Habs: a nucleus approaching the elite | Flash analysis of the development camp

Noah Dobson, Ivan Demidov, Zachary Bolduc and David Reinbacher should all be in the starting line-up next October.

Reinbacher may be less certain, but I like his chances.

At worst, itll be during the winter.

Will these newcomers make the Canadiens a better team on paper than the one that started last season? Not necessarily, because we havent (yet) replaced everyone who left.

And the Habs are also likely to field an even younger line-up than last years.

Seen from this angle, the playoffs are far from a certainty for the spring of 2026.

But by adding four players of this quality to its NHL core, the organization is taking a big step towards the much higher medium- and long-term goals Hughes and Gorton have in mind.

And thats much more important than whether or not the club will be better in Game 1 of the next calendar...

Few clubs have such a core, and the Habs is still a few years away from maturity.

A core worthy of the elite? Following on from my analysis last year , heres a new version of the Habs projected core compared to that of recent Stanley Cup champions and runners-up, the Panthers and Oilers.

Category Value (points) Generational: No need for a big definition here! Barkov Bouchard RNH Reinbacher Guhle Matheson (future?) Bolduc (Laine?) Dach (Hage?) Montembault (Fowler/Dobes) Once again, this isnt an exact science, but it does give a good idea of the potential (and increasingly actual) strength of the Canadiens core compared to the current elite.

With its 12 players, the Habs core has much more depth than the Oilers (9).

Its a model more akin to that of the Panthers, but perhaps even closer to that of the Blues in 2019, since its built more by the draft.

So its easy to see the coherence and relevance of the Habs managements plan.

A core of 12 rising impact players, including several stars and a few superstars (almost elite), is a formula that can work.

But lets make a few additional comments.

0.

Ive revised the rankings of some players, modified/cleaned up the weight of the categories a little and removed the complementary player category.

Although they can be very useful, these players (Newhook, Rodrigues, Arvidsson, for example) are often interchangeable and its too risky to count them in a core.

1.

I didnt dare include the new sensation Alexander Zharovsky in the equation.

But he was undoubtedly drafted with a view to his becoming part of the core sooner rather than later in Montreal, at least as a top-6 impact player.

Lapointe and Bobrov would even have selected him 16th or 17th, they happily confessed...

Lets wait and see how he fares over a full season in the KHL.

2.

Perhaps Hutson and/or Demidov will be among the elite in the not-too-distant future.

Hutson came close.

Hes already elite in many ways.

But given that hes not yet playing shorthanded and still has a few things to work on (his shooting, among other things), I was a little embarrassed.

As for Demidov, the sample is still too small to project him among the elite with any certainty.

3.

Suzuki needs to repeat last years season or, ideally, even surpass it before he can be considered a superstar on the level of Matthew Tkachuk.

He really isnt that far off...

4.

Its still a bit of a projection to classify Slafkovsky as a star player, but hes already a unicorn in his own way.

At the same age, Suzuki and Caufield had yet to have a single 50-point season.

Slaf has two.

Hes still among the top three players in his (low) draft, along with Hutson and Cooley.

5.

Matheson is still there.

But Kent Hughes very short yes, without further explanation when asked if he sees himself continuing with Matheson , left me puzzled.

At worst or at best, depending Matheson will be traded for an impact forward.

So, itll all add up.

6.

I dont really count Laine among the Habs future core and would be very surprised if he extends his career in Montreal beyond next season.

Thats why Im already giving Zachary Bolduc his chair as an impact player.

7.

Dach still has a chance of staying in Montreal and becoming a core impact player.

But if its not him, it could very well be Michael Hage.

Ive only counted one of the two, but it could eventually be both...

8.

Call me crazy, but I dont hate L.J.

Mooneys chances of being part of this core someday...

Kind of like how I almost included Evan Rodrigues in the Panthers.

9.

In addition to their impressive core, the Panthers strength lies in the quality of their complementary players, the Rodrigues, Schmidt, Mikkola, Luostarinen, Samoskevich, Boqvist and company.

Not all big guys, but intense players.

In this respect, we really dont dislike the Canadiens approach.

There will, of course, be a few big boys (F.

Xhekaj, Paupanekis, Thorpe), but there are also intense players like Beck and Mooney who could well support the core.

Speaking of the youngsters, a few of them were in action this week at the development camp.

Lets take a quick look.

Extension Unlike my colleague Marc-Olivier Cook, I wasnt on site in Brossard this year, but I did enjoy watching the intra-squad game from the development camp on Youtube.

Well, we certainly wont be drawing any major conclusions from this little fifty-minute four-on-four game, but that wont stop us from making a few observations.

1.

I like the four-on-four formula.

It gives everyone a chance to show what they can do, and to come up with some great offensive or defensive sequences, whether its a display of intelligence, a heightened level of intensity, a rush, a sequence along the boards, a brilliant pass, a sense of anticipation, a harpoon or a check.

In short, its the ideal formula for seeing, in different ways, who manages to stand out.

2.

