Canadiens' Defence Transforms into Scoring Threat Under St. Louis System
When Martin St. Louis took over as head coach of the Montreal Canadiens in February 2022, his defensive lineup looked dramatically different than it does today. His initial six defencemen—Jeff Petry, Ben Chiarot, Brett Kulak, Alexander Romanov, Chris Wideman, and Kale Clague—have all departed the organization during a comprehensive four-year rebuilding process.
Management Builds Defence for Modern System
President of hockey operations Jeff Gorton and general manager Kent Hughes have systematically constructed a defence corps specifically tailored to St. Louis's preferred style of play. The current group features puck-moving defencemen who excel at skating, playing aggressive defence in the neutral zone, and frequently pinching at the offensive blue line. This approach is supported by forwards who provide defensive coverage within the structured system St. Louis has implemented.
The results have been particularly evident this season, with Canadiens defencemen accumulating 152 points after Monday night's overtime loss to Minnesota. This places Montreal second in the NHL for defenceman scoring, trailing only the Colorado Avalanche's 162 points. This represents a remarkable offensive transformation for a team that ranked 27th in league scoring when St. Louis assumed coaching duties, averaging just 2.66 goals per game. This season, the Canadiens rank fourth with 3.43 goals per game.
Individual Defensive Contributions
Leading the defensive scoring charge is Lane Hutson, who has recorded 9 goals and 48 assists for 57 points. Heading into Tuesday's games, Hutson ranked third among NHL defencemen, trailing only Zach Werenski of Columbus and Evan Bouchard of Edmonton. Remarkably, Hutson has surpassed last season's Calder Trophy winner Cale Makar in scoring.
Other defencemen have made significant offensive contributions as well:
- Noah Dobson has registered 10 goals and 26 assists in his first season with Montreal, already matching his goal totals from each of his previous two seasons with the New York Islanders.
- Alexandre Carrier has produced 6 goals and 12 assists, with five goals coming in his last eleven games—surpassing his previous season high of four goals with Nashville in 2023-24.
Mike Matheson's Evolving Role
Mike Matheson's journey with the Canadiens illustrates the team's defensive evolution. Acquired from Pittsburgh in July 2022, Matheson has adapted to changing roles throughout the rebuilding process. During the 2023-24 season, he posted career-best offensive numbers with 11 goals and 51 assists while quarterbacking the power play, though this offensive focus contributed to a minus-24 differential.
His role shifted significantly last season when he lost his power-play position to Hutson and became an effective penalty-killer. With Dobson's arrival and Kaiden Guhle's return from injury in January, Matheson has transformed into a shutdown defenceman who consistently matches up against opponents' top lines while still contributing offensively. The 31-year-old has recorded 5 goals and 23 assists this season with a plus-12 rating.
Teammate Cole Caufield praised Matheson's versatility, noting, "He's a guy we lean on back there to shut down their top guys and he does that every single night. His ability to skate with those guys, shut them down and be hard in their face, it's very good to have back there. The offensive side of the game hasn't dipped—he makes the simple plays that probably go unnoticed."
Defensive Pairings and Philosophy
St. Louis recently adjusted his defensive pairings, now partnering Matheson with Guhle while Hutson plays alongside Dobson. The coach emphasized the importance of balancing mobility with physicality throughout his defence corps.
"I feel like we're both," St. Louis explained. "Mike Matheson is very mobile, but he's very physical too. Lane is very mobile and he's very physical too, but not the same way. You've got to be both, and when you're both you're hard to play against on both sides. Our D plays with a lot of pace—defensive pace, but offensive pace too. We're not just a finesse D corps."
This balanced approach has created a defence group that contributes significantly at both ends of the ice while driving the team's improved offensive production. The transformation from the defence St. Louis inherited to the current group reflects a deliberate rebuilding strategy that has positioned Montreal's blueliners as legitimate offensive threats within the NHL.
