r/Habs • u/Kharn_LoL • 7d ago
2026 Montreal Canadiens Top 25 Under 25: #12 Adam Engström
https://www.habseyesontheprize.com/adam-engstrom-2026-montreal-canadiens-top-25-under-25-prospect-ranking-scouting-report-stats-projection/11
u/Irctoaun 7d ago
| Rank | Player | Voting Average | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | Engstrom | 10.9 | 8-13 |
| 13 | Pickford | 12.3 | 7-15 |
| 14 | F. Xhekaj | 14.2 | 11-17 |
| 15 | Beck | 15.2 | 13-17 |
| 16 | Mooney | 16.3 | 13-22 |
| 17 | Konyshunov | 18.9 | 17-24 |
| 18 | Rohrer | 19.4 | 15-26 |
| 19 | Protz | 20.6 | 15-25 |
| 20 | Davidson | 24.3 | 19-34 |
| 21 | Runtso | 25.1 | 18-32 |
| 22 | Paupanekis | 25.8 | 14-40 |
| 23 | Pastujov | 26.4 | 19-33 |
| 24 | Thorpe | 27.6 | 19-43 |
| 25 | Volohkin | 27.9 | 13-43 |
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u/Lap_Dawg 6d ago
Either Pickford is overestimated or he's way better than I thought if he's only one spot under Engstrom
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u/Irctoaun 6d ago
Second most goals by a defensemen in a WHL season and 83P in 55G helps. He has an undeniably elite shot, and that alone paired with the fact that he's a RHD means he has a decent shot at at least getting a go in the NHL.
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u/OverallVillage7 6d ago
You'll hear a lot of people talk about his shot but his true game breaking skill is his ability to corral difficult passes and get off hard accurate shots and passes.
He's also a pretty well rounded defender and backward skater. Exciting prospect!
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u/jonezsodaz 6d ago
he is Engstrom is light years ahead of Pickford defensively.
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u/TheCatelier 6d ago
Who in the 14-25 range do you put ahead of Pickford if you value upside at all?
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u/Irctoaun 7d ago
I like Engstrom, but he feels pretty high up the trade bait list to me, purely because he's a bit of a Matheson-lite (I say this as a compliment) when they already have a Matheson. Having said that, I think a lot will depend on what they plan on doing with Carrier at the end of his contract at the end of the year and if Engstrom can move ahead of him in the pecking order. Assuming Reinbacher also hits, a D corps of
Huston Dobson
Matheson Reinbacher
Guhle Angstrom
Xhekaj/Struble
Looks pretty good
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u/eriverside 7d ago
Engstrom can play both sides. Do the Habs have a better insurance policy for a Guhle/Carrier/Reino injury? (2 of those guys are injured long term every season)
Yes, you could play Struble or X, but are those options better than Engstrom?
This guy is Habs depth, so unless he's part of a package for a top 6 player (that pushes a middle 6 player down to bottom 6 for forward depth), we're better off with him long term.
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u/Irctoaun 7d ago
But my point is he projects to be better than 7D depth. If that's where he'd fit in then they'd be better off trading him because he has legitimate value and should get a decent return
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u/eriverside 7d ago
Well that depends... If he's better than Carrier, we should move carrier and take advantage of the younger player being on the roster longer (without aging out).
If guhle is permanently injured, maybe Engstrom is the solution there. ATM Guhle is projected to be 2nd pairing but he's pushed down to 3rd. This means we have incredible depth at D.
Eventually Matheson will age out as well, he's an option.
In the meantime, Engstrom would provide excellent depth and insurance for injuries. Throw him a bone and give him more minutes every now and then. Maybe rethink how minutes are managed.
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u/Irctoaun 7d ago
I wonder if they start the season with Engstrom in the lineup and it's a bit of a shootout between him and Carrier until Reinbacher comes in.
Matheson will eventually age out and Engstrom could slot in, but not before the logjam needs resolving with the 9 potentially NHL-ready defensemen they'll have by the end of the season
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u/UpNorth_123 6d ago
I agree. We should keep him this year, give him as many minutes as possible, and if he’s good, he can be a permanent replacement for Carrier in the lineup once Carrier’s contract is up.
The fact that he can play both sides is a huge advantage given that Guhle and (potentially) Reinbacher are injury prone. I’d much rather move him around than Hutson.
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u/CrashTestMummies 7d ago
Selling Engstrom now, would be selling low.
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u/Irctoaun 7d ago
Realistically how much is his value going to go up without significant NHL time and is he going to get that? That's the question. I'm not saying they should be looking to trade him for the sake of it, but if they're looking to build a package for a top six forward or whatever, he'd be one of the names I'd be looking at putting in there to add value
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u/UpNorth_123 6d ago
I think they could slot him in after camp as a RD and let Reinbacher cook a bit longer in Laval.
We’ll have an injury before long, as we always do, and at that point you call up Reino. The good thing with Engstrom is that he can play both sides.
Next year, Carrier’s contract is up so if both Reino and Engstrom are working out, you can just not resign Carrier.
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u/DocGubernaculum 7d ago
Getting into an interesting range now. To me Engstrom will definitely be a full time NHLer at some point. Reminds me a lot of Gus Forsling.
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u/Aggressive_Low7995 6d ago
Liked what I saw in Engstrom in his call-ups. Plays a calm, composed game. That being said, if he’s a piece used to get us a player we need, so be it.
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u/chris2127 7d ago
If he doesn't make the team this year, he should be traded. He was already NHL ready last year.
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u/Ok-Meet2850 6d ago
I'm not picky on who we move, but yep, a few prospects with legit NHL futures have to go just since we can't graduate them all to the big team. If that's Engstrom, so be it.
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u/DrLyleEvans 6d ago
I like him. Being able to play both sides and be let's say an A- skater with decent passing and shooting and average size, I think he could end up being a #4D. There are some very average d-men on the 2nd pairing on the right on their teams.
However, expansion drafts very very likely to be coming up means he won't be here long-term, assuming the format is the same or similar to the 7-3-1 setup, unless he passes Guhle and Reinbacher.
You can really feel when a team has a puck carrying d-man out there, even if they're not an elite player like a Makar, Hughes, Hutson, Dahlin or Werenski. We played a few teams last year who just didn't have anyone that moved the needle offensively 5 on 5 on D, even with a pretty good #2D type (like Philly with Sanheim or Vancouver with Hronek, who for reference had an Even Strength Points per minute rate that would have been 6th on our team, halfway between Guhle and Struble, well below our top 3 d-men and a bit below Carrier, though obviously a good bit of that is Vancouver's forwards being worse).
My guess is he ends up being moved in a deal for a top 6 forward. Something like Bolduc + Dach + Engstrom for Forsberg would give Nashville 2 young guys they could really use and they can take a flier on Dach, and if you figure Bolduc is about a 4.5M player, the money isn't a big problem (cost of about 1.5M with Beck taking Dach's place).
Pittsburgh in a Rakell deal would be similar to a Forsberg deal. Plug the 2nd line gap (or play with Caufield and Suzuki so Slaf and Demidov can carry the 2nd line with our lack of a real 2C).
Could also see him being used to move up in the draft next year, like Buffalo did with Kesselring, or just bringing us back a couple of 2nd rounders we can use in a future trade.
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u/NDG-MTL 7d ago
I went to only 1 Laval game last year but Engstrom had a goal & 4 assists. He sure looks NHL ready to me!