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LAST SEASON<\/p>\n
The Montreal Canadiens entered the 2025-2026 season with high hopes. After missing three straight playoff appearances, the team registered 40 wins for the first time since 2018-19 in 2024-25. They ultimately lost in the first round against the Washington Capitals <\/a>but it was still a very positive sign of the future for a team with a proud history. This past season, with coach Martin St. Louis running the show, the Habs came third in the Atlantic Division with 48 wins. That was the most the team had since cracking 50 over a decade ago. <\/p>\n Still, the playoffs were going to be a completely different animal, and Montreal entered as the lower seed against Tampa Bay, despite both teams finishing with 106 points. The Habs struck first in the series before both teams ended up trading victories the rest of the way. That resulted in a thrilling Game 7 where Montreal didn\u2019t even get a shot in the second period. The Canadiens were outshot 29-9, but a legendary performance from goaltender Jakub Dobe\u0161 meant the Habs were off to this second round for the first time since 2021. <\/p>\n Montreal then met up with Buffalo<\/a>, who took an early 1-0 series lead. But a pair of victories in Game 2 and Game 3 put the Habs in front before the two teams swapped results the rest of the way. Game 7 required overtime, but Alex Newhook was in the right spot at the right time to send the Canadiens<\/a> to the Eastern Conference Final. Montreal dominated Game 1 against Carolina<\/a>, but their luck ultimately ran out with four consecutive losses to the eventual Stanley Cup champions. <\/p>\n It might have been a disappointing end, but the future looks bright. And, hopefully, the club can continue to build upon that this season.<\/p>\n KEY ADDITIONS & DEPARTURES<\/p>\n Additions<\/p>\n Hunter McKown, C Departures<\/p>\n Joe Veleno, C (NYR) OFFENSE<\/p>\n Montreal\u2019s top three forwards \u2013 Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki and Juraj Slafkovsk\u00fd \u2013 are all coming off career years. After a few seasons wondering when Caufield would break through for 50 goals, he registered 51 to establish himself as one of the league\u2019s most lethal shooters last year. He just missed out on the Rocket Richard, but he\u2019ll be in that conversation again this season. Suzuki, meanwhile, cracked the 100-point barrier for the first time while winning some difficult defensive matchups on a nightly basis. He was Montreal\u2019s MVP last year \u2013 he\u2019s a truly complete center, deserving of your attention (more on that later).<\/p>\n By contrast, both of their seasons makes Slafkovsk\u00fd\u2019s 73-point campaign look pedestrian. But the Slovak star still set career-highs in both goals (30) and total points, further living up to the hype after he went first overall in 2022. Slafkovsk\u00fd\u2019s physical game continues to improve, and he\u2019s difficult to steal the puck off, too.<\/p>\n The arrival of Ivan Demidov excited Habs fans, and he impressed with a 19-goal, 62-point rookie season. Most years, that would have been enough to secure the Calder \u2013 Matthew Schaefer had different plans, though. Demidov will need to continue building out his physical and defensive games, but he already looks like the high-output creative winger many scouts projected him to be.<\/p>\n The Canadiens didn\u2019t do much to address its forward group over the summer, which means having some lackluster center depth. Michael Hage seems primed to earn that No. 2 gig once he finishes at the University of Michigan (perhaps we see him in the playoffs?) but that\u2019ll likely mean either Oliver Kapanen or Jake Evans will handle the duties for now. Evans is a strong defensive center who thrives in a bottom-six role. Kapanen, meanwhile, had 22 goals as a rookie, which was wicked. He\u2019s still a bit inconsistent, but he still performed better than most would have expected out of an under-the-radar first-year NHLer.