Canadiens Lineup Analysis: Five Line Options Including Kreider

The Montreal Canadiens recently acquired veteran forward Chris Kreider, bringing depth and veteran presence to their forward line. With Kreider on board, there are several potential line combinations to consider. One straightforward option is to have Kreider on the second line with Oliver Kapanen and Ivan Demidov. Despite Demidov and Kapanen's lower underlying numbers, Kreider's solid production and veteran presence make him a valuable addition.

However, this setup would move Alexandre Texier to the fourth line, diminishing his impact and leaving Alex Newhook on the third line with two less offensive players.

Another option is to promote Texier to the third line and move Newhook to center, strengthening the top nine. Bolduc would also move up to the third line, while Josh Anderson would pair with Evans and Danault on the fourth line. This setup could serve as Montreal's top shutdown trio on the fourth line.

A third option is to place Kreider and Newhook in the top six while Kapanen shifts down to the fourth line. This would allow St-Louis to spread the talent throughout the lineup while maintaining a solid shutdown trio.

Finally, there is a possibility that St-Louis may break up the dominant top line of Suzuki, Slafkovsky, and Caufield to promote Kreider or Demidov to the top line. While this is the most chaotic option, it also reveals that the Canadiens now have a range of line combinations to choose from.