The Canadiens Didn’t Chase the Summer: They Bet on Their

There was a lot of NHL movement this summer. Teams changed coaches, moved players around, spent money and tried to convince themselves that one more addition might be the thing that finally gets them over the top. The Montreal Canadiens took a different approach.

They looked at what happened last season and decided they already had the beginnings of something pretty good.

Last season was a huge success for the Canadiens.

Montreal reached the Eastern Conference Final for the first time since 2021, getting through Tampa Bay and Buffalo before Carolina ended the run in five games. That playoff experience appears to have convinced general manager Kent Hughes that the Canadiens don't need to blow up the roster or make some dramatic short-term move.

They need to keep building. The Canadiens made that pretty clear on July 1. Ivan Demidov, just 20 years old, signed an eight-year, $73.2 million contract after leading all NHL rookies with 62 points and finishing second in Calder Trophy voting.

Then came the other big decision. Goaltender Jakub Dobes signed a three-year, $16.05 million contract after taking over the Canadiens' crease last season. He won his first six starts and never really gave the job back. He then started all 19 of Montreal's playoff games. That's not just roster management. That's a statement about where this organization thinks it is headed.

The Canadiens are building a place where young players want to stay.

Montreal now has Demidov, Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky and Lane Hutson all signed through at least 2029-30. That's a pretty impressive collection of young talent, and more importantly, these players are getting a chance to grow together.

And that's the part that is easy to miss. The Canadiens aren't simply trying to get back to the Eastern Conference Final. They are trying to turn that experience into the next step.

There is something refreshing about what Kent Hughes is doing in Montreal. There is always pressure on a general manager to do something. Fans want the big trade. They want the new name. They want evidence that management is working.

The Canadiens have played it smart by resisting temptations.

Montreal has already learned that this group can win playoff rounds. Now the challenge is learning how to win the next one. That's a very different problem from rebuilding.

The Canadiens aren't waiting for their future anymore. Their future has arrived. Now they have to find out how good it can become.