{"id":474155,"date":"2025-09-15T08:48:57","date_gmt":"2025-09-15T12:48:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=474155"},"modified":"2025-09-15T08:48:57","modified_gmt":"2025-09-15T12:48:57","slug":"puck-drop-preview-2025-26-montreal-canadiens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2025\/09\/15\/puck-drop-preview-2025-26-montreal-canadiens\/","title":{"rendered":"Puck Drop Preview: 2025-26 Montreal Canadiens"},"content":{"rendered":"

Last Word on Hockey\u2019s Puck Drop Previews are back for the 2025-26 season! As the regular season approaches, Last Word will preview each team\u2019s current outlook and stories to watch for the upcoming year. We\u2019ll also do our best to project how things will go for each team throughout the campaign. Today, we\u2019re previewing the 2025-26 Montreal Canadiens.<\/a><\/p>\n

Montreal Canadiens<\/h2>\n

2024-25 Montreal Canadiens Recap<\/h3>\n

The 2024-25 season was a rollercoaster for a young Montreal Canadiens team. The Habs had a brutal start to the year, falling to the basement of the league. It seemed as though they were destined for a fourth consecutive, top-five draft lottery selection. However, in the month of December, the Canadiens completely turned their season around. They shipped out Justin Barron<\/a> to Nashville in exchange for Alexandre Carrier<\/a>, who helped shore up their defensive woes. We also saw Patrik Laine<\/a> return from injury and change Montreal’s power play. Following the 4 Nations Face-Off<\/a> tournament, captain Nick Suzuki<\/a> was one of the most dominant players in the NHL, cementing himself as one of the league’s top pivots.<\/p>\n

In game 82 of the 2024-25 campaign, the Montreal Canadiens punched their ticket into the postseason. This was the first time the team had qualified for the playoffs since their Stanley Cup Final run in 2021. Despite this, a more experienced Washington Capitals team proved to be too much for Montreal to handle. The Canadiens fell to the Capitals in five games. However, the Habs put up a good fight and gave us a glimpse of what we could see in the team’s future. Lane Hutson<\/a> had a Calder Trophy campaign for the ages. The top line of Suzuki, Cole Caufield<\/a>, and Juraj Slafkovsky<\/a> has cemented itself as one of the league’s premier trios, and Ivan Demidov<\/a> burst onto the scene at the end of the year. The 2024-25 season proved to be the end of the rebuild and the team is now looking to make a repeat run to the postseason.<\/p>\n

2025 Offseason<\/h3>\n

General manager Kent Hughes has bought into the hype surrounding his young team. He decided to reward them by splurging this offseason. On draft day, he made one of the biggest moves of the entire offseason. Montreal would trade both of its first-round selections, as well as forward Emil Heineman<\/a> to the Islanders in exchange for Noah Dobson<\/a>. Dobson, 25, was signed to an eight-year deal, averaging $9.5 million annually, the largest contract on the roster. Hughes followed this move up by acquiring sophomore forward Zachary Bolduc<\/a> in exchange for prospect Logan Mailloux<\/a> on July 1st. These two moves prove that the Canadiens want to continue to be more competitive and are looking to take another step forward.<\/p>\n

Montreal also added some depth in free agency. Kappo Kahkonen was signed to add some goaltending depth behind Jakub Dobes<\/a>, and Samuel Blais adds some toughness to the bottom of the team’s lineup. Hometown boy Joe Veleno<\/a> was also signed and will be vying to replace the void left behind by Christian Dvorak<\/a> down the middle. It’s also worth noting that Montreal will have a full season of Ivan Demidov, as well as a fully healthy Kirby Dach<\/a> and Patrik Laine. If Demidov’s prospect showcase performance is any indication, it should be an exciting year in Montreal.<\/a><\/p>\n

Lineup Projections<\/h3>\n

Forwards<\/h4>\n

Juraj Slafkovsky-Nick Suzuki-Cole Caufield<\/p>\n

Patrik Laine-Kirby Dach-Ivan Demidov<\/p>\n

Zachary Bolduc-Oliver Kapanen<\/a>–Alex Newhook<\/a><\/p>\n

Josh Anderson-Jake Evans-Brendan Gallagher<\/a><\/p>\n

Samuel Blais, Joe Veleno<\/p>\n

Top Six<\/h4>\n

The Canadiens first line of Suzuki, Caufield, and Slafkovsky is set in stone. They have played together for the better part of two years and have proven they have chemistry together and have dominated at times for Montreal. The second line is where things get interesting. Ivan Demidov will be on the second trio. However, his linemates are in question. Dach and Laine are the most likely candidates, but a whole cast of players could be in those roles. Kapanen, Veleno, Bolduc, and Newhook could all see top-six minutes. However, Dach and Laine should start the year alongside Demidov.<\/p>\n

