It’s a reflection of how young the 2023-24 edition of the Montreal Canadiens is. They have eight players within reach of 100 games played, without any guarantees that they each stay up with the big club next season to get there of course: Justin Barron (46), Kaiden Guhle (44), Jordan Harris (75), Rafael Harvey-Pinard (38), Johnathan Kovacevic (81), Juraj Slafkovsky (39), Jesse Ylonen (52) and Arber Xhekaj (51).
While 100 games is a personal milestone worth celebrating, it’s not necessarily in line with “hitting it big,” as the headline suggests. Perhaps defenseman Mike Matheson’s 465 games, 35 shy of the 500-game mark is, but in truth there are even bigger milestones that several Habs are on the verge of hitting… Matheson himself even, which is where this list of the top projected Canadiens milestones of 2023-24 starts:
5. Mike Matheson (200th point)
Five-hundred games is an accomplishment, but it’s hard to acknowledge game totals as especially significant unless it’s the millennium mark. That’s especially true when there are so many Canadiens on the verge of hitting offensive milestones, with Matheson at 172 points in his career.
Admittedly, Matheson has only scored the 28 he needed in each of the last two seasons (31, 34). His career-high had been 27 before then. However, it’s very much possible, even probable he gets there, as he scored the 34 he did with the Canadiens during a breakout season during which he found himself with more ice time and greater responsibility, playing just 48 games due to injuries sustained mind you.
In fact, the realistic hope is Matheson will shatter the 200-point plateau. Consider how Joel Edmundson was just traded, clearing the path for Matheson to continue to play significant time on the left side on defense. That having been said, 200 points is impressive, but arguably not as significant as 100 points, as a burgeoning NHLer. The Canadiens have those too.
4. Cole Caufield, Kirby Dach, Alex Newhook (100th point)
It’s again a reflection of how young (and talented) the Canadiens are, how they also have three young players, each arguably a member of the core, set to score 100 career points.
The recently acquired Alex Newhook is the furthest away at 66 points. There’s also an admitted chance he doesn’t hit it next season as he’s never scored more than 33 points in a season up to this point. However, since he’s likely in store for more ice time and more offensive responsibility than in the past, it’s at least realistic (to say the very least).
The Newhook acquisition mirrored Kirby Dach’s from a year previous. So, rather fittingly, Dach is also on the cusp… just three points away at 97 currently. Meanwhile, Dach’s projected linemate in Cole Caufield is 16 away at 84. However, he has a half-decent chance at nabbing even bigger headlines if he keeps up his scoring pace from last year, when he scored 26 goals in 46 games (~46 goals in 82 games). He’s at 53 now. So, another 47 is far from outside the realm of possibility in a single season (assuming he stays healthy).
3. Christian Dvorak, Jeff Petry, Nick Suzuki (100th goal)
Forward Christian Dvorak is technically closer to 100 goals than Caufield. He’s got 88 so far. However, he’s similarly had trouble staying healthy, out since last March after knee surgery.
Initially Dvorak was expected to be ready for the start of the season. It’s since been reported he won’t, which puts him under the gun to a degree. He needs 12 to hit 100 in his career, but last season he scored 10 (64 games). In 2021-22, he scored 11 (56). He’s since fallen down the depth chart since when he was first acquired to be the No. 2 center. So, there’s a chance he fails to, but he at least has decent company in the form of Jeff Petry and Nick Suzuki.
An ex-Canadien until the recent trade that brought him back to Montreal, Petry is officially the closest of the three, eight goals behind. However, he’s 35, going on 36, with just 11 goals scored in the last two seasons combined. Plus, the general feeling is general manager Kent Hughes reacquired him only to trade him. So, he’s in actuality the least likely to get there.
Nick Suzuki is in contrast the furthest, 25 away. However, he’s taken his scoring up a notch in each season he’s played, having scored a career-high 26 in 2022-23. It’s not that big a stretch for him to pot another 25 this coming season at least, especially as, knock on wood, he’ll stay healthy to get the opportunity as the Canadiens’ resident Ironman, which is all the more impressive in the face of the injuries the team has faced… the next entry especially.
2. Brendan Gallagher (400th Point)
As anticipated, Brendan Gallagher did hit 200 goals last season, but he fell five points short of 400 points. He was limited to 37 games due to injury, which has unfortunately become a recurring trend with the fan favorite, who’s missed 104 games over the last four campaigns.
Related: Canadiens Set to Hit Big Milestones in 2022-23
Now, 400 points isn’t all that round of a number, but Gallagher makes this list where he does for several reasons. Currently ranked 37th in all-time scoring for the Canadiens, he’s within striking distance of Rejean Houle (408), Serge Savard (412), Yvon Lambert (415), Stephane Richer and Howie Morenz (421 each) and Shayne Corson (423).
Granted, Gallagher would need a relative bounceback campaign, as his production’s declined significantly over the last few seasons. The 14 points he put up in 2022-23 was the lowest total of his career. A perennial 30-goal threat, he’s only notched 29 combined over the last three seasons, standing at 202 right now (24th all time). However, if he can get back to the 20-goal range, he can pass both Ralph Backstrom and Elmer Lach (215 apiece).
Gallagher is also at 193 assists in his career, No. 45 on the team’s all-time list. If he were to hit 200, he would also pass Aurele Joliat (194) and Stephane Richer (196). Mark Recchi is next up at 202. Ryan Walter (208) and Jean-Guy Talbot (209) are technically within striking distance, while, if Gallagher were to really rediscover his offense, he could even pass P.K. Subban (215) to move into 39th spot.
Even if Gallagher doesn’t produce on the scoresheet, he’s on the verge of entering the franchise’s Top 10 in terms of shots on goal, which is arguably more of a testament to his staying power. He’s No. 12 right now at 2,089. Bob Gainey is No. 11 at 2,094. Larry Robinson is No. 10 at 2,136.
It all goes back to how healthy Gallagher is. For what it’s worth, he’s also at 675 games and, while 700 all on its own isn’t worth celebrating, on the way he could pass Jacques Laperriere (692) in terms of contests with the organization. Carey Price is at 712, which means Gallagher would have to play one more game than he did last year to pass him.
Fingers crossed.
1. Sean Monahan (500th Point)
Like Gallagher, Sean Monahan is coincidentally on the verge of 700 games played too (681). However, having been acquired last summer only to suffer a season-ending injury last December, he’s only played 25 games with the Canadiens. Nevertheless, in the games he did play, Monahan showed he had a lot to offer in terms of offense, with 17 points in 25 games.
To a degree Monahan reminded everyone how productive he could be when healthy, having suffered through hip problems the previous few seasons. He scored just 99 points in 185 games over the three seasons just prior to his acquisition after having scored a career-high 82 (78 games) in 2018-19 with the Calgary Flames.
So, if Monahan stays healthy, and he at least says he feels he is right now, he should have no problem getting the 21 points he needs to hit 500 in his career. It’s not necessarily why the Canadiens re-signed him to a one-year deal, as he brings potential value on the trade market, not to mention stability and leadership, potentially down the middle to insulate Dach as the latter develops into the second-line center the Habs envisioned when they acquired him. Even if it’s bound to be a fairly short Habs tenure though, it definitely has the propensity to be an eventful one for Monahan.