A Bitter Ending, But So Much To Be Proud Of, And So Much To Look Forward To For The Montreal Canadiens

And that's all she wrote for the Montreal Canadiens' 2025-26 season.

The Canadiens' remarkable playoff has come to an end after a 6-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final. While Montreal managed to take Game 1 by a score of 6-2, the reality is that Carolina controlled this series from Game 2 on.

Even though Games 2 and 3 required overtime, the Hurricanes were the better team in both contests. The final two games weren't particularly competitive either, with Montreal being outscored 10-1 across Games 4 and 5. Carolina was bigger, stronger, more physical, and simply more prepared for this moment.

It's a bitter ending. There's no denying that.

But it shouldn't take away from what was a tremendously successful season.

As I've mentioned countless times throughout the year, this was the youngest team in the NHL and the youngest team to make the playoffs. In Year 5 of this rebuild under this new era of Habs hockey, and after making the playoffs unexpectedly last season, they proved this year was no fluke.

Montreal finished with 106 points, which was good enough for sixth in the league's overall standings and won two grueling playoff rounds against divisional rivals. They survived two seven-game series against both the Tampa Bay Lightning and Buffalo Sabres before finally running into a Carolina team that exposed some of the flaws that still exist within this roster.

Yes, this ending leaves a sour taste in your mouth. Yes, there were frustrations throughout this series.

But when the dust settles, the Canadiens were one of the last three teams standing in the NHL.

That is something to be proud of.

That said, one thing the Canadiens absolutely cannot do is become satisfied with this playoff run.

I never like hearing people automatically assume a team will be back because nothing is guaranteed in the NHL, especially in the Atlantic Division.

The Canadiens play in what I believe is the toughest division in hockey, and the playoff format doesn't appear to be changing anytime soon.

The Florida Panthers will be back, and I fully expect them to remain Stanley Cup contenders next season.

The Tampa Bay Lightning will stay competitive year after year and should remain a threat for the foreseeable future.

The Buffalo Sabres finally took a major step forward this season, and while I still need to see them do it consistently, but they look like a team that will be a factor in the division moving forward.

The Toronto Maple Leafs might be the biggest wildcard. If Auston Matthews returns to his MVP-level form under a new coach, is Matthews even there long-term? And if they select him with first overall pick, can Gavin McKenna quickly develop into the superstar many expect him to become.

As for the Ottawa Senators, there are still plenty of questions surrounding their long-term outlook, particularly with the ongoing uncertainty around Brady Tkachuk. Still, they're a team that has to be taken seriously entering next season.

This division is a gauntlet.

That's why Montreal can't simply celebrate this run and assume they'll be back. They need to continue improving. The good news is that I believe they have the brightest future of any team in the Atlantic Division. Now they need to capitalize on it.

However, if there's one major question mark heading into the offseason, it's the coaching staff.

Martin St. Louis has improved as a coach every year since taking over behind the bench. He deserves a tremendous amount of credit for helping guide this rebuild and creating a culture players want to be part of.

However, this series exposed some serious concerns about him for him.

Rod Brind'Amour absolutely ran circles around him.

St. Louis remained extremely stubborn with both his system and lineup decisions. Despite the Hurricanes clearly having answers for what Montreal was trying to do, there were very few adjustments throughout the series. That's something I'll be questioning all summer.

More importantly, the defensive structure needs significant work.

Throughout the regular season, the Canadiens were often able to outscore their mistakes. Their philosophy frequently felt like "score one more than the other team." While that approach helped them win games during the regular season, it was much more difficult for them to find consistency winning that way in the playoffs.

Carolina provided a masterclass in what a complete 200-foot hockey team looks like.

If Montreal wants to take the next step from playoff team to legitimate Stanley Cup contender, they must become significantly better defensively. That starts with coaching, structure, and accountability throughout the lineup.

I do think St. Louis will learn from this experience. He's shown growth every season. But this series should force some self-reflection behind the bench.

Back to the players.

Despite the disappointing finish, it's impossible not to be excited about the future.

