The Canadiens Made It All the Way; Now What Do They Do With

Last year around this time, I wrote that Montreal felt like a team crossing a threshold — scarred in the right ways, finally aligned, with real help still coming. Turns out that wasn't just hopeful thinking. It happened almost exactly the way it was supposed to.

The Canadiens had a breakthrough season in 2025-26.

Montreal finished 48-24-10, good for 106 points and third in the Atlantic. Then they went out and actually did something with it — knocking off Tampa Bay in the first round, grinding past Buffalo in a seven-game second round, and pushing all the way to the Conference Final before finally running into a very good Carolina team. That's not a Cinderella run anymore. That's a real, sustained playoff push from a team that was supposedly still rebuilding.

And the names backing it up are exactly the ones I flagged last year. Nick Suzuki wore the "C" and delivered a monster season — 101 points, a plus-37, and he led the team in both assists and total scoring. Cole Caufield was every bit the finisher, popping 51 goals. That's the "scars turning into calluses" idea playing out in real numbers, not just a nice turn of phrase.

Even better, the Canadiens’ youngsters came through big time.

Here's the part that actually matters most going forward, though: the kids weren't just along for the ride; they were the story. Jakub Dobes led the team in wins, and prospects who were supposed to be "help on the way" are now just... here, contributing. That patience management showed—the stuff about not rushing prospects before they were ready—actually paid off on schedule.

So what's the sequel question for 2026-27? It's not "can this team take a step forward" anymore. They already did, and emphatically. The real question is whether a team that just tasted a Conference Final can handle the jump from surprising contender to legitimate hunted favourite. That's a different kind of pressure entirely. Last year's version of Montreal had nothing to lose and played with exactly that freedom. This year, everyone in the league knows who they are, and Carolina may have given the rest of the East some ideas about how to beat them.

So, what’s the best-case scenario this season?

The Canadiens didn't just validate the belief building around them last fall — they blew past it. Now the job isn't proving they belong. It's proving last year wasn't the ceiling. The pieces seem to be in place, but can this young team take yet another step forward? Fans will soon see.

Last year: Could this young team finally break through?
This year: They broke through. What happens when expectations arrive?