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Montreal Canadiens Roundup: Are the Habs in a Stanley Cup window?

By Omar L

MONTREAL, QC - APRIL 06: Ryan Poehling #25 of the Montreal Canadiens celebrates his first career NHL goal in his first game at 11:41 of the first period and is joined by Jordan Weal #43, Brett Kulak #17 and Jeff Petry #26 against the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Bell Centre on April 6, 2019 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Montreal Canadiens defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-5 in a shootout. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
MONTREAL, QC - APRIL 06: Ryan Poehling #25 of the Montreal Canadiens celebrates his first career NHL goal in his first game at 11:41 of the first period and is joined by Jordan Weal #43, Brett Kulak #17 and Jeff Petry #26 against the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Bell Centre on April 6, 2019 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Montreal Canadiens defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-5 in a shootout. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /
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MONTREAL, QC – APRIL 06: Montreal Canadiens (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /

With a number of players’ deals expiring in 2021, it’s hard not to think of this being the Montreal Canadiens window to win a Stanley Cup.

1) Are the Montreal Canadiens in a window to contend for a Stanley Cup? If so, how long do they have?

Emmanuel D: With their current roster, my biggest worry is that the Montreal Canadiens are more of a playoff bubble team than one that is in a window to contend for the Stanley Cup. With no major trades or signings so far this offseason (albeit there is still a lot of time), the Habs are just about as good as they were last season, barring any prospects surprising us next season. They should do their best this season to create a window of opportunity, which Shea Weber and Carey Price would also like to have.

Dillon ‘Dom’ Dominique: Many think we have a window that is closing and I don’t believe that’s the case. We went into 2018 with the 5th youngest roster in the league and this upcoming season will be very similar. Vets like Price and Weber, are followed by youngsters who are 24 and under in Domi, Drouin, Kotkaniemi, Mete, Lehkonen etc. Followed by top prospects in Caufield, Suzuki, Poehling and Romanov who have a high chance of making the team in the next year or two.

This window doesn’t exist just because Price and Weber are over 30 years old. People forget that Price is only 31, he has many many years left as a Montreal Canadien. There is nothing to worry about. Weber is 33, and there’s no reason to think he won’t be at his current level for at least three more years. And when he declines, it’s the GM’s job to replace him in any capacity. Again, we have one of the youngest rosters in the entire league.

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