Following the conclusion of the 2023-24 NHL regular season, rebuilding and other non-playoff teams have begun to look towards the future — the draft, free agency, or simply following the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The end of a long season serves as an appropriate time to reflect and reassess — evaluating how players and coaches performed, how prospects developed, and reflecting on general takeaways from a gruelling 82-game schedule.
Many like to review how players performed statistically relative to their expectations entering the season. Those who outperformed expectations can be incredibly encouraging for the fanbase, especially as young players continue to develop through an extended rebuild.
Related: Montreal Canadiens 2023-24 Season Grades: Forwards
The Montreal Canadiens have a relatively young and inexperienced defensive corps and goaltending tandem – David Savard is the only Canadiens defenseman (or goalie) over the age of 30 – and much of their young defensive group continues to grow and refine their game as they approach the prime of their career. While the team’s 2024-25 roster will likely look slightly different — specifically with Lane Hutson in the mix — here’s a reflection on how each defenseman and goaltender performed relative to expectations.
Mike Matheson (A)
Mike Matheson has improved his offensive output significantly since joining the Canadiens in the trade that sent Jeff Petry to the Pittsburgh Penguins in July 2022. He entered the season as the team’s projected number-one defender, though few expected him to record a career-high 11 goals and 62 points. His point total ranked ninth among defensemen in the NHL while playing on a team that ranked 27th in goals-per-game and 28th in shots-per-game. Furthermore, he finished with more points than Rasmus Dahlin (59), Morgan Rielly (58), Erik Karlsson (56), and Miro Heiskanen (54). His 186 blocked shots led all Habs blueliners.
Matheson averaged 25:33 of ice time per game — ranked third among all qualified skaters, behind Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty and John Carlson of the Washington Capitals (recording more points than both). While his defensive woes and high-risk playing style were on full display, he was a good complement for the development and playing styles of Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, and Juraj Slafkovsky, finding chemistry with the trio of young forwards. He will enter 2024-25 as the team’s top defenseman.
David Savard (B+)
While Savard won’t blow anyone away with his offensive prowess, he did manage to record his highest point total (24) since 2018-19, despite playing in just 60 games. His 33-point pace was the second-highest mark of his career and ranked fifth on the team. Known better for his stellar defensive play and shot-blocking ability, he ranked third on the team in blocked shots (163) behind Matheson and Kaiden Guhle despite missing 22 games.
He averaged over 20 minutes of ice time per game for the fourth consecutive season and was impressively only a minus-1 despite playing on a team with a -53 goal differential. While Savard’s future in Montreal remains uncertain given his age and expiring contract following the 2024-25 season, he has long since established himself as a reliable defensive presence with halfway decent offensive production.
Kaiden Guhle (B)
Kaiden Guhle experienced some growing pains during his sophomore season. While far from a sophomore slump, his points-per-game production dropped from 0.41 to 0.31 — though nothing significant. This can largely be attributed to his role slightly changing, as the team relied on a full season from Matheson to provide most of the offence from the blue line. He averaged the second-most ice time per game among Habs defensemen at 20:51, throwing 116 hits (most among their rostered defensemen) and blocking 178 shots.
He ended the season with two goals and seven points across his final seven games before missing the last week and a half with an injury. A player with much international experience playing for (and captaining) Canada at the World Junior Championships, he has stated that should he be healthy enough in time, he will represent Canada at the 2024 World Hockey Championships.
Jordan Harris (B-)
Jordan Harris bounced in and out of the lineup this season, missing extended time due to injury and being an occasional scratch. He finished with three goals and 14 points in 65 games — similar offensive production to his four goals and 17 points in 65 games in 2022-23. While far from a consistent offensive contributor, Harris provided insurance as a reliable third-pairing defender. He blocked a respectable 98 shots and averaged 17:28 minutes of ice time per game. Given the team’s defensive depth, specifically among left-handed defensemen, Harris will have trouble carving out a consistent role as Hutson, among others, develops into a full-time NHL player.
Jonathan Kovacevic (B+)
When he was claimed off of waivers by the Canadiens in October 2022, surely few fans thought Jonathan Kovacevic would stick around for two full seasons as a regular. Despite having just four games of NHL experience before being claimed, the 26-year-old has played 139 games over the past two seasons. Recording a career-high six goals this season, Kovacevic provided the team with much-needed depth on the right side of the blue line, where he has since established himself as a bottom-pairing veteran presence of sorts (at least in comparison to their younger defensemen).
