Enormous surprise from Martin St-Louis on the Canadiens' top 6?

PUBLICATION

David St-Jean
September 3, 2024 (9:28)

SHARE THIS STORY

With the recent acquisition of Patrik Laine and the return of Kirby Dach, the Canadiens' top 6 will be transformed this year, but Martin St-Louis could still surprise us.

Indeed, we all expect the first line to remain intact, but questions arise about the second line. Will Joshua Roy and Alex Newhook be used in the top 6?

According to Kent Hughes and what we saw before his major injury, it is clear that Kirby Dach will be the center of the Canadiens' second line. The organization prefers him at center, and no one sees him on the third line.

With the recent acquisition of Patrik Laine, it is clear that the second line already has a second member, and so the remaining task is to identify the third.

Josh Anderson on the brink of a surprise from Martin St-Louis?

According to Tony Marinaro, it is Josh Anderson who will complete the second line for reasons of trust.

"I'm putting Josh Anderson to start the season and play with Laine and Dach. The guy had a rough season last year, everyone knows that. The season before, he scored 21 goals in 69 games. The season before that, he scored 19 goals in 69 games, and we all know he scored 27 goals with the Blue Jackets five years ago.

Last year, Josh Anderson was lost on the ice and was struggling mentally. You could see it. But this guy is trying to bounce back. If you don't trust him from the start of the year, maybe you've already lost him."

- Tony Marinaro

We can criticize hockey players who are in a slump, especially when they seem to be dragging their feet, but Josh Anderson works hard, and you can't take that away from him.

The problem is that he doesn't work effectively, but after a summer of rest and training, I believe in his chances of bouncing back. My issue with having Josh Anderson on the second line isn't about him or his performance.

In fact, the big loser is Alex Newhook. He has been as productive as Kirby Dach so far in his career and ended last season very well. He will be stuck playing on the wing with Christian Dvorak on the third line, which is far from ideal.

In any case, I am confident that Martin St-Louis will make informed and thoughtful decisions to put the best lineup on the ice for the first game of the season.