David Kirouac-Imagn Images
The Montreal Canadiens are off to a feisty and competitive start to the season, which is exactly what they need as they enter a new phase.
The Canadiens have already beaten the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators, two solid teams. So it’s natural that Canadiens fans are hoping for the best – in other words, a start like the Philadelphia Flyers had last season when they surged unexpectedly to a top-three spot in their division in the first half of the season.
Of course, the Flyers did crash down to earth and wound up on the outside of the playoff picture by the season’s end. In many respects, their season was still very positive, as they played meaningful games in a way many didn’t expect they would. Montreal could mirror the Flyers’ trajectory this season.
Don’t get it twisted – the Canadiens still have a long shot of making the playoffs this year. In the ultra-competitive Atlantic Division, we predicted they’d finish last. We’re still of that opinion. Losing to the Pittsburgh Penguins and Los Angeles Kings might have put a bit of a damper on things.
But the fight they’ve put up under coach Martin St-Louis is noteworthy. If Montreal can push into the mid-to-lower tier of the Atlantic, St-Louis should get votes for the Jack Adams Award as the NHL’s coach of the year.
The Habs don’t need to make the playoffs to show progress in the full rebuild the team underwent beginning in 2021. They may not have a generational superstar like Chicago’s Connor Bedard and San Jose’s Macklin Celebrini, but the Canadiens do have upper-level talent – Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky, Nick Suzuki – and promising youngsters on the way in 2024 picks Ivan Demidov and Michael Hage.
Montreal GM Kent Hughes has been patient with the rebuild, but adding veteran sniper Patrik Laine indicates the Canadiens are moving into a different phase of their rebuild. To be sure, the Canadiens should not rush their rebuild by trading too many of their high draft picks or prospects for veterans, but they do appear to be on the climb from a roster teardown. That’s what makes them different than the Calgary Flames, which have a 4-0-0 start but need to pick a direction instead of trying to stay in the middle.
This new phase took a hit with the injury to Laine, but Montreal still has great talents for St-Louis to work with. All that really matters for the Canadiens is consistent competitiveness to develop their younger players and build a winning mindset. That’s a realistic goal, and the Habs can strive to reach it so long as the injury bug doesn’t take more bites out of the lineup.
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One day, relatively soon, the Canadiens will leap to the next level and be a playoff team year in and year out. That day isn’t likely to come this season, but Montreal fans have every right to feel good about the team and its current place in the NHL food chain.
The road from a full rebuild to a Stanley Cup front-runner is a long and bumpy one, and Montreal wouldn’t be the first team to lurch forward and then take a lateral step or a small step backward. Just ask the Buffalo Sabres and Senators – they had setbacks last season after coming close to the post-season in 2022-23 and adding veterans. Progress isn’t always linear, which is why the Canadiens and their fans can take solace in the steps they’ve already taken.
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