For the second straight year, Montreal has watched a rookie arrive and more than hold his own against the hype. Lane Hutson took home the Calder Memorial Trophy in 2024-25, and Ivan Demidov came up just short in 2025-26 while still leading all rookies with 62 points.
That kind of success makes these kinds of lists trickier. It’s usually only fair to hold off on judging first-year players until they’ve actually spent time in the NHL.
Sophomores, though, are a different story. And when it comes to the Canadiens heading into 2026-27, there are a few names that fit the “overrated” label better than others.
- Oliver Kapanen
Oliver Kapanen has plenty going for him on paper. He scored 22 goals and finished with 37 points, numbers that would stand out in almost any rookie class. He was right there among the goal leaders, trailing Beckett Sennecke of the Anaheim Ducks and Matthew Schaefer of the New York Islanders by just one.
Still, the conversation around Kapanen is less about the box score and more about what’s underneath it. His 16.8% shooting percentage, along with Alex Newhook’s team-leading 21.3%, raises the obvious question: how much of that production belongs to them, and how much came from being attached to Demidov?
“I'd be worried if the model said Kapanen was driving his line… He's playing his role well enough right now, finishing and filling in blanks. His results away from Demidov are catastrophic, and I don't know that his 22.5% sh % with Demidov is refelctive of his true talent. https://t.co/eYdysLWZX6 pic.twitter.com/0BIaEAKOqA”
The divide on Kapanen is pretty stark. Some people think he’s not the answer at second-line center, especially with Michael Hage possibly on the verge of his long-awaited NHL debut later this season.
Others have gone the other way and started talking as if Hage might be the expendable one. The truth, as it usually is, sits in the middle.
Kapanen looks like a useful NHL player who deserves credit for finishing chances and fitting in with Demidov, but Montreal can still reasonably do better at that spot, whether that comes through Hage or someone else.
- Jake Evans
Jake Evans has also benefited from being pushed into a bigger offensive role at times. Over a recent 19-game stretch, he spent most of his minutes with Demidov and Newhook, and during that span he put up 10 points. That stretch lined up with the team’s three-round playoff run, which naturally made his production stand out even more.
There’s no denying Evans is a valuable role player, and with Brendan Gallagher gone, he’s a real candidate to take on more of a leadership role as well. But there’s a difference between being useful and being someone you can count on to drive offense night after night.
Evans came close this season to matching his career best of 13 goals and 36 points from 2024-25, the same season he signed a four-year, $11.4 million extension. He finished with 12 goals and 24 points in 68 games, which confirmed that the 36-point year wasn’t a fluke and that the contract was a solid one.
It also suggested something else: at 30, he’s probably already near his ceiling. That’s not a knock.
It just means he looks more like an above-average fourth-line center than a player who should be leaned on in the top six.
- Kaiden Guhle
The biggest point here is simple: none of these players are bad. Montreal would absolutely want guys like Kapanen and Evans on the roster. The issue is role, not value.
Kaiden Guhle is the clearest example. Entering his fifth NHL season, he still doesn’t have a cleanly defined role, including which side of the ice he’s supposed to play on.
Injuries have played a part in that, since he’s appeared in just 208 of a possible 328 games so far. Even after signing a six-year, $33.3 million deal following the end of his entry-level contract, the 24-year-old still feels like a player in search of a stable spot.
He’s a left-handed shot, but last season his most common pairing was with Mike Matheson while playing on the right. Over the course of the year, he still spent more time on his natural side, but across several different pairing combinations rather than in one settled role.
The Canadiens’ defensive depth chart complicates things further. They have so many left-handed defensemen that they’ve often put Hutson, arguably their most valuable player, on his off side to make everything fit, even if that might trim some of his production.
In the playoffs for the second straight year, Montreal paired Guhle on the left with Hutson. That was Guhle’s most frequent partner, though it was only Hutson’s second-most-common pairing, since the Canadiens used Hutson with Noah Dobson for 10 more total minutes despite Dobson missing most of the first round.
Montreal clearly values Guhle, and for good reason. He remains an important player, but there’s still a fair question about whether his greatest value might actually be as a trade chip. His playoff run offered some optimism, with eight assists in 19 games, and it’s possible he bounces back in 2026-27 after a rough regular season in which he had just 11 points in 39 games.
Even so, there’s still a long way to go before he reaches his ceiling as an all-around defenseman and former 16th-overall pick. The Canadiens may need his 6-foot-3, 202-pound frame on the blue line, but he averaged only 1:42 per game while shorthanded, behind three other defensemen.
There’s room for him to climb. The question is whether he actually will.
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 🡒]