Ranking debate turns to Montreal, Canadiens place two under-23 players in The Athletic’s top 10

The Montreal Canadiens have long leaned on the idea that their pipeline is not just deep but thoughtfully built. On Tuesday, Yahoo Sports highlighted a new list from The Athletic that ranks players under 23, noting that the Canadiens placed two players inside the top 10. The framing matters because these rankings are often treated as a shorthand for team direction, projecting who could carry value into the prime years of a roster.

The specific question raised is whether the two Canadiens in the top 10 are the “right ones.” That kind of critique is common when analysts and fans compare their own internal valuations against a public methodology. The Athletic’s ranking is typically built to evaluate current impact and near-term trajectory, so Montreal’s presence at the upper end suggests the organization’s current talent pool is not only promising but already generating measurable momentum.

The Yahoo Sports piece also ties the ranking back to the Canadiens’ broader organizational posture under general manager Kent Hughes. In other words, it is not only about who might develop later, it is about whether the team’s present construction includes players who can rise quickly and influence outcomes. That is a key distinction for teams in the NHL, where rosters are asked to balance growth with the realities of games that matter immediately.

Because the Yahoo report is built around a ranking snapshot rather than a season-long statistical review, it is worth emphasizing what the list can and cannot prove. A top 10 placement under age 23 is not the same as a confirmed ceiling, and rankings can reflect role, opportunity, and scouting consensus as much as raw performance. Still, when a team places multiple players in the same age-window that high, it points to repeatable development rather than isolated hits.

For Montreal, the practical takeaway is how these rankings can shape internal priorities. If the top 10 players align with the Canadiens’ expected core, it reinforces the comfort level with the team’s current player-development track. If they do not match widely held expectations, it can also be read as a report that the organization sees value in traits and profiles that may not be obvious from casual observation. Either way, the list becomes a conversation about who the Canadiens should lean on as they move from “building” to “competing with purpose.”

What to watch next is whether the Canadiens’ most relevant young players turn the ranking momentum into expanded ice time, bigger responsibilities, and more consistent production once the regular schedule begins. The ranking can create a spotlight, but the season itself decides how sustainable the development looks. For fans, the debate is likely to intensify as people compare the two top-10 names from the list with what the Canadiens roster uses them for, and whether those roles grow as the year moves forward.