Are the Montreal Canadiens the next NHL juggernaut?

Windows of contention open and close seemingly every year in the NHL, and Montreal Canadiens fans have been waiting a while for theirs to open again.

Outside of a surprise run to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2021, the Habs haven’t made it as far as the conference final since 2014.

However, after making the playoffs as a wild-card entry last season, Montreal is off to a great start this year, earning 10 points in seven games and currently tied for the top spot in the Atlantic Division. The Canadiens’ young core, highlighted by Lane Hutson, Ivan Demidov, Nick Suzuki, and Juraj Slafkovsky, is the envy of the NHL, and Montreal fans are seeing a window swinging back open and letting in the light of a very bright future.

On Wednesday’s episode of Daily Faceoff Live, hosts Irfaan Gaffar and Colby Cohen discussed whether the Canadiens could be the NHL’s next juggernaut team.

Gaffar: True or false? The Montreal Canadiens are the next juggernaut. 

Cohen: I’m not sure that I’m ready to say that yet. I do love watching them play. I find myself gravitating to them, especially late in games when they get power plays or they’re pulling their goalie, and you’ve got all these electric puck movers out on the ice that have all-world types of skill.

My biggest question about the Montreal Canadiens; is the core a big enough core? As good as they are, when you get into the playoffs, is there enough size and grit? The skill is there. I mean, the skill is unmatched in a lot of situations when you look at the way Demidov and Hutson are just out there absolutely with the puck on a string. I love that you added Noah Dobson, because I think one of the biggest mistakes you could ever make is letting go of a right-handed shot, franchise-type defenseman. I believe Noah Dobson to be just that. It is a team that I’m drawn to night in and night out, and we’ll see. They’re going to have to add a little more sandpaper to that lineup. They want to hold on to the Matheson, but come playoff time, that’s the only thing that’s going to get in their way for now, as they continue through this rebuild that Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton have set this franchise upon.

You can catch Wednesday’s full episode here…