The Montreal Canadiens still haven’t added to their Top 6 this offseason, and with training camp coming fast, Martin St. Louis may have to get inventive. One of the cleaner solutions could be moving Juraj Slafkovsky off the top line with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield.
That wouldn’t be a knock on Slafkovsky. It would be about spreading out the talent and giving Montreal’s top two lines a little more balance. Sliding Slafkovsky down next to Ivan Demidov could help create that look, while also making life harder for opposing teams.
Slafkovsky is coming off a breakout year in which he posted 30 goals and 43 assists, both career highs. Demidov matched that kind of leap in his own way, finishing his first full NHL season with 19 goals and 43 assists.
If the Canadiens do decide to split up their three best forwards, the first question is simple: who takes Slafkovsky’s spot alongside Suzuki and Caufield?
There are a couple of clear candidates. Zachary Bolduc, once he signs a new contract, and Alexander Texier both logged more than 150 minutes with Suzuki and Caufield, according to Moneypuck. Even more interesting, both of those combinations posted a better xGoals % than the line with Slafkovsky.
The next question is the center spot for a Slafkovsky-Demidov line. The most obvious answer is Oliver Kapanen.
Kapanen dropped out of the lineup in the playoffs, but during the regular season he spent most of his time as the second-line center. He produced 20 goals and was at his best when Slafkovsky and Demidov were on his wings.
That trio logged the second-most minutes of any Canadiens forward line last season and posted an x Goals % of 47.9%, which was less than seven percentage points behind the Slafkovsky-Suzuki-Caufield unit.
If Kapanen can’t hold the job through training camp and preseason, Montreal still has alternatives at center in Alex Newhook or Jake Evans.
Breaking up a team’s best line is never automatically the right call. If Montreal keeps Slafkovsky with Suzuki and Caufield, that remains an elite top unit. But the Canadiens don’t have enough depth to pile all of their best pieces onto one line, and that may make a more balanced setup the better path.
Preseason should give St. Louis a good chance to test those combinations and see which version fits best.
In Other News...
Canadiens Fans Will Love Where Suzuki Stands Among NHL Centers
Nick Suzuki keeps building the kind of profile that matters most in Montreal: not just production, but trust. NHL Networks recent center rankings placed him firmly among the leagues best, a nod to the way he drives the Canadiens as both a top-line pivot and a steadying presence in all situations. For a team still shaping its identity, Suzukis rise is the sort of validation fans have been waiting for.
The recognition also speaks to a broader stretch of respect for the Canadiens core, with Jakub Dobes, Lane Hutson, and Cole Caufield all showing up in NHL Networks positional rankings as well. But Suzuki remains the headline name in that group, and his standing invites the bigger question now facing Montreal: how far can a captain-caliber center carry a roster that is starting to collect more league-wide attention? [Read more 🡒]
Slafkovsky And Demidov May Have Changed Montreals Top-Six Plan
Juraj Slafkovsky, Oliver Kapanen and Ivan Demidov gave the Canadiens something they had been searching for when they were together as a second line against Colorado in 2025: real chemistry. The combination looked natural in the way good young lines often do, with Slafkovsky and Demidov especially standing out on a sequence that showed how much offensive comfort the two already have with each other.
That kind of fit matters in Montreal because it could influence how the rest of the top six is built from here. With Demidovs arrival adding another layer of creativity and Slafkovsky continuing to grow into a bigger role, the Canadiens still have to decide whether to keep leaning into those internal options or keep exploring outside help to strengthen the group around them. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Fans Still Cant Agree On Mike Mathesons Real Value
Mike Matheson keeps landing at the center of the Canadiens endless debate about what he really brings. He logs the most ice time on the blue line, handles penalty-killing duty, and still gives Montreal a useful second wave of offense, which is enough for coach Martin St-Louis to keep leaning on him in key spots.
Still, the fan base does not seem close to a consensus. Some of the criticism has stuck, but his defensive numbers have not painted him as the teams weakest link in turnovers, and the larger question is how Montreal should view a player who is both heavily trusted and regularly picked apart. With his long-term place in the organization now set, the conversation around Matheson feels less about whether he matters and more about exactly how much. [Read more 🡒]