Montreal Canadiens Quarter-Century Team - Part 2

Yesterday, we submitted our choices for the Montreal Canadiens' quarter-century team in net and on defense, this morning we're looking at the attack. Unlike the NHL who will only be unveiling two top-six lines, we've elected to go for four lines since that's how many lines there are on a team.

Centers

Saku Koivu (1995-96 to 2008-09)
You can't have a Canadiens quarter-century team without including the former captain. Montreal's first-round pick at the 1993 draft spent 13 years in town, playing 792 games and gathering 641 points in the process (191 goals and 450 assists). The longest serving captain in team history after Jean Beliveau wore the C for nine seasons and was the face of the franchise for his 13 season. His fight against cancer was well-documented and culminated with a goosebumps inducing ovation in 2002.

Related: Canadiens: The Forgotten Greats

Tomas Plekanec (2003-04 to 2018-19)A third round pick at the 2001 draft, the Czech center was as reliable as they come on the ice. A real 200-foot player, he always got the hardest matchups against the other teams' top line. Still, in 984 games in Montreal, he put up 606 points (233 goals and 373 assists). He's seventh in matches played with the franchise, second in shorthanded goals with 20 and sixth in shots taken with 2,341. He was allowed to play his 1,000 career game before retiring.

Philip Danault (2015-16 to 2020-21)
Acquired in what might have been Marc Bergevin's best trade, Philip Danault became an excellent center skating with the Canadiens. With Brendan Gallagher and Tomas Tatar he formed one of the most efficient line at even strength. The Quebecer played 360 games with the Habs, picking up 194 points in the process, but it was his penalty killing skills and responsibility on the ice that made him so important for the team. After reaching the Stanley Cup final, he signed a big contract with the Los Angeles Kings and it wasn't easy for the team to replace him.

Nick Suzuki (2019-20 to now)

The current captain has already done enough to make the list. Acquired in the Max Pacioretty trade, the young center made his mark quickly on the team, in 413 games he was picked up 327 points and is on his way to becoming a point-per-game player for the Canadiens, a rare feat in town. The youngest captain in team history, he was the first building block of the rebuild.

Right Wingers

Alex Kovalev (2003-04 to 2008-09)
The enigmatic Russian was great for the team even if inconsistent. In his best season in 2007-08, he put up 84 points in 82 games. Capable of fantastic plays, he could also be very frustrating to watch at times when his level of effort left something to be desired. Still, in 314 games with the team, he put up 264 points and produced more than his share of highlight reel worthy goal. On February 19, 2008, he scored two goals to lead the Canadiens to the biggest comeback win in team history.

Brendan Gallagher (2012-13 to present)A fifth round pick in 2010, Gallagher surprised everyone when he made the team out of the lockout. Since then, he's stuck around and has proven to be the heart of the franchise. A hard worker, the biggest little warrior the team has ever seen has played 792 games (23rd in team history, will tie Koivu in 22nd place on Friday) with the team so far and has 228 goals (18th in team history) and 215 assists (39th in team history) for 443 points (31st in team history) to show for it. By the time he retires, Gallagher will have left his mark on this team and his bloodied face in the 2021 playoffs sum him up perfectly.

Related: Canadiens' Gallagher Hopes To Play On

Brian Gionta (2009-10 to 2013-14)
Part of the complete overhaul undertaken by Bob Gainey in readiness for the team centennial, the diminutive winger delivered, so much so that he was given the captain's C in his second season in Montreal. In five season with the Habs, he played 303 games picking up 173 points in the process. His performance in the playoffs known as the Halak Spring was remarkable, in 19 games, he put up 15 points and was a key cog of the Canadiens well-oiled machine during that post season.

Cole Caufield (2020-21 to present)
Like Suzuki, Caufield hasn't been there for long but he's already put his mark on this team. In five years, he has played 245 game during which he has scored 103 goals and 84 assists. In his only complete season so far, he put up 65 points last season a career-high. So far this season, in 40 games he has 38 points (including 22 goals) on pace for 78 points. From a pure sniper, Caufield has evolved in a more complete player under Martin St-Louis' tutelage and he still has room to grow, his ceiling is higher. Like Suzuki, he should become a point-per-game player.

Left Wingers

Max Pacioretty (2008-09 to 2017-18)
The former captain was the main catalyst of the Canadiens' attack during a period in which goals were hard to come by in Montreal. In 10 years, he played 626 games wearing the Sainte-Flanelle and grabbed 448 points including 226 goals (19th highest total in franchise history). He came painfully close to the 40-goal mark a few times, but his best offensive output was 39 goals in 2013-24. The Chara-Pacioretty incident added fuel to a rivalry that didn't need any more.

Mike Cammalleri (2009-10 to 2011-12)
Much like Gionta, he was brought on by Bob Gainey to make a push for the centennial and he was one of the star of the Halak Spring. That year in the playoffs, he had 19 points in as many games including 13 goals. Habs fans will never forget that goal batted out of the air which eventually ended up in the History will be made advertising campaign. In his three seasons in Montreal, he played 170 games and put up 119 points. He was traded mid-game to the Calgary Flames after making some comments about playing like losers and the team having a losing mentality.

Related: The Canadiens Wanted to Win for the Centennial

Tyler Toffoli (2020-21 to 2021-22)
It was a short stay in Montreal, but it was a meaningful one. Looking for a contract during the pandemic, Toffoli landed in town as the Canadiens were one of the rare teams who had cash to spend that off-season. In 89 games in Montreal, the left winger put up 70 points. His presence was key during the 2020-21 Stanley Cup run when he gather 14 points in 22 games and scored the overtime goal that sealed the Winnipeg Jets sweep in round 2. His trade marked the official start of the rebuild and was Kent Hughes first meaningful roster move, it was in that deal that he acquired Emil Heineman from the Flames, the pick that would be used to draft Filip Mesar, Tyler Pilick and a 2025 fifth round pick.

Alex Galchenyuk (2012-13 to 2017-18)
Montreal's first round pick and third overall at the 2012 draft was a puzzling case. He showed promise at a young age and picked up three seasons of over 45 points with the Canadiens before he was traded to Arizona for Max Domi. In 418 games with the Habs, Galchenyuk picked up 255 points. The hope was that he would develop into a top-six center for the team, but it never came to be.

The organization's focus on defense for most of this quarter-century was rather evident in the course of conducting this exercise. Picking six blueliners wasn't a tough task, but picking 12 forwards certainly was. I even toyed with the idea of picking Ilya Kovalchuk as a left winger, but given he only wore the Sainte-Flanelle for 22 games, I decided against it.

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