Bottom Six\/ Extra Players<\/h4>\n

The third line for Montreal features three players who could all see top-six minutes. Bolduc will be fighting Laine for a top-six spot,<\/a> while rookie Oliver Kapanen is hoping to make the team and earn a center position out of camp. The fourth line features three veterans in Gallagher, Anderson, and Evans. With more depth on the roster, these three are now slotted better down the team’s lineup.<\/p>\n

As for the extra forwards, Samuel Blais should start as the team’s thirteenth forward to begin the year. It’s unlikely we see him get into the lineup right away, barring an injury. He serves as a replacement for Michael Pezzetta<\/a>. Finally, Joe Veleno will be looking to revitalize his career in Montreal and earn a roster spot. The final spot in the lineup will be a battle between himself and the young Oliver Kapanen.<\/p>\n

Defence<\/h4>\n

Kaiden Guhle-Noah Dobson<\/p>\n

Lane Hutson-Jayden Struble<\/a><\/p>\n

Mike Matheson<\/a>-Alexandre Carrier<\/p>\n

Arber Xhekaj<\/a><\/p>\n

Top Four<\/h4>\n

Montreal’s defence has a new look this year with Noah Dobson on the roster. Dobson and Guhle will form a solid top pair. This allows Lane Hutson to play on the second pair, where he will see more favourable matchups. All three should see over twenty minutes a game, however. Struble looked solid when paired with Hutson at times down the stretch, and it makes sense to give him a shot in the top four to start the year.<\/p>\n

Bottom Pair\/ Extra Players<\/h4>\n

Having Mike Matheson and Alexandre Carrier on the bottom pair is a luxury that not many teams can afford. Matheson was often forced to play too many minutes for Montreal, but that won’t be the case any longer. In a more limited role, he could be a major asset for the Canadiens. Arber Xhekaj finds himself on the outside looking in on this defensive group. Xhekaj seemingly lost his game as well as the trust of his head coach, Martin St. Louis<\/a>, in 2024-25. He will need to walk the line between physical and disciplined if he wants to get back into the lineup. It’s worth noting that we could also see fifth overall pick David Reinbacher fighting for a spot in training camp.<\/a><\/p>\n

Goalies<\/h4>\n

Sam Montembeault<\/p>\n

Jakub Dobes<\/p>\n

Goaltending shouldn’t really be a question mark for the Montreal Canadiens this season. Montembeault has proved he is more than capable in a starting role. We also saw Dobes give Montreal some good starts in his rookie year. Kahkonen will battle for the backup role but it’s more likely he will be in Laval to give Jacob Fowler some veteran experience behind him. Montreal should run with Montembeault and Dobes for 2025-26.<\/p>\n

Players to Watch<\/h3>\n

The two most interesting names to watch for Montreal this season are Kirby Dach and Patrik Laine. Dach has missed the better part of two seasons due to injuries. He once seemed destined to be the Canadiens second centre of the future. However, injuries have called that into question. He is expected to start the season as the team’s number two centreman, but will have a short leash. This will be his final chance to prove himself with Montreal as he is heading into the final year of his contract. Despite being an RFA at season’s end, the Canadiens will likely opt to move on from Dach if he doesn’t impress this year.<\/p>\n

Patrik Laine had an up-and-down debut year in Montreal. An injury in the preseason prolonged his debut until December. Upon his return, Laine lit up the scoresheet on the Habs top power play. In contrast, his five-on-five play left much to be desired. It’s hard to tell what to expect from him this year. He will begin the year healthy. On the other hand, it’s unclear where he fits into the lineup to begin the year. He may not even be on the number one power play unit. Laine is also heading into the final year of his deal with Montreal.<\/p>\n

Prediction for the 2025-26 Montreal Canadiens<\/h3>\n

The Montreal Canadiens roster is much improved from last season. This young team should be able to take another big step in 2025-26. Expect the Habs to qualify for the postseason once again.<\/p>\n

Prediction: 3rd in the Atlantic Division<\/strong><\/p>\n

Main Photo: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Last Word on Hockey\u2019s Puck Drop Previews are back for the 2025-26 season! As the regular season approaches, Last Word will preview each team\u2019s current outlook and stories to watch for the upcoming year. We\u2019ll also do our best to project how things will go for each team throughout the campaign. Today, we\u2019re previewing the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4275,"featured_media":474337,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7,2,4547,4548],"tags":[6552,7974,3505,2718,436,5708,2230,6291],"class_list":["post-474155","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-canadiens","category-featured","category-hockey","category-nhl","tag-canadiens-featured","tag-ivan-demidov","tag-kirby-dach","tag-noah-dobson","tag-patrik-laine","tag-puck-drop-preview","tag-samuel-montembeault","tag-zachary-bolduc"],"modified_by":"Levi Pike, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/474155","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4275"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=474155"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/474155\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":474338,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/474155\/revisions\/474338"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/474337"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=474155"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=474155"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=474155"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}