Many analysts successfully predicted an offseason Montreal Canadiens Joel Edmundson trade. It doesn’t take one to predict an eventual replacement for the ex-Hab to (try to) fill his jersey as an alternate captain.
Now only Nick Suzuki and Brendan Gallagher have letters on their jersey, with “one captain and no more than two alternate captains” permitted according to Rule 6.1. So, it stands to reason at least one more Canadiens players will adorn an “A” in 2023-24 (with several more having worn the letter in recent past seasons due to injuries and trades).
So, who will the Canadiens choose? Looking at the best fits in terms of stereotypical leadership qualities, current age and projected remaining tenures with the Habs, here are their top five options:
5. Sean Monahan
Despite his mere 25 games played with the Canadiens last season after having been acquired from the Calgary Flames, Sean Monahan left quite the impression. He did provide valuable secondary scoring to the tune of six goals and 17 points, but his arguable true value lay in the stability he provided down the middle, effectively insulating Kirby Dach.
The acquisition enabled the Canadiens to bring Dach, the player they had actually acquired to fill the second-line center role, along slowly on the wing. However, considering the success both enjoyed at their respective positions last season, plans may have changed, to the point the Canadiens re-signed Monahan.
Obviously the initial point of acquiring Monahan during a rebuild wasn’t to push the Canadiens over the top. He had been a huge question mark based on his injury history and few really expected much. The goal was more so to secure a first-round pick by taking the expiring contract off the Calgary Flames’ hands, so they could sign Nazem Kadri instead.
Related: The Crazy Conditions of Canadiens’ 1st Round Pick From Flames
However, since he was limited to just the 25 games (again due to injury), Monahan was in a position where his options as an unrestricted free agent were limited. So, the Canadiens were able to take advantage and get another year out of the 10-year veteran at a cost-effective $1.985 million cap hit.
That’s in effect the only reason why the Canadiens wouldn’t make Monahan an alternate captain. Assuming he rebounds and proves himself as capable of enduring a full NHL season (and staying productive), he’ll quite possibly pursue other avenues next July or at the very least increase his salary demands accordingly. It wouldn’t have made sense for the Canadiens to re-sign him to a long-term deal when his last one expired. It certainly won’t in another year, meaning his time with the Habs is realistically coming to an end relatively shortly.
4. Josh Anderson
For what it’s worth, few Canadiens have displayed as much frustration over the team’s struggles the last few seasons as Josh Anderson. For example, after the Canadiens lost 7-1 to the New Jersey Devils on Feb. 8, 2022, which coincidentally ended up ex-head coach Dominique Ducharme’s last game, he candidly told the media “I feel embarrassed.”
It can be interpreted as a sense of accountability, which is obviously a buzzword in some respects. Nevertheless, it’s undeniably important in a world in which the Canadiens took down their “No excuses” sign in the locker room once upon a time after ex-general manager Marc Bergevin hypocritically blamed a non-playoff finish on an injured Carey Price.
Keep in mind, Michael Cammalleri, once an alternate captain on the Canadiens in his own right, got controversially traded, in the middle of a game no less, following similar comments. So, it’s all in the eye of the beholder, but, seeing as Anderson consistently fails to shy away from the hard question and those specific comments came over a year ago, chances are good the Canadiens are intent on keeping him around for the long haul.
Now, they’ve had ample opportunity to trade Anderson. According to reports, they even dangled him in an attempt to acquire Pierre-Luc Dubois (from ‘Winnipeg Jets roster decisions: Who stays and who goes this offseason?’ The Athletic, May 20, 2023). However, as a power forward with speed, he undeniably has value in the here and now, his contract expiring only in 2027.
Anderson’s on-ice role may realistically diminish over time as he exits his prime. However, he can always contribute in other ways, like as a leader in an official capacity, given a chance to be an alternate captain. It definitely suits him (to which the picture above will attest), like it does Gallagher.
3. Cole Caufield
At first glance, Cole Caufield may not seem like much, both in the context of this piece and in general. However, he’s obviously a killer on the ice, in spite of his unimposing 5-foot-7 frame, having co-led the team in goals with 26, despite playing just 46 games due to injury.
It’s that goal-scoring instinct and capability that led the Canadiens to sign him long term. Now under contract until 2031, when he’ll be 30, Caufield figures in as a key component of the core for the better part of the next decade. In other words, he’s not going anywhere realistically speaking, arguably making him a prime candidate for an “A.”
Some may say he’s too young and/or his finesse game doesn’t really lend itself to a leadership role, as captains are traditionally more rugged. However, keep in mind Nick Suzuki has led the team in scoring for two straight seasons, and, now going on 24, he had been named the youngest captain in team history.
The actual one drawback are circumstances. It is obviously an honor to be named captain, especially of an organization as storied as the Canadiens, but you don’t really need a letter to take on a leadership role. It’s not a conch shell. Anyone can theoretically speak up in the locker room, a fact that sometimes gets lost in the day-to-day minutiae of following hockey.
Ultimately captains are named purely for practical purposes, to discuss matters with referees. According to Rule 6.2, “if the captain is not on the ice, an alternate captain shall be accorded the privileges of the captain.” Seeing as Caufield generally rides shotgun on Suzuki’s line, it makes more sense spread the wealth across the lineup as much as possible.
2. Mike Matheson
Of course, there is little denying players who actually display leadership tend to be named captains (not to dismiss Caufield as someone who fails to, for the record). However, defenseman Mike Matheson has simply emerged as a leader above most others on the team based on his veteran status, experience and on-ice play.
Remember, general manager Kent Hughes explicitly stated when he was hired the goal is to build an offensively capable team. Matheson embodies that style to a tee. And the fact he plays on defense would spread the aforementioned wealth around for all intents and purposes.
Plus, there’s simply no dismissing the fact he’d in theory be replacing Edmundson. If one captain exits the picture and he’s a defenseman, dollars to donuts the player who replaces him is likelier than not going to be another defenseman. Of course, there’s no rule to that effect, just cold, hard logic.
1. David Savard
Of course, keep in mind, Edmundson was named an alternate under Hughes. So, it stands to reason, a defensive style is far from a disqualifying factor. It may even be seen as a strength, in the case of fellow-defenseman David Savard.
Some may see Savard as expendable because of that defensive style, his soon-to-be 33 years of age on a young team and his contract that expires relatively soon in 2025. However, the former two qualities can be seen as assets, to the point the Canadiens may ultimately extend him when the time is right.
Sure, stats like blocked shots, in which Savard finished eighth across the league last season, objectively indicate how often a player is stuck in his own end. However, it does also show how willing a player is to sacrifice himself for the greater good.
The Canadiens may not have needed Edmundson any longer, but right now Savard probably fills a need in their eyes, especially without the former. It stood to reason the Canadiens didn’t need both this coming season due to the logjam on defense, but Edmundson was always the likeliest to go between the two. Now that he has, Savard probably stays.
Savard may be one of the oldest defensemen on the team (a few months younger than Chris Wideman). However, with fellow righties Justin Barron and the just-drafted David Reinbacher expected to take on big roles in the not-too-distant future, the Canadiens are probably anticipating a need for a veteran presence there and probably a stay-at-home one at that to help offset Barron’s offense, bring out Reinbacher’s defense to a greater extent.
The fact Savard won a Stanley Cup (albeit at the Canadiens’ expense with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2021) only works in his favor. Without anyone else on this list having won one, look for that to push Savard over the top.