There’s never a dull day in Habs Land.

Remember when the Montreal Canadiens made the Stanley Cup final in 2021? It feels like yesterday, honestly. But so much has changed since then: Carey Price and Shea Weber have effectively ended their careers due to injury, there’s a whole new coaching/management staff in place and a never-ending roster rehaul.

Add in what felt like injuries every other night last year, plus some bad contracts, and it’s no wonder why the Habs have finished near the bottom of the standings the past two years. The diehard fans knew the Cup appearance wasn’t going to be sustainable, and, fortunately, it seems like the franchise has handled the rebuild as well as you’d expect.

And that’s why the Canadiens have one of the best prospect pools in the league. It’s difficult to beat Columbus or Chicago, but the Canadiens come close, especially with two outstanding defensive prospects in David Reinbacher and Lane Hutson. The Reinbacher selection was a cause for major discussion in the days following the 2023 draft, but there’s a reason to get excited about him – more on that later.

The Canadiens have struggled to succeed near the top of the standings for the better part of three decades. They’ve had some great runs along the way, but actually remaining a top contender year after year has been a challenge. With the prospect pool they have now, plus at least another year or two of drafting near the top, that’s going to change sooner rather than later. And, hey: there’s still Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield and a healthy Juraj Slafkovsky to get excited about.

Biggest Strength

There’s depth up front too, but the defensive pipeline is stacked. Reinbacher and Hutson are two of the better young defensemen in the game today, and fans won’t have to wait too long for either. Logan Mailloux is set to turn pro this year, while Adam Engstrom had a mega season in Sweden. Add in Mattias Norlinder, Jayden Strubble, Dmitri Kostenko and Daniil Sobolev, and you have to love what you see. And that’s not factoring in Kaiden Guhle, Jordan Harris, Arber Xhekaj, Johnathan Kovacevic and Justin Barron, all of whom have NHL experience. At least a few of these young guys will get moved at some point, but it’s great to have options.

Biggest Weakness

I’m a big Jacob Fowler fan. I fully believe he’ll challenge for the No. 1 goalie spot after his college career ends. But what if he isn’t the long-term answer? Who’s going to be the true heir to Price’s throne? Jakub Dobes signed after his college run, but he’ll need time and likely projects to be nothing more than a backup. Is there any hope for Cayden Primeau after some mixed results in Laval? The team drafted three goaltenders this year, which is somewhat absurd. Goaltending is the hardest position to develop, but we’ll see who can shine through.

TOP 10 PROSPECTS

*David Reinbacher (© Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports)*

Grade: A

1. David Reinbacher, D, 18 (EHC Kloten, NL)

Drafted: No. 5, first round in 2023

Habs fans already have high expectations for their players. So it didn’t help when the Canadiens took Reinbacher at No. 5, passing over the highly skilled Matvei Michkov. But it’s so easy to undervalue just how good Reinbacher was. Not many people had Reinbacher as a first-round pick heading into last year. By the end, he was the first defenseman taken. He put up excellent numbers in the top Swiss league, a division that hasn’t always been kind to younger blueliners. Reinbacher looked mature beyond his years, simple as that. Reinbacher will be a top-pairing defenseman for the Canadiens – but how soon?

2. Lane Hutson, D, 19 (Boston University, NCAA)

Drafted: No. 62, second round in 2022

Count me as a Hutson believer way before his draft day. If I had my way, he was going top 15. I knew the size thing was a concern, but Hutson’s overwhelming skill with the puck was something we don’t see every day. Ever since that mid-July afternoon in 2022, all Hutson has done is dominate. With Hutson leading the way with 48 points, Boston University qualified for the Frozen Four before losing out to the University of Minnesota. Hutson wasn’t part of the Hobey Baker’s Hat-Trick finalist shortlist but was named to the top 10. He was also named Hockey East rookie of the year, was runner-up for Hockey East’s player of the year and was HE’s tournament MVP. They started to run out of awards for the 19-year-old, who played well above his smallish frame to record one of the most remarkable Draft+1 seasons by a defenseman in recent memory. Hutson is heading back to BU for another shot at a national title before likely turning pro. The biggest thing for me is Hutson showing better decision-making in his own zone and being less passive 1-on-1. But otherwise, Habs fans have every reason to hype him up right now.

*Lane Hutson (Steven Ellis/Daily Faceoff)*

3. Sean Farrell, C/LW, 21 (Montreal Canadiens)

Drafted: No. 124, fourth round in 2020

Farrell turned pro after an electric college season that saw him put up 20 goals and 53 points with Harvard. He had just one goal in six games with the Canadiens before struggling at the World Championship with USA, registering just two points. It was a slow end in an otherwise great year for Farrell, who, if you remember, was USA’s best forward at the 2022 Olympics. The small forward has been a strong producer since leaving the USA Hockey National Team Development Program and in the right role with the Canadiens, that should continue. Some time in Laval to get used to bigger, stronger competition in pro wouldn’t hurt.

