Top 10 Significant Canadiens Moments of 2023

Rafael Harvey-Pinard scored a hat trick (in a single period), which contributed to his impressive 14-goal rookie season (34 games). However, Nick Suzuki’s career-high four points (one goal, three assists) led the way. Suzuki’s four points wasn’t just the most he’s scored in his career up to now, but it was also the single-highest-scoring performance by a Hab in 2023. Probably also no surprise.

9. Matheson Scores 50th Point with Canadiens (Nov. 29)

Since Mike Matheson came over from the Pittsburgh Penguins, he’s impressed a great deal, especially in the scoring department. The greatest indicator of the native son’s prowess was his 50th point with the Canadiens (by way of an assist) against the Blue Jackets on Nov. 29, which made him the third-fastest Habs defenseman to get there (in history).

The game itself, a 4-2 win, was also significant as it marked one of the few occasions Joel Armia has scored, period. However, Armia also scored late in the game, with 2:57 left to put the Canadiens ahead for good. Matheson got the primary helper on that goal (his 50th Habs point), later adding another on Gustav Lindstrom’s empty-net insurance marker.

8. Caufield Notches Seventh Career Overtime Winner (Nov. 9)

Just to get it out the way, Cole Caufield did score an overtime winner against the Blue Jackets too, earlier in the season. It’s at least partly coincidental the Canadiens keep hitting milestones against them. It is also the Jackets…

In any case, that Caufield OT winner came on Oct. 26, which was his second of the season (Oct. 21 against the Capitals). It was his third of the season, on Nov. 9 against the Red Wings, that was especially significant, as it made Caufield the fastest player in NHL history to score seven (from ‘About Last Night: Habs split up Suzuki and Caufield in win over Wings,’ Montreal Gazette, Nov. 10, 2023).

7. Canadiens Extend Caufield (June 5)

True, you should probably place an asterisk beside Caufield’s accomplishment. It’s not like NHLers always played overtime at three on three. And seven is undeniably a fairly random number to single out as historically significant (which is in large part why it only took the No. 8 spot on the list).

Nevertheless, it is a new NHL. So, Caufield’s ability to score is going to come in handy for years to come, making his eight-year, $62.8 million extension noteworthy to say the least. Of course, Caufield has fallen on relatively hard times when it comes to lighting the lamp. He’s stuck on eight in 34 games, which translates to less than 20 over a full season, far off the 46-goal pace at which he had scored in 2022-23 (before suffering a season-ending injury in the middle of the campaign).

Even so, Caufield has emerged as a top-line talent for the Canadiens. He may not be scoring as much, but he has rounded out his game to become more effective defensively. Ultimately, locking up a key piece like him for the prime years of his career is a feather in Hughes’ cap.

6. Canadiens Extend Montembeault (Dec. 1)

Ditto for the extension to goalie Samuel Montembeault. The difference between the two is two-fold. Firstly, it’s much more cost-effective, with Montembeault having re-signed for three seasons at $3.15 million per (even if there is still a degree of risk involved with committing like that to a largely inexperienced goalie).

Secondly, Caufield was only going to be a restricted free agent. So, there was never any risk of the Canadiens losing him, just a question of the term and amount for which he was going to re-sign.

In contrast, Montembeault was set to become an unrestricted free agent. So, there were no guarantees he was going to stay, arguably making this deal more significant from a historical perspective. Plus, even if there are even less guarantees he pans out as a No. 1 goalie, it’s becoming increasingly clear he’s at least going to get a shot to be the guy in net for the Canadiens. So, if he does, this deal can become one of the best, not just signed by Hughes, but of any goalie in the league. Fingers crossed.

5. Canadiens Trade Hoffman (Aug. 6)

Hughes has consistently been active on the trade front. Of note, he made several moves in 2023 to clear both roster and cap space. One such move was trading defenseman Joel Edmundson to the Washington Capitals, which was key due to the log jam on defense, especially on the left side. As a result, the Canadiens were effectively guaranteeing their younger defensemen more ice time.

As critical as that was, Edmundson moving was almost a lock considering he had been the subject of trade rumours at the last trade deadline. There was far less certainty Hughes would be able to pull the trigger on a deal to move forward Mike Hoffman’s contract, at least before the trade deadline… and without having to sweeten the pot for the hypothetical trade partner.

As it happens, Hughes almost magically got the deal done this past offseason. He also somehow managed to win it outright, sending Hoffman and Pitlick to the Pittsburgh Penguins for a 2025 second-round pick, Jeff Petry, Casey DeSmith and Nathan Legare. In the process, he set in motion a domino effect that has since paid further dividends with the subsequent, separate Petry and DeSmith trades out of town.

