2025-26 Depth Assessment: Left Wingers

We’ve seen the Habs already make one move this summer to add to their stockpile on the left wing but how do they stack up at that position across the organization?  That position is up next in our assessment.

While we know Martin St. Louis often likes to line up players on their off-wings, we’re going to keep it simple here.  Left wingers for this piece will be wingers who shoot left-handed while, similarly, when we get to the right wingers, that will cover right-shooting wingers.  But we know wingers are largely interchangeable in Montreal’s system.

NHL

Signed: Samuel Blais, Zach Bolduc, Ivan Demidov, Juraj Slafkovsky
RFAs: None
UFAs: None

It hasn’t always been smooth sailing for Slafkovsky but he has shown plenty of upside in his first three professional seasons and has certainly held his own on Montreal’s top line.  As the 2022 first-overall pick has gotten more comfortable in the NHL, his physicality has picked up and it’s fair to say that the Habs are counting on him to continue to develop that.  Doing so while continuing to improve offensively (might I suggest shooting the puck more?) will set him up to be a rarity, a top-line power forward, checking off another hard-to-find box on the team checklist.

It came as somewhat of a surprise when Demidov slipped to fifth in the draft last year and possibly even more of a surprise when he was let out of his contract early enough to get a couple of regular season games plus the playoff series with Montreal.  He brings a level of offensive creativity that few others on this roster possess and now it’s going to be a matter of finding a way to bring that night in, night out against top competition.  He’s a legitimate top-line prospect but it’s going to take some time for him to get there even though he’s a presumptive Calder Trophy contender.  It seems likely that Demidov will be on the second line a lot which should help him avoid some of the top checkers out of the gate.

Bolduc was a surprising addition on the opening day of free agency with the Habs moving Logan Mailloux to St. Louis in a pure ‘hockey trade’.  Bolduc had a solid rookie year with the Blues, notching just shy of 20 goals and even earning some down-ballot Calder votes, ultimately finishing eighth.  He’s a winger that adds some defensive acumen, a bit of a developing edge physically, and a power play utility at the bumper position, a spot that the Habs haven’t had a lot of success with.  He’s someone who should fill some gaps and play in a middle-six role both this coming season and for years to come.

Blais was the lone July 1 skater signing with a chance to make the team in training camp after playing on a minor-league deal with Vancouver last season.  He had a chance to play a much bigger role than he had in the NHL but it’s likely that his return to the NHL will be a return to his old role, being a fourth liner who hits anything in sight and hopefully lucks into a goal or two.  It’s also entirely possible he’s on waivers and starts in Laval but Blais is the type of player they should be comfortable keeping in a reserve role.

Needs Assessment: Low – There’s a bit of a skew on the roster toward right-handed shots so ideally, one more lineup-level lefty would be nice, especially one with some penalty killing acumen.  But having used one of their big moves on a lefty winger already, they’re probably in a good enough place to start the season.

AHL

Signed: Jared Davidson, Sean Farrell, Riley Kidney, Joshua Roy, Luke Tuch
RFAs: None
UFAs: None
AHL Contracts: Vincent Arseneau, Will Dineen, Mark Estapa, Yegor Goriunov, Israel Mianscum
AHL Free Agents: None

The hope was that by now, Roy would be pushing for a roster spot in Montreal.  However, he was pretty underwhelming in a dozen games with the Habs last season while there wasn’t a big jump offensively in Laval.  On the other hand, he still managed 20 goals and 15 assists in just 47 games with the Rocket which is well above average.  He’s still 21 for a couple more weeks so while it looks like the door might be closing on him with the Canadiens, he still clearly has enough developmental runway to turn that around.  He’ll have some extra pressure next season, however, to try to take that next step forward.

Last season couldn’t have started any worse for Farrell, who tumbled down Laval’s depth chart to the point of being a healthy scratch at one point.  But injuries meant Farrell had to come back in the lineup and once he finally scored, he became one of the Rocket’s best players the rest of the way.  He’s now waiver-eligible moving forward so he’ll have to pass through unclaimed to get back to Laval but assuming that happens, he should be penciled in for a top-six role with the hope that he gets off to a much better start next season.

Davidson’s sophomore year was a very solid one as he more than doubled his rookie-season output and wound up being one of Laval’s top scorers with 24 goals and 45 points.  What’s particularly noteworthy is that he didn’t play in the top six very often.  If you look at Montreal’s overall depth chart, it’s the bottom six that’s likely to go through some turnover.  The fact that Davidson, who can hold his own in pretty much any type of role, was able to have that much success with limited ice time is certainly reason for optimism.  It wouldn’t be shocking to see him get a look at some point with the big club in 2025-26.

