There’s an ongoing debate among Montreal Canadiens fans as to which aspect of the lineup needs the most attention.

Even though the Habs finished in the bottom-half of the NHL in terms of expected goals (xGF) last season, only the Chicago Blackhawks and Anaheim Ducks finished with more expected goals against (xGA), connoting that there’s probably a little more work to be done when it comes to improving the defensive situation.

That’s part of the reason the trade to acquire defenceman Noah Dobson was judged by many analysts as being a masterful upgrade by general manager Kent Hughes.

MUST READ – Dobson Trade Tidy Business by the Montreal Canadiens

On top of being an established top-pairing defenceman, Dobson offered a significant improvement to an area of weakness, immediately slotting in as the team’s top right-handed defenceman. Beyond Dobson, the Canadiens only have one established option on the blue line that would be playing in his natural position on the right side of the ice: Alexandre Carrier.

And now that Logan Mailloux has been traded to the St-Louis Blues, the only RHD prospect with legitimate NHL aspirations is David Reinbacher. Simply put, the options on the right are few and far between.

Montreal Canadiens LHD: Lane Hutson, Kaiden Guhle, Mike Matheson, Jayden Struble, Arber Xhekaj, William Trudeau, Adam Engstrom, and Marc Del Gaizo.

Montreal Canadiens RHD: Noah Dobson, Alexandre Carrier, David Reinbacher, Nate Clurman.

It’s far from an ideal situation, but such is life in the modern sports landscape. There’s simply not enough talent to go around, leaving almost every team with obvious weaknesses in their lineup.

Thankfully, there are a few players who can survive while playing on either side of the blue line, but suffice it to say the Dobson trade was a necessary decision for a team that hopes to maintain an upward trajectory now that they have dipped their toes in the icy waters of the NHL playoffs.

When evaluating Dobson’s stats with the New York Islanders, the first thing that stands out is the discrepancy in results while playing alongside various defensive partners. While he played with Alexandre Romanov and Adam Pelech, Dobson’s stats were fantastic, but they suffered a significant downtick alongside Ryan Pulock.

This connotes that the best defensive partner for Dobson would probably be Kaiden Guhle, rather than Lane Hutson. Of course, Hutson is better than anyone Dobson played with during his tenure with the Islanders, and there’s a chance head coach Martin St-Louis would want to overload his top pairing with pure talent, but by splitting up Hutson and Dobson, he would ensure that his top-four would maintain a healthy balance of skill and playing styles.

As for the final defenceman in the top four, Alexandre Carrier fits the bill. That’s not to say Mike Matheson is a third-pairing defenceman, but it would be great if Hutson could play on his natural side, rather than forcing him to play on his offside, leaving Carrier as the most logical option.

However, we should point out that Matheson and Hutson played quite well together last season, giving the Habs a decent contingency plan should they judge Carrier needs a lighter workload.

When discussing the third pairing, it’s quite clear St-Louis will have more options than ever, and more importantly, quality options. A reduction in 5v5 ice time could work wonders for Matheson, a player who has been tasked with the type of responsibilities that are normally reserved for $10 million defencemen.

Whether the team decides to run with Arber Xhekaj and Jayden Struble as the third pairing, or a combination including Matheson, it’s important to remember about the inevitable injury issue, making the logjam on defence a great problem to have for a team like the Montreal Canadiens.

Personally, I believe Reinbacher is not yet ready for full-time NHL action, and would be best off spending another season with the Laval Rocket, but he will be given a chance to earn a roster spot at camp.

Things can (and will) change, but for now, here’s a (very) early look at the potential Canadiens defensive pairings.

Projected Montreal Canadiens Defensive Pairings

Kaiden Guhle – Noah Dobson

Lane Hutson – Alexandre Carrier

Mike Matheson – Jayden Struble/Arber Xhekaj

ON TOPIC: Projected Canadiens Forward Lines Including Bolduc

Do you agree or disagree with the Montreal Canadiens defensive pairings we assembled? If so, let us know in the comments below!