Heading into action on Saturday, the Montreal Canadiens own an 8-3 record. That’s notable for a few reasons. For example, they co-lead the Atlantic Division (Detroit Red Wings), when some analysts didn’t so much as have them returning to the Stanley Cup Playoffs (as if last season’s success had been a total fluke, when they had literally gained significant ground in the standings every year since their last-place finish in 2021-22). Think about how ludicrous a sentiment that is.
Granted, it’s only 11 games into an 82-game season and a lot can change. However, what’s also significant is how, just prior to the aforementioned last-place finish in 2021-22, the Canadiens had come off a well-documented appearance in the Stanley Cup Final (and unfortunate lopsided five-game loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning). That 2020-21 team and this 2025-26 one each started with seven wins in their first 10 games of their respective seasons.
Caufield Leads Canadiens
With the Canadiens’ last win, in Game 11 against the Seattle Kraken, thanks to Cole Caufield’s record-breaking heroics, the two teams have at least started to diverge. In 2021, during which the Habs played in the North Division for the 56-game pandemic-shortened regular season, they lost their Game 11 to the Ottawa Senators, who coincidentally represent their opponents tonight.
Related: Canadiens’ Cole Caufield’s Top 5 Historic Overtime Goals
Overall, with their Game 11 defeat, the Canadiens proceeded to lose eight of their next 10, eventually stumbling to the regular season’s finish line with a mediocre 24-21-11 record and just sneaking in, relatively speaking, as the final Canadian playoff team. While that team definitely peaked at the right time and proved it belonged, it should have been readily apparent then-general manager Marc Bergevin did not construct it with sustainable, long-term success in mind.
Those Canadiens were effectively built around an aging Carey Price in net and Shea Weber on defense. Take those two away, which is exactly what happened when Weber unofficially “retired” and Price played just five games the following season, his last himself, and it was little wonder the Habs struggled as they did in 2021-22. Say what you want about the Canadiens a half-decade later, because there are undeniable signs they won’t be able to keep it up, at least not at their current torrid pace. However, it should be just as readily apparent that this team is much better built.
Heightened Expectations for a Canadiens Playoff Berth
Sure, they may not have a Price, but they’re arguably even scarier with the cap flexibility that comes without having committed to an elite goalie. This is a team that is the youngest in the NHL right now. So, they may not be perfect, but they shouldn’t be expected to be. However, a postseason berth most definitely should be, taking into consideration how the members of their core move closer to their respective primes with each passing game. And them continuing on as they have at least shouldn’t be outside the realm of possibility, looking at how they’ve found ways to win consistently so far.
While a collapse similar to what this franchise experienced in 2021 remains a possibility as well, this specific team is also better. Their record after 11 games now proves it. It may not be beyond a shadow of a doubt or anything quite so dramatic, but the signs for sustained success are definitely there, starting as soon as now, seeing as they are 8-3 after all… even going back to last Dec. 3, when they surged out of the Eastern Conference basement, playing .621 hockey, on par with the season-long points-percentage paces of Colorado Avalanche and Tampa Bay Lightning, the rest of the way.
You don’t even need to peel the layers back to prove what should be incredibly obvious. For example, they’ve got:
- A well-rounded offense that is scoring 3.64 goals per game (compared to 2.82 in 2020-21)
- An admittedly flawed defense that is nevertheless ranked in the Top 10 in terms of shots against (26.6 per game, compared to 28.2) and anchored by an incredibly mobile top four (Noah Dobson, Kaiden Guhle, Lane Hutson, Mike Matheson), instead of one that, well… not-so-much (with exception to Jeff Petry; Ben Chiarot, Joel Edmundson, Weber)
- A Hall-of-Fame mind behind the bench, now with three full seasons of experience, as opposed to a rookie head coach, who was literally replaced by the incumbent the next season
Martin St. Louis vs. Dominique Ducharme
Regarding that last point, Martin St. Louis perfectly encapsulates the shifting mindset of the franchise that has the Canadiens on such a sharp upswing. Whereas predecessor Dominique Ducharme had been promoted from an assistant coach role to replace a fired Claude Julien earlier that 2020-21 season (speaking to the aforementioned early-season fall from grace), the team went completely off the board to hire St. Louis who had zero professional coaching experience.
The move may have resulted in laughs on the part of analysts behind closed doors at the time, but it goes to show this current administration, led by general manager Kent Hughes and president of hockey operations Jeff Gorton, is more results-oriented, unafraid of going against the grain instead of playing it safe with what had traditionally led to little more than mediocrity in years past. Before, it used to be about just making the playoffs, because anything can happen. And, to the 2020-21 team’s credit, it just about did. However, now there’s a solid foundation in place to the point there’s a general sense they don’t need to keep up this pace, because they’ve got such a huge window.
Back in 2020-21, there should have been a sense that the Canadiens absolutely had to go all the way, because, after years and years of paint jobs, the cracks were quite visible, and that just isn’t hindsight talking. In the here and now, the Habs are only getting better. While they may not finish atop the Atlantic in 2025-26, there’s, forget cautious, justifiable optimism they will eventually. Their current record is simply a hint at their potential. They are undeniably flawed, no doubt. However, whereas the Stanley Cup Final team peaked during the playoffs, this one has yet to.
Now, think about that.
