After ranking the top 100 NHL prospects for 2015-16, and ranking each team by organizational depth, ESPN Insider Corey Pronman ranks the top 10 prospects for each NHL team. Here is his entry for the Montreal Canadiens. Extended write-ups on prospects ranked in the top 100 can be accessed here.
The Habs' system is one without a ton of star power in the pipeline, but there are a lot of pretty good players.
Artturi Lehkonen has kind of stagnated as a prospect after being a top 100 on my board the past few years. He has a good all-around talent base, but he's small, not very bulky, and hasn't taken significant steps forward offensively during the past 12-18 months. I'm waiting for him to take over at a level, and that still hasn't happened.
Sven Andrighetto continues to impress at the pro level. He's a very quick skater with great acceleration who can make plays with the puck. He lacks size, and won't be a defensive forward in the NHL, so his offensive skills will have to carry him to being a regular. The question is if he'll be dynamic enough to do so. Jeremy Gregoire's interesting, as he's a very smart two-way player with a solid skill level and is very good defensively. He works hard, but his skating style is somewhat awkward and limits him in straight-line races.
Mike McCarron trended up this season, converting to center very effectively and showing massive improvements defensively. He's a huge forward with a quality skill level who uses his big frame well. He's not overly skilled and his skating isn't ideal, but one has to look at how he's progressing.
Daniel Audette (11th) is very small without much bulk, but has real scoring upside due to his great skill, vision and agility. His physical and defensive games are the main concerns. Christian Thomas (12th) is probably a fringe NHLer, but he showed decently in his brief NHL stint this past season. He's small, but works really hard and has puck skills on top of an above-average shot.
Noteworthy prospect
Former first-round pick Jarred Tinordi's been up and down as a prospect. Coming out of the OHL and in his first pro campaign, he looked like a quality prospect, but he's struggled to get a regular NHL spot due to his lack of puck skills and offensive IQ. Big men who can skate and play the body are certainly valuable, but with his very limited offense, he needs to either be incredible defensively, or improve his puck-moving skills at his next NHL camp.
2015-16 impact
It's almost now or never for Tinordi, and he'll be up against Greg Pateryn, who is a replacement-level player, for the final D spot on the Habs' NHL roster. Charles Hudon will be an interesting case to watch for NHL time. Jacob De La Rose passed him -- and there may not really be a current roster spot for him -- but he, Thomas or Andrighetto is likely first in line if there's an injury. Of the group, Hudon shows the most potential for a breakout campaign.