2023-24 season: 30-36-6, 8th in Atlantic Division, 15th in Eastern Conference, 28th in league.
The Montreal Canadiens are in a new era, but the Atlantic Division does not subscribe. The Tampa Bay Lightning while they are a shell of their former selves, are still a playoff team, the Bruins and Maple Leafs are the cockroaches you can't kill, the Red Wings are at the end of an extremely long rebuild, and the Florida Panthers are the defending Stanley Cup champions. The Canadiens, while they couldn't win games this year, cemented the belief that their fanbase has in the management and the culture that Kent Hughes and Martin St. Louis are trying to instill in the team. The goaltending hasn't been the same since Carey Price's retirement, but Sam Montembault and Cayden Primeau were pleasant surprises, providing a .903 and a .910 save percentage on a bottom 5 team. Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield had good seasons, Mike Matheson had a great offensive season, and Juraj Slafkovsky broke out with a strong 2nd half to finish with 20 goals and 50 points, and they all played 82 games. What cost them this season though, was that they couldn't stay out of the hospital, with only 5 healthy players and hundreds of games lost to injuries.
Even with the difficulties in strengthening the team, Kent Hughes has maintained a patience and calmness not often seen in GMs with teams that they think can be competitive. Yes, the Canadiens are on the way up, but what does getting swept in the 1st Round every year do for the team? Hughes understands this very well, and that's why every move he makes is intentional. Hiring Martin St. Louis as coach was no accident, as the team hasn't had a strong offensive catalyst since Alexei Kovalev showed up for a season in 2007-08. Hughes knows the game counts on game breakers, and he's counting on a 2-time Art Ross Trophy winner, Lester B. Pearson Award winner, Hart Trophy winner, 3-time Lady Byng Trophy winner, 2004 Stanley Cup champion, and an HHOF inductee in 2018 to lead the team. St. Louis was the short king in the NHL at a very tough time, before the league cracked down on headhunters, so Hughes believes he can help Cole Caufield develop into that for the Canadiens. They have also improved their goal differential every year since he became coach, so it isn't impossible to see them on their way up the standings as well.
Acquiring Patrik Laine from the Blue Jackets this offseason shows that Kent Hughes is increasing the focus towards offense, as the Canadiens once again finished below 3 goals per game. He would likely play right wing on the 2nd line with Kirby Dach and Christian Dvorak, so long as they stay healthy, or he could play on his off wing on the top line with Caufield and Suzuki, but they would need to find a place for him in the lineup with as clear of a standard as possible. After all the problems in Winnipeg and Columbus, and not living up to his hype as the 2nd overall pick in 2016, this is a chance for him to have a fresh start, but St. Louis needs to play him properly. The Canadiens got a golden opportunity by acquiring Laine for a 2nd round pick, and he says he can get to 50 goals, so there could be a strong competition for the top spot on left wing between him and Slafkovsky, especially since they're both big guys that can throw their weight around as well as score.
As the Canadiens continue to improve, I can see them pulling together an even record of 38-38-6, good enough for 6th in the Atlantic, 12th in the Eastern Conference, and 24th in the league. They're getting there, but once Tampa Bay falls off completely, there will be room for them in the playoffs again.
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