Photo credit: NHL.com

As the NHL season approaches, many observers are making some predictions for the upcoming season.

Moreover, former Montreal Canadiens employee Marc Dumont caused a huge surprise by revealing the trio combinations he would use for the first game of the season against the Toronto Maple Leafs on October 9.

Obviously, with the acquisition of Patrik Laine and the emergence of Joshua Roy , Martin St-Louis will have several options at his disposal to create a true offensive top-6, for the first time since his arrival as head coach.

To that end, Marc Dumont would not make any changes to the Habs’ first unit, keeping the trio of Cole Caufield , Nick Suzuki and Juraj Slafkovsky . After all, it’s completely understandable knowing that this trio had a lot of success during the last 40 games last year.

In addition, the columnist for Montreal Hockey Now would give Joshua Roy an opportunity to establish himself on the first two lines, preferring him to Alex Newhook to complete the duo of Kirby Dach and Patrik Laine. Personally, I would like to see the former Colorado Avalanche on the second line, he who, in my opinion, has very interesting offensive potential.

On his third line, Marc Dumont would employ Brendan Gallagher , Alex Newhook and Joel Armia , a unit that worked well at the end of last year. Indeed, during the last 13 games of the season, Newhook (12 points), Gallagher (11 points) and Armia (9 points) were among the team’s most productive forwards.

Finally, Michael Pezzetta , Jake Evans and Christian Dvorak would be on Martin St-Louis’ fourth trio, according to Marc Dumont.

So here are the trios that Marc Dumont would use for the first game of the season:

Cole Caufield — Nick Suzuki — Juraj Slafkovsky
Patrik Laine — Kirby Dach — Joshua Roy
Brendan Gallagher — Alex Newhook — Joel Armia
Michael Pezzetta — Jake Evans — Christian Dvorak

Extras: Josh Anderson , Alex Barré-Boulet

Despite his extremely difficult season in 2023-24, it’s really surprising to see Josh Anderson as the team’s 13th forward, while he wouldn’t even be used on Martin St. Louis’ top four lines. Even though he clearly didn’t live up to the expectations placed on him last year, it would be surprising, in my opinion, if the number 17 wasn’t in the starting lineup to start the regular season.

As for Quebec forward Alex Barré-Boulet, he would represent the 14th forward for the Habs. Having signed a one-year contract with the organization, it will be interesting to see if the center from Montmagny will have opportunities to show his offensive potential this year.

And you, do you think Josh Anderson deserves a place in Martin St-Louis’ top 9?