The Montreal Canadiens were hit with some bad news so far this week, with long-term injuries to Patrik Laine and David Reinbacher. Unfortunate for sure, but the Habs are a young and exciting team that can still take the next step, and at least one major outlet has faith in them.
Earlier on Tuesday, Austin Nivison of CBS Sports outlined a few teams as breakout candidates for the year, and while the division rival Buffalo Sabres made the list, Nivison also mentioned the Habs. Nivison exercised caution, however, saying, “The term "breakout" is doing some work here because I don't think the Canadiens will be a real threat for a playoff spot. Having said that, they look poised to take a notable step forward and blow past their 76-point mark from 2023-24.”
This is something we can all agree with, as while it would take a lot of stellar play for the Habs to earn a playoff berth and quite a few teams in the East would need to play well below expectations, they look, on paper, like a group that could surprise naysayers.
Nivison pointed to stars Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield, plus cautious optimism around Juraj Slafkovsky and defenseman Lane Hutson. Overall, it’s one of those situations in which the playoffs probably aren’t likely, but it doesn’t mean a solid season won’t invigorate the fanbase.
The Canadiens could breakout in a way reminiscent of a division rival
The 2024-25 version of the Montreal Canadiens reminds me of the 2022-23 Buffalo Sabres, a team that many scoffed at before the season kicked off. But Buffalo had some brewing stars in Tage Thompson, Rasmus Dahlin, and Alex Tuch, plus high-end rookie talents like Owen Power, JJ Peterka, and Jack Quinn.
While Buffalo didn’t make the playoffs that season, they were well in contention, and it ignited a long disappointed fanbase for better days in 2023-24. No, that didn’t happen, and the team took a step back, but it doesn’t mean the same thing would happen to the Habs if they enjoy a season close to what the Sabres experienced two years ago.
Health is key here, so seeing Patrik Laine going down with an injury won’t help the cause, but the Canadiens still have plenty of young stars their fans can turn to, like Suzuki and Caufield. Once Laine ultimately returns to the lineup at some point this season, fans could be witnessing a preview of what’s to come in 2025-26, with a core that appears to be among the league’s most stable, even if it’s young.
If the Canadiens play more than just spoiler in March and April, and find themselves just a few points out of that second wild card spot, they definitely will have broken out as a team.