The Montreal Canadiens might be entering a season with the most excitement they have had around them in over a decade. They got as far as the Eastern Conference Finals last season before losing in five to the Carolina Hurricanes, and while they made only one big free agent addition, more importantly, they didn't lose any key players.
While they fell short of the ultimate goal, there were a lot of positives that came from it as they had their first 100-point player in 40 seasons in Nick Suzuki and their first 50-goal scorer since 1990 in Cole Caufield. Both of those players also took home hardware, with Suzuki winning the Selke Trophy and Caufield winning the Lady Byng Trophy.
They have young players who continue to improve in Juraj Slafkovsky, Lane Hutson, Ivan Demidov, and Jakub Dobes. The Canadiens were able to accomplish all that in a season when they were one of the youngest teams in the NHL, so it makes sense that they are in the discussion for teams that could win the Stanley Cup.
The Montreal Canadiens' next challenge is living up to Stanley Cup expectations
Recently, Dan Rosen with NHL.com put together his list of Stanley Cup contenders for the 2026-27 season, and at the top of his list were the Montreal Canadiens.
"If it's jarring to see the Canadiens as the favorite, not just one of a few favorites, to win the Stanley Cup, it shouldn't be. Maybe they won't enter the season as the top team in preseason polls, but all the boxes are checked for the Canadiens to win their first Stanley Cup championship since 1993. No team from Canada has won the Cup since."
One of the big strengths of this team is the continuity and familiarity this group has together. They lost Brendan Gallagher, who was a valuable leader for this team, as well as Joe Veleno but the roster is largely the same, with the biggest addition being Chris Kreider.
That should help the Montreal Canadiens get off to a fast start like they did last season, which was the first time in the past few seasons. In 2023-24, the Canadiens suffered their ninth loss of the season on November 18th; in 2024-25, it was earlier in the season on November 9th but this past season it wasn't until December 2nd that they had their ninth loss, which was the 25th game.
The excellent season that the Canadiens had now comes with significantly higher expectations and it will be interesting if this team can live up to those lofty goals. They are not going to surprise any team and the Canadiens should expect their opponents' best effort every game.
It wouldn't be surprising at all to see the Canadiens holding the Stanley Cup at the end of the season based on the season they are coming off and the roster they have. However, they will only be able to do that if they are able to handle the pressure of higher expectations.
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