The 2023-24 season saw plenty of Montreal Canadiens players take a major step in their development.
But for every Juraj Slafkovsky, Mike Matheson, and Cayden Primeau, there are those within the Canadiens’ system who have failed to meet expectations — some of whom took a turn for the worse this season.
For these players, next season will likely act as their last chance to make a statement, silence the skeptics, and secure their spot on the team going forward.
Let’s take a closer look at who will be under the spotlight come October.
Jesse Ylonen
For the first time in his career, Jesse Ylonen spent an entire season in the NHL.
While he looked good enough to earn his spot out of camp, the 24-year-old winger, known for his offensive abilities, fell flat with just eight points in 59 games.
Logging just one point in his last 25 games, the Arizona native spent the bulk of his year in Montreal’s bottom-six.
With his rookie contract expiring, Ylonen is set to become an RFA this summer. If GM Kent Hughes offers him an extension, it’s safe to assume he’ll have to take his game up a notch to keep his place on the roster.
Emil Heineman
Traded to Montreal by Calgary with Tyler Pitlick and a pair of draft picks for Tyler Toffoli ahead of the 2022 trade deadline, fans have had high hopes for forward Emil Heineman for quite some time.
Starting the season with the Laval Rocket, Heineman boasted respectable stats at the AHL level with 15 goals and 29 points over 48 games.
As a result, the 22-year-old was called up by the Habs twice in a two-week stint.
Heineman’s NHL debut was pretty uneventful, though, going pointless through four games.
Sure, the sample size is small. But as Montreal makes room for a new wave of forward prospects, which includes the likes of Owen Beck, Filip Mesar, and Oliver Kapanen, Heineman, who has one year left on his contract, they may find it harder to break through to the next level if he doesn’t make a splash.
Justin Barron
The Canadiens are bursting at the seams with young defencemen. As a result, Justin Barron’s job is all but secured.
After spending a good bulk of the 2022-23 season with Montreal, the 22-year-old, acquired from Colorado in a 2022 trade, was sent down to the AHL in January to work on his defensive game.
Barron, due for a new contract this summer, was eventually recalled after a 32-game stint, which saw him net 11 points. With that said, he will soon have to compete with up-and-coming prospects like Lane Hutson, Logan Mailloux, and David Reinbacher to earn a spot on a bottom-four pairing.
If he doesn’t, perhaps the Canadiens will view him as an expendable option down the stretch.
Josh Anderson
Forward Josh Anderson will be the first to admit that his most recent campaign was not good enough.
Signed to a deal that sees him carrying a cap hit of $5.5 million for the next three seasons, the 29-year-old netted just nine goals and 11 assists this year. Unfortunately, the winger’s offensive slump began well before that.
Once seen as a crucial part of the Habs’ top-six, Anderson, whose game was heavily criticized over the past few months, logged just 32 points in both the 2021-22 season and 2022-23 season respectively.
If Anderson’s cold streak continues (or somehow worsens), Montreal will certainly evaluate potential trade scenarios involving him. And if there’s no interest, a buyout could eventually be on the table.
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