The Montreal Canadiens return to the ice for the first time since losing in the Stanley Cup Final last season.
The 2020-21 campaign was filled with ups and downs and empty seats in rinks and Canadiens only facing other teams in Canada. That is, until they surprisingly reached the Stanley Cup semi-finals and traveled south to face the Vegas Golden Knights.
The Habs were able to take that series in six games, and then moved on to face the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Stanley Cup Final. The Lightning won that series in five games, but predicting the Canadiens to make it that far would have been a pretty bold proclamation at the start of last season. That leads up to the new season, where we can make several new bold predictions before the puck drops to begin the year.
By bold, let’s just say we don’t mean these to be impossible tasks to achieve, but they are not likely the norm that is pretty prognosticated at the moment. A lot of things had to go right for the Canadiens to make it as far as they did last season, but that could be said for any team that goes on a deep run.
A lot had to go right for the Lightning to win the Stanley Cup twice in a row.
So, what are some bold predictions for the Canadiens this season? Let’s take a look at five of them.