If, at the start of the NHL season, someone had said that the Montreal Canadiens would make it all the way to the Eastern Conference Final, there is no way it would not be considered a success. The way the playoff run ended might be considered disappointing, but they were never supposed to make it there. They were the underdogs in all three series.
They surprised many by beating the playoff-tested Tampa Bay Lightning in round one. Round two was thought to be a closer matchup. Two teams with limited playoff experience, but the Canadiens outlasted the Buffalo Sabres, setting up the Eastern Conference Final matchup against the Carolina Hurricanes, who at the time had yet to lose a game in the playoffs. Montreal shocked everyone in Game 1 by upsetting the Hurricanes in a lopsided 6-2 win. That loss lit a flame under the Hurricanes, and they responded by dominating the Canadiens over the next four games, ending Montreal’s season. While the goal is always to win the Stanley Cup, the Canadiens can still evaluate this season as a win.
Canadiens young guns take massive step forward
The Canadiens have one of the youngest rosters in the NHL, and were the youngest team in the playoffs this season. Montreal has a lot of young, talented players, but talent does not always equal success. Cole Caufield always had the potential to be a 50-goal scorer, but had yet to break the 40-goal mark prior to this year. There were points in the season where he could not be denied, finishing with 51 goals, two shy of winning the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy. Nick Suzuki was viewed as a very good centre and maybe a tad underrated, but this season, he cemented himself as one of the best two-way centremen in the NHL. He will likely be taking home the Frank J. Selke Trophy to go along with eclipsing the 100-point mark for the first time in his career.
Juraj Slafkovsky probably has the most raw potential of all the Canadiens young players, and with going first overall in the 2022 draft, he had a lot of pressure coming into this season to live up to the hype. It was a huge step forward for Slafkovsky, registering his first 30-goal and 70-point season of his young career. Lane Hutson, last season, burst onto the scene, setting NHL and franchise records as a rookie, winning the Calder Memorial Trophy. He took his offence to a new level this season, nearly averaging a point per game, 78 points in 82 games. Viewed as one of the best young defencemen in the league, Hutson took his game to a whole new level, establishing himself as one of the best at his position in only year two.
Montreal’s rookie class was the best in the league
Canadiens rookie winger Ivan Demidov had all the attention coming into training camp this year. The 2024 5th overall pick came over from Russia near the end of the 2024-25 season, and in just two games, he showcased the extreme skill he possesses. Coming into this season, Demidov was viewed as the Calder Memorial Trophy frontrunner, and even though he finished second, it had almost nothing to do with his game, but more to do with the historic season of New York Islanders rookie defenceman Matthew Schaefer. Demidov finished the season with 62 points in 82 games, already establishing himself as a crucial member of the Canadiens as a rookie. However, Demidov was not the only Canadiens rookie to perform well this season.
Three Canadiens rookies received votes for the Calder Memorial Trophy. The players who joined Demidov were Oliver Kapanen, who finished 11th, and Jakub Dobes, who finished fourth. The biggest surprise of the group was Kapanen. He made the team out of training camp last season, but after not really impressing, he was loaned to Timra IK in the SHL, where he had a great season. He had 35 points in 36 games, and after the season ended, he rejoined the team for the final stretch and postseason run. Coming into this year, he once again had to earn his spot on the roster, and after impressing in preseason, he once again started the season on the Canadiens roster. He was much better in his second go-around, finishing second in rookie goals with 22. He found the most success this year playing alongside Demidov and Slafkovsky, and for a large chunk of the season, they were the Canadiens' best forward line. His production tailed off near the end of the season, but considering that the most games he has ever played in his hockey career are 55, that could be chalked up to hitting the rookie wall. Dobes, on the other hand, only got better as the season went on.
Dobes came into the season as the Canadiens’ second-choice goaltender. Samuel Montembeault was coming off the best season of his career, and to that point was the team’s unquestioned starting goalie. However, after a rough start to his season, which saw him make a conditioning stint with the Canadiens’ AHL affiliate, Laval Rocket, Montembeault slowly dropped down the pecking order, falling all the way to third-choice goalie by the end of the season. Dobes took advantage of the opportunity to become the Canadiens’ starting goalie. He had an excellent start to the season, winning his first six starts while having a .930 save percentage and a 1.97 goals-against average. Dobes struggled with inconsistency at times this season, to the point Montreal decided to call up top goalie prospect Jacob Fowler. Dobes found his groove again in the final stretch of the season, but nothing could compare to how well he played in the playoffs. The Canadiens do not make it to the Eastern Conference Final without him, and while Fowler was viewed as the future of the Canadiens' goaltending position, Dobes is definitely not going to give that position up without a fight.
The Canadiens may not have capped off the season by winning the Stanley Cup, but it was far from a disappointment. Many of the top players on the team took a massive step forward, and then add the influx of talented rookies, Montreal’s window to win has just begun.
