This may not be news to you, but the Habs are currently rebuilding.
Although the organization’s prospect pool is very promising, the Montreal Canadiens are not expected to make the playoffs this spring.
The defense is very young, and the Habs’ top forwards are all under 25, including captain Nick Suzuki.
The future is bright in Montreal, and the current core will only gain experience and be competitive in the years to come.
Speaking of the young core, Suzuki and Cole Caufield have won more playoff rounds than the poor Toronto Maple Leafs in the last 20 years.
Fun fact: Two of the 3 Montreal Canadiens players mentioned have won three times more playoffs rounds than Auston Matthews, and have been to a Stanley Cup finals.#GoHabsGo #LeafsForever #NHLTwitter #HockeyTwitter https://t.co/ZzJigybYy6
– Josh 🇨🇦 (@SportyJosh6) February 22, 2024
For now, it’s a different story.
Barring a major surprise, the Tricolore won’t be making the playoffs, and this will be the third time in a row they’ve missed out, following their appearance in the Stanley Cup Grand Final in 2021.
And when the season is officially over, the Habs will have missed the playoffs three seasons in a row for the fourth time in their history.
That’s what Jean-Charles Lajoie said in a recent article on TVA Sports.
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The last such sequence occurred in the 1998-1999, 1999-2000 and 2000-01 seasons.
It’s rather surprising that in the Habs’ 115-year history, they’ve been shut out of the playoffs three times in a row on only three other occasions in the past.
This was to be expected anyway, as since the departure of Shea Weber and the injury to Carey Price, the Habs have taken a completely new direction.
With the new management (Kent Hughes, Jeff Gorton and Martin St-Louis, to name but a few) and the young core, we can expect it won’t be too long before the Sainte-Flanelle get back to it.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see them in the picture next season, if the number of injuries can be reduced. If not next year, the 2025-2026 season will be the right one in my opinion, and the team should be competitive by then.
Can we finally hope for a Stanley Cup in Montreal in the next few years? Only time will tell.
Breaking news
– Who better than Patrick Kane to close out the overtime debate on his return to Chicago.
Showtime: Patrick Kane with an overtime winner for a storybook ending in his return to Chicago. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/chWCjBToul
– Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) February 26, 2024
– Kane decided to play the comedian following his winning goal in Chicago.
“He’s lucky he had the bubble on, or I was going after him.”
Patrick Kane on Bedard’s hit 😂 pic.twitter.com/VQSLCau3Hj
– Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) February 26, 2024
– According to David Pagnotta, the Vegas Golden Knights are looking for a winger for the playoff race. Jake Guentzel and Vladimir Tarasenko are two of the most talked-about names in Vegas.
Vegas could add a top winger https://t.co/STtC9CrMcO
– The Fourth Period (@TFP) February 24, 2024
– Jesperi Kotkaniemi has been fined for his hit on Joel Hanley of the Dallas Stars.
#CauseChaos C Jesperi Kotkaniemi has been fined $5,000 for elbowing Dallas Stars D Joel Hanley
– David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) February 26, 2024
– After Matt Rempe and Mathieu Olivier, Jérémy Lauzon and Sam Carrick got into a furious fight.
Lauzon and Carrick get it on! 👊 #Preds #FlyTogether pic.twitter.com/n1a1RA0Lp4
– TVA Sports (@TVASports) February 26, 2024