Last season, the Montreal Canadiens came out of nowhere to make the playoffs as a wild card. The Canadiens are in a good position to do the same thing this season and they have upgraded the roster with the addition of some young players ready to step in. Montreal head coach Martin St. Louis guided his team to a surprising finish, but he knows this team is capable of doing more. Can Montreal take a big step and challenge for the division title?
Offseason gives Canadiens room to grow with additions
Last season, the Canadiens finished 40-31-11 for 91 points and earned the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. They were 7-1-2 in their last 10 regular season games and got going into their second season. Their quest did not last long, as they were eliminated in the first round by the Washington Capitals four games to one. It was a miserable finish to the season, but the Canadiens were only getting started.
The offseason gave Montreal opportunities to strengthen this roster and achieve greater heights this upcoming season. GM Kent HUghes saw an opportunity to continue to grow and add to this roster without giving up much. He traded Emil Heineman and two first-round draft picks to the New York Islanders for defenseman Noah Dobson, who had 39 points (10 goals and 29 assists) in 71 games. Dobson upgrades the defense and gives them a legit offensive weapon alongside second-year defenseman Lane Hutson.
Hughes also upgraded his forward group, acquiring forward Zach Bolduc from the St. Louis Blues for defenseman Logan Mailloux. Bolduc strengthens the bottom six and the penaqlty kill. he had 19 goals and 17 assists for 36 points in 72 games. Also added as a free agent was center Joe Veleno, who produced eight goals and nine assists for 17 points in 74 games with the Chicago Blackhawks.
Bolduc and Dobson not only give the Canadiens a boost in the lineup but they also add an offensive element that was not there before. These additions make the power play and penalty kill more lethal entering the new season.
Young players need to step up
One key piece in how the 2025-26 season goes for Montreal is how the developemnt of their yung stars goes. Several players are entering their young careers this season while a couple of players have already made an impact. Goaltender Jacob Dobes and forward Ivan Demidov played last season and gave hope to the Canadiens' future. Dobes provided solid goaltending at a young age and Demidov displayed incredible offensive moves in a short time. Dobes (7-4-3, ,909 save percentage, 2.74 goals against average, 1 shutout) will look to get more starts as he is bright spot in the Montreal crease. Demidov (one goal and one assists in two games) will be one to watch as he enters his first full season in the NHL and already has people talking about his skill set.
Two more younger players to watch as training camp approaches are forward Owen Beck and defenseman David Reinbacher. Beck saw 12 games with the Canadiens and had only one assist but looked sharp in all three zones. If he can get his game together and make the roster they add an offensive weapon at no charge. Reinbacher played last season with the Laval Rocket of the American Hockey League and impressed during his short stint. In 12 Laval games, he posted two goals and three assists for five games and dispalyed sharp passing to go along with his offensive wizardry. If he can make the team out of training camp he gives Montreal three offensive defenseman who can change the game.
Montreal has a lot going for them after last season. They did not go far in the playoffs but added three quality pieces to the roster with Beck and Reinbacher knocking on the door. If Montreal can play as well as last season and get production out of the players listed above they can certainly contend for a division title. Demidov is a star in the making and pulls it out offensively to win the Calder Trophy for the league's best rookie.