Montreal Canadiens: 2 Breakout Candidates For Next Season

With each season that passes, it seems as though every team has players who improve significantly. They often turn out to be prospects naturally, but players who have some experience in the league also can. In this segment, we will be looking at two potential breakout candidates from each team. We will also be setting a max age limit of 26 years old, so older players are not eligible for discussion.

In this one, let's focus on the Montreal Canadiens. Off the bat, it is worth noting that Jesperi Kotkaniemi would talked about in this list under normal circumstances. However, with him signing an offer sheet with the Carolina Hurricanes, it is unclear if he will be playing for them next season. The Canadiens have other players who certainly are ready to breakout, so there is still a lot to look forward to with them. One is young forward who left a marvelous first impression, while the other is a defenseman who is continuing to work on his craft.

Cole Caufield RW: Yes, Cole Caufield is the most obvious choice, but it would be criminal not to include him in this. The 20-year-old winger played very well for the Canadiens this past season, as he had four goals and an assist in 10 regular season games. He then followed that up with four goals and 12 points in 20 postseason games. The kid is the real deal and it will be exciting to see how marvelously he plays in a full 82-game schedule. He also won the Hobey Baker Award this past season, too. In 31 games with the University of Wisconsin, he scored 30 goals and had 52 points. Let's see how much this translates to the NHL level.

Alexander Romanov D: It will be interesting to see just how much Alexander Romanov improves this upcoming season. The 21-year-old defenseman scored a goal and had six points in 54 games. He also had a goal in four postseason appearances. The 38th overall pick of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft has a lot of overall potential, so it will not be surprising to see his offensive totals go up. Furthermore, as he continues to get more experience, he should only become more dependable in the backend.

Honorable Mention: Jake Evans is also a player to look out for this upcoming season. In 47 games this past season, he scored three goals and recorded 13 points. With the departures of Phillip Danault, Eric Staal and potentially Kotkaniemi, Evans will surely be given more playing time this year. It will be interesting to see how he responds to it.