This rebuild will be studied in sports management courses for decades. Someone at the John Molson School of Business has to be working on it already: “Brains and Character: The Montreal Canadiens Rebuild, 2021 to 2025 and Beyond.”
Rebuilds are tough. (Ask the Buffalo Sabres, who’ve been at it since 2011 and have missed the playoffs for a record 14 straight seasons.)
The Canadiens’ rebuild dates from Nov. 28, 2021, the day the club fired Marc Bergevin and hired Jeff Gorton as executive vice-president of hockey operations. Less than four years in, the club staged a thrilling drive to the post-season last spring before running into a playoff wall in the form of the veteran Washington Capitals.
How did they do it? Start with smart players with solid character. No Andrei Kostitsyn, Alex Galchenyuk or Jesperi Kotkaniemi to be found.
As the Canadiens were thumping the Detroit Red Wings 5-1 Thursday evening in Motor City, the subject kept coming up. They talked about how Zachary Bolduc already had a professional attitude long before he arrived in the NHL and how smart he is. They mentioned Oliver Kapanen and what head coach Martin St. Louis calls the high-end computer he employs on the ice.
So far, it has worked brilliantly. Piece by piece, the Canadiens have built a sustainable contender around young players — even Cole Caufield is only 24.
How did they do it? Let’s start with a No. 1 pick.
Juraj Slafkovsky, age 21. First overall pick, 2022.
What may have been the most important play in terms of the team’s future happened off-camera on Thursday, when Slafkovsky belted Detroit star Moritz Seider. The cameras missed it, but they were right on the play when the big Slovak showed aggression and quick reactions by pouncing on a rebound for his first goal of the season.
That followed a night when Slafkovsky had five shots on goal against the Leafs. If indeed he has arrived, the implications for the future are as big as that 6-foot-3, 225-pound body.
Lane Hutson, 21, drafted 62nd overall, 2022. Calder Trophy winner.
Hutson you know. Most of the focus on him so far has been the clickbait horse patootie about a contract extension.
C’mon, people. Cut the nonsense. We’re talking about Kent Hughes here. The general manager will get it done and it will be a deal that benefits all parties long term.
Ivan Demidov, 19, drafted fifth overall, 2024.
Demidov you also know. The sweet thing for him this season is that a couple of other young players have commanded so much attention it has taken some of the pressure of Calder expectations off him.
Demidov’s brilliant outlet pass to a streaking Alex Newhook that set up Kapanen’s goal Thursday was a glimpse into the future of the most ballyhooed Canadiens rookie since Guy Lafleur.
Oliver Kapanen, 22, drafted 64th overall, 2021.
The HuGo tandem can’t take credit for finding Kapanen, one of the last picks of the Bergevin/Trevor Timmins regime — ironically the same draft that brought the Logan Mailloux debacle and the effective end of their tenure with the CH.
But Kapanen has been developed by the current management group and his play through camp and the first two games of the season would seem to indicate that the Canadiens had that second-line centreman in the fold all along.
Zachary Bolduc, age 22, acquired for Logan Mailloux.
With Kapanen, Bolduc has been the star of the opening back-to-back against Toronto and Detroit with goals in both games. (A second goal against the Red Wings was finally credited to Alexandre Carrier.)
Still young, but a complete player already, at both ends of the ice.
Alex Newhook, 24, acquired for two draft picks and Gianni Fairbrother.
After a couple of uncertain, up-and-down seasons with the Habs, Newhook’s blazing speed is already making its mark this young season.
Noah Dobson, 25, acquired for two draft picks and Emil Heineman.
The Canadiens gave up a lot to get Dobson — and even before the trade they had made him the team’s highest-paid player with an eight-year, $76-million deal. Dobson was so-so during training camp, but as soon as the puck dropped on the regular season, his value alongside Mike Matheson was jaw-dropping.
Jakub Dobes, 24, drafted 136th overall, 2020.
Another holdover from the Bergevin era but developed under HuGo, Dobes showed against Detroit that he is going to force Samuel Montembeault to work very hard to hold the No. 1 spot.
Red Wings’ J.T. Compher runs into Canadiens goalie Jakub Dobes during the first period in Detroit on Oct. 9.
Kirby Dach, 24, acquired for draft picks.
Don’t sleep on Dach. After a couple of injury-wrecked seasons, Dach is on the comeback trail. His game appeared to improve measurably from Wednesday night in Toronto to Thursday in Detroit. He’s big, he’s strong, he’s fast. The only thing he needs is confidence.
Alexandre Carrier, 29, acquired for Justin Barron.
You don’t have to be young to be a brilliant pick-up. Without Carrier, the Canadiens don’t make the playoffs last spring.
Now if only the Canadiens could persuade Matheson to use a stick like the hunk of lumber supposedly wielded by Doug Harvey and hewn by elves from an oak tree in Sherwood Forest.
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