4. Owen Beck, C, 19 (Peterborough, OHL)

Drafted: No. 33, second round in 2022

It was a crazy year for Beck, who started the year with Mississauga before getting moved to Peterborough for the second half. He helped the Petes win the OHL title and advance to the Memorial Cup while earning third all-star team honors for the season. When Colton Dach got injured at the world juniors, Beck was called upon to finish the last three games and won gold with Canada – a nice moment after originally getting cut in December. Beck made his NHL debut in January under emergency circumstances, adding to an already eventful season. Next year, look for the smart, two-way center to aim for around 80+ points with the Petes.

5. Joshua Roy, LW/C, 20 (Laval, AHL)

Drafted: No. 150, fifth round in 2021

It might be understated just how underrated Roy is. Taken in the fifth round in 2021, Roy now has 297 points in 216 games over four QMJHL seasons with Saint John and Sherbrooke. He’s been exceptionally impressive in the QMJHL postseason, recording 51 points in 28 games over three runs – absolutely bonkers. Roy isn’t a great skater, so we’ll see how he adjusts to the pro game with Laval this year. But if there’s anything we’ve learned, it’s that he can annihilate the competition with his shot.

6. Logan Mailloux, D, 20 (Laval, AHL)

Drafted: No. 31, first round in 2021

Standing tall at 6-foot-3, Mailloux brings a ton of power to his game. He has an excellent shot he put on display often with the London Knights, and few OHLers were as confident rushing the puck as he was. In terms of big, skilled defensemen, Mailloux has what teams want – and it helped that he scored 25 goals, too. But the flaws are apparent, especially regarding his decision-making with the puck, pinching too much and his own-zone play under pressure. Plus, we’re still waiting for the NHL’s official decision on whether he’ll be cleared to play. If he’s given the all-clear, he’ll challenge for a spot on Montreal’s opening night roster – but time in the AHL is definitely needed.

*Filip Mesar (Steven Ellis/Daily Faceoff)*

7. Filip Mesar, RW, 19 (Kitchener, OHL)

Drafted: No. 26, first round in 2022

The 2022-23 season was an adjustment year for the high-speed, all-attack forward. He moved from Slovakia to Canada and made his AHL debut with Laval, but he spent the year as one of Kitchener’s most important offensive weapons. In 54 games, the hard-working winger finished with 51 points and another six en route to helping Slovakia put up a fight at the world juniors. Mesar should have an even better season with the Rangers before joining Laval for 2024-25.

8. Adam Engström, D, 19 (Rogle BK, SHL)

Drafted: No. 92, third round in 2022

Engström moved from Djurardens to Rogle for 2022-23, and it paid off. He had a strong 16-point regular season and recorded another five points in nine playoff games to end the year off strong. The Swedish defender played anywhere from 16-19 minutes down the stretch as the coaching staff felt more comfortable with their junior-aged prospect. The Canadiens have a ton of young blueliners in the system so it’ll be interesting to see where Engström fits in. But as a third-rounder, there’s already been enough progress to get thrilled about.

*Riley Kidney (Steven Ellis/Daily Faceoff)*

9. Riley Kidney, C, 20 (Laval, AHL)

Drafted: No. 63, second round in 2021

Kidney was the most productive player traded in the CHL this year, scoring 14 goals and an incredible 65 points in just 29 games in Gatineau. The Olympiques fell short in the playoffs, but he still managed to put up 22 points in 13 games. Clearly, offense isn’t a problem here. But that’s mainly as a passer – as a finisher, his shot isn’t NHL-level yet. It feels like he needs the puck on his stick to really be effective, and that starts to disappear once you get to the pro level. We’ll see how he transitions to the AHL, because it’s a whole other beast.

10. Jacob Fowler, G, 18 (Boston College, NCAA)

Drafted: No. 69, third round in 2023

Take your pick: World Junior A Challenge champion. USHL goaltender of the year. USHL Clark Cup champion and MVP. It was an incredible season for Fowler with Youngstown, helping improve his draft standing all year. The statistical contrast between him and backup Colin Winn was quite staggering, with Fowler taking it to the rest of the league. Fowler is rarely caught out of position, tracks the puck well and has excellent rebound control. Fowler should factor into USA’s world junior team, especially after an excellent summer tournament.

Other notables: Jan Mysak, C/LW (21), Jayden Struble, D (21), Mattias Norlinder, D (23), Jesse Ylonen, RW (23), Jakub Dobes, G (22), Cayden Primeau, G (23), Dmitri Kostenko, D (20), Emil Heineman, LW (21), Daniil Sobolev, D (20), Luke Mittelstadt, D (20), Florian Xhekaj, LW (19), Ty Smilanic, C/LW (21), Vinzenz Rohrer, RW (18), Justin Barron, D (21), Luke Tuch, LW (21), Oliver Kapanen, C (20)

Previous 2023-24 NHL Prospect Pool instalments

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