The Montreal Canadiens already know where the spotlight will land in 2026-27. Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Lane Hutson and Ivan Demidov are the names expected to drive everything. If Montreal is going to keep climbing toward true Stanley Cup contender status, those stars have to do the heavy lifting.
But the gap between a good team and a dangerous one is often closed by players who aren’t supposed to be the headline act. The Canadiens have a few of those on the roster, and three stand out as possible wild cards who could tilt the whole picture if things break right.
Oliver Kapanen is the first one worth watching.
The playoff run seemed to drain some of the buzz around him, and that makes sense after he wasn’t able to make the same kind of impact in the postseason. Still, it would be a mistake to let that wipe away what he already showed.
Kapanen scored 22 goals in his rookie season, which is no small thing for a young forward, and he also represented Finland at the Olympics. That kind of experience matters.
At 23, he has already shown he can be trusted as a responsible NHL forward. He can handle different situations, he understands the defensive side, and he doesn’t need to dominate the puck to matter.
The next step is offensive growth. Young players rarely move in a straight line, and his playoff struggles shouldn’t change how the organization views him.
There’s still reason to believe more offense is coming as he gets more comfortable at the NHL level.
Alex Newhook is in a different spot entirely.
His stock went up during the playoffs, not down. Newhook came through when Montreal needed him, including two Game 7 goals during the Canadiens’ run.
That kind of production in those moments changes the conversation. He should head into 2026-27 with real confidence, and there are already expectations that he’ll play major minutes, possibly in the top six.
The wild-card part is how much more offense he can unlock. A spot next to Ivan Demidov could be the key.
Demidov’s creativity and his ability to create chances should give Newhook the room to use one of his best tools: speed. If the two click, Newhook could become more than a useful top-six piece.
Montreal doesn’t need him to become a star, but if he turns into a steady scoring threat and gives the Canadiens another 20-plus goal scorer, that would deepen the lineup in a major way.
Then there’s Kirby Dach, the most familiar question of all.
What if he can finally stay healthy?
That question has hung over him for years, and at some point he has to answer it with something more concrete than possibility. Even so, it’s hard to completely walk away from the talent that convinced Montreal to pay a significant price to get him in 2022.
Dach has the size, skill and playmaking ability to matter. The issue has always been whether he can stay on the ice long enough to put it all together.
That’s what makes him arguably Montreal’s biggest wild card entering the season. The expectations around him are different now.
The Canadiens no longer need him to become the clear-cut second-line centre of the future, and that may actually help. If Dach can stay healthy, settle into some consistency and regain some of the confidence he showed earlier in his time with the team, Montreal could suddenly have another big, talented forward who can move around the lineup.
The Canadiens do not need all three of these players to have career years. But if two of them hit, that changes the depth chart in a hurry. A reliable 20-goal two-way season from Kapanen, a breakout from Newhook alongside Demidov, or Dach finally putting his talent together while staying healthy would all give Montreal another layer beyond its established core.
And that’s the point. Contenders need more than their stars.
They need the players nobody fully sees coming. For the Canadiens, Kapanen, Newhook and Dach might be the ones who can deliver that in 2026-27.
In Other News...
Canadiens Still Have One Roster Question Around Xhekaj And Bolduc
Geoff Molson sounded upbeat in a recent interview about where the Canadiens stand after last season, saying he was satisfied with the teams performance and encouraged by the way the roster is developing. He also made clear that Arber Xhekaj and Zach Bolduc remain important pieces in the organizations plans, a notable point with training camp approaching and Montreal still sorting through the edges of its depth chart.
The bigger question is how both players fit once the dust settles. Xhekajs usage has not fully settled into a defined role, and Bolduc remains unsigned after finishing the playoffs on the fourth line, leaving Montreal with one of those familiar late-summer roster puzzles that can shape how a team starts the year. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Roster Puzzle Puts Some Young Pieces In Play
The Canadiens search for help on the right side of their defense has turned into a roster puzzle with real long-term stakes. With future salary-cap room to work with, the front office can afford to think beyond a quick fix, and that has kept attention on a possible move for Zach Whitecloud as Montreal looks to balance its blue line while also adding more size and physicality up front.
What makes the conversation more interesting is the kind of young talent that could be pulled into the discussion if the Canadiens decide to press ahead. Montreal has prospects it would prefer not to move lightly, but it also has to weigh the value of future flexibility against the appeal of helping the current roster now. For the moment, it is still speculation and planning more than action, but the kind of move the Canadiens are considering could reshape more than one part of the lineup. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens May Go Only As Far As Ivan Demidov Takes Them
Montreal did not make many sweeping changes this offseason, choosing instead to tinker around the edges while letting the roster largely carry over. The most notable departures were Brendan Gallagher and Joe Veleno, and the additions were mostly depth pieces aimed at the AHL side, which leaves the Canadiens leaning on internal growth more than outside fixes.
Ivan Demidov is at the center of that bet after a rookie season that put him firmly on the leagues radar and left him second in Calder Trophy voting. He showed plenty of upside, but he also cooled late, and Montreals outlook now hinges on whether he can turn that promise into steadier second-year production. For a team that did not do much to change its ceiling, his next step may end up setting the tone. [Read more 🡒]