Season Over Already? The Canadiens & Kent Hughes Are Learning What Happens When You Ignore the Problems Staring You Right in the Face

I was literally about to write a blog post titled I Don’t Like the Vibe of This Montreal Canadiens Team Right Now when the worst possible news arrived: captain Nick Suzuki is expected to miss two to four weeks after blocking a shot off his hand in Montreal’s loss to the San Jose Sharks.

Even before the injury, something felt off about this Canadiens team heading into the season. Despite being one of Montreal’s biggest fans and believing in the long-term future of this team, I predicted the Habs would be a first-round playoff exit rather than the Stanley Cup contender many expected them to become. Unfortunately, the opening stretch of the season has done little to ease my concerns.

Montreal is just 4-3-2 through its first nine games and has already surrendered multiple two-goal leads, leaving valuable points on the table. Those left points will no doubt comes back to haunt them as the season progresses if they start to fall down the standings, particularly in the Atlantic Division, the toughest division in the NHL.

Now, the Canadiens must navigate the next several weeks without their captain and best player in Suzuki and not to mention, with Ivan Demidov still sidelined, Montreal is suddenly without two of its most important forwards, two key pieces of its top six, and two contributors to a power play that was supposed to take a significant step forward this season.

There is still plenty of hockey left to play, and the season is not even 10 games old. However, losing Suzuki is a particularly devastating blow for a team that already had questions surrounding its depth. Montreal could not afford to lose a player of his importance for any extended period.

Suzuki is irreplaceable for this team, he is the reigning Selke Trophy winner, a 100-point player, the captain, and the Canadiens’ most valuable player. More importantly, he is the only established top-six-calibre centre on the roster who can consistently handle the responsibilities of a first-line NHL centre.

Montreal will now have to find a way to compensate for his absence while continuing to compete against some of the best teams in the league. Looking at the schedule and the team's current form, I really do struggle to see where enough victories will come from to keep the Canadiens comfortably in the playoff race.

Perhaps the team will surprise me. Hockey is unpredictable, and a few strong performances could help Montreal remain competitive until Suzuki returns. But I would not be surprised if the Canadiens find themselves near the bottom of the NHL standings by the time their captain is healthy again.

It might sound premature to discuss the draft lottery before Halloween, but this injury has exposed just how fragile Montreal's current roster construction is and much of this frustration falls on general manager Kent Hughes.

Hughes deserves credit for the work he has done rebuilding Montreal's prospect pool and accelerating the organization's rebuild since he took over in late 2021. The Canadiens have progressed much faster than many anticipated. Two years ago, expectations were nowhere near playoff contention, yet Montreal made the postseason in 2025 and advanced to the Eastern Conference Final last year.

That progress deserves recognition. However, expectations have changed, and the Canadiens entered this season with legitimate hopes of competing among the NHL's better teams and potentially making a serious Stanley Cup run.

The problem is that Hughes did not make enough meaningful improvements to the roster over the summer.

To be fair, there is a reasonable argument for that approach as they have gotten better each year under his watch and he clearly wanted to avoid sacrificing valuable prospects or draft picks for the sake of making a move.

I can respect the decision not to acquire a player simply because one is available. However, there is a difference between avoiding unnecessary transactions and failing to address an obvious weakness.

The Canadiens needed another reliable centre who could provide insurance behind Suzuki. Even if Suzuki remained healthy, adding another quality centre would have made the team better equipped to handle injuries, difficult matchups, and the demands of a long playoff run.

Instead, Hughes largely ran it back with the group that made progress last season.

That decision looks increasingly stupid now that Suzuki is unavailable.

The Canadiens did not necessarily need to make a blockbuster trade to improve their centre depth. There were several possible avenues the organization could have explored.

A player such as Dylan Larkin would have represented a significant addition, although acquiring him was always a difficult proposition as he had no interest in coming to Canada.

Robert Thomas or even Mason McTavish were other names that could have been worth exploring if the opportunity was there. While any potential acquisition would have depended on availability and the cost of a trade, a player of his calibre could have addressed a major weakness in Montreal's lineup.

Some Canadiens fans also wanted the team to pursue Elias Pettersson. Although that was not necessarily the route I would have chosen because of the salary, it just shows there were options.

Even without pursuing a major trade, Hughes could have explored the free-agent market for additional depth. A player like Boone Jenner was an example of the kind of experienced centre who could have provided more options down the middle.

The point is not that Montreal had to acquire one particular player. Rather, the organization needed to recognize its weakness and make a meaningful effort to address it.

A depth centre would not have completely solved the problem created by losing Suzuki, but it could have reduced the pressure on the rest of the roster. At a minimum, adding another capable option would have demonstrated that management understood the importance of building a lineup that could withstand injuries.

Instead, Hughes chose to trust the existing group and now t he Canadiens are finding out what happens when you don't address a problem that was obvious to everyone.

Montreal's run to the Eastern Conference Final last season helped raise expectations, but it may also have obscured some of the team's underlying weaknesses.

Despite reaching the third round, the Canadiens finished the playoffs with a 9-10 record. Their postseason success also depended heavily on goaltender Jakub Dobeš delivering important performances throughout the run.

Goaltending can carry a team a long way in the playoffs, and Dobeš deserves credit for his play. However, relying on exceptional goaltending is not necessarily a sustainable strategy for a team hoping to become a consistent Stanley Cup contender.

Before the season began, I was already concerned that Montreal's centre depth would prevent it from taking the next step. My concern was not that the Canadiens lacked promising young players or had failed to make progress. It was that they were asking too much of a roster that still had significant weaknesses.

Suzuki's injury has turned that concern into an immediate problem.

