Kent Hughes may have just revealed Martin St-Louis and the Canadiens' top two lines
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MarcOSeptember 3, 2024 (9:10)
Photo credit: La presse
Tuesday morning, Tony Marinaro pulled off a big coup by securing an interview with Canadiens GM Kent Hughes.
Many topics were discussed, but the one that, in my opinion, garnered the most attention was the composition of the club's top line.
Did Kent Hughes just reveal Martin St-Louis' top two lines?
The Montreal club's executive didn't hesitate to say that Martin St-Louis will decide the composition of his lines himself, but that in his opinion, the season could start with the top line consisting of Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki, and Juraj Slafkovsky.
We can infer that the second line, in Kent Hughes' vision, would consist of Kirby Dach and Patrik Laine. But who could complete this duo? This will undoubtedly be the question everyone will be asking leading up to training camp.
On BPM Sports this Wednesday, the excellent Tony Marinaro wasted no time in giving his opinion on the matter as it became his question of the day. His answer on who should join Dach and Laine on the second unit is indeed surprising.
According to him, Martin St-Louis cannot ignore Josh Anderson for the second line for one key reason: to avoid damaging his confidence early in the season.
«I would put Josh Anderson to start the season and play with Laine and Dach. The guy had a bad season last year, everyone knows that. The season before, he scored 21 goals in 69 games. The season before that, he scored 19 goals in 69 games, and we all know that five years ago, he scored 27 goals with the Blue Jackets.
Josh Anderson last year was lost on the ice, and he struggled mentally. You could see it. But this guy is trying to bounce back. If you don't trust him from the start of the year, maybe you've already lost him.»
- Tony Marinaro
Josh Anderson last year was lost on the ice, and he struggled mentally. You could see it. But this guy is trying to bounce back. If you don't trust him from the start of the year, maybe you've already lost him.»
- Tony Marinaro
It's not completely crazy, but does he really deserve it? I don't think so, especially since his North-South playing style doesn't really align with that of his two potential linemates.
It will be interesting to see what the Canadiens' coaching staff has in mind for the lineup composition. One thing is certain, they have far more options (even more so when Ivan Demidov becomes available) than in recent seasons. Hopefully, everyone stays healthy!
We're already looking forward to camp to see what MSL has in mind!
Previously on HabsFanatics
| POLL | ||
3 SEPTEMBRE | 697 ANSWERS Kent Hughes may have just revealed Martin St-Louis and the Canadiens' top two lines Who will play with Kirby Dach and Patrik Laine on the second line? | ||
| Josh Anderson | 179 | 25.7 % |
| Alex Newhook | 336 | 48.2 % |
| Joshua Roy | 159 | 22.8 % |
| Other | 23 | 3.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
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