Time for new habs legends

With the passing of Ken Dryden and Guy Lafleur, I am reminded that in the last few years of their lives they were still keenly interested in bringing the winning tradition back to the habs franchise. The one depressing thing of the recent past is that habs fans basically exaggerated on the talents of a Subban or Weber,  Pacioretty or Price and blindly hoped these few could carry the team to the playoffs.

This summer positive vibes have been ever-present in habs social media and for the first time in many years this positivity may have some realism and merit. In hindsight, trying  to figure out the exact time the franchise became reinvigorated may be difficult to pinpoint. Was it the Slafkovsky pick at the bell center, or maybe the under-the radar-Hutson pick the same year? Maybe it started with the Laine trade or Celine Dion picking Demidov. The 4 nations tournament helped to bring back the electricity in the bell center. The atmosphere during the Canada USA match in Montreal overwhelmed even the final in Boston. It seemed that the power surge remained in the building for the rest of the season and allowed the habs to make the playoffs,

The habs roster going into the 2025-2026 season is full of young prospects, and talented older players trying to reestablish what made them productive in the past. Let’s discuss which players are the keys to the habs making the playoffs and maybe going a few rounds.

Patrick Laine-  Laine’s impact diminished over time last season but he still had a significant impact for many reasons. His goals provided Hutson with many more assists and probably clinched Hutson the Calder. Would Nick Suzuki get 89 points without Laine scoring on the powerplay? Does Caufield still get 37 goals if he is the only goal scoring threat? Laine provided all these positives with a wonky knee and  poor conditioning. Laine may not be everyone’s cup of tea with his flamboyancies and at times controversial comments. However, Laine has been training all summer for the coming season and there is a good chance for a scoring revival. It will be much easier for the habs to make the playoffs if Laine gets 35 goals, but I think he could score even more. Thirty nine year old Ovechkin scored how many on one leg last year? 

Lane Hutson- I thought I had seen everything in hockey, but the likes of Nathan MacKinnon, Connor Mcdavid, and now Lane Hutson have inspired an improvised hockey that is revolutionary and may change the game the way Orr , Gretzky, and Lemieux changed it in their eras. Hutson is more of a unicorn than the other two because of his non-standard hockey physique and incredible hockey IQ. One may need a nobel prize in physics to understand how Hutson uses his angles, head fakes, and agility to produce against much bigger players. He has become the Bobby Fischer of hockey and surely the next grandmaster of the game. 

Juraj Slafkovsky- Is this the year? Many habs fans expect a break-out season for the broad-shouldered Slovak. He has shown signs in the past two years when he decides to skate. When he moves he has dominant traits such as physical power, soft hands for passing,  and a deceptive powerful shot. His big problem is his reticence in shooting and his tendency to play uninspired immobile hockey at times. This could be the year... 

Nick Suzuki- Frankly I expected Suzuki to be even more productive than his 89 points. I really thought he would be in the top ten in scoring. However, I should have realized that Suzuki is consistent in taking small incremental steps in his production year after year. If the trend continues expect Suzuki to get over 90 points, but it would not be surprising if he gets over 100.

Ivan Demidov- What is obvious is that Ivan Demidov has Hutson’s hands. We may have two wizards on this team with a bagful of magic tricks. Are the habs heading to an era that matches the offensive output of the flying frenchmen of the fifties and seventies. My only concern is that Demidov is still a teenager and it may take a year or two to see how good he will be. I am hoping that people start making comparisons with McKenna and Celebrini, because Demidov is that good.

Cole Caufield- It already seems like ancient history when Goal Caufield was considered the new habs scoring hope and only sniper. With the acquisition of Laine and Bolduc and the drafting of Demidov, the pressure is off Caufield because other teams now have to concentrate on others. It may have been no coincidence that Laine’s presence last year provided Caufield with more goal scoring opportunities and his highest goal output. 

Noah Dobson- How good is Noah Dobson? Well hall of famer Shea Weber and Norris winner PK Subban never reached 70 points in a season. Dobson reached that mark in his early twenties. Not sure what happened last year but Dobson has oodles of potential and habs may finally have the stereotypical top line defence-man they have been searching for. I am thinking Dobson could be the right handed Serge Savard. 

Zach Bolduc- I honestly don’t know a lot about him. However listening to what most pundits have been saying, there is a consensus that Bolduc could be a very productive top line forward. I noticed that a majority of the pundits were surprised that Bolduc was available even for a right handed defence prospect like Mailloux. They swoon over his physicality and quick release.

Kaiden Guhle-  I had my doubts about Guhle last year and I still wonder about his constant injuries. At the same time, I found him much improved in his defensive play and his physicality.. This improvement could also be linked to Hutson’s emergence as the offensive quarterback on the blue-line. This made Guhle concentrate more on his defensive responsibilities. With Dobson’s arrival this could also help Guhle in playing his game pressure-free.

Jakub Dobes -Goaltending is one position that I try to avoid predicting if a prospect will ultimately become a star or a dud. Look at what happened to 2 time Stanley Cup winner Matt Murray or the inconsistencies of Stuart Skinner. Dobes had an up and down first half season with the habs after dominating in the AHL. The potential is there, but as with most goalies confidence plays an important role along with any blatant deficiencies. The one thing most goalies fear is that a book is out on some weakness. Dobes has all the physical tools and Royish swagger to become a top line goalie. He could become part of a Jacob tandem with Fowler in the near future.

As for the other prospects, I want to see more of  David Reinbacher, Oliver Kapanen, Florian Xhekaj, Owen Beck, Luke Tuch, and Jacob Fowler and I think a half year in Laval will tell hockey observers more. Some sleeper prospects that could make the habs this year are Adam Engstrom, Jared Davidson, and Sean Farrell. As for the future of Filip Mesar and Joshua Roy, this may be their make or break year with the habs. Their lack of grit has stalled their progress. Then there are recent signings Joe Veleno and Samuel Blais that could become helpful call-ups during the year.  

Martin St Louis- I think the jury is still out on MSL. There has been a 3 year on the job training for MSL and we are hoping that the training phase is over and MSL now has the experience needed to lead the team to the promised land. There is little doubt with MSL’s motivation skills, but coaching also entails in-game decisions and improvising on strategy. There were times last year MSL was slow in reacting to what was happening during the game. Most of the issues involved defensive lapses and hiring inexperienced  Stephane Robidas as the defence coach did not help with in game situations. However, they did make the playoffs and we cannot deny the coaching staff these positive results with what many considered a non-playoff roster.