The Montreal Canadiens are heading into the new season with a familiar problem that suddenly looks a lot bigger: the Atlantic Division isn’t giving anybody room to breathe.
That’s the backdrop for Martin St-Louis and his group, even before the first puck drops. The division was already packed, and now it has tightened up even more as rivals around Montreal have made their moves.
The bigger issue for the Canadiens is that they haven’t really answered their own questions yet. Kent Hughes has not made a move to upgrade the roster, while several teams in the division have clearly added to theirs.
The Florida Panthers and Toronto Maple Leafs, who finished near the bottom last season, both landed major acquisitions. The Boston Bruins also quietly improved.
The Tampa Bay Lightning, meanwhile, basically kept things as they were after finishing second with 106 points.
Montreal, of course, also finished with 106 points before its long run to the Eastern Conference Final. The expectation is that the young core will keep growing. But that alone may not be enough to stay in the race the way this division is shaping up.
The Canadiens still have some obvious holes. There’s no true second-line center, no high-end winger to skate with Ivan Demidov, and no top-4 right-shot defenseman. On top of that, the team lost Brendan Gallagher, Patrik Laine and Joe Veleno without bringing in replacements.
That leaves Montreal in a spot where internal improvement has to do a lot of heavy lifting.
Karine Hains’ projected standings reflect just how tight the Atlantic could be:
Florida Panthers
Tampa Bay Lightning
Montreal Canadiens
Toronto Maple Leafs
Boston Bruins
Buffalo Sabres
Ottawa Senators
Detroit Red Wings
The real fight, as it stands, could come down to Montreal, Toronto and Boston, with very little separating the three. For St-Louis, that means the margin for error is tiny. If things start going sideways, the pressure could build fast.
In Other News...
Canadiens May Have Found A Trade Fit In Calgarys Rebuild
The Canadiens spent much of the offseason looking at ways to add another forward, and Calgarys situation has naturally come into focus as the Flames continue to reshape their roster. One player drawing interest is a center who just put together a career-best season with 22 goals and 43 points, a kind of production that stands out even more on a team in transition. For Montreal, the appeal is obvious: a player still in a useful age range, coming off his best year, and potentially available as Calgary retools.
What makes the possibility more intriguing is the timing. The Flames are in rebuild mode, which can open the door to moves that help both sides, especially when a player is approaching a key contract decision and may not be part of the long-term plan. For the Canadiens, the question is whether this becomes a true trade fit before the 2026-27 season, or just another name that makes sense on paper while the market sorts itself out. [Read more 🡒]
Patrick Roy Just Stirred Up A Canadiens Dream Fans Still Feel
Patrick Roys appearance at the Serge Savard Invitational at Le Mirage Golf Club gave Canadiens fans another reminder of how deeply his name remains tied to the franchises history. He was there alongside former Montreal players Stphane Richer and Sergio Momesso to celebrate the 1986 Stanley Cup championship, and the setting only added to the nostalgia around one of the teams most enduring eras.
Roy attended as an ambassador for the Canadiens organization, which is enough to keep the old dreams alive in Montreal even without any fresh movement behind the scenes. Fans will keep connecting those dots as long as he keeps showing up in team circles, but for now there is still no official sign that a reunion is actually on the table. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Suddenly Loom In A Young Star Contract Squeeze
Connor Bedards new contract has already started to ripple through the NHLs next wave of negotiations, and Montreal has reason to watch closely. The deal establishes a fresh benchmark for young stars, which matters for a Canadiens team that still has cap space and could be positioned to make use of market shifts involving the leagues brightest rising forwards.
Cutter Gauthier and Adam Fantilli are among the players whose next contracts are expected to be shaped by Bedards number, and that creates a potential squeeze for teams trying to keep their young talent in line. For Montreal, the intrigue is less about what has happened than what might follow, since no offer sheets or trades have surfaced yet, but the combination of cap room and an unsettled market keeps the Canadiens in the conversation. [Read more 🡒]