<\/p>\n Alex Newhook should continue in a second-line role \u2013 and, man, imagine if he can replicate his playoff success. He missed half the season due to injury, but was on pace for over 50 points. Come playoff time, though, he was a whole other beast. The St. John\u2019s, Newfoundland native had six goals over a five-game stretch, which helped eliminate Tampa Bay and gave them key wins over Buffalo. He eventually fell flat against Carolina, but he was absolutely buzzing against Buffalo. If the 2022 Stanley Cup champion can find that momentum again, he\u2019ll be stout.<\/p>\n The rest of Montreal\u2019s bottom-six has a bit of everything. Zach Bolduc brings energy and a decent shot. Josh Anderson loves to bring the boom, and he always gives a full effort, even if he can\u2019t produce as much as he was once capable of. Alexandre Texier should bring some flash to the team\u2019s depth, but don\u2019t expect a ton of points. Phillip Danault is still excellent in the faceoff dot and his own zone, but his offensive game took a large step backward last season.<\/p>\n For years, we wondered when Montreal\u2019s top young talents would take the next step forward offensively. That finally happened. Now it\u2019s time for the rest of the depth to stand up and build one of the toughest teams in the East.<\/p>\n DEFENSE<\/p>\n Let\u2019s start with the obvious: Lane Hutson is the star yet again. As a rookie, his version of defense was controlling the puck so frequently and effectively that opponents couldn\u2019t steal it off him. Last year, though, his defensive metrics were actually among the best in the league, going from a -4.7 defensive GAR in 2024-25 vs. 4 in 2025-26. Hutson is absolutely one of the top candidates for the Norris Trophy<\/a> this year, and should have no problems cracking the 75-point barrier once again. Heck, don\u2019t be surprised if he ends up leading the defenseman scoring race. Just to prove how good Hutson was: his all-strengths goals above replacement of 30.2 <\/a>was lightyears ahead of anyone else on Montreal, with Alex Carrier sitting second at 4.3. And he didn\u2019t miss a single game, either.<\/p>\n Kaiden Guhle has struggled to stay healthy through his career, surpassing the 60-game threshold just once. But when he\u2019s out there, he\u2019s a key part of the team\u2019s success. He\u2019s capable of playing 20 minutes a night and never really looking out of place. He has a solid 6-foot-3 frame that he isn\u2019t afraid to let loose, regardless of competition. He was the only other Canadiens defender outside of Hutson to register a defensive GAR over 0.4 last year, finishing with 1.0. It\u2019s nothing crazy, by any means, but he was solid, nonetheless. <\/p>\n The Canadiens brought in Noah Dobson last summer to provide offense, and he delivered. He finished the regular season with 47 points, giving the Canadiens another puck-mover behind Hutson. He was counted on to be the top offensive defenseman with the New York Islanders in the past, but seemed to play a more rounded role with the Habs last year as he wasn\u2019t relied on in every situation. The Habs are definitely better with Dobson in the lineup than without him. <\/p>\n Mike Matheson\u2019s best days are behind him, but he\u2019s still a solid, two-way veteran defender. He finished with just under 40 points while also being strong defensively and physically. There\u2019s nothing overly flashy about his game, but Matheson\u2019s steady presence is something Habs fans appreciate at this stage of his career, especially given all the trade rumors the past few years.<\/p>\n Going back to Carrier, he had a bit of a roller coaster of a season. He was often criticized for his game-to-game consistency, but, for the most part, he was a steady presence that gave the team some decent depth. The same goes for Jayden Struble, who seemed to really come alive in the second half of the season after not having much of a role to start with early on.<\/p>\n The real wild card is Arber Xhekaj. Fans love him for his physicality, but he wasn\u2019t as impactful this past season. It\u2019s hard to justify a full-time role for him at this point, despite being a fan favorite. With David Reinbacher and Adam Engstr\u00f6m breathing down his neck, Xhekaj needs a huge training camp to salvage his time in the 514.<\/p>\n The Canadiens finished 18th in shots per game<\/a> last year at 27.8. That\u2019s about average when you consider one fewer shot a game would have put them 10th. There\u2019s still room for this group to grow, but given that one of the team\u2019s top blueliners \u2013 Guhle \u2013 missed half the season, we\u2019ll give them some leniency here. Let\u2019s see if the young group can take another step forward.