Heading into the 2024-25 NHL season, the Montreal Canadiens are one of the most intriguing teams in the NHL. With the youth movement underway, the return of Kirby Dach, and the addition of Patrik Laine, this season is poised for excitement. Despite the hype, there are still so many question marks surrounding the Canadiens. As a result, it’s unclear where they will finish in the standings. These question marks leave much room for debate, however. With that being said, let’s take a look at some bold Montreal Canadiens predictions for 2024-25.
Bold Montreal Canadiens Predictions 2024-25
Lane Hutson is a Calder Finalist
This year’s NHL rookie class is one of the best in recent memory. Names like Macklin Celebrini, Matvei Michkov, and Cutter Gauthier are heading in as the favourites for the Calder Trophy honour. But the best defenceman in the class may have something to say about that. Lane Hutson enters as somewhat of an underdog in the race. The Calder is an award that is typically reserved for forwards as their point totals usually have voters in awe when compared to defenceman. However, Hutson is projected to be an elite point producer from the backend. A season in the 40-50 point range should have him as a lock to be a finalist next season.
These numbers are very realistic for a player of Lane Hutson’s calibre. Hutson dominated offensively at the College level. There has been much debate on whether he can transition that offense to the NHL, however. Hutson has proved doubters wrong in his small sample size at the NHL level though. In two games at the end of last season, he showcased the offensive talent that has him labeled as one of the league’s best prospects. Hutson wowed the Montreal Canadiens faithful en route to a pair of assists in an impressive two-game stint. If Hutson can maintain that level of play over a full season, he should be a finalist if not the winner of the Calder Trophy. If he ends up running the Canadiens top powerplay unit right out of the gate, expect big numbers from Hutson.
Cole Caufield and Patrik Laine both net 40 Goals
This might be the boldest of the Canadiens predictions. The Canadiens haven’t had a forty-goal scorer since Vincent Damphousse in the 93-94 season. This season, however, they have two guys who have the potential to do just that. Laine when healthy can score thirty goals in his sleep. He has already claimed that he wants to become a forty-goal scorer if not a fifty-goal man. He scored forty-four in his sophomore season but hasn’t reached the mark since. If Laine can rejuvenate his career in Montreal under the tutelage of Martin St. Louis, he can easily reach that mark again.
As for Caufield, he hasn’t yet hit the thirty-goal mark in his young career. He was on a near fifty-goal pace two years ago before injury. Last year he hit 28 in what many saw as a down year. This year he’ll have a full offseason and won’t be affected by any lingering effects of his shoulder surgery.
Caufield and Laine likely will be split up, at least to start the season, other than on the powerplay. The two should be beneficiaries of each others presence regardless, however. Teams will have a hard time matching up against two lines with elite goal scorers. On the powerplay, the two will give opposing defenders headaches. If they are healthy, expect both players to reach thirty goals and maybe even hit the forty mark.
The Montreal Canadiens Finish Ahead of Ottawa, Buffalo, and Detroit
In the eyes of most, the Detroit Red Wings, Ottawa Senators, and Buffalo Sabres are far ahead of the Canadiens in their respective rebuilds. However, since Kent Hughes has taken over the reins as the Canadiens GM, he has accelerated the rebuild, drafting Juraj Slafkovsky, Lane Hutson, Jacob Fowler, David Reinbacher, Ivan Demidov, Michael Hage, etc. He has also been busy on the trade market acquiring Laine, Dach, and Alex Newhook. The Habs now boast arguably the best prospect pool in the league. Not to mention Hughes has signed Slafkovsky, Caufield, Kaiden Guhle to long-term team-friendly deals.
All four of these clubs have question marks going into the season. Detroit’s defense corps and goaltending situation leave room for concern. How will Linus Ullmark fare under a much weaker Senators defence? Is this the year the Sabres can finally put it all together? While the Habs have many question marks as well, their rebuild has been much quicker than their Atlantic counterparts. Chances are that one of the four will make the playoffs this season, and the Canadiens shouldn’t be discounted from the race.
Main Photo: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images
