The Montreal Canadiens have been caught in a rebuild since they made their miraculous Stanley Cup Final run in 2021. They believed there were good times ahead, but career-ending ailments to Shea Weber and Carey Price ended their competing dreams. The Canadiens have done a good job rebuilding their roster, and they felt like this could be the year to start contending. However, some early injuries in training camp have changed that outlook. Let's look at the upcoming 2024-25 Canadiens season with a projected roster, season outlook, and playoff picture.
The Canadiens entered the 2024 offseason with one goal in mind: to improve their offensive future. It began when they traded up to get a second first-round pick at the draft and took skilled forwards Ivan Demidov and Michael Hage. Many believed that the two prospects were the big splashes the Canadiens needed to help their rebuild, but they made another massive splash with the acquisition of Patrik Laine.
The Canadiens suffered two devastating losses so far this preseason with knee injuries to Laine and the fifth-overall pick from 2023, David Reinbacher. Reinbacher wasn't a lock to make the team anyway, as he needed a year of development in the American Hockey League. However, Laine missing a full year would've been one of the most disappointing injuries for the franchise in a long time.
Reinbacher's results returned poorly, set to miss five to six months after knee surgery on Monday morning. Fans feared it'd be the same news for Laine, but his knee was just a sprain and will keep him out for 2-3 months.
Canadiens still have a good projected roster
The Canadiens will get Laine back around December, which still gives him plenty of time to settle in with the team. The question is whether they have the pieces to keep them in it for the interim. Oliver Kapanen has been a massive addition to training camp and will likely stay in North America for his first professional season. Montreal hopes they can also get a healthy season from Kirby Dach to cement their second line, which would be an integral piece of their return to contention.
The blue line has never been an issue for the Canadiens' future. They compiled an abundance of defensive depth, which they used to make some trades this past season. Jordan Harris and Jonathan Kovacevic are NHL defensemen but were shipped out due to lack of space. Montreal's depth on the blue line is so good that Arber Xhekaj, a stalwart for the Canadiens in recent years, may not have a spot in the opening-night lineup.
The Canadiens goaltending situation is set for the foreseeable future until Jacob Fowler turns pro from Boston College. Sam Montembeault and Cayden Primeau will share the duties, with Jakub Dobes knocking on the door to be a backup if one goes elsewhere for any reason.
Forwards – Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky, Patrik Laine, Kirby Dach, Alex Newhook, Joshua Roy, Oliver Kapanen, Josh Anderson, Joel Armia, Jake Evans, Brendan Gallagher, Alex Barre-Boulet
Defense – Mike Matheson, Kaiden Guhle, Lane Hutson, Justin Barron, David Savard, Jayden Struble, Arber Xhekaj
Goalies – Sam Montembeault, Cayden Primeau
Montreal's season outlook
The Canadiens begin their season in the most predictable way possible, a matchup with their rival Toronto Maple Leafs. The teams started the season against each other for five consecutive years. The rivalry tour doesn't stop there, as they battle the Boston Bruins in the home opener the following night.
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The start of the Canadiens' schedule will help them get through Laine's absence. They have just four games on the road in October, while they play seven at the Bell Centre. They also have a solid November, playing just four playoff teams from last season out of their 11 games.
The Canadiens also start December with six home games out of their first seven. This brings them to the middle of December, the timeframe for Laine's return. It could be a full circle moment if Laine can return on the road against the team that drafted him, the Winnipeg Jets, on December 14th.
The downfall of having so many home games at the beginning of the season is the number of road trips they'll take in the second half. Luckily for the Canadiens, they should be at full strength when that portion of their schedule begins.
Canadiens' playoff picture
The Canadiens' front office and players have been saying that the rebuild is over and they want to contend this season. The issue for the Canadiens is that the Atlantic Division could be the toughest in hockey. Montreal will be better this season, but saying they'll make the postseason is a stretch. The Canadiens want to slowly build until they get to a point where Demidov and Hage join the team and complete the rebuild.
