Last year we introduced a new article to our annual Top 25 Under 25 series, placing the players into a lineup based on where they ranked in the list. It’s a simple case of putting the players in the first open spot at their position and filling in the table as we go down the order from #1 until a proper 23-man roster is complete.
We took the liberty of including Nick Suzuki as the top-line centre. He was the only core player who wasn’t included in the project this summer, so the captain and best player on the team has been given a cameo despite his advanced age of 25.

Twenty-two members of the Top 25 are on this roster. Jordan Harris (#17) was traded away since his profile was published, and we ran out of roster spots before Bogdan Konyushkov (#21) and Aatos Koivu (#25) could be included.
Even with Suzuki’s graduation, the top four players on this year’s list were forwards, the position the Canadiens appear to have the most starpower in. Since we did this a year ago, Juraj Slafkovský has emerged as a play-driving winger, and the organization also added Ivan Demidov to the picture. Those two, by the methodology of the ranking procedure, are projected to be Suzuki’s wingers of the future — unless Demidov pans out as a centre himself. It’s a multi-talented duo at the top of this year’s list, and two more potential household names in the Canadiens’ lineup.
After Cole Caufield and Kirby Dach slot in as more-than-capable second-liners. the run of defencemen begins. The forwards may be the stars, but defence is by far the deepest position in the organization. The top two pairings get filled by the time we reach the end of the top 10, and even with an eight-defenceman formation, the lowest-ranked player is Justin Barron at 18th. Since Lane Hutson ranked above fellow left-shot defenceman Kaiden Guhle in the list, he gets the spot on the top pair over Guhle, though the potential for those two to make up the number-one duo is a discussion point in the accompanying podcast.
Jacob Fowler is the starting goaltender on this roster, and so far there’s nothing to suggest that that won’t come to fruition. He is one of the top prospects in the organization, and while you really never know what’s going to happen with goalies, he seems to excel at the mental aspect of the game that catches other promising netminders out.
The one area of the prospect pool that needs to be addressed is the forward depth, specifically on the wings. It’s a top-heavy bunch with few real top-six replacements coming up. It should be a focus of the scouting team going forward, and in the 2024 NHL Draft, the first four players selected, and seven of the total of 10 draftees, were forwards. The encouraging thing is that the selections have been upside players who possess good offensive talents. The organization is gambling on players with outside chances of becoming top-six players, and that’s how drafts should be approached, with immediate depth issues addressed in free agency.
Every player on this roster (minus Suzuki of course) is eligible to be ranked next year, and we’ll also have some new prospects to fit into the lineup. Despite the holes apparent in the above alignment, it’s come a long way in just the past few years, and another step forward should take place over the next 12 months.
Habsent Minded!
Matt Drake, Patrik Bexell, and Jared Book get together to discuss the 2024 Top 25 Under 25 All-Star lineup.