While his future with the team remains uncertain given the organization’s high-calibre right-handed prospects such as Logan Mailloux and David Reinbacher in the fold, the 2017 Winnipeg Jets third-round pick has been a feel-good story after spending most of his career in the American Hockey League (AHL) before being placed on waivers.
Oh, and he scored one of the strangest goals in NHL history against the Tampa Bay Lightning on New Year’s Eve.
Arber Xhekaj (C+)
Despite receiving the lowest grade among rostered Canadiens defensemen (excluding the likes of Hutson and Mailloux, who didn’t play enough games to receive a fair grade), Arber Xhekaj was far from a victim of the sophomore slump. He recorded a modest 10 points in 44 games, missing a significant chunk of time due to a nagging shoulder injury. He recently underwent successful shoulder surgery and is expected to be ready for training camp.
Only playing in 51 games during his rookie season in 2022-23, Canadiens fans have yet to see a full season from the bruising defender they have coined as ‘Wi-Fi’. He still managed 125 hits (fourth on the team) and 81 penalty minutes. His extended absence surely disappointed many who were excited to see a full season of devastating hits from the 23-year-old.
Justin Barron (C)
While Justin Barron is not currently on the team’s roster after being sent down to the AHL for the final weekend of the regular season to help the Laval Rocket’s playoff push, he still appeared in 48 NHL games this season. Many fans were likely hoping that this was the year the Halifax, Nova Scotia native finally stuck around with the Canadiens, but he continued to bounce between the NHL and the AHL.
Despite scoring three times in the team’s first five games, Barron finished the season with seven goals and 13 points. Additionally, he only recorded two goals and 11 points in 32 AHL games after scoring 40 points in 70 career AHL games before his demotion this season. Still just 22, he will likely continue to receive opportunities with the big club, but many fans are growing impatient with the lack of progression from the prize piece from the Artturi Lehkonen trade.
Jayden Struble (A)
Like Barron, Jayden Struble finished the year in Laval. Despite never scoring more than 14 points for Northeastern University, Struble was drafted in the second round of the 2019 Draft due to his physical strength and bruising presence. He was recalled by the Canadiens after playing just 22 total AHL games across two seasons and stayed in Montreal until the end of the campaign.
Struble, 22, posted three goals and 10 points in 56 games. He threw 121 hits and became a welcomed presence in the Habs’ rotation of bottom-pairing defensemen. While his ceiling is nowhere near Guhle, Hutson, Mailloux, Reinbacher, or even Barron’s, few people expected him to suit up for 57 NHL games so quickly.
Samuel Montembeault (B)
Samuel Montembeault started a career-high 41 games, tying his career-best win total of 16 from last season. Lowering his goals-against-average (GAA) from 3.42 in 2022-23 to 3.14 this season was an encouraging sign and helped him earn a three-year contract extension. Though his play faltered towards the end of the season (allowing three or more goals in each of his last five starts) as Cayden Primeau elevated his play behind Montembeault, he proved why head coach Martin St. Louis and company have given him their trust.
Some of his best starts included a 2-1 win against the powerhouse Colorado Avalanche, where he stopped 27 of 28 shots, a 45-save performance in a 4-3 win over the New York Rangers, and a 43-save performance in a 4-3 win over the New York Islanders. He will look to continue his progression as Primeau appears poised to challenge him for playing time should he underperform.
Cayden Primeau (A-)
Despite losing each of his final four starts this season, Cayden Primeau receives a solid ‘A’ grade. Though three of those four games saw him face 40 shots or more, he ended the season with a losing record of 8-9-4 after spending almost the entire campaign with a winning record. His 21 starts, eight wins, 2.99 GAA and .910 save percentage were the best marks of his young career (excluding a two-game audition in 2019-20). In fact, this season was the first time he won more than a single game.
Primeau was the only Habs netminder to record a shutout this season, and he did it twice — a measly 13-save performance against the Anaheim Ducks and an encouraging 41-save goose egg against the Columbus Blue Jackets. The latter was easily the strongest game of his career to date, and the 24-year-old proved why the team felt comfortable enough to send Jake Allen to the New Jersey Devils at the 2024 Trade Deadline. He showed promising glimpses of an NHL-calibre goalie, in addition to spending the entire season with the big club for the first time in his career.
Related: Who Will Be the Canadiens’ Starting Goaltender of the Future?
While much of the Canadiens’ defensive corps and goaltenders will continue to progress and develop in time, the 2023-24 regular season was encouraging for many. The team’s defensive group will continue to gain experience as they possess a deep pool of prospects and young players, while the goaltending tandem of Montembeault and Primeau will look to provide extended above-average goaltending for the first time since Carey Price.