Currently sitting at the bottom of the NHL’s Atlantic Division, the Montreal Canadiens appear to be falling short of their preseason promise to be “in the mix.”
While some fans hoped this would be the year the team turned a corner, Montreal’s third season of rebuilding is beginning to feel like a frustrating repeat of the last two campaigns.
That’s not to say the team is completely without bright spots. Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield continue to flash their star potential. Sam Montembeault has shown promise between the pipes, while Brendan Gallagher’s game has seen a surprising resurgence.
With that said, other guys are failing to live up to expectations.
Here are four Canadiens players with underwhelming performances through the first 21 games of the year.
1. Kirby Dach
2024-25 stats: 21 GP, 1 G, 7 A, 8 PTS
After missing virtually the entire 2023-24 season with MCL and ACL injuries, the Canadiens were eagerly awaiting the return of a healthy Kirby Dach to the lineup.
But with just one goal and eight points through 21 games, Dach hasn’t lived up to expectations. For context, in his first 21 games during the 2022-23 season, the centre tallied four goals and 14 assists for 18 points, showcasing his playmaking ability.
These days, he’s skating on the fourth line and has one of the worst +/- ratings in the league (-17).
Here’s hoping he soon shakes off the rust from sitting in the press box for an entire season.
2. Cayden Primeau
2024-25 stats: 8 GP, 4.59 GAA, .842 SV %
Cayden Primeau hasn’t delivered this season. Through eight games, the 25-year-old netminder has posted a brutal 4.59 GAA and .842 save percentage, including a nightmare outing against Buffalo on November 11, where he gave up five goals on 14 shots before getting pulled.
It’s a far cry from his 2.99 GAA and .910 SV% from last season
To put it plainly, the Canadiens can’t rely on Primeau as a backup right now, and if things don’t improve fast, his future in Montreal looks shaky.
3. Alex Newhook
2024-25 stats: 21 GP, 5 G, 0 A, 5 PTS
If there’s one thing Alex Newhook consistently brings to the ice, it’s effort. The 23-year-old often carries the puck into the offensive zone, driving plays. However, despite logging significant minutes in the top six, he has yet to record a single assist this season — a major issue for a player in his role.
For comparison, Newhook had 13 points through his first 20 games with the Canadiens last season, making his current production a major step backward.
Given the price Montreal paid to acquire him (a first- and second-round pick in the 2023 draft), expectations were understandably high. So far, though, Newhook’s performance has fallen short.
4. Juraj Slafkovsky
2024-25 stats: 21 GP, 1 G, 10 A, 11 PTS
Forward Juraj Slafkovsky famously got off to a slow start in the 2023-24 campaign, to the point where there were talks of sending him down to the AHL.
However, he made up for it in the second half of the year, concluding the season with a respectable 20 goals and 50 points.
While many were hoping the 20-year-old could build off the momentum of his newly signed $60.8 million extension, the winger has not made any progress since the puck dropped in early October.
With just one goal through 21 games, he’s recently been demoted to the Habs’ fourth line and will have to earn his way back to the top.