The recent “quarter-century” teams revealed by various NHL franchises have sparked a lot of debate across the league.
In Montreal, it was first noted that fans were not left with much, including Tomas Plekanec on the first team…
Then there was debate over some questionable choices, including placing Weber ahead of Subban on the first team, despite the latter’s superior achievements in Montreal…
But hey, as our Prime Minister François Legault would say (speaking about the voting system): “Except for a couple of intellectuals, there’s nothing to fight about on that subject in the buses”…
Players who were to be on these two teams all deserved to be recognized.
For the purposes of our comparative exercise today, we will go with the official results from media votes, as well as former players and some executives.
However, with such a modest offense during this period, it’s no surprise that the Canadiens were unable to win their 25th Stanley Cup. Their presence in the finals and two other semifinal appearances were largely attributable to the excellence of the goalies and solid defenses.
The offensive punch was missing. The ideal balance between defense and offense was not often achieved.
In this regard, a glimpse of what the next two “quarter-century” teams might look like already seems to promise brighter nights at the Bell Centre and even more substantial success in the playoffs.
Let’s dive in!
First Team 2025-2050
Slafkovsky-Suzuki-Demidov
Hutson-Reinbacher
Fowler
VS
Kovalev-Koivu-Plekanec
Markov-Weber
Price
If our recent prospective analyses are anywhere near accurate, the Canadiens should be able to assemble a first team superior to that of 2000-2025, notably thanks to two “elite” players…
The Offense
Slafkovsky vs Kovalev
When playing at his best, Slafkovsky hits hard, drives to the net (literally!), makes beautiful passes, and has more faith in his shot.
Will he become a 35-goal scorer on a regular basis? One might doubt it, but as evidenced by his 35 points in his last 41 games last season at 19 years old, he clearly has the potential for at least 70 points per season while making his teammates better and more comfortable on the ice.
We still maintain our initial impression in his case: he has the potential to become one of the best power forwards of his generation.
On the other hand, Kovalev, who is not exactly a “little guy himself,” was one of the most talented players of his generation. He scored 264 points in 314 games with the Canadiens (0.84 ppg, -11), but aside from his magical 84-point season where he took very few “nights off,” the charismatic Russian often delivered performances that didn’t do justice to his extraordinary abilities.
That said, even in his early thirties, he had three good seasons out of four with the Canadiens.
Nothing guarantees that Slafkovsky will one day have a greater impact than Kovy did during his time in Montreal, especially in the playoffs (31 pts in 33 games), but we like his chances. Unlike Kovy, Slaf should normally play his prime years in the city of smoked meat and orange cones.
With all due respect to the Artist of the Canadiens in the 2000s, overall, we anticipate a slightly more substantial impact over a longer period for Slafkovsky.
Slight advantage Slaf.
Suzuki vs Koivu
We will never know exactly what kind of career Koivu could have had with the Canadiens, as it pretty much shifted in his second season in 96-97 when he was sitting at the top of the scoring leaderboard at 22 years old alongside Mark Recchi. And then there was that cancer a few years later…
In the 2000s, Koivu (418 pts in 502, -18, 0.83 ppg) was less explosive but still aimed to be an agile, instinctive, quick player with excellent hands, a very good sense of the game, and a strong competitive spirit. He didn’t have the best shot (he was mainly a passer), but he often scored close to the net and also knew how to excel during important games as well as in the playoffs (35 pts in 37 games).
So far, Suzuki, much stronger and more cerebral than Koivu, has managed to avoid injuries, presenting himself as one of the iron men of the NHL in recent years. Although appearing less dynamic than the Finn, the Ontarian still shows great creativity and is more of a double threat than Koivu was, having scored no less than 33 goals last season (77 points) while Saku never scored more than 22.
We won’t call this a slam dunk here, but the Suzuki of the 2020s is simply a superior player to Koivu of the 2000s. And he might also become a better captain, let’s say, more unifying…
Demidov vs Plekanec
Demidov is emerging as a significantly more dangerous forward than Plekanec. Most experts see him as a future 90 or even 100-point player in the NHL and compare him alternately to Kucherov and Kaprizov. Nothing less.
So it’s by betting primarily on a Demidov who meets expectations that the A team of the next quarter-century could supplant its predecessor.
Plekanec may have been a very good player over 200 feet, but the verdict here should be clear: Demidov by a mile.
The Defense
Hutson vs Markov
In defense, while Markov was undoubtedly among the “star” defensemen underestimated of his generation, Lane Hutson, a logical Calder favorite, seems to be quickly establishing himself as an elite player in the NHL, as his name appears more and more alongside Makar, Hughes, Fox, and Company. He is literally fulfilling all the wildest expectations placed upon him by his earliest and most fervent believers, of whom I was also one.
Markov did have some superior qualities compared to Hutson, but there’s no need for further explanation: advantage Hutson!
Reinbacher vs Weber
If there are already serious candidates for two offensive lines, the sample is still thin on defense for the next quarter-century. Nevertheless, we still dare to think that Reinbacher could be the ideal playing partner for Lane Hutson for many years, although we wouldn’t predict a Hall of Famer career like Shea Weber’s for him…
Advantage Weber!
Fowler vs Price
Price will be another Hall of Famer, no one doubts that. In fact, I wouldn’t hesitate to call him a “generational” goaltender as so many have tried to copy his style, much like they did with Patrick Roy in the previous generation.
At his best, Price intimidated opponents, and Ken Hitchcock once said that the opposing team felt like they were starting the game one goal behind when Price was in net for the Canadiens.
