It is no secret that the Montreal Canadiens have a strong defensive group. They only improved upon this off-season, too, as they acquired star blueliner Noah Dobson from the New York Islanders last month.
Now, the Canadiens' strong blueline has received some praise.
NHL Network's Thomas Hickey recently ranked the top five defensive groups in the NHL, and the Canadiens grabbed the No. 5 spot. The other teams on Hickey's list are the Colorado Avalanche, Florida Panthers, Dallas Stars, and Washington Capitals, in that order.
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While the Canadiens were at the bottom of the list, it is still notable that they are being viewed as having the fifth-best defense in the league by a former NHL blueliner like Hickey. Yet, when looking at their group, it is also easy to understand why they made the cut.
The Canadiens are entering next season with Dobson, Lane Huston, Kaiden Guhle, Mike Matheson, Jayden Struble, Alexandre Carrier, and Arber Xhekaj. They also have a fascinating prospect in David Reinbacher, who has the potential to become something special. Thus, there is no question that the Canadiens' blueline is impressive.
Canadiens Prospect Dominating At Summer ShowcaseMontreal Canadiens prospect Aatos Koivu has been impressing with Team Finland at the World Junior Summer Showcase, and he is showing no signs of slowing down. In fact, he is only getting better as the tournament rolls on.
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