Finishing towards the bottom of the NHL standings, the Montreal Canadiens had a tough —yet promising — 2023-24 campaign.
While key performers like Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield continued to do their thing, this season– even amidst its various challenges and uncertainties — also saw several players step up to the plate in unexpected ways for the team.
With that in mind, here are four Habs players who exceeded expectations.
Joel Armia
2023-24 stats: 66 GP, 17 G, 8 A, 25 PTS
Winger Joel Armia had a brutal start to the year, clearing waivers as he was sent down to the AHL in October.
As it turns out, the demotion served as a wake-up call for Armia, who netted six goals and three assists in an eight-game stint with the Laval Rocket.
Upon returning, the 30-year-old emerged as one of Montreal’s best forwards, finishing the season with a career-high 17 goals.
Armia’s resilience resulted in the Professional Hockey Writers Association (PHWA) selecting the Finland native as the Canadiens’ sole candidate for the Bill Masterton Trophy.
Juraj Slafkovsky
2023-24 stats: 82 GP, 20 G, 30 A, 50 PTS
As a first-overall pick, expectations for Juraj Slafkovsky have been sky-high since he first slipped on a Canadiens jersey.
That said, he struggled in his rookie campaign, which was ultimately cut short due to injury.
The 20-year-old started the year on the same note as he underwent a major goal drought. As a result, there were rumblings of him being sent down to the minors.
But once he was given a shot on Montreal’s top trio alongside Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield, Slafkovsky turned his season around in a way few could have anticipated.
From January to April, the forward logged an impressive 16 goals and 37 points in a 46-game span, breaking a few franchise records in that timeframe.
Concluding the year with 20 goals and 50 points over 82 games, the Slovakia native went from a potential draft bust to a bona fide first-line forward in a matter of months.
Alex Newhook
2023-24 stats: 55 GP, 15 G, 19 A, 34 PTS
Centre Alex Newhook quietly produced at the best pace of his career this season.
With 15 goals and 34 points in 55 games, he beat his previous season highs with the Colorado Avalanche despite being injured for a major chunk of the year.
Many worried that the Habs had overpaid for the 23-year-old when GM Kent Hughes traded a first-round draft pick (31st overall), a second-round draft pick (37th overall), and prospect Gianni Fairbrother for him last offseason.
But given his current trajectory, Newhook, who found success on Montreal’s powerplay and top-six, looks set to bump his numbers up again next year — if he can stay healthy.
Mike Matheson
2023-24 stats: 82 GP, 11 G, 51 A, 62 PTS
Alternate captain Mike Matheson has always been known as a smooth-skating defenceman with a bit of an offensive flair.
That reputation was taken up a notch in 2023-24, though, with Matheson exceeding the 60-point mark to finish third on Montreal’s scoring leaderboard.
Logging a more productive season offensively than the likes of PK Subban and Serge Savard ever did in a Canadiens jersey, the 30-year-old surpassed his season point total high a little after the season’s halfway point.
With 11 goals and 51 assists, only eight NHL blueliners finished the year with more points than the Pointe-Claire native.
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