Montreal Canadiens owner Geoff Molson is feeling confident on the chances of the team winning a Stanley Cup pinpointing health as a key factor.
It’s a special season coming up for the Montreal Canadiens. Not only have they added to the roster, sent others on their way, and drafted some serious talent, it’s also the beginning of a new decade for Geoff Molson.
The Habs went back under Molson control in 2009 before the organization’s centennial. The anniversary of the purchase marks ten years of Geoff Molson being in the owner’s seat. In that time frame, he’s seen the Montreal Canadiens make the playoffs six times winning five series in the process.
Unfortunately, the latest Molson reign hasn’t seen the Habs end their Stanley Cup drought which is now 26 years strong.
Anything can happen in an NHL season, and when asking Molson, the most important aspect of competing for a cup is health.
"[In 2015-16], we started the year [10-2-0], and then Carey got hurt and the whole thing changed. Go around the League and take the best player on each team out — it’s hard to make the playoffs because there’s so much parity. It was fun to watch the Blues do what they did, that was a great story. But they played Game 7 in the Final against the (Boston) Bruins very healthy and very confident with a hot goalie, all of their stars aligned."
He’s not wrong to think that way. Any team can be a powerhouse, but things change when they lose one of their key names on the roster. The first step for the Habs is to make the playoffs, something they haven’t been able to do in the last two seasons. Afterwards, it’ll be an all-out war to contend for the top prize.
Can the Habs do it? According to Molson, the team’s current core, as well as the additions and prospects, will make the next three-to-eight years exciting. It’s an interesting time frame considering all that can happen.
The summer of 2021 is going to be a challenging one for Marc Bergevin given the entire top line will be UFAs as well as Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Ryan Poehling becoming RFAs. At that point, the hope is that the prospects fans are salivating over are ready to take that next step.
It goes beyond Kotkaniemi, Poehling, and Nick Suzuki. Can Josh Brook, Alexander Romanov, and Cale Fleury contribute as well? And the most important question is whether Carey Price will still be Carey Price when those young players are older and stronger to compete well into the spring.
Molson and Bergevin are right about one thing, anything can happen in the playoffs. The St. Louis Blues story may be the worst thing that happened to the NHL as executives will have that mentality. Whether the Habs can follow that narrative will lie on several things, and it’ll be up to Bergevin and his core to prove their up to the challenge.
The Montreal Canadiens have the most Stanley Cups amongst all teams in the league. 11 of those championships came under Molson ownership, including the one back in 1993. If Geoff wants the 12th (25th in total), several things will have to go right.
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