Canadiens Are League's Next Panthers

The Montreal Canadiens are the NHL's next Florida Panthers. Allow me to explain.

The Canadiens are on the verge of Stanley Cup contention. It's a long overdue development for the franchise and the NHL. Aside from their unlikely run to the Stanley Cup Final during the COVID-19 shortened 2020-2021 campaign, it's been a series of missed postseasons and first round exits for the past decade.

As a result of their trying times, the beginnings of the next possible NHL dynasty developed. The Panthers are the gold standard of the league right now, showing that a commitment to a simple, yet effective championship formula is a winning approach. There's no exact science to winning, but there are a few hallmarks of the most recent Stanley Cup winners.

To win a championship, you need three elite scoring forwards, at least two defenders who can average more than 22 minutes of ice time per game and a goalie who can defend high-danger chances and make a timely save or two besides that.

The Canadiens are surprisingly close to completing the model. They have the offensive component. Captain Nick Suzuki, winger Cole Caufield and rookie Ivan Demidov are elite scorers, while Juraj Slafkovsky, Zac Bolduc and Patrik Laine offer the potential for more. Behind them, there is a supporting group of forwards like veterans Jake Evans, Brendan Gallagher, and Josh Anderson, who can bring some snarl and two-way effectiveness to balance out their fast-paced top-line players.

You can check off the defensive component as well. The blockbuster trade that brought Noah Dobson to Montreal gave the Habs two defenders capable of scoring 50+ points in a season and skating anywhere north of 20 minutes per game. Not only will they have one defenseman to play all game long in crunch time, they have a pair ready to make an impact.

The last checkbox is the starting goaltending situation. Sam Montembeault has developed into a quality starter in the NHL, but can he be the trustworthy number one that can lead a team deep int he Stanley Cup Playoffs?

According to NHL EDGE, there's a case to be made for that. Last year, Montembeault compiled a record of 31-24-7 with a 2.82 goals-against average and a .902 save percentage over 62 games played. He stopped 90% of the shots against him in 32 of his starts, a figure that ranked in the 90th percentile of all NHL goalies in 2024-25.

He also faced and turned aside an overwhelming number of shot attempts in high-danger areas. The Canadiens surrendered 460 high-danger shots on goal, which was more than 98% of what other NHL goalies faced. Still, Montembeault turned aside 375 shots for a .815 save percentage. That figure ranked in the 72nd percentile of NHL goalies last season. What that suggests is the Habs are getting consistent goaltending, but perhaps they relied on him too much to bail them out in challenging situations. If he can continue bringing the same numbers and performance in the upcoming season, the Canadiens should see much better results.

The Panthers languished in the basement of the NHL before storming to the top of the league. Now, they are the envy of the other 31 teams and have a strong chance to win three straight Stanley Cup titles. The Canadiens have done their time too, and now it's time for their rise to the apex of the NHL.