Dobber’s offseason fantasy hockey grades – Montreal Canadiens

For the last 17 years (12 with The Hockey News) Dobber has reviewed each team from a fantasy-hockey standpoint and graded them.

The 18th annual review will appear here on DobberHockey throughout the ~~summer~~…er, winter. 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 what I take into consideration when looking at the depth chart and the player potential on that depth chart.

Enjoy!

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Gone – Keith Kinkaid, Max Domi, Karl Alzner, Christian Folin, Dale Weise

Incoming – Tyler Toffoli, Josh Anderson, Joel Edmundson, Corey Perry, Michal Frolik, Jake Allen

Impact of changes – Real nice upgrades here in several areas. Well done by the Habs. Toffoli adds some scoring punch to the team, replacing the offense left by Domi. The latter was traded to add some grit and third-line scoring in the form of Anderson, who could be the second coming of Andrew Shaw. Frolik further bolsters that third line – he is an incredibly underrated player for that role. And how about Perry as a mentor for young Anderson? Perry will be a 13^th forward who will add some snarl in the playoffs. Edmundson nicely upgrades the bottom off of their blue line, defensively. While Allen provides fantastic support for start starter Carey Price, who will now be able to take a few breaks without costing the team tons of W's.

Fantasy owners will need to prepare for Price getting fewer starts. They will also see the likes of Artturi Lehkonen, Ryan Poehling and Joel Armia getting less PP time and ice time in general. Right now I keep the Tomas Tatar – Philip Danault – Brendan Gallagher line intact, which means that Toffoli joins Nick Suzuki and a now-healthy Jonathan Drouin. That should help the production of all three of those players. Suzuki is about ready to break out, and Drouin is lined up for a solid bounce-back campaign. He is quite undervalued right now.

Ready for full-time – Alexander Romanov is being treated as a savior by Habs fans, and they may not be far off. Romanov, 20, is said to already be NHL-ready and has the poise of a veteran. Early in his career, do not expect fantasy-worthy points. But his responsible two-way play should see to it that he is a stalwart on the blue line for years to come. Starting now.

Ryan Poehling had a hat trick in his first ever NHL game. In 27 NHL games since, he has just two points. His AHL numbers haven't been that great either. But he was never billed as a potential top-liner. He is a likely third-line checker with a bit of offensive upside. He has a 50-50 shot of earning a spot on the roster, but won't help any fantasy leagues this year or next.

Jake Evans has been pretty impressive in the AHL and did not look out of place during 13 games in the NHL last season (three points). The Habs are a little lean up the middle and he has a shot at becoming their fourth-line center. I suspect he plays the second half with the big club.

The hard-luck Noah Juulsen has had a hard time staying healthy since being drafted 26^th overall back in 2015. He has played a total of 91 games over the last three years, which has really stunted his development. He has to clear waivers in order to be sent down, but the 23-year-old is still in tough to crack the squad.

Montreal Canadiens prospect depth chart and fantasy upsides can be found here

Fantasy Outlook – Montreal finished 19^th in league scoring last season and stand to improve upon that in the year ahead, if only slightly. But there are quite a few players on the pro roster worthy of owning in dynasty leagues, though a subpar prospect pipeline. After Cole Caufield and Romanov, there are no potential top-end prospects of fantasy interest. Still, the pro roster is young and improving. If Nick Suzuki can take the next step to stardom (and I believe he will) and Drouin can stay healthy, this team will have very solid, if underrated offense.

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Between the pipes, while Carey Price will see fewer starts, you can expect his peripheral numbers to improve. The defense in front of him is better, and more rest can only help.

Fantasy Grade: B- (last year was C)

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2020 Offseason Fantasy Hockey Grades