The Montreal Canadiens are currently navigating between the 20th and 25th positions in the overall standings, placing them outside of the playoff picture. Despite the team's direction announcing that the goal was the progression of young players and not necessarily making the playoffs, this has disappointed many fans. In August, Corey Pronman of The Athletic ranked the Canadiens' prospect pool 6th in the NHL. Let's take a look at the list of CH prospects and their progression.
Most of these players are progressing very well. Roy's performance with the Rocket is exceptional, Hutson continues to dominate in the NCAA, Slafkovsky seems to be coming out of his shell in recent games, and Guhle is establishing himself as a defensive general for Montreal. Caufield is in a slump but remains an important part of the team's success. Newhook and Barron are yet to establish themselves despite some promising moments, and Beck and Reinbacher continue their development in the minors.
In early November, journalist Marc Dumont from MTLHockeyNow asked fans to rank the CH prospects. He also created a "power rankings" based on their performance. It's important to note that this ranking concerns prospects aged 23 and under, who are not currently playing in the NHL. The first number is the current rank of the player according to Dumont, and the number in parentheses is the initial ranking voted by fans. Here are the results of his analysis:
As we approach a quarter of the season, the Canadiens are increasingly drifting away from a springtime playoff appearance. The hope of seeing the team in the playoffs is fading, but the season is still young, and not all is lost. The unmentionable "P" word increasingly symbolizes "Progression," "Patience," and "Not this year"! Hopefully, the young talents develop quickly to reignite hope as soon as possible.