On Fowler’s side, as unfair as it may seem for him, he first needs to become a number one goalie and accumulate a few standout seasons before we can think of comparing him with the master.
However, since for all sorts of reasons Price’s career has also been marked by downturns, let’s not underestimate Fowler’s chances of giving him a good fight…
Team
Laine-Dach-Caufield
Guhle-Matheson
Dobes
vs
Pacioretty-Suzuki-Gallagher
Souray-Subban
Théodore
As we can see, the B team 2025-2050 is paradoxically a bit more speculative even if we are only talking about players currently playing in the NHL.
If Caufield and Guhle’s futures are assured for several more years with the Canadiens, how many seasons will Laine, Dach, and Matheson play in Montreal?
Whoever can predict that on this January 25, 2025…
Nevertheless, since they all could be productive for several more years, many would currently advocate for a contract extension in all three cases this summer.
Let’s play the game; it would at least justify a mention on a potential B team!
Laine vs Pacioretty
After the injury suffered at the hands of Zdeno Chara, Pacioretty never showed the same desire to attack the net as he used to in the early part of his career. He became a very good “mid-range” scorer but remained a rather mediocre passer. And in the playoffs, let’s just say it was rather quiet: 19 points in 38 games…
That said, no one can take away his 448 points in 626 games (0.72 ppg), including 5 seasons of 30 goals or more.
Laine’s raw talent alone could secure him 30-goal seasons, almost on one leg. But he still needs to remain 1) in Montreal, 2) healthy for a few seasons to earn a spot in such a ranking… in 2050!
In 17 games in Montreal, the iconoclast Finn produces at a slightly higher rate (0.89 ppg) than his career average (0.82 ppg), and he seems quite happy in the city, but the sample is very small.
So let’s be a bit conservative and give a slight edge to Pacioretty.
Dach vs Suzuki (2019-2024)
A bit of a strange exercise this one. But hey, we’ll try to wonder whether Dach from, let’s say, 2025 to 2030 will be superior to the young Suzuki from 2019 to 2024, who recorded 286 in 373 games (0.77 ppg) not to mention his nice 23 points in 32 playoff games.
With a healthy return from Dach and a commensurate contract extension, it could be closer than many think, but let’s still give a slight edge to the young Suzuki, if only for his reliability and endurance.
Not to mention that there’s also a certain Michael Hage who could come and play in Dach’s territory…
Caufield vs Gallagher
Much like Demidov vs Plekanec, it’s in the Caufield/Gallagher matchup that the B team of 2025-2050 hits a home run.
Gallagher has represented and still proudly embodies the spirit of the club, but Caufield, with his cheerfulness, also brings a lot of intangibles in addition to scoring goals in abundance (averaging 34 in stretches of 82 games) at just 24 years old.
So let’s go with Cole “Goal” Caufield and his electrifying style.
Guhle vs Souray
Here are two Alberta defensemen with a robust style, but that’s where the similarities end! Guhle might never get a complete minute of power play remaining in his career while the pp represented the bread and butter of handsome Sheldon especially poor defensively…
Because we believe he will remain a long time within the top-4 defensive and be a great leader, advantage Guhle!
Matheson vs Subban
Believe it or not, Subban will never have the chance to beat the 62-point mark set by Matheson last year. But in his defense, Subban has already had a 60-point season while finishing with a +21 differential, in addition to winning the Norris with a production of 38 points in 42 games (+12) a few years earlier…
Clear advantage Subbanator, rather underestimated defensively during his time in Montreal (+35)…
As a legacy, one of the most beautiful hits in NHL history:
Dobes vs Théodore
We would be very surprised if Dobes could ever win the Hart Trophy awarded to the most valuable player to his team, precisely because the club in front of him is likely to be stronger than any of the editions that played during Théo’s reign…
That said, Théodore only had four good complete seasons in the CH uniform; it’s not huge…
The spectacular start to Dobes’ career promises a very bright future for the young colossus at 23. But it remains to be seen whether he can surpass Montembault quickly enough and then resist Fowler who will come in with a sharp edge…
Therefore, Dobes’ medium and long-term future in Montreal being far from guaranteed, let’s cautiously give Théo what belongs to him and afford him a slight advantage.
Conclusion
Since I have been quite conservative with the B team of the next quarter-century, it may be tempting to award victory to Théo, Pacioretty, and company. But let’s remember that much will depend on the future of Laine, Matheson, Dach, Hage, and Dobes in Montreal, not to mention that several other dominant players have plenty of time to join the team by 2045!
Gems could even rise to the A team, already more promising than its previous iteration.
Of course, if we compare the future (Hutson, Reinbacher, Guhle) to the past (Subban, Markov, Weber), we will likely need to think about consolidating the blue line a bit, but overall, we already see a better balance between defense and offense emerging on the horizon.
The Canadiens from 2000 to 2025 never had two “elite” skaters at the same time, something the current edition is gearing up to do over the next 10-12 years with Demidov and Hutson. With supporting star players like Suzuki, Caufield, Slafkovsky, and possibly Laine, they will also be better supported than the leaders of that era.
Without guaranteeing a Stanley Cup, the rebuild is beginning to show its first fruits and others are about to bloom. Fans are right to be excited.
After all, as the very rigorous Martin Leclerc confirms (starting at 53:30), and as I have been reiterating for a year, 2018, it’s been a while! After 7-8 years of accumulating picks, it was time to see the beginning of the end!
It would also be time for fans to be rewarded over a sufficiently long period.
DOBES
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