Nick Suzuki continues to establish himself as one of the NHL's elite two-way centers. After recording 100 points for the first time in his career and representing Team Canada at the Olympics, he looks like a legitimate Selke Trophy candidate. The scary part is that he's just entering his prime years.

Cole Caufield had a quieter postseason than many expected, but a 50-goal season speaks for itself. He should remain one of the league's premier goal scorers and could easily live in the 40-to-50-goal range for years.

Juraj Slafkovsky finally had the breakout campaign Canadiens fans have been waiting for. Reaching the 30-goal mark while producing more than 75 points was a huge step forward, and there's every reason to believe he'll continue improving.

Lane Hutson somehow managed to look even better than he did during his rookie season. At just 22 years old, his ceiling remains incredibly high. It's not difficult to envision him becoming a perennial Norris Trophy contender.

Then there's Ivan Demidov.

Of all the young players on this roster, Demidov is probably the one I'm most excited about heading into next season. He surpassed 60 points as a rookie despite spending much of the season without a reliable second-line center on his line. If Montreal can find him a legitimate playmaking center, the sky is the limit for what he could become offensively.

The Canadiens also appear to be in net.

Jakub Dobeš was arguably the biggest star of Montreal's postseason run. Even though he saw NHL action last year, this was his true rookie season, and he handled the pressure remarkably well.

The hope now is that this playoff experience only accelerates his development.

Jacob Fowler also impressed during the limited opportunities he received this season. Whether the Canadiens choose to keep him with the NHL club or allow him to spend another year as a full-time starter in the AHL, they have options.

It wouldn't be surprising to me if Kent Hughes looks for a veteran backup goaltender to provide additional stability while allowing Fowler to continue developing properly.

Regardless of the path they choose, the Canadiens have a young and talented goaltending tandem that should continue improving.

I also think it's important not to overreact to Noah Dobson's playoff performance.

While he wasn't awful, his postseason clearly wasn't representative of the player we saw throughout most of the regular season.

Whatever happened to his thumb during the final weekend of the regular season against Columbus clearly impacted him. He missed the first six games of the Tampa Bay series and appeared to rush back into action.

He struggled with puck management throughout the playoffs, and there were countless moments where he simply didn't look comfortable handling the puck.

Still, over the course of his first full season in Montreal, Dobson was a major addition. His defensive presence helped ease the workload on Lane Hutson and veterans such as Mike Matheson.

A full offseason and another year of familiarity should only make him more effective moving forward.

So what needs to happen this summer?

The path forward isn't particularly complicated.

The Canadiens need to get bigger.

They need to improve their defensive structure.

They need to create better balance throughout their lineup.

And most importantly, they need to find Ivan Demidov a legitimate second-line center.

That's easier said than done.

The free-agent market isn't exactly overflowing with top-six centers, which likely means Kent Hughes will need to get creative through the trade market.

Fortunately for Canadiens fans, Hughes has earned a tremendous amount of trust. Whether it's acquiring a player like Noah Dobson or negotiating contracts, he's consistently shown an ability to get deals done when he identifies a target.

Now, what encourages me most isn't necessarily how far the Canadiens went.

It's what they learned along the way.

This was only the second playoff appearance for this core group. They learned how to win difficult playoff games. They learned how to survive long series. They learned how to battle through adversity.

Most importantly, they learned exactly where they still need to improve.

This playoff run confirmed that this core is capable of making deep postseason runs. They don't need to tear anything apart. They don't need dramatic changes.

They simply need to sharpen the edges.

Everyone within the organization should benefit from this experience, the players, the coaching staff, and the front office.

The Canadiens exceeded expectations by a mile this season.

As a fan, there's disappointment right now. There should be. Losing in the Eastern Conference Final is never easy, especially when it happens in such lopsided fashion.

But when the emotions settle, the reality remains the same.

This was an excellent Montreal Canadiens season.

This team restored hope throughout the fan base. The "Drive for 25" is alive and well. While there are still areas that need improvement, I fully expect this core to be competing for Stanley Cups for years to come.

The season may be over.

But for the Montreal Canadiens, this feels like the beginning of something much bigger.