Good news, Canadiens fans: the future looks incredibly bright

“The pain that you feel right now is normal, but I think it’s not even close to what’s coming … the joy that’s coming.”

Those were the wise words of Montreal Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis just minutes after his team was eliminated from the playoffs by the Washington Capitals. Just minutes before that, the camera panned to him on the ice, staring back at his team as they consoled David Savard after his final NHL game. St. Louis didn’t look disappointed – in a way, it felt hopeful. Inspired. This was his first playoffs as an NHL head coach, but the 2004 Stanley Cup champ knows what it takes to win.

The 2024-25 season was all about growth for the Canadiens. After nearly winning the Cup in 2021 as the bottom seed, they immediately fell to the bottom of the standings. They picked Juraj Slafkovsky first overall in 2022, and picked fifth in each of the next two drafts. They quickly amassed one of the best pipelines in hockey – but at some point, they needed to take actual steps forward.

By the start of December, it all looked like one big disaster. The team was last in the Eastern Conference and 31st overall, only surpassing the Chicago Blackhawks. But, suddenly, things started to click. Between Dec. 15 and the 4 Nations Face-Off, the Canadiens were near the top in points amassed. Suddenly, the playoffs looked like a true possibility.

Montreal ultimately limped into the final spot in the East, finding themselves up against a Capitals team that had been on cruise control for the month prior. The Canadiens might have just won one game, but you can’t say they didn’t keep things tight. Between Game 1 ending in overtime, an empty-net goal needing to separate things in Game 2 and the third-period lead the Habs held in Game 4, the Canadiens kept it close from the very beginning.

Now, a new dawn is starting. One where success is expected. The rebuild is over. It’s time to put everything into overdrive.

The Canadiens will have some cap space to work with – and, hopefully, continue to invest in long-term pieces. Savard’s NHL career is over, opening up $3.5 million in cap space. Joel Armia ($3.4 million) and Christian Dvorak ($4.45 million) are both pending UFAs, and if either comes back, you can expect pay cuts. Emil Heineman, Jayden Struble and Jakub Dobes are all RFAs, but shouldn’t cost too much. The retained cap space from Jeff Petry and Jake Allen both come off the books this summer, too.

The future looks bright at the Bell Centre. Nick Suzuki might have had a quiet playoff run, but he’s coming off a career year. The same can be said for Slafkovsky and Cole Caufield, two of the team’s most important young stars. Even Brendan Gallagher put up the best numbers since before the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Canadiens also saw the rise of Lane Hutson, who appears to be the favorite to win the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie. He continued to find ways to elevate his game as the season wore on – so how far can he take things as a sophomore? Logan Mailloux, Oliver Kapanen and Joshua Roy all saw NHL time in various roles, too.

And, perhaps most exciting, is a full season of Ivan Demidov. We got a brief taste of what he brings to the table with a decent two-game audition to close out the regular season before putting up a modest two points in five postseason games. It’s hard to get adjusted to a new team, a new country, and a new lifestyle in the midst of a stressful playoff push. Assuming he spends the summer getting used to Montreal, he could come out flying and potentially snag the Canadiens a second straight Calder Trophy.

Fans across the NHL have started to take Samuel Montembeault seriously as a starting goaltender. Jakub Dobes is a legit backup. Cayden Primeau has looked excellent since heading back to the AHL. And Jacob Fowler has looked excellent in the AHL since putting up outstanding numbers in college. Sure, they’re lacking a Carey Price, but they’ve got some of the best goaltending depth they’ve had in some time.

If Habs fans want a glimpse into the future, the Laval Rocket are in the AHL playoffs – and looking sharp. Sean Farrell and Owen Beck scored in Game 1 to help Laval beat Cleveland, and Fowler looked excellent in his pro playoff debut. Primeau and Dobes could be loaned back to Laval – but if not, we could be seeing another Price-like playoff run from a young goalie with nothing to lose.

The Canadiens saw a 15-point increase in the regular season this year and 23 from the year before. Compared to other rebuilds, this hasn’t been a long road. But the Canadiens have drafted well while accumulating so many future assets to make this a quicker process. Flipping Justin Barron to get an immediate improvement in Alexandre Carrier was genius. They still have more young pieces they can move if they feel the need. That doesn’t even include two first-rounders in 2025, with one of them coming after taking on the contract of Sean Monahan back in 2022. Given how Monahan played – and how they moved him for another first-rounder – it’s actually unbelievable the asset management GM Kent Hughes has managed to pull off.

Better days are ahead for the Canadiens – like, really soon. They finally have a good team you can take seriously again. The 2025 playoffs were important for experience. But next time, the fanbase is going to expect much more.

The future is now. And it’s an exciting one, at that.