October is in the rearview mirror, and the Canadiens have plenty to like about how their season has started. The month brought its share of headaches - defensive issues, injuries to key players and uncertainty in goal - but Montreal still found a way to close strong.
A few players helped steady the ship, and three stood above the rest across the opening month. One was the captain, who delivered elite production before getting hurt.
Another was a young defenseman piling up points and minutes at a ridiculous clip. And at the top of the list is a rookie goalie who has completely changed the picture in net.
Third Star: Nick Suzuki
Nick Suzuki only played nine of Montreal’s 14 games in October, and he missed the final five because of injury. Even so, his early-season work was too good to leave off the list. He finished the month with 12 points, tied with Cole Caufield for the most among Canadiens forwards.
That production is only part of the story. Suzuki has built a reputation as one of the NHL’s most complete centers, and October was another reminder of why he matters so much to this team. He drives offense, handles tough defensive assignments and can go head-to-head with the other side’s best players.
The Canadiens managed to win all five games without him, which says plenty about their resilience. But it doesn’t change Suzuki’s value. Montreal still doesn’t have a true, established second-line center, and his absence forced others into bigger roles.
Credit the team for surviving without its captain. Still, there’s no replacing what Suzuki gives them when he’s in the lineup. He remains the club’s top center by a wide margin, and once he’s back, the Canadiens get one of their most dependable two-way forwards and one of their key offensive pieces.
Second Star: Lane Hutson
Lane Hutson picked up right where he left off. If anyone wondered whether he could match last season’s offensive output, October answered that question fast. In 14 games, he put up 13 points, which made him Montreal’s leading scorer through the month.
He’s also averaging 24:54 of ice time per game, a huge workload that shows how central he’s become to the Canadiens’ blue line. Hutson is running the power play, creating chances at five-on-five and helping Montreal move the puck out of trouble. He touches the game constantly.
What stands out is how quickly he’s become such a major part of the team’s identity. He may not be the biggest player on the ice, but he keeps finding ways to dictate the pace against larger, more experienced opponents.
There are still parts of his defensive game that need work, especially with Montreal’s early struggles in its own zone. But the positives have far outweighed the negatives.
With a near point-per-game pace and almost 25 minutes a night, Hutson is proving last season was no fluke. He’s already one of the most important players on the roster, and another year among the NHL’s top-scoring defensemen is very much in play if this keeps up.
First Star: Jacob Fowler
Was there any other answer? Jacob Fowler has been outstanding since getting the call from the Laval Rocket, and what looked like a short-term opportunity has quickly become something much bigger.
In eight appearances, the 21-year-old has gone 7-1-0 with a 1.84 goals-against average and a .932 save percentage. Those are strong numbers for any goalie. For a rookie who started the season in the AHL, they’re eye-opening.
The context makes it even more impressive. Montreal was leaking chances early, Jakub Dobes was struggling to find consistency and Samuel Montembeault’s injury left the team searching for answers in goal.
Fowler has brought calm, good positioning and the kind of save-making that makes difficult stops look routine. Just as important, his play has led directly to wins. At this point, it’s getting harder to picture the Canadiens sending him back to Laval once Montembeault is ready to return.
He hasn’t just been Montreal’s best goalie in October. He’s also put himself in the conversation for the Calder Trophy.
The Canadiens knew Fowler had something special. Very few could have expected this kind of impact this quickly.
It wasn’t a perfect month for Montreal, but the Canadiens still finished second in the Atlantic Division and fifth overall in the league. Given everything they dealt with, that’s a strong place to be after October.
In Other News...
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Canadiens Face Another Center Decision At The Worst Time
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Nick Suzukis return remains up in the air because of injury, which leaves the Canadiens with more questions than answers at a key position. Owen Beck could be asked to handle center duties again, giving Montreal a familiar stopgap while it waits for its top options to get healthy and back into the mix. [Read more 🡒]