What Canadiens Fans Can Look Forward to in 2026-27

It’s an exciting time to be a Montreal Canadiens fan. Fresh off an appearance in the Eastern Conference Final, it appears as though the Habs are entering their window to contend for the Stanley Cup. If all goes according to plan, they should at least have a realistic shot at an Atlantic Division title in 2026-27 in the regular season, after just having fallen a few points shy.

That’s just the broad strokes of what awaits this coming season, after Nick Suzuki scored 100 points for the first time in his career last season, also marking the first time since 1985-86 that a Canadiens player has accomplished the feat. He added his first-ever Frank J. Selke Memorial Trophy for good measure. On top of that, Cole Caufield became the team’s first 40-goal scorer since 1994 and first 50-goal scorer since 1990, while players like Ivan Demidov, Jakub Dobes and Juraj Slafkovsky took significant steps to establishing themselves as stars themselves.

So, this is shaping up to be a great season for the Canadiens… and consequently their fans, with all of what was mentioned in the previous paragraph actually having largely come as a surprise. No one exactly planned for any of that to happen. It just did. So, while there’s a lot fans can almost certainly look forward to in 2026-27 so far, this list of the top three represents just the start:

3. Martin St. Louis Catching Claude Julien

Head coach Martin St. Louis sometimes gets overlooked as a reason for the team’s turnaround, with his arrival in early 2022 for all intents and purposes coinciding with the start of the rebuild, as the Canadiens were bracing to end up in last place that season. Since then, the Habs have improved in the standings each year with him behind the bench, leading to a third-place Jack Adams Award finish in 2025 and the team’s impressive run in the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season.

In all that time, it should come as no surprise that St. Louis has accumulated a decent 163-155-47 win-loss record as literally one of the league’s longest-tenured head coaches. He currently sits at No. 111 on the all-time wins list, theoretically needing just 16 to pass Glen Sonmor to move into the Top 100 (while admittedly having to contend with Andre Tourigny of the Utah Mammoth, who ranks slightly ahead of him with seven more wins).

The longest tenured coaches in the NHL (post-Cassidy firing)

-Jon Cooper, hired in 2013
-Jared Bednar, hired in 2016
-Rod Brind'amour, hired in 2018
-Martin St. Louis, hired in 2022
-Paul Maurice, hired in 2022
-Spencer Carbery, hired in 2023 pic.twitter.com/Qm9amD1MXJ

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) March 30, 2026

Of greater note, St. Louis can pass ex-Canadiens head coach Claude Ruel with just 10 more wins. Realistically, this season, as a byproduct of the projected success the Habs are poised to enjoy, he can also pass Pat Burns (174), Cecil Hart (196) and Claude Julien (201). That would move him into the Top 5.

Who would have thought this would have been at all possible going on five years ago?

2. Michael Hage’s Debut

Sure, you’ve got goalie Jacob Fowler and defenseman David Reinbacher, two top-end prospects with at least outside shots of winning the 2027 Calder Memorial Trophy for the Canadiens. While how they each develop over the course of this coming season will be a source of intrigue for Habs fans, when Michael Hage opted to return to the University of Michigan this coming season instead of sign an entry-level deal, fans effectively missed out on a third consecutive year in which they’d be able to watch a Calder favourite every night.

First came defenseman Lane Hutson, who, in 2025, won the rookie-of-the-year award. Last season forward Ivan Demidov, who entered 2025-26 as a top contender and whose development made this same list last year, also won the rookie scoring race. In the end though, he lost the trophy to New York Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer. While there are no guarantees, Hage is seen as someone who could similarly vie for the Calder, but, if he does, it will realistically be in 2028, as he’s projected to only sign with the Habs next spring.

To many, that’s understandably a major disappointment. However, akin to Hutson in 2024 and Demidov in 2025, he should then debut at the end of the season, potentially giving the Canadiens the second-line centre they’ve been needing since Nick Suzuki filled the role a half-decade ago only to move up the lineup without the Habs having anyone to replace him.

So, while Hage isn’t necessarily a lock to pan out and he’s facing similar fanfare as Kirby Dach did only to fail to live up to expectations upon being acquired to play the position in 2022, this would be a long time coming. There’s a lot riding on Hage in that he could be the missing piece to play with Demidov and finally give the Canadiens a complete lineup, right ahead of the postseason no less.

1. What Lane Hutson Has in Store for an Encore

After Hutson began rewriting the record books as a rookie, he didn’t let up as a sophomore, tallying 66 assists to tie Larry Robinson’s franchise record for most helpers in a season by a defenseman (1976-77). That season, Robinson scored 85 points to record the most prolific campaign on the part of a Canadiens defenseman in history. He also holds the No. 2 slot with 82 (1985-86).

Hutson, after scoring 78 points, is No. 3. As a 22-year-old, he’s literally a few points off the gold standard set by a Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman. Think about that. This could be the year Hutson first officially hits a point per game and then sets a new highwater mark for Habs rearguards.

Is it possible 2026-27 comes and goes without Hutson catching Robinson or setting another record? Certainly. However, even if he doesn’t, it’s highly improbable it does without him still consistently wowing everyone, fans of the Canadiens and rival teams alike, with his skills game in, game out.

Hutson arguably represents the team’s best shot at a major award… and it’s not at all far-fetched that he comes away with it, having already received James Norris Memorial Trophy consideration. Surrounded by a stellar supporting cast, Hutson has perhaps emerged as this team’s most valuable player… and, on a team with 100-point and 50-goal scorers, that says a great deal, namely that this team has all the makings of one destined for greatness, potentially as soon as in 2026-27.