As the final week of the 2023–24 Montreal Canadiens season approaches, it makes sense to want to consider the rebuild from a wider perspective. But examining the smaller one also reveals a good number of heartwarming tales.
Coincidentally, a good number of those will probably influence the organization as a whole going future as the Canadiens gradually advance to a more competitive level. The top five are as follows:
5. At age 26, Gignac Scores His First NHL Goal
In the interest of full disclosure, Brandon Gignac was never at any real risk of catching on in the NHL. However, the first NHL games he got in literally five years were at the very least a nice distraction from the fact the Canadiens had just traded Sean Monahan and needed someone to fill in at centre as they were effectively throwing in the towel in early February.
4. Struble Appearing Out of the Blue to Demand a Spot on Defense
On the other hand, defenseman Jayden Struble, who was originally called up due to an injury to teammate Arber Xhekaj, has become something of a defensive mainstay. After Xhekaj recovered, Struble just stayed. The Canadiens were able to give Xhekaj more time to refine his AHL talents because to his excellent play.
3. Joel Armia Re-Establishes Himself as NHLer Maybe not many people predicted that the Canadiens would cut such a seasoned player as Joel Armia at the beginning of the season. But given how 2022–23 went for him—he had just three assists in his first 26 games—few people still probably thought he would set a new career high with 17 goals in 2023–24. But that is precisely what has happened.
2. Cayden Primeau Justifies Canadiens’
1. Juraj Slafkovsky Takes Huge Step in His Development
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