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The Montreal Canadiens made huge strides in 2024-25, rectifying back-to-back-to-back eighth-place finishes in the Atlantic Division by advancing to the postseason for the first time since 2020-21.
Although it ended in disappointment — a five-game exit at the hands of the Eastern Conference-leading Washington Capitals in Round 1 — there is hope in Quebec that this is the start of prolonged success for one of the NHL's most storied franchises.
And according to The Fourth Period's David Pagnotta, the front office will be busy trying to make the roster even better ahead of the 2025-26 campaign.
“They want to be a little bit more physical. They want to be a little beefier in this lineup. And the 2C position is a priority for this club in the offseason,” Pagnotta said in an episode of The Latest on TFP.
“Now we know there are a lot of usual suspects that are out there right now – we’re going to hear some bigger names as the offseason progresses as we get closer to the draft – but what the Canadiens have done in the last little while, the last three years, was strategically utilize their draft capital and their cap space in order to pounce on certain circumstances.
“That’s how they got Patrick Laine; that’s how they got Alex Newhook, and that’s how they got Kirby Dach.”
Dach has struggled to live up to expectations after coming over from the Chicago Blackhawks in a trade. The former third overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft has battled injuries and inconsistent play since the Canadiens acquired him in 2022.
“Dach was supposed to be the 2C guy. That hasn’t worked out; he’s dealing with injuries. They’re going to go out and try to find somebody in that early- to mid-20s range that can fit with the rest of this core,” Pagnotta continued. “They’ve got a lot of cap space to play with over the course of this summer.
“Money’s not going to be an issue for them, and they’re willing to move some of their draft capital and some of their prospects in order to get some immediate help.”
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Still, there are a ton of reasons to get excited about the future of this Canadiens team.
Canadiens have a bright, bright future
Despite the early playoff exit, it was undoubtedly a successful campaign for the Canadiens. Lane Hutson broke onto the scene — and broke countless NHL records — en route to a Calder Trophy nod. He has a great chance to win the award as the league's best rookie.
Ivan Demidov also made an immediate impact after having his KHL contract terminated, recording a goal and an assist in his first game for Montreal and bringing a completely new element to the roster. And the skilled young core — led by the top line of Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky — took another step forward.
“Because of this successful season, because of Ivan Demidov joining the club late, because of the breakout year from the rookie Lane Hutson, likely the rookie of the year, there’s a lot of positivity surrounding this club,” Pagnotta asserted. “The oldest guy at the core is the captain, Nick Suzuki.
“He’s still only 25. So if they can insulate that even further, it’s going to be something that Habs are going to want to do.”
All of the pieces are there for the Canadiens to legitimately compete over the next couple of years, and it'll be interesting to see if the roster can take another step forward in 2025-26.
