Montreal's strong start to the NHL season

The Montreal Canadiens are first in the Atlantic division, first in the Eastern conference, and second in the league. Last season, they finished 17th in the league and were eliminated in five games by the Washington Capitals in the first round of the playoffs.

They are the youngest team in the NHL, with an average age of 25.7 years. Except for a handful of players, a majority of the team is even under 30 years old.

They have had 56 draft picks in the past five years, including 7 first-round picks. Montreal has been able to develop prospects and build its team around these young stars.

The Canadiens selected Calder Memorial Trophy candidate Ivan Demidov with their fifth pick in the 2024 draft. Demidov currently has 12 points in his 13 games so far this season; he has thrived on the power play, with half of his points coming on the man advantage.

Some other notable recent picks include Cole Caufield (15th overall in 2019, though he may not be a recent pick anymore in his sixth season), goaltender Jakub Dobes, 2022 first overall Juraj Slafkovsky, and former rookie of the month Lane Hutson.

Caufield is in the third year of his eight-year contract and is one of the core players on this up-and-coming team and will be for a long time. He has 235 points in his 300 games played, including 16 this season.

Averaging around 18 minutes a game, Caufield is a massive contributor and a vital part of the Canadiens’ success.

Slafkovsky has been improving every season and developing very promisingly into a top winger in the league and an important part of Montreal’s future. His breakout season in 2023-24 earned him an eight-year deal with his draft team. This season, he has eight points, six of which are power-play points.

The second-round defenseman Hutson has seen solid ice time in all three of his seasons, with about 22 minutes per game. He had 66 points last season and is averaging a point per game through 13 games this season.

Many of their young stars are excelling on the power play, which has propelled the team to sit at sixth in the league with a 30.8% power play. While it is likely that the number will drop slightly as the season progresses, their strong PP is a major contributor to their success this season.

In addition to their young talent and power play, Dobes has been lights out. In only his second season (and he only played 16 games in his first), he has a .930 Sv% and a 1.97 GAA. However, he has split time with Sam Montembeault, who has been struggling.

Dobes was drafted 136 overall in 2020 and spent time at Ohio State and with Montreal’s AHL affiliate before breaking into the league. Although it is unlikely he’ll be able to maintain his insane stats, he’s showing extreme promise and should remain a top 10 goalie while helping Montreal remain a top 5 team.

They’re coming off a 5-4 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers, but are still 9-3-1. They face off against the Devils at 7 p.m. on November 6. The Devils have also had a hot start, going 9-4. It’s bound to be a tight game as both teams lead their division.

Jenny Karamus is a first-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, email jrk6308@psu.edu.