At this time last year, the Montreal Canadiens were a team most people believed was still elbow-deep in a ground-up rebuild. And while management famously quipped that they hoped to be “in the mix” during the 2024-25 season, almost nobody predicted the Habs’ progress would result in the playoff spot they earned by virtue of posting the 91 points required to claim the final berth in the Eastern Conference.
To be sure, this team is ahead of schedule. Now, the challenge is to stay on track and take meaningful strides toward its ultimate goal of being a Stanley Cup contender year-over-year.
A cynic might suggest, after a year of overachieving, Montreal is primed for a step back. After all, this team was 8-13-3 after 24 games last year, a record that gave it the second-worst points percentage in the league with more than a quarter of the season.
But this young squad proved resilient numerous times last season, and by no means did Montreal roll over to the Washington Capitals in Round 1 during a five-game loss.
Nick Suzuki proved once and for all he’s a No. 1 centre; Lane Hutson dazzled on his way to a Calder Trophy showing and several contributors — from 37-goal scorer Cole Caufield to Canadian 4 Nations Face-Off goalie Sam Montembeault — continued to make the case for themselves as key pieces of a winning puzzle.
After an off-season in which the Canadiens added more skill, there’s reason to believe Montreal should be better — not worse — than it was last season.
Of course, the stakes only get higher from here.
Our look at 32 teams in 32 days continues with the on-the-rise Montreal Canadiens.
Newcomer to watch: Noah Dobson
The biggest NHL trade of the summer saw Montreal swoop in and spend two 2025 first-round picks — plus a very useful player in Emil Heineman — for Noah Dobson, who finished eighth in Norris Trophy voting after a 70-point season in 2023-24. Dobson may not be a perfect defenceman, but when you get the chance to acquire a 25-year-old, six-foot-four, right-shot defenceman, you pull the trigger. And, in the case of Montreal, you also immediately lock him up to an eight-year contract.
Put Dobson in the same top four with Hutson, and the Canadiens have a serious puck mover on each of their top two pairs. If Hutson remains the only defenceman on the first power-play unit, Dobson might be hard-pressed to push back toward that 70-point barrier he hit a couple years ago. That said, he figures to be a major part of a blueline that’s starting to look like a real strength of this club.
Under-the-radar player to watch: Alex Newhook
This will be Year 3 for Newhook in Montreal and it’s fair to say he’s fallen short of expectations. That said, he’s only 24 and Newhook has demonstrated some positive attributes while posting back-to-back 15-goal seasons.
With the departure of Christan Dvorak as a UFA, the Habs are very light on left-shot centres. That’s why they brought in local boy Joe Veleno on a cheap, one-year deal this summer. As a lefty, Newhook could also figure into the middle mix. In fact, it’s not inconceivable he could get a peek as the 2C if Kirby Dach cannot seize that role in what’s surely his final chance to do so. Newhook could also see time in a new role as a penalty killer because the Canadiens lost two guys — Dvorak and Joel Armia — who did a lot of that dirty work last season.
Top prospect: Ivan Demidov
Consecutive Calder Trophies in Quebec? It’s a real possibility.
Hutson’s rookie-of-the-year showing came in the face of much skepticism about the little guy’s ability to handle the big show. Ivan Demidov will hit the ice with basically zero doubt he can be an impact NHLer right away.
Demidov, of course, arrived in Montreal to much fanfare at the end of last season and electrified the Bell Centre with a goal and assist in his first period of NHL hockey. Even if he never again reached those highs through five more periods of regular-season action and five more tough post-season contests, there’s a lot to get excited about.
Demidov is a skilled winger who will get a crack on the second line — and possibly first power-play unit — right away. The NHL is an adjustment for even the most talented rookie, but it would surprise no one to see this 19-year-old Russian push toward 70 points.
1. Can the Canadiens find themselves a 2C?
The glaring hole on this club is right in the middle of the second line. And, from Kirby Dach finally staying healthy and taking hold of the job to the dream scenario of trading for Sidney Crosby, none of the solutions seem all that realistic.
Dach looked the part for 58 games three years ago, after the Canadiens acquired him from Chicago. Since then, though, it’s been an endless string of serious injuries and disappointing play.
If Dach isn’t the guy, there’s not really anybody on the team who jumps off the page as a strong next-man-up candidate. As noted, Newhook could get a run there, but he presents more like a good third-liner as opposed to somebody who can drive the second line.
Should the Canadiens search outside the organization for help, Habs fans will be hoping the Crosby fantasies become reality. That fit remains an extreme longshot, however, especially after Crosby spoke to reporters in Pittsburgh on Monday and said, “This is where I want to be. I love it here.”
Regardless, unless Dach suddenly becomes the best version of himself in Year 4 with the Habs, expect Montreal to be closely linked to any pivot who may find his name on early-season trade boards.
2. Will Juraj Slafkovsky start strong and make a big leap?
The first-overall pick from 2022 finished last season with 51 points, one more than the 50 he ended his sophomore campaign with. In both cases, Slafkovsky was sleepwalking for big portions of the first 41 games before cranking it up in the second half.
As an entrenched member on the first line with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield, the Habs need Slafkovsky — still just 21 years old — to be the game-changing presence he can be right out of the gate.
For all the positive developments in Montreal, this team still skews on the small side. Every club in the league could use what the six-foot-three Slafkovsky can bring, but it’s even more true for a Canadiens club that’s shown it has the stuff to be a good regular season team and is now trying to demonstrate it can succeed in the big, nasty playoffs.
3. How will a crowded blueline scene shakeout?
There’s lots of excitement for what the Canadiens defence corps could develop into, and rightfully so.
It will, however, be interesting to see precisely how the pieces fit coming out of training camp.
Hutson will have to show his Calder showing was no fluke and Dobson must adjust to a new situation and big expectations, but the potential is there for a brilliant 1-2 puck-moving duo on the first and second pairs.
Kaiden Guhle will be a key player for this team for a long time and crafty righty Alexandre Carrier figures to be on the scene for at least a couple more years.
Where things get interesting, though, is at the back end of the blueline.
Mike Matheson — who had 62 points in 2023-24 — was bumped off PP1 by Hutson last season and lands farther down the depth chart with the arrival of Dobson. Matheson still played huge minutes for the Canadiens last season, but he’s a pending-UFA who might feel as though his puck-moving abilities are a bit buried on Montreal.
One way or another, there’s certainly a role for Matheson within the Habs’ top six; can the same be said for Arber Xhekaj? If the Canadiens want to be tougher, Xhekaj can go a long way toward helping in that department, but he’s yet to earn coach Martin St. Louis’ trust to the point Xhekaj is a no-doubt, 82-game player.
Then there’s rookie David Reinbacher. With Demidov dominating all the prospect hype, it’s easy to overlook Reinbacher. However, the fifth-overall pick from 2023 plays a smart, efficient game in a six-foot-two, right-shot package. Should he crack the Canadiens, the right side of the blueline would be set for some time with Dobson, Carrier and Reinbacher.
Throw in hard-nosed Jayden Struble, and there certainly seems like more capable bodies than roles to go around on the back end.
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