The Habs, the most improved team over the summer according to Marco D’Amico

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Crédit: ELMONT, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 26: Noah Dobson #8 of the New York Islanders celebrates after scoring a goal against the Ottawa Senators during the third period at UBS Arena on October 26, 2023 in Elmont, New York. (Photo by Mike Stobe/NHLI via Getty Images)

The Canadiens made two major personnel moves in the off-season with the acquisitions of Noah Dobson and Zachary Bolduc. Both are expected to have significant roles once training camp begins. No, the Habs haven’t acquired a second center, but the team is definitely better. Is this the most improved team in the Bettman circuit over the summer? Marco D’Amico thinks so.

Looking at the two takes, it’s hard to disagree with him, but losses hurt on some levels too. Let’s start with the acquisitions. There’s been a lot of talk about Dobson, but acquiring a first-pair defensive player via trade is extremely difficult in the NHL, and Kent Hughes did it [content-ads] I also find it easy to forget the arrival of Bolduc, who will be able to heat up top-6 players on the current roster. He brings a whole new dimension and could be a nice compliment to Kirby Dach, if the latter is healthy. On the other hand, the losses on the last two trios will be felt especially on the defensive side. Christian Dvorak, Joel Armia and Emil Heineman were three responsible players for the organization. Dvorak and Armia are among the NHL’s elite on the short-handed side, and Emil Heineman was capable of bringing some offense to the table. It will be up to Josh Anderson, Brendan Gallagher and Jake Evans to step up for the team. In the end, despite the losses, the Habs have made tremendous progress. When you look elsewhere in the NHL, only the Golden Knights can give the Habs a run for their money. They went and got Mitch Marner, but also lost a reliable player in Nicolas Roy. [spacer title=’Overtime’] – Bad news for the Jays.

– A name to keep an eye on.

– This is very cool.