Michael Hage: It looked easy for the alpha male on the ice.

Perhaps a little too easy at times, he could almost afford to take it easy...

Powerful, fluid skating stroke, big frame, long reach, excellent hands.

Not easy to take the disc from him, as Pierre would say.

But hell have to work on his intensity level if he wants to become an excellent second-line center/player and rise to the top 10-15 players in his draft (2024).

Hes got the talent.

And whats more, he speaks French like the wind .

Wed almost forgotten about him! Here is Habs prospect, Michael Hage.

Not only is his comprehension in French very good, his ability to speak it is even better.

Hes from Mississauga, Ontariopic .twitter.com/rcQ1bZIbVV Shaun Starr (@ShaunStarr78) July 3, 2025 3.

L.J.

Mooney: The game doesnt often die with him.

Very creative and dynamic.

What a pass on Thorpes first goal! Vigorous and hard to contain along the ramps; an essential quality for players his size to reach the NHL.

A very encouraging performance from the 113th pick in 2025.

This guys been eating hockey up since he was a kid.

The Habs are onto something with him.

This video of LJ Mooney throughout the years is unbelievable.

(Credit to @ICHockeypgh ) pic.twitter.com/p8AlN6Mhez Jonny Lazarus (@JLazzy23) July 3, 2025 4.

Hayen Paupanekis : Big Paupi has a dream physique for big boy hockey .

Very good skater.

Wide skate.

Good hands.

Great reach.

Some passing ability.

Correct feel/understanding of the game, but still needs to develop, as does his level of sturdiness.

His progress next season in Kelowna (which will host the Memorial Cup) will be most interesting to follow.

A great bet for the Habs in 69th place last week...

5.

Filip Eriksson: You can see hes starting to get a bit of pro hockey under his belt.

Executes quickly and well.

Not a bad feel for the game.

Quite a good skater.

The kind of player well want to see in Laval a year from now.

Still a marginal prospect.

Not great stats in the Swedish first division last year (SHL), 6 points, differential of -11, in 37 games.

Will change clubs to join Lulea, next seasons SHL champions...

6.

Felix Trudeau: Little guy from Terrebonne! Atypical career path.

Never played in the QMJHL.

Two goals! Makes himself forgotten, gets into the slot, draws fast! 23 in September, played at Sacred Heart University (NCAA), where he was nominated for the Hobey-Baker Trophy .

Could he earn a contract in Laval or Trois-Rivieres? 7.

Sam Harris : Complemented Hage quite well.

You can see the experience he accumulated in the NCAA, where he made the third all-star team last year with his 23 goals and 35 points in 43 games.

Will turn 22 in the fall.

Ready for the AHL soon, but has chosen to play at least one more year at the University of Denver.

No guaranteed chair for him in Montreal, that said...

8.

Bryce Pickford: Perhaps one of the only defensemen to stand out a bit with Owen Protz.

Great goal.

No bad hands, good attacking sense.

Unless Im mistaken, did nothing wrong defensively.

Should have another big WHL season at 19.

Will be 20 next April.

Provides good depth on the right side.

Not a bad replacement for Mailloux in the prospect bank...

Will probably finish the season in Laval.

9, Tyler Thorpe: The Thorpedo has gained a bit of speed since last year.

The guy can play hockey and has a major-league wrist shot.

Pretty good hands.

Confident, calm, protects his puck well.

At 65, this 5th round pick in 2024, also plays big boy hockey and should be doing so (alongside Florian Xhekaj?) in the AHL as early as this fall.

Hes part of Montreals future plans at the bottom of the line-up.

Tyler Thorpe with a late snipe to put team red on top #gohabsgo pic.twitter.com/TTOnR6n3XU Matt Drake (@DrakeMT) July 3, 2025 10.

Aatos Koivu: Aside from his very nice jump-shot goal and a good wrist shot, didnt show anything very convincing at four-on-four.

Often looks more like a hockey boy than a hockey player, to use Martin St-Louis language...

Very discreet at 18 with TPS in Finland (8 points, 1 goal, in 32 games), will have to show more next season.

No ones holding their breath here...

11.

Logan Sawyer: I expected more.

Decent skater, but nothing more.

Not very good hands.

But converges at the net, plays direct with a bit of dog and seems to want to get into the pay zones.

Cant wait to see if he improves in Providence after a pretty good first season (16 points in 37 games)...

12.

Makar Khanin: Some nice flashes.

The guy wanted to show us his puck-possession skills and good hands, but his ordinary stats (10 goals, 19 points in 34 games) at age 19-20 in the Russian junior circuit (MHL) call for the utmost caution.

Maybe this 7th-round pick in 2024 can get out of St.

Petersburg and continue his development in Laval one day, but hes also the kind of guy we might never see again in America...

Well, thats that! Ill be back in the coming weeks with my traditional ranking of the Habs top prospects and other analyses here and there to fill the dog days of summer! Its always a pleasure to trade with you on FB and Twitter! This article first appeared on Dose.ca and was syndicated with permission..

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