No, there are actually no vacancies at the Canadian company. It’s pretty easy to predict who the players will be in the first game of the season. But you know full well that it won’t be that easy, that there will be some nice and bad surprises. Why not join the hasty game of bold predictions?
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So here are 10! I’m aiming for a batting average that would be no worse than baseball.
1. Philippe Maillet will be the biggest surprise in attack
AFP
The inspirational striker from Lachenaie returns to North America after two years in Russia. The Canadian offered him a two-way contract. He has been one of the KHL’s best scorers for two years. His journey is fascinating. Maillet always performed but never got a real chance in the NHL. He was never drafted and played for the University of New Brunswick before dominating the American League for three years. With the Capitals he was only able to play two games in the NHL. However, his two years in the KHL gave him arguments for another chance. He was always good, he risks becoming good again in training camp. The CH won’t have a place for him, but I expect there will be a debate about keeping a place for him. Especially since he can play center and Christian Dvorak is out until November due to injury.
2. William Trudeau ahead of Jordan Harris
Photo agency QMI, JOEL LEMAY
Quebec defenseman William Trudeau, a fourth-round pick, impressed last year. Within a few months he practically went from last to first defender in Laval. He seems to be one of those special players who adapts anywhere. And above all, he is brilliant with the puck. Not just a little. Without being flamboyant, he could still stand out more than Jordan Harris, who is also left-handed. But Harris did nothing to lose his seat. He runs like the wind and is three years older, which may put him ahead of Trudeau. But in short, the question might arise.
3. Jesse Ylonen will threaten the top 6
With nearly a point per game in the American League last year and 16 points in 37 games with the Canadian, Jesse Ylonen deserves a real chance in the NHL to start the year. He was very talented and needed time to get used to North American ice hockey. Last year he managed to make offensive plays a few times that only talented attackers are capable of and that we have seen less frequently at CH in recent years. On the other hand, he’s not very physical, really. He’s not in traffic enough. He’s not the one who’s going to win pucks back, and he gets a lot of his points on the power play. If he is a little more robust, many fans will want to see him in the top 6 with his offensive potential.
4. Lias Andersson will be impressive…then invisible
ARCHIVE PHOTO
The Swede remains a big mystery in the ice hockey world. As a first-round pick (7th overall in 2017), he was an intriguing prospect. But since then there has been one disappointment after another. He scored 7 goals in 110 NHL games. He was suspended by Rangers in 2019 after deciding to leave the farm club. But he still came back well last year with 31 goals in the American League. At 24, it’s an interesting bet, but one that won’t pay off. He may impress everyone with his talent at the start of camp, but it will take a back seat when exhibition games begin. It didn’t work for him for six years, and suddenly it won’t work in Montreal either, where many young talents want to prove that they are better than him, even in Laval.
5. Emil Heineman will conquer the fans
The 21-year-old Swede is an interesting candidate, but experts disagree on whether he can one day be a great NHL player or a supporting player. What is clear, however, is that it will be easy to love him. Heineman, he “shoots.” When he gets the chance, he sends him his garnotte and he gets a solid one. After coming from Sweden last year, he played 11 games in Laval, scoring… 40 shots and 7 goals. It’s a tough start. If he doesn’t feel ashamed and goes to training camp, he risks stealing the show from the youngsters who need to impress.
6. Xavier Simoneau will be better than several major talents
In two years with the Rockets, second-round pick Jan Mysak scored 11 points in 62 games. Xavier Simoneau, a 6th round pick, scored 38 points in the same number of games. The pride of Saint-André-Avelin, a village of 3,000 people in Outaouais, is really good at this game. At 1.70 m, he is obviously reminiscent of David Desharnais, who was always underestimated before he established himself in the NHL. The same applies to Simoneau, who, for example, was never one of CH’s best hopes, while Jan Mysak still is. And Simoneau has a lot of dogs. He absolutely hates being smaller. My rather bold prediction is that he will have the edge offensively than some of the Canadiens’ top talents like Sean Farrell, Filip Mesar, Owen Beck and Jan Mysak.
7. Cayden Primeau will be the best goalkeeper
Martin Chevalier / JdeM
A year ago, Cayden Primeau had two straight seasons with a .909 American League batting average and a goals-against average of less than 3 goals per game. At 22 and 23 years old it’s not good, it’s very good. Last year: .909 again, but a 3.04 average and, above all, terrible statistics for his 21 games in three years with the Canadian. Primeau’s life is not easy this fall. He will obviously be sent to Laval and must clear waivers. This young goalkeeper will not give up, he has shown that he can be a special competitor and respond to pressure. He will certainly want to show the entire Bundesliga that he is still a great bearer of hope. My prediction: He will be banged up and be the best goalie in camp.
8. Joshua Roy will sell season tickets in Laval
The Beauceron striker will not fight for a place in Montreal, but he will manage to show that he would need a few games and that everything would be fine for him. Apparently management doesn’t want him to make the NHL. He has to arrive when he can shine. That’s why he’s going to Laval. But he will be so strong during camp that the Laval Rocket will sell more season tickets because fans will want to see him up close. Joshua Roy had 119 points in 66 games in 2021-2022 in the QMJHL. In the 2022/23 season he scored 99 points in 55 games. Yes, Sven Andriguetto also dominated in the QMJHL, but Roy has something special when it comes to turning on the red light. The Canadian will want to make room for him sooner than you might think.
9. Juraj Slafkovsky will confirm that he will be in the top 6
Getty Images via AFP
There is much debate and concern about Slafkovsky among some enthusiasts. It seems forbidden to say that he was very ordinary in his first season. I think Jesperi Kotkaniemi was much better than him in his rookie season. Maybe it’s a crime to think that, sorry. All objective analysts have pointed out that young Juraj hasn’t been as good as expected through his first 39 NHL games. Of course we don’t panic! Several players who had a poor first season are in the Hall of Fame and several others played senior hockey in Rivière-du-Loup a few years later. A friend of mine told me something I thought was clever about Slafkovsky last year, when Martin St-Louis was still commentating on his rookie’s game. “St-Louis should say, ‘Hey, everyone! Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it, everything will be fine.” I agree with that. Because that’s exactly what happens. Martin St-Louis holds the biggest jewel of his young coaching career in his hands and needs to take good care of it. I expect that Slafkovsky will quickly show in camp that he has already reached another level. He’ll make a lot of mistakes, but he’ll also make plays no one can make, and he’ll be able to show that at 19 years old he has his place on a top-six NHL team.
10. Kaiden Guhle will be the defending general
Getty Images via AFP
CH didn’t have any great ambitions for the playoffs last year with the Connor Bedard lottery. But the Snoreaux were solid early in the season. Before Christmas, Montreal was even one of the good clubs in the East. But everything went downhill. Several observers attributed this fall to Sean Monahan’s injury, which caused a lot of work for Nick Suzuki. But I think there’s another important factor: Kaiden Guhle’s injury in December. He missed January and February. Kaiden Guhle arrived in the NHL like one arrives at the supermarket. It seems so simple. He skates, he’s brilliant, he doesn’t cheat… He’ll sell a lot of jerseys under his name, that’s for sure. He committed several turnovers in his first year, but let’s give him a break, he’ll adapt. Let’s not forget, for example, that he was three years old when Canadian Carey Price designed. In short, Guhle will do what he’s always done: be a solid defender who gets better every day. During the camp he will already establish himself as the general of this defense.