The Montreal Canadiens are back to the drawing board. They must be at a loss for what to do now, following four straight, a streak in which they’ve looked fairly hapless. However, this this was in large part expected or at least it should have been, considering the quality of competition. In other words, they’re just not good enough compared to top-tier teams.
To clarify, the Canadiens have proven they can put up a fight against top teams in the NHL, like they did against the Boston Bruin on Nov. 11. However, their impressive 3-2 overtime victory that night immediately preceded their current four-game losing streak, perhaps providing false hope the Habs had arrived in some capacity.
Related: Canadiens Still Have a Lot to Prove as Legit 2024 Playoff Contenders
The defeats that followed, punctuated by a 5-2 loss to the same Bruins exactly a week later, kind of forced some fans to not as much walk as run back any arguments to that effect. Simply put, the Canadiens can’t consistently keep up with the top teams in the league. They’re in luck, though.
Christmas Comes Early for Canadiens
The Canadiens’ upcoming schedule is the stuff of which struggling teams tend to dream. After facing the Stanley Cup-champion Vegas Golden Knights once (a 6-5 loss) and the reigning Presidents’ Trophy winners in the Bruins twice over the last week, 10 of their next 15 games are against non-playoff teams (at least as the standings shake out right now).
Starting with three days off to lick their wounds, the Canadiens take off for one of their infamous West Coast road trips. The stretch ends with their Christmas break, right before which they play the Chicago Blackhawks, also on the road, on Dec. 22. Altogether, the Canadiens play eight as visitors, seven at home.
So, if the Canadiens can find their mojo, they can perhaps turn their 7-9-2 season around this holiday season. All due respect to their efforts up to this point, no one should be holding their breath, though. After all, to start we’re talking about a road trip out West, which historically hasn’t been kind to the Habs, regardless of how good the California-based teams are in the moment.
On the road, the Canadiens’ all-time record against the Anaheim Ducks is 7-11-1, while it’s 6-12-4 against the San Jose Sharks. To be fair, the Habs are also 42-24-10 against the Los Angeles Kings, but, of the three, the Kings are probably the ones they should fear the most as arguably the only elite team they’ll play before the holidays (twice in fact).
Secondly, this is the second time (if not more) the Canadiens have failed to build off an impressive performance this season. When they lost to the Golden Knights in a shootout back on Oct. 30, a contest head coach Martin St. Louis called the “best game we’ve played start to finish since I took the job,” it actually started a separate four-game losing streak.
Enter their last week after they beat the Bruins. With a separate rematch against the Golden Knights and a game against the impressive Vancouver Canucks, this was the Canadiens’ chance to establish themselves as at least contenders for a playoff spot. So as not to mince words, they failed miserably. If one of the top takeaways from the last week is Cayden Primeau, your third-string goalie, looked pretty good in that 6-5 Golden Knights loss, you should probably be in full self-reassessment mode.
Canadiens Need a Good Dach-tor to Save 2023-24
There’s not necessarily any shame in that, as long as the losing streak is framed correctly. The Canadiens simply aren’t ready yet. The early season-ending injury to Kirby Dach is an undeniable contributing factor, as he was primed to be a huge part of the team’s offense and defense. It’s not an excuse mind you, as, if individual injuries muck up your plans for the season, you probably lack the organizational depth you need to consider yourselves a top organization in general.
This past week wasn’t make or break regarding the Canadiens’ outlook for the season as a whole. They’re only a few points out of a playoff spot right now. However, it did show exactly how far the Habs have to go to take the next step. This next month in comparison is different. If the Canadiens fail to take advantage, it will cost them their season, not that that’s the be-all and end-all at this stage of the rebuild or anything.
In comparison, if the Canadiens are successful… if they climb to above .500 and move up the standings, there should be a real sense all it would serve to do is delay the inevitable. On the plus side, they’ll inevitably get better too. It will just take time, much longer than a single month for them to establish themselves as a playoff-caliber team.
True, the Canadiens can prove everyone wrong this next month and beyond by getting back on track and finishing strong in the standings. However, even if their fate remains in their hands to a certain degree, any sustained change in course is unlikely to come at the hands of this team in its current form. General manager Kent Hughes would have to make a deal of some sort to solve what ails them.
No one should be able to deny it’s a lot, based on how last week went. At that point though, it becomes a question of how justified a short-term fix would be. If as fans, you’re not prepared to see Hughes sacrifice one of the team’s top prospects, the only conclusion to come to is these losses are part of the plan to an extent. It’s maybe not exactly how it was originally drawn up, but there should be no turning back now… just minor recalculations regarding how to get to the desired destination. If this next month ends up going well, consider it a pretty, scenic detour, nothing more.
