The Montreal Canadiens aren’t getting much love overall. Oddsmakers have the Habs earning the same 76 points in the standings they just did, which flies in the face of all logic, seeing as they’re undeniably a rebuilding team literally on the rise, having improved each of the last two seasons.
Related: Canadiens Who Are the Most Underrated for 2023-24
So, it stands to reason, if the Canadiens are underrated, there are individual players who are as well, heading into 2024-25. Here are the top three:
3. Jayden Struble
If Jayden Struble were on almost any other team, he’d be on the verge of becoming a permanent, full-time NHLer, after a fairly impressive 56-game rookie season in 2023-24. However, because these are the Canadiens, who boast a young defense corps and an even more impressive prospect pipeline, he’s become the forgotten man on defense, as players like Lane Hutson, Logan Mailloux and David Reinbacher get all the attention.
Now, Struble can still make the Canadiens. It’s just, as he’s exempt from waivers, he’s probably become the likeliest candidate to be sent down to make room if necessary, for players like Hutson and Mailloux. What may be worse (for his development), as a still 23-year-old, he could make the team out of training camp, but just end up rotating in and out of the lineup as a seventh defenseman.
It’s not an injustice as much as he is simply a victim of circumstance. Maybe he may not have the ceiling of a Hutson, but he has earned a place in the conversation based on his play, at the very least. However, the fact no one is talking about him goes to show how unappreciated he is.
2. Mike Matheson
You wouldn’t know it based on some of the recent chatter about Mike Matheson, but the guy just put together one of the most prolific seasons for a Canadiens defenseman in history. You can understand why, in the sense players like fellow-leftie Hutson represent the future. However, if Hutson were to earn an 11-goal 62-point season too, defensive concerns and all, everyone would be singing his praises as a back-end stalwart. What shouldn’t be forgotten is the Habs have one now.
More to the point, Matheson is only 30. Due to how he’s improved on his point totals in each of the last three seasons before posting the career highs he just did, he’s arguably only getting better on a cost-effective…
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