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Canadiens Confronting Challenges as Youngest Team in the NHL

Originally posted on NHL Trade Talk | Last updated Jan 19, 2026 11:33 AM ET

A young team inevitably experiences ups and downs over the course of a season, and the Montreal Canadiens are experiencing both as it fights to hold onto a playoff berth.

Montreal Wins a Game It May Not Have Deserved

In the NHL, if a team holds its opponent to fewer than three goals, it will usually win. If it allows three goals, the result is often a toss-up. Surrendering more than three goals typically leads to defeat.

Montreal visited Ottawa Saturday night (17 Jan 2026) and beat those odds. Despite giving up five goals, the Canadiens won 6-5. From a scoring perspective, it was an exciting game to watch; from a goaltending perspective, it was cringeworthy. The game also offered a window into the challenges facing this young Montreal team.

Penalties Can and Do Decide Games

Young teams tend to take more penalties. Montreal, with an average player age of 25.5, currently ranks fourth in the NHL in penalty minutes this season, averaging 4.32 penalties a game. By comparison, Minnesota – whose average age is 28.8 – takes just 2.8 penalties per game, the lowest rate in the league.

Montreal has lost 22 games this season, but in 13 of those losses, the team led at some point. In nine of those 13 games, penalties directly resulted in goals against. Without those penalty goals, several of those games would have ended in ties, if not outright wins for the Canadiens. Young teams must learn how to protect a lead, and one of the simplest ways to do so is by staying out of the penalty box.

Young Teams Making Mistakes is Inevitable

It is inevitable that a young team will make more mistakes than an experienced team, and on Saturday night, the Canadiens made too many. The passing was not as crisp as it can be – and has been – in other matchups. Too often, passes were ahead or behind the intended receiver, if they arrived at all.

At times, the defensive system broke down, and chaos ensued, even for only a minute or two. The result was missed assignments. Another way to protect a lead is to avoid missing assignments.

All season, when the Canadiens have been pressured in their own zone, they have struggled to clear it. Too often, a clearing attempt ends up on the opponent’s sticks, or worse, is intercepted by an attacker.

The longer a team is hemmed into its zone, the more fatigued its players become. The attacking team can cycle in fresh skaters, while the defending team cannot. Tired players are more prone to mistakes, and mistakes often lead to goals against. Another way to protect a lead is to avoid getting hemmed into the defensive zone.

Saturday Night’s Game Was A Learning Experience

Young players must learn not to defer to veterans all the time. They must learn to have confidence in their own shot. On Saturday night, while credit must be given to Ottawa’s forecheck, Montreal managed just 19 shots on goal. A team cannot expect to win consistently when it generates so little offense. That the Canadiens scored on 32% of their shots is not something they can rely on going forward.

Saturday night’s game illustrated the kinds of lows being discussed here. Montreal surrendered two power-play goals, allowing Ottawa back into the game. That made the Canadiens’ task of securing a win significantly more difficult.

Mistakes allowed Ottawa to spend far more time in the offensive zone than it would have if Montreal had cleared the zone effectively.

The good news is that young players are learning and improving. While the Montreal rebuild may be ahead of management’s schedule, there remains significant room for growth as these players mature into seasoned veterans.

This article first appeared on NHL Trade Talk and was syndicated with permission.

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