The week’s hottest Montreal Canadiens topics, served without the sugar-coating and with little concern for bruised feelings.

There was a time when looking at the Canadiens depth chart was a little like opening the refrigerator after a long weekend away. You knew there was supposed to be something in there, but once you opened the door, you mostly wondered whatever happened.

Those days are gone. Montreal still has some very obvious needs, including a legitimate No. 2 centre, a big scoring winger for the second line, and a more balanced defense corps featuring an experienced, physical right-shot defenseman who can play in the top four and kill penalties. The bottom two lines could also use more size and grit. So no, the Canadiens aren’t suddenly a finished product. But something important has changed: there are now enough NHL-calibre players in the organization that finding room for everybody is becoming a problem. And that’s what a successful rebuild should create.

A good problem to have

For years, the Canadiens were often trying to find 23 players capable of playing NHL hockey. Now, they have legitimate competition for several of those jobs, and that changes the conversation. Depth isn’t necessarily about having 23 stars. It’s about having enough quality players that difficult decisions have to be made, rather than giving somebody a roster spot because there simply isn’t a better option. The Canadiens are beginning to reach that point, and it should make training camp considerably more interesting than the usual exercise of figuring out who gets sent to Laval before the first exhibition game is over.

Defense may be the best example. Lane Hutson, Noah Dobson, Mike Matheson, Kaiden Guhle, Alexandre Carrier and Jayden Struble already give Montreal a solid group of NHL-calibre defensemen. Add Arber Xhekaj once his contract situation is resolved, and then consider David Reinbacher and Adam Engström waiting for their opportunity. Suddenly, the question isn’t simply whether Reinbacher or Engström is ready. It’s whether either of them is good enough to displace somebody else. That’s a much healthier question for an organization to have, although it can still give a general manager a migraine. Eventually, potential and draft pedigree have to take a back seat to performance and roster fit.

Lane Hutson (L)
Mike Matheson (L)
Kaiden Guhle (L)
Jayden Struble (L)
Arber Xhekaj (L)
Noah Dobson (R)
Alexandre Carrier (R)
David Reinbacher (R)
Adam Engström (L)
Maksymilian Szuber (L)

The left side of the defense, where Montreal has plenty of talent but not necessarily the ideal balance. At some point, management will have to decide which left-shot defensemen fit the long-term picture and whether one of them becomes part of the price for acquiring something the team needs more. Adding another lefty simply because he’s available would be like buying another recliner when three are already blocking the television. The Canadiens don’t need more pieces just for the sake of having pieces. They need the right pieces.

The same dilemma exists at centre. Montreal still needs that No. 2 pivot to provide Nick Suzuki some help, but perhaps Kirby Dach, Oliver Kapanen or Alex Newhook can finally make the position their own. All have enough talent to make you believe it is possible, but neither has done enough to make it a certainty. That’s the frustrating part of building a team. You can see what a player might become, but you still have to decide whether you can afford to wait for it. Hope is an important ingredient in a rebuild, but eventually you need results to go with it.

The Canadiens currently have 13-14 forwards capable of playing in the NHL with a few more trying to make an impression and show that they’re ready. Let’s not forget that you’ll likely have Michael Hage joining the team once his season is over in the NCAA.

And then we have three goalies, because apparently one more roster headache couldn’t hurt. Sam Montembeault, Jakub Dobes and Jacob Fowler all create questions of their own, but there are only so many seats on the bench. The best two are the youngest ones, but Fowler can be sent to Laval without clearing waivers. Doing so also means not fielding your best players at every position, but would provide Fowler more games for his development.

None of this means Montreal has too many good players. It means the organization finally has enough NHL-calibre depth that not every good player is guaranteed a job. That’s an important distinction, and it’s one Canadiens fans should appreciate.

The rebuild is entering a different phase. The question is no longer simply, “Who can help us?” It’s becoming, “Who helps us the most?”

That’s when building a hockey team gets interesting. And that’s when Kent Hughes really earns his money.

RAPID FIRE

📌 Samuel Montembeault is back in the rumour mill this week after it was revealed that Oilers’ goalie Frederik Andersen is injured and Connor Hellebuyck publicly requested a trade.

📌 Forget the Edmonton Oilers, even with Andersson believed to be out until the end of October. The Oilers don’t have the cap space to welcome Monty, and they have few players the Habs would want in return.

📌 The Jets could be an interesting destination for Montembeault if they were to trade Hellebuyck and then make a second trade for a goalie. Although Winnipeg does have Stuart Skinner, who is an equivalent to Montembeault, this is a file to keep an eye on.

📌 Colleagues Jimmy Murphy, Tony Marinaro and Pierre McGuire have all discussed the possibility of the Jets going into sellers’ mode, or other star players asking for trades, as a result of Hellebuyck leaving. They have advanced the name of Mark Scheifele as a potential target for Kent Hughes.

📌 While adding a good player like Scheifele is tempting, I personally don’t like that idea for several reasons. For one, at 33 years of age with five years left on his contract, he doesn’t seem to be a fit. Secondly, there have been plenty of rumours and hearsay about his and former teammate Blake Wheeler’s character. Lastly… Jake Evans. Need I say more?

📌 Based on the fact that he skates with Cole Caufield in the off-season, there has been plenty of speculation in Montreal about the possibility, or likelihood, of acquiring Dylan Larkin. While he checks most of the boxes of what the Canadiens need to centre the second line, there is no credible information suggesting that he would accept a trade to Montreal, or to Canada for that matter.

📌 Nick Suzuki recently spoke about the importance of Arber Xhekaj and Zachary Bolduc to the team. Both RFAs have yet to sign on the dotted line of a new contract.

📌 The Canadiens’ rookie camp will take place from September 9-15. The annual Golf Tournament at Laval-sur-le-Lac will take place on September 14, and the main training camp will start on September 16.