For the last 21 years (12 with The Hockey News) Dobber has reviewed each team from a fantasy-hockey standpoint and graded them.

The 22^nd annual review will appear here on Dobber Hockey throughout the summer. This is not a review of the likely performance on the ice or in the standings, but in the realm of fantasy hockey both for the season ahead as well as the foreseeable future. Offensively, will the team perform? Are there plenty of depth options worthy of owning in keeper leagues? What about over the next two or three years? These questions are taken into consideration when looking at the depth chart and the player potential on that depth chart.

Enjoy!

** Be sure to pick up your copy of the 2024-2025 Fantasy Hockey Guide **

Gone: Johnathan Kovacevic, Jesse Ylonen, Mitchell Stephens, Jordan Harris, Tanner Pearson (UFA)

Incoming: Alex Barre-Boulet, Patrik Laine

Impact of Changes: When it comes to Eastern Conference clubs running it back with basically the exact same roster as the previous campaign, none come much more identical than the Montreal Canadiens, even with the addition of Laine. This organization deserves a lot of love for committing to a proper rebuild while stocking their prospect pool full of enticing young players set to make some noise at the NHL level soon, but the Habs are still a couple of campaigns away from being a legit playoff threat. When it comes to the impact of changes, that angle is basically nonexistent given the sleepy summer of movement, however, given the loaded farm system of talented young guns, this Canadiens club won't be a bottom-feeding group for very long.

Fantasy Take: Laine Moves to Montreal

From a solid draft in which Montreal nabbed the highly-touted Russian phenom Ivan Demidov, to securing his young blue-line with the signings of Arber Xhekaj, Justin Barron, and most notably, Kaiden Guhle, to grooming rising fantasy studs in Juraj Slafkovský, Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki, and others, a lot of credit should be given to Habs front-office savant Kent Hughes. As much as banking on this many young players to take steps forward is a bold strategy in terms of success in the Eastern Conference standings, Hughes is serving up a bevy of intriguing fantasy options for GMs to consider, especially on the keeper/dynasty side of things.

The Canadiens might still be a team struggling to stay out of the Atlantic Division basement, but their time will soon come, and while that process unfolds, there are fantasy options to be had.

Ready For Full Time: This is the section in which things get a little spicy for Montreal, as the Canadiens really do employ one of the deepest groups of young hockey talent in the entire NHL. From more peripheral outside pieces like fifth-round pick Joshua Roy and second-rounder Jayden Struble to the obvious names poised to contribute more impactfully in Logan Mailloux, Lane Hutson, Owen Beck, and even David Reinbacher, there is no shortage of enticing pieces that are sure to take the Habs from obscurity back into the limelight over the next couple years.

Clearly, we can't have a section of this nature and not include Slafkovský, because even with the prospect cupboard overloaded with treats, the likes of Beck, Reinbacher, Mailoux, and Hutson don't have the same explosive upside that the 20-year-old first-overall pick does. Slafkovský's time is definitely now and it's not just the offensive production fantasy GMs are salivating over, as the six-foot-three gazelle combines a potent mix of size, skating, and playmaking ability to give opposing defenders fits. Slafkovský also brings it peripherally, chipping in last season with 152 hits, 71 blocked shots, and 55 penalty minutes. After Suzuki, Slafkovský should be the next Habs player off fantasy draft boards in a few weeks' time.

Fantasy Outlook: Even a future as bright as Montreal's ultimately can't cover up the fact the Canadiens were a statistical nightmare with issues across the board only a year ago: 33.4 shots-against per game (3rd-most in the NHL), 281 goals-against overall (tied for fifth-least in the NHL), and only 232 goals scored (26th-most in the NHL) indicate a team that will need to be a lot better in basically all aspects including special teams. Add all of that up and aside from Suzuki, who is coming off a career year of 77 points, Slafkovský, and maybe Cole Caufield, the Canadiens are a risky club to target for top-end fantasy talent.

Keeper/dynasty wise, so many names in the system are worth attention, however, nailing down exactly when they're primed to pop off is clearly a much more difficult task. The come up in Montreal is going to be very real, it's likely still a couple seasons away. Until then, buyers beware outside those top-three targets mentioned just above.

Overall Grade: C+ (last year was C+)