It has been an up-and-down start to the season for the Montreal Canadiens that has seemingly had it all. Through the first five games, the Canadiens are 2-2-1 after winning the season opener against the Toronto Maple Leafs by a final of 3-2.
After the road game against the Maple Leafs, the Canadiens stayed on the road for a game against the Pittsburgh Penguins. It was a game where they almost overcame a four-goal deficit. and while they did get a point after forcing it to overtime, it was Pittsburgh that scored the deciding goal.
The Canadiens then had three straight home games, but had two games they would want to forget after losing 6-4 to the Carolina Hurricanes and then blowing a two-goal lead to the Nashville Predators to lose 5-2.
Their last game was on Saturday night in a game that didn't see a single goal in regulation or overtime, even though Montreal had three waived off, and it wasn't until Zachary Bolduc scored in the shootout to lock up the win.
Over this stretch, there has been some impressive individual performances while some players have some work to do and overcome a slow start.
Winner: Zachary Bolduc
After Nick Suzuki, there is a strong case that can be made that Zachary Bolduc has been the Canadiens' best forward to begin the season.
Through the first five games, Bolduc has three goals, and it could have been higher, as he had one of the three goals waived off against Detroit. However, he got his redemption as he had the only shootout goal for either team and secured the win for Montreal.
He currently is on pace for over 50 goals this season. That total is likely unrealistic but he certainly has set himself up to set a career high in the category, which was 19 in 2024-25.
Bolduc is certainly living up to his new four-year contract, and if he keeps playing like this, it could end up being viewed as a bargain.
Winner: Josh Anderson
Another player who is on pace to set a career-high is forward Josh Anderson. Through the first five games, Anderson has three points after scoring one goal and two assists. After three straight seasons with under 30 points, if Anderson can get closer to 40 points by the end of the season, it will be a big boost for this team.
The Canadiens have been trying to find a solution to replace the injured Ivan Demidov and in the past two games, it has been Anderson who has stepped in on that second line. After averaging about 12 minutes per game through the first three games, he has been closer to 15 the past two with seven total hits after seven in the first three games.
Winner: Adam Engstrom
Adam Engstrom was a bit of a surprising addition to the Canadiens roster to begin the season as Montreal sent David Reinbacher down to Laval. However, Engstrom has taken full advantage of the opportunity and his performance probably was one of the reasons the Canadiens traded Jayden Struble last week to Nashville.
While Engstrom has played in only two games, he ranks in the Top 5 on the Canadiens in CF% (61.11%) and xGF% at 62.2% while leading the team in Scoring Chances For % at 81.25%, according to Natural Stat Trick.
The Canadiens are probably still going to need to try and shuffle their pairs, but Engstrom has earned one of those spots after his last two games.
Winner: Jacob Fowler
The Montreal Canadiens made the tough decision at the beginning of the season to send Jacob Fowler down to Laval. They really didn't have any choice, with Jakub Dobes and Samuel Montembeault on the roster.
However, Fowler wasn't down in Laval long as Montembeault suffered an injury in practice that is going to cost him a few weeks. This gave Fowler the opportunity to make the case that he is ready for the NHL now, and he has done that and more.
In two starts, Fowler has gone 1-1 with a goals against average of 1.46 and a save percentage of .938, both of which was due to a shutout win against the Red Wings.
The Canadiens are unfortunately going to have to send Fowler down to Laval once Montembeault is ready, but they probably won't be able to keep him there long.
Loser: Kirby Dach
In what is expected to be a pivotal season for Kirby Dach, he got off to a good start with an assist and two hits against the Toronto Maple Leafs. However, since that game he hasn't been able to have the same impact with a +/- of -3 and has since his ice time decrease in each of the past four games, from 11:40 against the Penguins to only 7:35 against the Red Wings.
Initially, the Canadiens had Dach on the second line in place of Ivan Demidov, but he struggled with the additional opportunity and eventually was replaced by Josh Anderson. At this point, the pairing of Dach and the Canadiens isn't going to work, and he probably will be moved before the end of the season.
Loser: Juraj Slafkovsky
Juraj Slafkovsky entered this season with very high expectations after a breakout season with his first 30-goal season and was close to a point per game player. This season, Slafkovsky began on the second line with Ivan Demidov, and it was a pairing that worked well at times.
However, after Demidov's injury, the coaching staff shuffled the lines and moved Slafkovsky back up to the top line with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield. Unfortunately, it hasn't been enough to get him on track, as he has only one goal through the first five games with a career-low shooting percentage of 6.7%.
There certainly isn't any reason to panic, but it would have been great to see Slafkovsky deliver some big performances without Demidov in the lineup.
Even though the Canadiens have a 2-2-1 record to begin the season, there has been a lot more good than bad that should give Montreal optimism early in the 2026-27 season.
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