The Montreal Canadiens are getting a lot of attention for the way they’ve built their roster, and one new ranking puts that young talent pool at the very top of the league.
Sonny Sachdeva of Sportsnet recently ranked the NHL’s top five under-25 cores, and Montreal checked in at No. 1. The San Jose Sharks followed at No. 2, with the Anaheim Ducks, Ottawa Senators, and Philadelphia Flyers rounding out the list.
The group that earned the Canadiens that spot is a loaded one: Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky, Ivan Demidov, Lane Hutson, Kaiden Guhle, plus goaltenders Jakub Dobes and Jacob Fowler. The key detail here is just as important as the names themselves - all of the skaters in that core are signed through 2031.
And that’s only part of the story.
Montreal’s future stretches beyond the players included in the ranking. The Canadiens also have several other players 25 or younger who were left off the list, including Jayden Struble, Alex Newhook, Oliver Kapanen, and Zack Bolduc, all of whom have had important moments last season.
Then there are the players who barely miss the age cutoff. Nick Suzuki and Noah Dobson are both 26, and both look to be entering the prime years of their careers.
The prospect pipeline is strong, too. Montreal still has forwards Michael Hage and Alexander Zharovsky, along with defensemen David Reinbacher and Adam Engstrom, waiting in the wings.
It would have been ideal for general manager Kent Hughes to make a major offseason move to build on last season’s momentum, but the bigger picture still points in a promising direction. With this collection of young talent and the stage of development they’re in, the Canadiens appear to be moving into their championship window and could keep improving simply by letting that group grow together.
There will still be chances to add pieces, but Montreal has the kind of roster foundation that gives it room to be patient.
In Other News...
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The biggest immediate wrinkle for Montreal supporters is the timing: Wednesday night NHL games in Canada are set to move to Prime Video beginning in the 2026-27 season. For the Canadiens, that means seven games will be part of the package, adding another layer of adjustment for fans who have already seen the way they follow the team evolve in recent years. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Just Showed Exactly What They Value In This Rebuild
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He has gone from top power-play quarterback to a second-unit role and then into penalty-kill duty, all while remaining a steady presence for a team still sorting out its long-term blue line. Kent Hughes has made it clear he sees Matheson as the kind of player who puts team success ahead of individual numbers, and the extension gives Montreal a reliable piece whose value could shift again if the lineup changes around Lane Hutson or Noah Dobson. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Fans Wont All Agree On This Kirby Dach Trade Twist
Kirby Dachs name is back in the rumor mill, and for Canadiens fans that alone is enough to split opinion. Reports have linked Montreal to trade discussions involving the young center, with the idea that his inclusion could help the club reshape its forward group as it looks for a different kind of fit in the lineup.
The twist is less about whether Montreal is listening and more about what Dach represents in those talks. His injuries, uneven play and uncertain availability have all fed into a murky valuation, and any move would almost certainly need more than just one player going the other way. The Canadiens would likely have to add more to the package, and for now the whole thing remains speculative, which is why the debate around Dach feels so much bigger than a simple trade rumor. [Read more 🡒]