Tuch’s first professional season wasn’t the greatest but it wasn’t terribly concerning either.  Yes, 14 points in 44 games is a bit underwhelming while he was scratched at times in the playoffs when the forward group was fully healthy.  On the other hand, he was effective on the fourth line in a role that the Habs don’t have a lot of on their roster.  He killed penalties, played physically, and was often a net positive overall.  I’d like to see Tuch at least move up to the third line next season but the fact he had some success in the role he’d have with Montreal should help his cause with Canadiens management.

At the other end of the spectrum is Kidney.  After an underwhelming rookie year in 2023-24, last season wasn’t any better.  He scored just four times in 56 games, mostly from the fourth line.  For an offensive-oriented player, the lack of progression is a concern.  He wasn’t a pick from this current management group and frankly, I could see him being moved in a swap of underachieving prospects at some point.  If that doesn’t happen, he should be in a similar spot as last year, battling for a depth spot in the lineup where his ability to also play centre at least gives him some extra utility.

In terms of the AHL-contracted players, Arseneau was a full-timer on Laval’s roster last season as a fourth liner who could also kill penalties.  However, the fact that he qualifies for veteran status might keep him on the outside looking in at a lineup spot when the team is fully healthy.  Dineen was a late-season ATO signing who didn’t look out of place in a limited role in Laval and even was on the playoff taxi squad for the first couple of rounds.  He might be able to stick full-time on the AHL roster although being a full-timer in the lineup seems unlikely.  Estapa, another late-season PTO, was injured early and is likely ticketed for Trois-Rivieres, where Mianscum spent all of last season.  Goriunov wrapped up a decent QMJHL career last season and earned a one-way AHL deal along the way but he’s also a strong candidate to start with the Lions.

Needs Assessment: Low – The top-six is there, there are good bottom-six options, and there are lots of depth options to call upon when injuries arise.  They’re in good shape here.

Other Prospects

The Habs traded up on the second day of the draft to the 34th pick to draft Alexander Zharovsky, paying a hefty price to do so with the belief that Nashville was ready to take him at 35.  He was one of the more skilled players in the draft but spent last season in a weaker league before getting a taste of KHL playoff action.  He has legitimate top-six potential but also runs a higher risk of busting altogether.  Considering his lack of being tested at a higher level and the fact he needs to fill out his frame, Zharovsky is a bit of a longer-term project, not like some of their goalie picks where they’re a half-decade away but it might be a few years before he’s ready to take a run at an NHL spot.

Drafted as a second-year eligible back in 2023, Sam Harris had a decent first year of college in Denver in 2023-24 and then found another gear offensively last year, notching 23 goals in 43 games while becoming a full-time top-six forward for the Pioneers.  He plays with enough of a physical edge which gives him a chance of fitting in as a bottom-six player in the pros although his skating will need to continue to improve for that to have a chance of happening.  His stock ticked up last year and if he has a similar performance next season, he’s someone the Habs could look to turn pro a year ahead of schedule.

A natural centre, Logan Sawyer was exclusively a winger in his freshman year at Providence last season so he moves into this positional column this time around.  After being a scoring threat at the lower junior levels the year before, Sawyer was a bit more of a playmaker last season but put up a respectable 16 points overall.  I expect the goal total to come around next season as his shot is one of his better weapons and he had a bit of bad luck on the scoring front last year.  Sawyer is still a project prospect but didn’t hurt his stock last season.

Then there’s Alexander Gordin.  Drafted as an intriguing junior scorer all the way back in 2020, he hasn’t done a whole lot since then.  He saw some time in junior, the KHL, and the VHL (second-tier pro level) and hasn’t been a big producer in any of them.  He was decent with Gornyak of the VHL last season but at 23, expectations for a second-tier level should be higher than decent.  He’s not really a legitimate NHL prospect anymore.

The last player in this group is Ty Smilanic whose time with the Habs hasn’t gone well.  He struggled after transferring to Wisconsin in 2023 and then surprisingly turned pro where he didn’t fare well with Trois-Rivieres while taking personal mental health leaves in both seasons.  He didn’t play at all last year but still is technically on Montreal’s reserve list.

Needs Assessment: Medium – The only player in this group who projects to be signed soon is Harris; Zharovsky and Sawyer are several years away and the other two aren’t really prospects.  It’d be ideal to have at least one more winger turning pro over the next couple of years.  That could come from a centre being permanently shifted to the wing but otherwise, an external addition to this group (or, more likely, a second-year prospect being picked next year) could fill that gap.

2025-26 Depth Assessment: Goalies
2025-26 Depth Assessment: Left Defencemen
2025-26 Depth Assessment: Right Defencemen