January 10, 2025 | 12:40pm ET
By David Calabretta, TheFourthPeriod.com
HABS’ TOP 10 POWER RANKINGS: MONTHLY RECAP
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Patrik Laine, forward
MONTREAL, QC — Welcome to a new editorial series on the Montreal Canadiens that will go over a monthly ranking of the team’s best players, taking into consideration levels of expectations and overall play, beyond points, in determining the player’s rank, provided with extensive analysis.
Oh, how December has treated Montreal so nicely, with the season debut of Patrik Laine, acquisition of Alexandre Carrier from the Nashville Predators, and two three-game winning streaks, the Canadiens went 9-4-0 in the month of December, and currently sit three points out of a wildcard spot after going 8-2 in their last ten games.
Here are the month’s top-10 players for the Habs:
10. Alex Carrier (NR)
Kent Hughes pulled something out of his sleeve as the NHL roster freeze was fast approaching on December 20th, where he acquired hometown veteran defender Alex Carrier in exchange for Justin Barron in a one-for-one trade with the Nashville Predators. From the get-go, Montreal has got what was advertised in Carrier. A stay-at-home defenseman and a great partner with Kaiden Guhle, the duo has been one of the best NHL pairings for December despite the small sample size. Carrier also found some offensive touch, with a pleasant four assists throughout six games.
9. Kirby Dach (NR)
In a season where nothing has been going Kirby Dach’s way, the 23-year-old centre has been seeing better days, especially since coming back from Christmas break, with four goals in his last six games, finally showing signs of life. Here’s to hoping he can keep up this momentum as the Canadiens look to stay in the mix.
8. Sam Montembeault (-)
December saw Montembeault starting ten straight games for the Canadiens due to the lack of trust in netminder Cayden Primeau, who is now sent down with the Laval Rocket. It wasn’t a perfect run, but credit where is due, he led the Habs with six wins out of those ten games. He continues to prove why he was selected for Team Canada at the upcoming Four Nations Faceoff in February.
7. Nick Suzuki (-1)
There is a slight decrease in ranking from November, but that is more of a testament to how well the Canadiens have been playing, more specifically their bottom six. The Habs’ captain had 14 points in 14 games this month and stayed a +1. Points aside, Suzuki ended the month facing a tough match against the top lines of Florida, Tampa and Vegas, and held his own defensively. It’s been a nice break for Suzuki when he doesn’t have to be the main point producer.
6. Joel Armia (+4)
The first of the three amigos on the Habs’ fourth line who had an amazing month of December, being the best producing line for the Canadiens during this impressive stretch thus far. Armia had 8 points throughout 14 games in December. Armia, 31, will generate some interest ahead of the NHL trade deadline as he will be a pending UFA on July 1st. No extension talks have occurred to this point.
5. Cole Caufield (-4)
Like Suzuki, Cole Caufield drops in this month’s latest rankings, and it’s not because of bad play, more of a testament to the other four who are ahead of him. Caufield was snakebitten during the month of December, starting the first four games with three goals, and went scoreless for the next seven, just a lack of consistency and maybe thanks to the arrival of Laine.
4. Emil Heineman (+3)
Heineman has been everything and more for the Canadiens up to this point and even beyond after such an impressive December for the 22-year-old rookie. Averaging 11 minutes TOI playing with Jake Evans and Armia on arguably the best fourth line in the NHL, the Swede scored four goals and 5 assists throughout 14 games. Heineman is currently third in rookie scoring with 10 after his goal versus the Chicago Blackhawks in the Habs’ 4-2 defeat.
3. Lane Hutson (+1)
December saw Lane Hutson win Rookie of the Month announced by the NHL a little over a week ago, with 15 points in just as many games. Points aside, Hutson’s defensive game has improved drastically, and went against the top paired lineups of the opposition throughout the month, playing offensive-hungry teams such as the Panthers, Lightning and the Knights. After Hutson’s three-point performance against Quinn Hughes and the Vancouver Canucks, the rookie defenseman now leads all rookies in points with 30. Did I mention he is a defenseman?
2. Patrik Laine (NR)
The final piece of the puzzle leading to a healthy Canadiens’ team, Laine finally returned to action at the beginning of the month of December starting with the Islanders. Despite missing almost a year of game time, the Finnish forward showed no signs of rust, scoring 8 goals throughout 13 games. Thanks to Laine, he has completely revamped the powerplay for Montreal as all his goals have been from the left circle on the powerplay. Goals aside, the presence of having Laine around every single day has given the Canadiens some life, and hope for better days and more of a chance at chasing the famous “mix.” Laine will represent Team Finland at the 4 Nations Face Off in the month of February at the Bell Centre and TD Garden.
1. Jake Evans (+2)
Leading the month of December like everyone had expected, Jake Evans, the final piece of the Canadiens’ elite fourth line. Evans had a very offensive December, contributing both 5v5 and shorthanded with six goals and six assists in 14 games. The 27-year-old is set to be a pending unrestricted free agent in July, but contract talks with Canadiens have begun with the Evans’ camp on where they want to go. As Hughes mentioned in this week’s mid-season briefing, all options remain on the table for Evans, as he will gather lots of attention leading into the NHL Trade Deadline.
3. Slafkovsky to return in second half form
A return to the first line alongside Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield might just be the best motivation possible for 2022 first-overall pick, who looks to produce consistently again. It is safe to assume the Canadiens are hoping Slafkovsky can return to pace in which he finished last season, where he picked up 36 points in 42 games while playing on the club’s top line. Slafkovsky saw success in his second game since returning on the line Tuesday night with a one-goal and one-assist performance against the disastrous Sabres. Slafkovsky now has 17 points in 28 games this season. Here’s to hoping the promotion brings back the winger that Kent Hughes signed for at a $7.6 million cap hit.
4. Establish a winning culture
The biggest struggle so far throughout this rebuild in Montreal has been the struggle to establish a long winning streak. The longest winning streak since Martin St.Louis was hired during his debut days when the Habs got a five-game winning spell in 2022. Since then, the longest streak has been held in no more than three games. This season, the Habs have won no more than two games in a row, leading them not to have those winning moments for too long. A long win streak can do very well for the young team’s confidence and set a winning attitude throughout the locker room.
5. Caufield scores 40 goals
The Habs haven’t had a 40-goal scorer since Vincent Damphousse in the 1993-94 season! To figure out how long this is, this was the first year that Gary Bettman took charge of the NHL, and the debut year of the “Bell Centre.” Caufield has had an amazing first half of the season so far for the Montreal Canadiens, with 17 goals and 12 assists throughout 31 games. His goal scoring ability has cooled off slightly, thanks to the arrival of Patrik Laine on the powerplay, but he would only need 23 goals in the next 51 games to make this standard possible, and I think he does it.