The Montreal Canadiens prospects pool is arguably the deepest in the entire NHL. With top prospects like Ivan Demidov, Lane Hutson, and David Reinbacher in the system, it’s easy to see why their pool is so well regarded They have depth at just about every position. However, with this depth, some prospects become victims of the numbers game and are ultimately overlooked or forgotten entirely.
Take Mattias Norlinder for example. The Swedish defenseman was once considered the future of the Canadiens blue line but with all the depth at the position he was never able to crack the lineup on a full-time basis. Norlinder has since been filtered out of the Canadiens system and is expected to return to Sweden to continue his playing career. There are several prospects in the Canadiens system that could be at risk of suffering the same fate. Here are three Montreal Canadiens prospects who are currently forgotten about and overlooked within the team’s system.
Forgotten Montreal Canadiens Prospects
Sean Farrell
Once upon a time, Sean Farrell was considered one of, if not the best Canadiens forward prospect. The 22-year-old was drafted in the fourth round in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. His slipping in the draft was in large part due to his height as he stands at only five foot nine. However, many viewed Farrell as a steal and he sought to prove it over the next couple of seasons. He led the USHL in scoring before transitioning to College Hockey where he dominated for Havard for two seasons. Farrell earned some Hobey Baker consideration in his final NCAA season as he finished with 53 points in only 34 games.
It was expected to be an easy transition to pro hockey for Farrell after his domination in college as well as his impressive showing at the men’s worlds. He notched eight points in 20 games over two tournaments for Team USA. Following his final college season, the Canadiens signed Farrell who joined the Habs for their final six games. He looked largely out of place and managed only one point off a fluke shot that found its way home for his first career goal.
Farrell’s Future
This past year Farrell was solid in Laval in his first pro campaign. However, he dealt with injury troubles and was surpassed by Joshua Roy in the depth chart. He has a tremendous hockey IQ but has struggled to bring that to the pro level. We see flashes of it, but the lack of time and space has given him headaches. This mixed with his smaller frame has been a cause for concern. He has been bumped around a bit and suffered several injuries already as a result. If he can adjust to the pace of pro hockey, he has the offensive upside to forge a place in Montreal’s top nine. But for now, Farrell’s future with the Canadiens is in question and he’ll need a big showing at camp to prove he has a place in the team’s future.
Bogdan Konyushkov
The second forgotten Canadiens prospect is a defenceman. Bogdan Konyushkov is a right-shot defenceman hailing from Russia. In his draft year, he played top minutes in the KHL which is rare for an underage defenceman. He has continued to do so for the last two years, racking up 53 points in 129 games from the backend. Konyushkov was drafted in the fourth round of the 2023 draft by Montreal. Konyushkov is a bit undersized at only 5″11 but he still brings an element of physicality to his game. He doesn’t carry immense offensive upside but he does bring some offense to his game as well, He projects as a solid two-way defenseman.
He’s performed well overseas in the second-best league in the world. However, it’s unclear when/if he will come overseas and translate his game to the NHL level. Konnyushkov got off to a hot start this past year but fizzled out offensively as the year drug on. His hype amongst Canadiens fans has also fizzled over the last year. Konyushkov has gotten lost in the plethora of defensemen that Montreal has available to them. He is a right shot which bodes well, but with Reinbacher, Mailloux, and Barron at that position, it’s unclear where Konyushkov fits in long-term. However, teams are always looking for a right-handed defenseman so he could be a solid trade chip moving forward.
Filip Mesar
Juraj Slafkovsky‘s fellow Slovak, Filip Mesar has struggled mightily since coming to North America. He has failed to crack the Rocket lineup in consecutive years. Once sent down, he has barely eclipsed the point-per-game mark over two seasons with the Kitchener Rangers. The first-round pick only two years ago, has failed to produce like a first-round talent.
With prospects up front like Ivan Demidov, Joshua Roy, Owen Beck, Michael Hage, etc, it’s hard to envision a future for Mesar with the team. His mixture of speed and skill is exceptional. His work in transition and the way he uses his skating to create space for himself is impressive. We have seen flashes of his high-level skill at his first training camp with Montreal and at the World Juniors. Mesar fails to show this on a consistent basis however. In a league that he should be dominating, nonetheless. However, unless he can carve out a top-six role it’s doubtful that he has a future with the Canadiens. He currently has three years left on his ELC with the club.
All three of these players’ futures will be dictated by this upcoming season. In the cases of Mesar and Farrell, this may be their last opportunity to impress the Canadiens brass. Many pieces are coming to Montreal as they build for the future. If these three can’t prove themselves in short order, they won’t be amongst them.
Main Photo: Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images
