Five reasons to be optimistic about the Canadian in 2026 and five reasons not to be: When we took part in the same exercise last year, the atmosphere was not the same. What fans didn't know was that they were about to see light at the end of the tunnel for the first time since the rebuild started by Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton.
However, the end of 2025 was a reminder that there will still be ups and downs, even after reaching the milestone of making the playoffs.
5 reasons to be optimistic
Much better than this time last year
1is In January 2025, the first part of these exercises was much more difficult. CH was four points out of playoff contention and the idea of a high draft pick was much more concrete than spring hockey.
There are ups and downs, but the Canadian is making progress in his recovery and is already at the top of the race, which is an improvement on last year.
Hage is coming
One of CH's brightest prospects, expected by some to become a No. 2 center, is set to make the jump to the pros late in his career at the University of Michigan.
We don't know exactly when Hage will arrive in Montreal. The organization may offer him to finish this season in Laval. But it's safe to say that he will be playing in NHL games in 2026.
Return of the wounded
CH is holding its own despite missing several regulars from its roster, notably Kaiden Guhle, Kirby Dach and Patrik Laine.
Goulet's return in particular will do the Canadian a lot of good and put every defender back in the right seat.
Juraj Slafkowski in Epanuit
Usually Slafkovsky opens the car only in the second half of the season. This time the train left the station much earlier.
The Slovakian appears to be slowly realizing his identity in the NHL and is increasingly showing off his unique strengths. He makes plays, uses his big frame effectively and shines on the power play. Could 2026 be the year of a big outbreak?
Adam Engström bull
The Swede earned his first tryout in Montreal at the end of 2025, and we quickly saw that with skating like that, Engström certainly has a future in this league.
Engstrom's growth also encourages internal competition on the third pairing with Arber Czekai and Jaden Struble.
5 reasons not to be
Parity, an obstacle for the series
Take a look at the standings in the East and you'll notice that very few teams are playing below .500.
Parity has reached extreme levels in the NHL this season. This is a reality that will make qualifying for CHs more difficult than in 2024-2025.
Remember, the Habs only needed 91 points to get into the big dance. We will undoubtedly have to work harder to repeat this feat this season.
Montembo, it's a delicate matter
Quebec's goalie equipment became a thorny issue for the organization, which the three of them had to resolve in December.
It's hard to imagine Montembeault and his $3.15 million salary being released.
It remains to be hoped that this affable man, who performed so well last year despite sometimes shaky defending from the players in front of him, will regain his confidence in 2026.
Otherwise it will be a big problem for the Hub leaders.
The market favors sellers
The Predators are rumored to be demanding a first-round pick and a Class A prospect in exchange for veteran center Ryan O'Reilly. This is still a very high price, which reflects the power that sellers will have at the deadline.
With a few exceptions, most NHL teams today want to improve. We risk seeing a significant imbalance in the buyer/seller ratio and, naturally, this will not work in favor of the Canadian.
Lack of strength
The Canadian was targeted by the Capitals in the first round of the playoffs, and no concrete action has been taken to rectify the situation since then.
In fact, the team is younger than last year, which in itself is not an anomaly in the rebuilding process. But ultimately management will have to find one or two players who will make the club tougher to beat and better prepared to stay up late in the playoffs.
A puzzle to be solved
General manager Kent Hughes will have to give up his job in the summer of 2026.
Laine will be able to achieve complete autonomy. But first of all, Zachary Bolduc and Kirby Dach will become restricted free agents, and Ivan Demidov will be eligible for a contract extension on July 1.
We know the project Hughes has in mind: convincing every player to leave some on the table so they can be part of a winning team.
If we're playing devil's advocate here, the handsome fox and former Agent Hughes has had good results in negotiations so far. You have to give him the benefit of the doubt.
