NHL | The Canadian’s season in six questions

Four days before the start of the Montreal Canadiens season, the time has come. Impossible to go back. Here are our experts’ predictions, in six topics.

Will the Canadian participate in the playoffs?

Mathias Brunet : The Canadian will fight for a place in the playoffs, but will miss them by a few points, not without having fought fiercely.

Katherine Harvey-Pinard : No. He will be very close to getting there – in other words, he will be “in the mix” –but will arrive short. Next year, however…

Richard Labbé: No. The team will score more goals than the previous season, but not enough, and the competition within the division will be too strong.

Guillaume Lefrançois: No. Who said being “in the mix” meant being on the shows?

Simon-Olivier Lorange: No. A delay of less than 10 points with a qualification would represent an improvement compared to past years. The “mix” will have a very broad back…

Alexandre Pratt : No. To achieve this, CH will have to substantially improve their collective game in defense.

The surprise of the season

Mathias Brunet : Not only will Lane Hutson start the season in Montreal, but he will also amass around fifty points.

Katherine Harvey-Pinard : Juraj Slafkovsky. In his third full season in the NHL, Slafkovsky would score 75 points, including 30 goals.

Richard Labbé: Alex Newhook. He collected 34 points last season, but this time, with better support, he should add around 20 points to this total.

Guillaume Lefrançois: Jayden Struble. Through his stable and robust play, he will establish himself as a permanent member of the defense.

Simon-Olivier Lorange: Jake Evans. If he can finally spend the season in the right “chair” and if we flank him with decent wingers, everything would be in place for a prolific campaign, especially as he is reaching the last year of his contract.

Alexandre Pratt : Samuel Montembeault. Two international competitions are coming up, and there are positions available in net for the Canadian team. Additional motivation for Montembeault, who should play around ten more matches this season.

The disappointment of the season

Mathias Brunet : He is already disappointing in the eyes of many, but Josh Anderson will not revive his career this season and will struggle to score 15 goals.

Katherine Harvey-Pinard : Josh Anderson. There is no more room for him on the top 6even the top 9. In that sense, I expect it to be another difficult season for him.

Richard Labbé: Mike Matheson. He finished the previous season with 62 points, by far the best season of his career. It will be very difficult for him to compete with this figure this season.

Guillaume Lefrançois: Arber Xhekaj. Things are off to a bad start for him in camp and it won’t get much better against real NHL players.

Simon-Olivier Lorange: Arber Xhekaj. My choice for the second year in a row. The influx of talented young defenders is not good news for someone whose decision-making and vision of the game continue to be deficient.

Alexandre Pratt : Kirby Dach. He’s a very good hockey player, but fans’ expectations of him are excessive. I remind you that he has only played two official games in the last 18 months.

Who will score the most goals this season?

Mathias Brunet : Cole Caufield. With a shooting efficiency rate of only 8.9%, by far his lowest in his career (16.5%), Cole Caufield still scored 28 goals last year. The same volume of shots this year (314) and his career average rate of 14% would take him to 45 goals and arguably the team’s leading scorer.

Katherine Harvey-Pinard : Cole Caufield. He will surpass the 30-goal mark for the first time in his career. He will register 35.

Richard Labbé: Nick Suzuki. Since nothing is going to change for the Canadian, it is once again Nick Suzuki who will win the title, this time with a haul of 35 goals.

Guillaume Lefrançois: Nick Suzuki. His shooting is dangerously underrated.

Simon-Olivier Lorange: Cole Caufield. It has to be him. Although he diversified his arsenal and improved his defensive game last season, he remains first and foremost a scorer. The bar of 30 goals, or even more, must become the norm for him.

Alexandre Pratt : Nick Suzuki. The Canadiens captain has increased his number of goals in each season since his arrival in the NHL.

Which young defender will be able to establish himself?

Mathias Brunet : You have your answer above, Lane Hutson, but David Reinbacher will play matches in Montreal this winter.

Katherine Harvey-Pinard : Lane Hutson. For me, there is no other possible answer here.

Richard Labbé: Everyone wants to talk about Lane Hutson, but it’s Jayden Struble who will become a solid defender in this blue league this season.

Guillaume Lefrançois: Lane Hutson. It won’t be perfect, but the team sees that in their soup.

Simon-Olivier Lorange: Justin Barron. Because everyone will say Lane Hutson, I choose Barron. At 22, he seems serious about becoming a complete defender. This season will define his future with the club.

Alexandre Pratt : Lane Hutson. The question is not whether he will play on the power play, but which unit he will lead after a few weeks.

Who will be the first player traded?

Mathias Brunet : Christian Dvorak will be traded at the trade deadline as a rental player, but the CH will at best obtain a third-round pick and will have to retain a portion of his salary.

Katherine Harvey-Pinard : Joel Armia. If he continues his momentum from the end of last season, now would be a good time to trade him and get something very good in return.

Richard Labbé: Joel Armia. He is without a contract for the following season, and there will be a market for him after the holidays.

Guillaume Lefrançois: David Savard. “Catch them all!” Catch them all! » The Pokémon theme applies to experienced NHL defensemen. There will be interest in Savard, and we will want to make room for Logan Mailloux sooner or later.

Simon-Olivier Lorange: Joel Armia. If the Canadian is a seller at the trade deadline, and if Armia has a good season, the Finn will be his most attractive bargaining chip.

Alexandre Pratt : Jake Evans. Like David Savard, Christian Dvorak and Joel Armia, he is a good candidate, because he is completing the last year of his contract. At 1.7 million, it is more easily tradable than others.