4. Monahan Re-Signs with Canadiens (June 20)

Sean Monahan’s one-year extension places as high as it does, because it was almost completely unforeseen. That goes double for the one-year term, triple for the fact it was only for $1.985 million (with a $15,000 bonus if Monahan were to get in 26 games, which he has).

On top of it all, the Monahan deal arguably changed the outlook for the Canadiens’ 2023-24 season. It at least seemed to shift management’s goals to more of a make-the-playoffs-now mindset. Seeing as the Canadiens entered the holiday break four points out of a playoff spot (with two games in hand), Monahan having contributed a great deal to the team’s modest success so far, it’s arguably worked to perfection.

Granted, there is some grey area Hughes must navigate here. If the Canadiens stay in contention (for a spot) up to the trade deadline, can he justify trading the forward for the haul he’s expected to bring in as a seven-time 20-goal scorer, who is defensively aware, beyond capable in the faceoff circle and oozes leadership? Whichever way Hughes goes, it’s going to be worth watching for in 2024.

3. Canadiens Acquire Newhook (June 27)

The Alex Newhook acquisition may not have gone as smoothly as hoped. However, the soon-to-be 23-year-old has undeniable upside, as demonstrated by his two-goal debut in the season opener and the seven he’s scored overall before getting injured 23 games into his first season with the Canadiens.

The Habs gave up first and second-round picks (and prospect Gianni Fairbrother) to get Newhook from the Colorado Avalanche. So, it’s not like he came cheap. However, in Newhook, they got a legitimate NHL forward with top-six potential that’s in the midst of being realized.

It will take some time to properly assess the potential of the futures they gave up. Still, sheer logic dictates you generally take the certainty 99 times out of 100, when a) those relatively later picks are far from locks and b) the player in question is as young as he is, with only higher to go in terms of what he achieves in a Canadiens jersey.

2. Canadiens Draft Reinbacher (June 28)

Like the selection or not, David Reinbacher at fifth overall sent shockwaves through the organization. By most accounts, Reinbacher was a safe pick who could end up a second-pairing defenseman or higher, with varying assessments of his offensive ceiling.

Consider how the Canadiens gave up the chance to draft a projected elite offensive talent in Matvei Michkov (or Zach Benson, etc.). Consider how the Canadiens have lacked a superstar, game-breaking talent up front for literally decades (with possible exception to Caufield and Alex Kovalev) and you get a sense of the magnitude of the gamble they took to further shore up their defense.

Of course, there’s a level of risk associated with any draft pick. Michkov would have been no different. In fact, many would argue there were even greater risks with taking Michkov specifically. There’s also a chance Reinbacher develops into the top pairing, right-handed defenseman the Canadiens currently lack, in which case Hughes and company definitely deserve props for going off the board. One way or another, Reinbacher will definitely impact the course the team takes for years (if not additional decades) to come.

1. Dach Suffers Season-Ending Injury in Second Game (Oct. 14)

When Caufield suffered his aforementioned 2022-23 season-ending injury in January, the Canadiens weren’t exactly in the playoff race anymore. True, he had been on pace for 46 goals, which would have given the Habs their first 40-goal scorer since Vincent Damphousse. However, 40 is far from 50 and an almost-arbitrary number that Max Pacioretty nearly hit with 39 goals in 2013-14.

Ultimately, Kirby Dach suffering a season-ending knee injury in Game 2 this season was far more significant. Based on the Canadiens’ recent record-setting injury history, it’s also arguably the moment that best defines their calendar year (and amount of luck or lack thereof).

All on its own, the Canadiens’ 2023-24 season was far from lost due to Dach’s injury. It’s not like they were expected to make the playoffs, after all. Furthermore, it’s relatively clear the highest priority for this season was the development of the team’s younger players.

That having been said, Dach was one of the top younger players to watch this season, based on his potential at centre (or on the wing on the top line). Some see him as being capable of eventually taking over as the team’s first-line pivot. So, the idea of him a) missing an entire season of development time and b) potentially coming back worse for wear following another injury isn’t exactly appetizing.

Plus, with the Canadiens still in the hunt for a playoff spot to end 2023, a healthy Dach just may have pushed them over the top. As unlikely as it is they’ll get there in the end (even if Dach were healthy), it’s still a sobering dose of reality, as they continue to get hit hard by injuries, with no end in sight. Dach’s hit the hardest last year. It will continue to sting well into 2024. Here’s to a full, quick recovery on his part. Cheers.