A Winning Habit
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Montreal Canadiens: How Habs Stack Up In Future Atlantic Division Arms Race

By Sebastian Valasek

MONTREAL, CANADA - OCTOBER 12: Juraj Slafkovsky #20 of the Montreal Canadiens, in his first career NHL game battles with Rasmus Sandin #38 of the Toronto Maple Leafs during the second period at Centre Bell on October 12, 2022 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Montreal Canadiens defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-3. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
MONTREAL, CANADA - OCTOBER 12: Juraj Slafkovsky #20 of the Montreal Canadiens, in his first career NHL game battles with Rasmus Sandin #38 of the Toronto Maple Leafs during the second period at Centre Bell on October 12, 2022 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Montreal Canadiens defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-3. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /
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The Montreal Canadiens are hoping to build a Stanley Cup calibre roster and perennial playoff contender. With Kent Hughes at the helm, the Canadiens have accrued a nice pool of young talent that appears ready to win games in the second half of this decade.

However, the Canadiens are not alone in their ascension from rebuilding to contending; divisional foes like the Buffalo Sabres, Detroit Red Wings, and Ottawa Senators are vying to join the established ranks of Boston, Toronto, Tampa Bay, and Florida.

With this amount of quality in one division, it is important to evaluate how Montreal’s contention window lines up with their rivals.

The Old Guard

The past five years of Atlantic Division hockey have been dominated by the Tampa Bay Lighting (two Stanley Cups), Boston Bruins (Presidents’ trophy), Florida Panthers (Presidents’ Trophy), and Toronto Maple Leafs (playoffs each year except for 2020 play-in elimination).

While all of these teams carry a few aging veterans, they all have young enough talent to field competitive teams for several more seasons. For every retiring Patrice Bergeron and regressing Victor Hedman, there’s a David Pastrnak or Mikhail Sergachev with a decade of elite play ahead.

The Toronto Maple Leafs, provided that William Nylander re-signs, still boasts arguably the best U-27 forward trio in the league. The Florida Panthers extended their window considerably by exchanging Jonathan Huberdeau for Matthew Tkachuk.

This is not to say there is no end in sight for these “older brothers” of the Atlantic division. By drafting so late for so long, there will inevitably be a steep decline in quality for some of these teams. But as we’ve seen from the likes of Crosby’s Penguins, Ovechkin’s Capitals, and Bergeron’s Bruins, well-constructed teams can contend for well over a decade. The Canadiens cannot count on the door being wide open for playoff contention in 2026, for example.

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