The Canadiens’ first five games have already produced a little of everything: a season-opening win over Toronto, a comeback attempt that fell just short in Pittsburgh, a pair of home losses that stung, and then a Saturday night finish that needed a shootout to settle after regulation and overtime both came and went scoreless.
That start has left Montreal at 2-2-1, but it has also created a pretty clear split between the players who have surged early and the ones who need to find another gear.
Zachary Bolduc has been one of the biggest bright spots. After Nick Suzuki, there’s a strong argument that Bolduc has been Montreal’s best forward so far.
He has three goals through five games, and that number could have been even higher since one of his tallies was waved off against Detroit. He made sure not to leave anything to chance on Saturday, scoring the only shootout goal for either side and sealing the win for Montreal.
He’s on pace for more than 50 goals, a number that almost certainly won’t hold, but it does underline how strong his start has been. His previous career high was 19 in 2024-25, and he’s already looking like a player who could blow past that.
For a guy on a new four-year contract, this is exactly the kind of start that makes a deal look smart fast.
Josh Anderson has been right there among the early winners too. He has three points in five games, with one goal and two assists, and that puts him on pace to threaten his career best.
After three straight seasons under 30 points, even getting closer to 40 would be a meaningful boost for this group. Montreal has also leaned on him to help fill the void left by the injured Ivan Demidov, and in the last two games he has taken over that second-line role.
His ice time has climbed from roughly 12 minutes a night in the first three games to closer to 15 over the last two, and he has piled up seven hits in that stretch after recording seven in the first three.
On the blue line, Adam Engstrom has made the most of an unexpected opening. Montreal started the season by sending David Reinbacher to Laval, and Engstrom jumped into the mix.
His play has likely been part of the reason the Canadiens traded Jayden Struble to Nashville last week. Even with just two games under his belt, Engstrom is already showing well in the underlying numbers: top five on the team in CF% at 61.11%, xGF% at 62.2%, and leading the Canadiens in Scoring Chances For % at 81.25%, according to Natural Stat Trick.
Montreal may still need to sort out the pairings, but Engstrom has done enough to earn his place.
Jacob Fowler has also forced the team’s hand. Montreal initially sent him to Laval because there simply wasn’t room with Jakub Dobes and Samuel Montembeault already on the roster.
But Montembeault’s practice injury changed the picture, and Fowler got his shot. In two starts, he’s 1-1 with a 1.46 goals-against average and a .938 save percentage, numbers that were boosted by a shutout win against the Red Wings.
The Canadiens will have to send him back down once Montembeault is healthy, but they probably won’t be able to keep him in Laval for long.
Not everyone has come out of the gate cleanly, though. Kirby Dach falls firmly in the other category.
He opened the season with an assist and two hits against Toronto, but since then the production and impact have dipped. He’s minus-3 over the stretch, and his ice time has dropped in each of the last four games, from 11:40 against Pittsburgh to just 7:35 against the Red Wings.
Montreal started him on the second line in Ivan Demidov’s place, but the fit didn’t hold, and Josh Anderson eventually slid into that role instead. At this point, the pairing of Dach and the Canadiens doesn’t appear to be working, and the source report suggests he likely will be moved before the end of the season.
Juraj Slafkovsky is another name on the list of early disappointments, even if there’s no panic button being pushed. He came into the season after a breakout year that included his first 30-goal campaign and near point-per-game production.
He opened alongside Ivan Demidov on the second line, and that combination had its moments. After Demidov’s injury, the coaching staff moved Slafkovsky back to the top line with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield, but the goals still haven’t followed.
He has just one through five games and is sitting on a career-low 6.7% shooting percentage. The start hasn’t matched the expectations, and while it’s too early to overreact, Montreal would have liked to see more from him with Demidov out.
For all the swings in the first five games, the Canadiens have still uncovered more encouraging than discouraging. And even with the 2-2-1 record, there’s enough early momentum here to give Montreal optimism as the 2026-27 season gets rolling.
In Other News...
Canadiens Goaltending Pressure Grows After Stunning Hellebuyck Trade Rumor
Elliotte Friedmans reporting on a potential Connor Hellebuyck blockbuster has only added another layer to the goaltending chatter around the league, and it is the kind of rumor that naturally gets attention in Montreal too. According to Friedman, the Panthers reportedly floated a hefty package to the Jets for the star netminder, a sign of just how aggressively clubs continue to chase certainty in goal even after the offseason dust starts to settle.
Florida has since steadied itself with Jacob Markstrom and Akira Schmid, but Winnipegs side of the equation still feels very much open-ended. Friedman said the offer was still available as of June, which keeps the story alive and keeps the pressure on teams like the Canadiens, who are watching a market where one big move can change the complexion of the conversation fast. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Face A Tough Three-Game Week With Lineup Questions
The Canadiens are heading into a tricky three-game week with their schedule and their health both working against them. Montreal plays Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday, with the first two games coming on back-to-back nights and the opener arriving on an earlier-than-usual 6:30 p.m. start before a 7:30 p.m. puck drop Wednesday and a 7 p.m. game Saturday.
At 2-2-1, the margin for error is already thin, and the lineup questions only add to the pressure on a group trying to settle in early. Florian Xhekaj, Oliver Kapanen and Mike Matheson are among the players creating uncertainty as the Canadiens try to navigate a demanding stretch without much time to reset between games. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Face A Costly Dylan Larkin Dilemma Kent Hughes Can't Ignore
Talk around Dylan Larkin has picked up again, and the asking price only reinforces why these conversations rarely go anywhere quickly. According to reports from Michael Russo and Pierre LeBrun, the Minnesota Wild would need to part with a young prospect such as Danila Yurov or Charlie Stramel to get Detroit to even consider moving their captain, while the Wild have no appetite for including an established defender like Jonas Brodin.
For Montreal, that kind of framework matters because it hints at how steep the market would be before the Canadiens even get to the hardest part of the equation. Kent Hughes can check in, but the real obstacle may be getting Larkin's side to view Montreal as the right landing spot, and until that changes, the Canadiens are stuck watching a chase that looks expensive long before it looks realistic. [Read more 🡒]