The Canadiens now have to find a way to generate offence, maintain their competitiveness, and survive difficult matchups without their best and most important player. When (NOT IF, WHEN) the team struggles during his absence, it will be difficult to dismiss the possibility that last season's playoff run created expectations that this roster was not ready for.

Progress is important, but making the Eastern Conference Final does not automatically mean a team is ready to contend for the Stanley Cup the following season.

With Suzuki and Demidov out of the lineup, several players will have an opportunity to take on larger roles. Whether they can do so effectively may determine how much damage Montreal suffers over the next month.

Cole Caufield will be one of the players Montreal needs to rely on most heavily. His scoring ability becomes even more important without Suzuki creating opportunities and driving the top line.

He will need to find ways to generate offence consistently, take advantage of his scoring chances, and provide a spark when the Canadiens need it. This is also an opportunity for him to assume a greater leadership role and help keep the team competitive during a difficult stretch.

Juraj Slafkovský will be another important player to watch as Montreal tries to compensate for Suzuki's absence. The Canadiens need more production and versatility from their young core, and this is an opportunity for him to perhaps play a bit centre which could be weird, but needed.

Alex Newhook also has an opportunity to establish himself as a dependable top-six forward.

There have been questions about whether he can consistently produce at that level, and Suzuki's absence creates an opening for him to take on a larger role. However, I would have liked to see more evidence of that ability by this point.

For Oliver Kapanen, this is an opportunity to earn a regular place in the lineup and demonstrate that he can contribute on a nightly basis.

Montreal needs players who can step into larger roles without a significant drop in performance. Giving Kapanen consistent opportunities would allow the organization to evaluate what it has in him while attempting to cover the minutes left behind by its injured players.

Can Kirby Dach do anything?

If he has another level to his game, this is the time to show it. The Canadiens need more reliable contributions throughout their forward group, and Dach has an opportunity to demonstrate that he can be part of the solution rather than a player the fan base wants out of town as soon as possible.

Ultimately, Montreal needs several players to exceed expectations simultaneously.

Yes, this is a lot to ask, but it's where they are at.

As a longtime Canadiens fan, this situation feels uncomfortably familiar.

It reminds me of the 2015-16 season, when Montreal entered the year with significant expectations following a strong previous campaign, only for Carey Price's injury to derail the season. Price was so important to the organization's success that losing him fundamentally changed what the team could accomplish.

The circumstances are different today, but the underlying concern is similar: Montreal has built a team with expectations that may be too dependent on its best player remaining healthy.

When Price went down, the Canadiens discovered how difficult it was to compensate for the absence of a player who had become central to everything they did. Suzuki now occupies a similarly important position within this roster.

The Canadiens should not be in a position where losing one player for a few weeks immediately makes the season feel as though it could unravel.

Of course, injuries are part of hockey. No general manager can build a roster that is immune to losing its best player. However, teams with genuine championship aspirations need enough depth to absorb difficult stretches without completely losing their footing.

Montreal's early-season record, blown leads, questions about its special teams and limited options at centre already suggested that the roster was not as strong as many hoped. Suzuki's injury has only intensified those concerns.

There is something about this year's team that feels off, and the latest developments have made it increasingly difficult to ignore.

My concern is that the Canadiens could be in for a very humbling year.

The organization has made impressive progress, but development is rarely linear. Young players do not improve at the same rate, playoff success does not always translate into immediate regular-season dominance, and weaknesses that go unaddressed eventually become exposed.

That is what worries me most about Hughes' approach this summer. The centre position was an obvious area of concern, yet the organization entered the season without making a meaningful addition to improve its depth.

Now, with Suzuki potentially missing close to a month and Demidov also sidelined, the Canadiens are being forced to confront that weakness much earlier than anyone would have wanted.

I hope Montreal can tread water until its injured players return. If the Canadiens can remain within striking distance of a playoff spot, get healthy, and build some momentum, there is still a path toward a respectable season.

However, looking at the team's early performances and the challenges ahead, I am not optimistic. By the time Suzuki returns, Montreal could find itself near the bottom of the standings, facing an uphill battle to get back into contention.

At that point, discussions about the draft lottery may become more realistic than conversations about a deep playoff run.

As a Canadiens fan, I am extremely frustrated with how the organization handled the offseason.

I still love this team, and I will continue supporting the Canadiens regardless of how this season unfolds. That will not change. But supporting an organization does not mean ignoring its mistakes, particularly when the problems appear so obvious.

Montreal had to strengthen its centre depth, add insurance behind Suzuki, and build a roster better equipped to compete with the NHL's best teams. Instead, management largely relied on internal improvement to carry the team forward.

The absence of one player should not be enough to make a team with legitimate playoff and championship aspirations look so vulnerable. The fact that Montreal's depth is already being tested this early in the season is a major concern.

Perhaps the young players will step up. Perhaps the Canadiens will find a way to collect enough points to stay competitive until Suzuki returns. I sincerely hope they do.

But right now, I do not like the vibe of this team. The early-season results have been concerning, the roster has clear weaknesses, and the latest injury news has made an already difficult situation considerably worse.

Kent Hughes deserves credit for rebuilding the Canadiens and getting them back into the playoffs. However, the next phase of the rebuild requires more than trusting that the existing roster will continue improving. It requires identifying weaknesses and addressing them before they become major problems.

Unfortunately, Montreal may be learning that lesson the hard way.

I will continue to ride and die with this organization, but I am disappointed. And with Nick Suzuki sidelined, the Canadiens' early-season struggles have me thinking about draft lottery balls rather than the Stanley Cup.

That is not where I expected this team to be, but it is increasingly difficult to ignore the possibility.