Montreal Canadiens: Three Things To Look Forward To In 2023

The Montreal Canadiens put the finishing touches on one of their worst calendar years of all time with back to back blowout losses on the road.

If we learned anything in the games played between Christmas and New Year’s Day it is that this team does not have a Cinderella second half run in them like many teams who have been written off in the past. No, this team is in over its head and can not compete with the top teams in the Eastern Conference.

The Canadiens played 85 games in the year 2022 and went 30-45-10. That .412 points percentage was better than four other teams, but shows how far the Habs are from competing at the moment.

So, 2022 was not one to remember for the Canadiens. It did have a few highs though. Juraj Slafkovsky was drafted first overall. Martin St. Louis was hired as the team’s head coach and Cole Caufield broke out offensively. A bundle of young defenders looked better than anyone could have expected at the beginning of the season.

Even in one of their worst calendar years ever, there were some positives. There always are. The upcoming year does not promise to be one of the best for the Canadiens, but it should be an improvement on the past year.

The team may only be marginally better on the ice, but there are definite reasons for optimism. While the playoffs are not happening in 2023 for the Montreal Canadiens, there are still many things to look forward to in this calendar year.

What do Habs fans have to be excited about in this calendar year? Let’s take a look at the top three things Montreal Canadiens fans should be looking forward to as we flip the calendar to a year that is certain to not feature any playoff hockey in the province of Quebec.