Will the Canadiens Be Better Than Expected This Season?

31 comments

1. Shannon mentions Kirby Dach staying healthy so often, right now Kirby Dach is on track for getting run over by the Zamboni during warm-ups of the next pre-season game.

2. Detroit is litterally in the same place as buffalo was at the end of the 2023 season. They mirrored buffalo to a tee (hot start, slip in and out, lose top plater to injury, huge losing streak to TD, come out hot back half, miss by a point or 2. Good offense (buffalo edges out, they were 3rd in the league) not good defense (edge to detroit) suspect goalie (edge buffalo due to age)).

   The difference is, buffalo did it with all young players, the youngest team in the league in fact, that has a higher likelihood to grow organically to a better team, while detroit has far more veterans in important positions that mostly are who you think they are at this point, if not overvalued. Couple that with their depth on d and their goalie situation as it stands, i would say detroit is the most likely of the non-playoff atlantics to regress.

3. You seemed to gloss over the importance of Lane Hutson playing his first season with the Habs. Their PP has been dismal and Hutson's skills as a PP quarterback should pay big dividends this year.
   I would also point out the Habs lost 36 games by one point last year with basically the same team they have now, only without Kirby Dach, Patrick Laine and Lane Hutson. Laine alone, could pop 36, if he finds his mojo again.
   PS Don't be surprised if Hutson wins the Calder. There has only been 9 D-man to hit 60 points in their rookie season and if he stays healthy, plays all 82 games, that is certainly obtainable for someone of Hutson's offensive pedigree.

4. Just watch em

5. More Hab bashing.

6. We don't have many RHD on our NHL lineup. Guhle is a LHD filling the right side for now. On our current regular roster, we only have Savard and Barron as a 6/7.

7. I could definitely see mtl over detroit. The wings dcore and goalie tandem is meh

8. no

9. As a habs fan I dont see them make the playoffs but last year they were the 1st in 1 goal loss… that mean something, and I don't think they are worst than last year… for me a .500 season (82 pts) is good.

10. Yup mtl back at aiming for the 9th/10th place again….. making sure the great asset buildup of the last couple of years will completely break down and dry up. They can't help it, big market, big mistakes. Then someday Suzuki will just walk out for nothing….

11. Expectations are that they will be better than expectations

12. I expect they’ll be around .500. Perhaps 85 pts if things go their way

13. The Habs are too young and have not showed resilience re-injuries. Caufield, Laine, Dach, Guhlie, Amber X., Matheson, all need to find a way to be healthy. Give the Habs two years to mature to be Wild Card competitive.

14. Its all about ifs with the habs.

    IF Caufield scores 40-50, IF Slaf from the second half of last year is the REAL slaf, IF Dach plays the whole season, IF Laine goes back to being Winnipeg Laine, IF Hutson is Makar 2.0…

    If it all works out this team could be really good.

15. Nothing out othe realm of possibilities
    Injuries happen teams get hot teams get cold. They definitely got a shot

16. To most Canadians fans there don't seem to be any questions with Laine. They all expect 75+ points is a lock as they have never watched anything other then highlights. I am not quite as optimistic to what he will bring to the table but only time will tell. Playoff team I doubt it. Possibly as high as 6th in the division I think is possible.

17. Montreal will have more points than Buffalo and Ottawa this year, somewhere around 95 points. The internal improvement on the team is very underestimated as "expert" predictions are necessarily made on past season performance.
    I think Detroit and Tampa switch positions in the Atlantic.

18. I love this team

19. Forgotten asset???
    Forgotten by whom???

20. I love your videos, keep it up !

21. I don't believe any team in the division will have over 105 or even 103 points. Lots of parody and those bottom teams are all positioned to grab more games. For example, MTL had lots of 1 goal games last season while decimated with injuries. They are bound to grab more games with his lineup and the culture they are building. Ottawa has a similar opportunity in that they have the pieces, if they can step above all the outside noise of the past, they will be better. I can see both those teams mid 80's. Points gotta come from somewhere.

22. I agree with you Shannon. I don't think they will make the playoffs but they will improve. My concern is the habs can't seem to transition and unload Dvorak, Armia, Anderson. I love Dach and really hope he has a huge comeback season. I hate how some hab fans have already written him off. I would trade Matheson before I trade Savard. I think Hutson is ready to replace Matheson.

23. Right now i think kapennon has made an impressive impact and has a higher ceiling then Beck.

24. Nope

25. Jets Fan: The Atlantic Division is the toughest in the NHL. Montreal will be more competitive this season. I am not sure if they are playoff contenders. My heart says yes, my mind doesn't think so. However, it would be a joy to see them make the post season dance, however briefly.

26. injuries are always a wildcard for any team… that aside, They will play games that matter in the spring and that makes me smile. Ultimately the playoffs are one more year away.

27. I think a 10 point improvement in the standings this season is very realistic for the Habs, and I feel like that would be considered a successful campaign for them. More importantly for me as a Habs fan, I think they are going to be a lot of fun to watch, and that's what excites me most. I want my team to entertain me, bring me out of my chair, and I feel like that's exactly where we're headed. Games within the division should be great tilts this year! Go Habs Go!

28. If the Canadiens stay healthy, they have a playoff-caliber forward group (bonafide top-6, and what should be a deep and effective bottom-6), defence that is young but promising, and goaltending that statistically has been amongst some of the best in the league while the team has struggled but is still being questioned in the long term. I think it is possible, but not likely, that they actually do get it together this season, and if they do, watch out, they are going to be in the hunt for a playoff spot. It is also quite possible they get hit by an injury bug, or some players take a step backwards instead of forwards (or Laine experiment doesn't work, etc.) and they fall prey to what, I agree, is the deepest division in hockey. I think for the "Prove it" teams in the Atlantic (Buffalo, Ottawa, Detroit, & Montreal), the opening 10 games are going to be crucial. Which ever of those four has the better start, is going to be the same team that by end of the year is hanging around and worrying those more established teams in the Atlantic and the East. It would not surprise me if come mid-April we see 5 teams from the Atlantic in the playoffs.

29. Dach has been unlucky. I think he will play 70+ games. Power play will be substantially better. Second line will produce for first time in forever. D corps will be one year further along in development. Add it all up, 95 points, and in playoffs!

30. I think gallagher and anderson will have decent years not to justify their contracts but alot better than last year

31. MTL making the playoffs ? is there a pandemic on the way ? if not no playoffs for years 2030 maybe