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Canadiens' Top Defensive Pair Could Be Troublesome

The Montreal Canadiens' top defense pair in their preseason debut might not stick for very long thanks to their offense-first approach.

Tyler Major-Mcnicol

Apr 27, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Washington Capitals defenseman John Carlson (74) shoots the puck beside Montreal Canadiens defenseman Mike Matheson (8) during the second period in game four of the first round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images
Apr 27, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Washington Capitals defenseman John Carlson (74) shoots the puck beside Montreal Canadiens defenseman Mike Matheson (8) during the second period in game four of the first round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images / David Kirouac-Imagn Images
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The Montreal Canadiens kick off their preseason schedule tonight against the Pittsburgh Penguins with puck drop at 7 pm, and their top defense pair sticks out as an interesting choice right from the get-go.

Mike Matheson and Noah Dobson are offensively gifted defenders; however, they can leave a bit to be desired defensively, which could be on full display early.

For that reason, the Canadiens may be chasing the game early, unless the offense explodes, which could allow for the two polarizing defenders to play a run and gun style.

Here are the forward lines, who will be tasked with balancing scoring and hopefully, smart and timely defensive play.

The top two lines feature players who are likely to start the season in Montreal, with Oliver Kapanen being the potential odd man out when all is said and done. However, his duo of star wingers, Patrik Laine and Ivan Demidov, are likely to be exactly in the spots they will slot in on the second line when the regular season commences.

The second line of Josh Anderson, Brendan Gallagher and Jake Evans appears to be a bottom-six line, with the likelihood of the trio being the eventual fourth line. Unless, of course, things get swapped around, and Kapanen ends up occupying the fourth line centre role with Alex Newhook, and perhaps Joe Veleno centering the line, and splitting duties with Kapanen.

As for the third and fourth line, Owen Beck is likeliest to battle for a role right until the end, but unless he or Kapanen wows the coaching staff, a trip down to the Laval Rocket to start the AHL season appears likeliest. Sean Farrell, Filip Mesar and the trio of Jared Davidson, Alex Belzile and Lucas Condotta will be relied upon for big minutes in Laval, so they are around for the veteran presence, and Davidson for his hard-nosed play.

Noah Dobson will skate in his first preseason game with the Canadiens, and the Bell Centre should be rockin
Apr 17, 2025; Columbus, Ohio, USA; New York Islanders defenseman Noah Dobson (8) looks to shoot against the New York Islanders during the first period at Nationwide Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russell LaBounty-Imagn Images / Russell LaBounty-Imagn Images

On the backend, the top four defenseman, maybe minus Adam Engstrom, will all be on the opening night roster, with Dobson and Matheson potentially becoming one of the Canadiens' top two defense pairs and Jayden Struble as a sixth or seventh defenseman.

Dobson and Matheson feel a little bit like a boom or bust pair; they thrive offensively, but not so much on the other side of the puck.

Marc Del Gaizo and Nate Clurman will serve as bottom-pairing defenders for the Rocket, who will look to run a tight ship on the backend in front of rookie goaltender Jacob Fowler, who hopes to win the starting role and put in some important development time, with plenty of starts this year.

Canadiens starter Samuel Montembeault slots in where you would expect, and while there is no indication, generally in the preseason, the goalies split the game. The goalies may well have their hands full, with the team relying heavily on offense first, and the bulk of the defending coming from minor league players.

After finishing the year in the second wildcard spot and losing in five games to the Washington Capitals in the first round of the playoffs, the Canadiens will look to kick off their preseason on the right foot against the Penguins.

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Tyler Major-Mcnicol
TYLER MAJOR-MCNICOL

Tyler is a former Algonquin College journalism graduate, and passionate hockey fan. His love for the Montreal Canadiens comes second to his love of hockey. With two daughter’s under four years old, hockey is always a topic of conversation. Nothing gets me quite excited like an empty canvas waiting to have a story written on it, and the smell of fresh ice in the air.

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