Canadiens’ bottom‑six still searching for clear identity

Heading into Saturday night’s matchup against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Montreal Canadiens are still trying to figure out who, exactly, their bottom‑six forwards are supposed to be. The club has no shortage of experience and intriguing pieces in those roles, but the collective identity of the support lines remains unsettled, somewhere between physical play, defence and secondary scoring.

Defensive centres, mismatched wingers in support roles

Down the middle, Phillip Danault and Jake Evans occupy similar territory: strong in the faceoff circle and used primarily in defensive situations. The wingers around them, however, offer a much wider range of profiles. Josh Anderson is now valued mainly for his physicality and forechecking, with goals almost treated as a bonus. His current linemate, Zachary Bolduc, brings noticeably more offensive upside but is still learning the defensive demands of NHL play.

Alexandre Texier has shown he can protect the puck and make plays in offensive roles, but can fade into the background when slotted on a support line. Kirby Dach finds himself caught between his projected ceiling and his actual impact so far; he is trying to make the most of the minutes he gets, having been left off both special‑teams units in the season opener in Toronto.

Alex Newhook and Oliver Kapanen are harder to pin down. Both are expected to move around the lineup, without one defining specialty. To this point, their most obvious impact has come with the puck. Florian Xhekaj, who has yet to play this season, looks destined for a disruptive role built on size and chaos when he does draw in.

St. Louis pushes for complete games, not rigid labels

Asked what kind of identity he wants from his support lines, head coach Martin St. Louis admitted he does not yet have a firm answer. He sees more toughness at the bottom of the lineup, but stresses that he needs more than just hits. For St. Louis, the identity should belong to the entire team rather than a clean split between a skill‑heavy top six and a defensive, grinding bottom six.

The trio of Evans, Anderson and Bolduc, at least, offered a template in the opener. That line ended up being the Canadiens’ most effective in Toronto by keeping things simple: getting pucks deep, letting the two strong, fast wingers chase them down, and winning battles along the boards. For Bolduc, the challenge is for every line to find its own way to generate offence while staying responsible defensively, which he believes is what truly creates depth.

Kapanen’s status, Slafkovský’s growth and Kreider’s adjustment

Oliver Kapanen’s availability remains in question for the game in Pittsburgh. The Finnish forward, dealing with a lower‑body injury, practised without obvious limitations on Friday, but St. Louis had yet to confirm whether he would play. During one drill, Kapanen sat on the bench alongside Florian Xhekaj, a hint that they could again serve as extra forwards if both are held out.

Juraj Slafkovský’s situation also sheds light on the staff’s development philosophy. St. Louis made it clear he does not see the 22‑year‑old as a finished product, likening highly skilled players to artists who need a framework without having their creativity stifled. In his view, the coaching staff’s job is to build that framework while allowing Slafkovský to grow into whatever kind of offensive “artist” he will become.

Meanwhile, Chris Kreider’s integration on the top line has become a talking point around the team, though without any sign of internal concern. The 35‑year‑old expressed full confidence in adapting to the Canadiens’ system and to linemates Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield, praising the group’s tight‑knit culture and work ethic. As the top six already looks relatively defined, Montreal’s season may hinge in part on whether its still‑shapeless bottom six can carve out a clear, reliable identity.