As we head into the holidays, the Montreal Canadiens find themselves in solid standing. They are currently in the top three in the Atlantic Division and the top-ten overall in the NHL. Despite their good standing, Montreal has had a rollercoaster of a season and still faces many team issues. Let’s take a look at some of the challenges facing the Canadiens and what they’ll be asking Santa for on their Christmas wish list.
Montreal’s Christmas Wish List Starts with Consistent Goaltending
Montreal’s biggest concern this season has been between the pipes. Starting goaltender Sam Montembeault has been the backbone of this team over the last few seasons. However, this season has been a nightmare for the 29-year-old. He has struggled to find his footing and gain any momentum in the net for the Canadiens. Montembeault now finds himself in the AHL on a conditioning stint with the Laval Rocket, where he has currently gone 0-2. He is expected to rejoin the team after the holidays, but it’s unclear whether he will be able to reclaim the net upon his return.
Montreal is currently riding its two young netminders. Jakub Dobes and Jacob Fowler. Dobes held down the fort for the Canadiens early on in the year, going 5-0 to begin his season. Since then, however, he has struggled to find any consistency. On the other hand, 21-year-old Jacob Fowler has been impressive in his first four NHL starts. He is coming off his first career shutout at home against the Penguins and hopes he can ride this momentum into the New Year. Montreal’s goaltending situation has never been more unclear, and they need one of their three netminders to claim the crease. If the Canadiens have any hopes of success the rest of the way this season, they need some consistent goaltending.
A True Number Two Centreman
Montreal’s biggest hole in the lineup over the last several seasons has been down the middle. Kirby Dach hasn’t been healthy enough to solidify his position. Rookie Oliver Kapanen has produced well in the role and has found chemistry with Juraj Slafkovsky and Ivan Demidov. However, ideally, in the short and long term, the team would be able to acquire a higher-end second-line pivot.
The Canadiens recently made a move to bring back veteran Phillip Danault from the Los Angeles Kings. Danault brings a strong defensive presence and stability for Montreal down the middle. Despite this, he only has five points on the season and likely isn’t capable of bringing more offense than Kapanen in a second-line role. As the deadline slowly approaches, the Canadiens will actively be in search of a veteran centre on the trade market.
Healthy Lineup
Some are starting to believe that the Canadiens might be cursed due to their ongoing struggles with injuries year after year. They recently endured back-to-back seasons of record-breaking injury numbers. This season has been no exception thus far for Montreal. They were battered with long-term injuries early on to Patrik Laine, Kaiden Guhle, Alex Newhook, and Dach. More recently, Jake Evans was placed on the injured reserve, and Joe Veleno left the game against Pittsburgh after taking a hard hit.
It appears as though Guhle and Dach could be nearing a return early in the new year. Guhle was recently seen skating in Brossard, Quebec, and general manager Kent Hughes confirmed Kirby Dach was progressing well. As for Newhook and Laine, their timetable is a bit more uncertain. Furthermore, Evans and Veleno should be considered week-to-week as of now. Some new additions and better health could pay dividends for the Canadiens during the second half of the year. If Montreal could have one wish this holiday season, it would be to have a healthy lineup going forward.
Main Photo Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images