Over the last two days, The Athletic has ranked all teams’ defense corps and forward groups. The Montreal Canadiens did well when it comes to the defense corps, but the ranking of their forward group shows how little faith the outlet has in this team’s attack.

The defense corps ranking was published on Tuesday, ranking the league’s 32 teams in five tiers: high-end, above average, middle of the pack, question marks, and rebuilding/needs improvement.

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The Habs’ defense is considered above average, ranking in tier two and ninth place overall in the rankings. Writers Harman Dayal and James Mirtle consider Noah Dobson to be “a fascinating addition to an already intriguing D core”. The outlet concedes that if Dobson rebounds from his tough season, he and Lane Hutson will form a formidable one-two punch to handle for opponents night after night.

They also add that Kaiden Guhle is a great, underrated piece and that his shutdown game will be key to the Canadiens’ success. It’s hard to argue with that, but I’d also add that Arber Xhekaj’s improved play and decision-making could be significant for the Habs as well. If he can provide what we saw in camp consistently night in and night out, his presence in the lineup could allow his teammates to feel bigger on the ice and take liberties they wouldn’t have taken otherwise.

Still, the ninth place when it comes to defense rankings is quite impressive for a team that officially is the youngest in the league. When it comes to the forward group rankings, though, the Canadiens do not do as well.

The attacks are split into five tiers as well: best in class, above-average, middle of the pack, below average but with some potential, and rebuilding/needs improvement. The Habs land in tiers four here, with the writers’ main worry being how much the Canadiens are asking from Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki.

The overreliance on the two forwards is not new for the Habs, but I feel the additions made this summer should at least allow the Canadiens to be considered middle of the pack. However, The Athletic disagrees and ranks the Habs as the 19th-best forward group in the league.

Essentially, they consider that the addition of another bona fide second-line center would push Montreal up a tier, but for now, they are not sold on this Canadiens’ offense. While I disagree with the ranking, it’s understandable, especially given how much of an unknown Kirby Dach still is. The fact that Brendan Gallagher is primed to play more than his fair share of minutes skating alongside Dach and Zack Bolduc is another indicator that Montreal is not in an ideal position offensively. Still, I feel Ivan Demidov’s presence is not given enough importance in this ranking.

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