a trade or better than Guhle to force head coach Martin St. Louis to continue to move the end to the right to make room, at the opposite cost of his development. That is why Mailloux makes more sense to get a promotion, since it is on his right side that there is a theoretical place to be taken. It forces Guhle to play there, remove it. However, if Mailloux brings Hutson out of camp, it becomes a crucial point.

1. Patrik Laine (RW)

For all intents and purposes, Patrik Laine is guaranteed a roster spot. It’s not that the Canadians have invested much in him. Technically, they just gave up defenseman Jordan Harris, who wouldn’t be a 100% lock for a roster spot, to acquire him from the Columbus Blue Jackets. It’s more than what he represents as an $8.7 million player with great potential. For that reason alone there will be many eyes on him.

Now, training camp won’t reveal much about what Laine has to offer. Everyone has a good idea of ​​what he is capable of as a 44 goal scorer. It’s just a question of how much scoring talent he regains after a nine-point season (18 games) and time spent in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program. No matter how much you want it, it’s a low-risk situation.

Laine may go down and everyone should still be able to applaud Hughes for taking a chance on him for as little money as he paid. No one with a heart hopes for that, though. They would much rather Laine get his career back on track. He will take his first steps to make that a reality in the coming days.