<\/p>\n GOALTENDING<\/p>\n Jakub Dobe\u0161 went from an underrated rookie backup to one of the key reasons why the Canadiens found themselves battling for a Stanley Cup Final berth last season. He was incredible after the Olympic break, going 11-5 with a surface-level .916 save percentage, while also sitting top 10 in most major analytical categories. He only lost two regulation games in a row once during the regular season, and that ability to bounce-back after a loss<\/a> made him so dangerous. Is it a crazy thought to consider him a legitimate Vezina Trophy candidate<\/a> this year? Maybe we\u2019re jumping the gun a little too early here, but his competitive nature and great glove hand is something goalie coaches are actively trying to instil into young goalies.<\/p>\n If all else fails, Jacob Fowler is ready for the big show. Fowler enters the 2026-27 season as the top goaltending prospect in the world. At 21 years old, he earned his first NHL call up and didn\u2019t disappoint, essentially helping to push former starter Samuel Montembeault out of a job. Fowler is applauded for his incredible play reads, quick movements and fantastic hands and skating. Fowler is easily the most skilled Canadiens goalie prospect they\u2019ve had in close to 20 years. Dobe\u0161 might look like a legit No. 1 goalie, and could be for a few years. But Fowler is going to push him every single night \u2013 and that\u2019s huge.\u00a0<\/p>\n Speaking of Montembeault, what does the club do with him? The 29-year-old veteran had some outstanding underlying numbers for a few years, but left so much to be desired this past year (and ultimately lost out on an Olympic roster spot). The B\u00e9cancour, Quebec native has another year on his contract at $3.15 million<\/a>, which isn\u2019t a huge hit for another team to take on via trade (or even claim him on waivers). The Canadiens won\u2019t want him sitting around every night, and that\u2019s not fair to the pending UFA, either. Don\u2019t be surprised if he\u2019s on the move during training camp.<\/p>\n The Canadiens only have one other goalie signed throughout the system<\/a>: veteran Kaapo K\u00e4hk\u00f6nen. The 30-year-old showed some real promise in San Jose and Minnesota about half a decade ago, but has primarily plied his trade in the AHL. He was solid last year in Laval and will continue to handle starting duties there, but he\u2019s capable of stealing a game or two if needed in the NHL.<\/p>\n COACHING<\/p>\n When Martin St. Louis took over, the Canadiens were fresh into their rebuild, and his job was to get the most out of his young players. He made the playoffs in his third full year as coach and took another step forward with the two playoff round victories last season. By all accounts, it\u2019s been a successful run for the Hockey Hall of Famer who had no previous NHL coaching experience before taking the gig at the Bell Centre.<\/p>\n St. Louis has often been cited as one of the better mentors for his ability to build confidence in his young stars and it\u2019s really starting to pay off. But even the younger players are starting to reach veteran status at this point, so it\u2019s up to St. Louis to help bring this group to the next stage. They\u2019re obviously a playoff contender, but now they need to become a true Stanley Cup threat. As Montreal continues to battle with the game\u2019s elite, decisions are going to be heavily scrutinized if things fall apart. Expectations are always high in Montreal, and after last year\u2019s run, that\u2019s not going to change. So far, St. Louis hasn\u2019t met a challenge he hasn\u2019t been able to deal with, but it\u2019s only going to get harder from here. Let\u2019s see if he\u2019s up for it.<\/p>\n ROOKIES<\/p>\n
Samuel Poulin, LW
Brett Berard, LW
Sasha Pastujov, RW
Reilly Walsh, D
Ethan Samson, D
Maksymilian Szuber, D<\/p>\n
Sean Farrell, C (ANA)
Brendan Gallagher, RW (VAN)
Sammy Blais, LW (OTT)
Luke Tuch, LW (CBJ)
Joshua Roy, LW (UTA)
William Trudeau, D (NYR)
Marc Del Gaizo, D (NYR)<\/p>\n
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