Three Bold Predictions For The Montreal Canadiens Season

With training camp just around the corner, it is time for me to make my three bold predictions for the Montreal Canadiens season. 

This year, I tried to go with some predictions that may seem far-fetched but also possible in the realm of things for the Montreal Canadiens. 

1. Zach Bolduc Scores 30 Goals For The Montreal Canadiens

The first of my bold predictions is that forward Zach Bolduc will break out and score 30 goals with the Montreal Canadiens this season. 

While he still has to sign his contract before suiting up with the Canadiens for the 2026-27 campaign, I believe the terms for Bolduc’s will get done on a short-term prove-it deal before the regular season starts. As a result, Bolduc will come into the season looking to show that he can be a big-time producer for the Canadiens.

Much like last season, Bolduc could easily open the year on a hot streak once again. However, unlike last year, he won’t have a big scoring slump, allowing him to reach a new level in his game. 

The prediction that Bolduc will score 30 goals with the Montreal Canadiens is based on the fact that Bolduc has shown that he can be a dangerous scorer. Even though he had a sophomore slump in his first year while learning a new system with the Canadiens, he will be able to bounce back by showing that he can be a big-time scorer when given the chance. 

Ultimately, Bolduc can either spend most of the year on the wing of Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield or on a line with Ivan Demidov as a top six forward. Therefore, as a goal scorer, he will have plenty of scoring chances, which could result in him reaching 30 goals.

2. The Montreal Canadiens Will Trade Kaiden Guhle For A 2nd Line Centre

Defenseman Kaiden Guhle is a big part of the Montreal Canadiens’ defensive core as one of the team’s top shutdown defenders. Unfortunately, he has trouble staying healthy and has missed a lot of time over the past four seasons. Therefore, I could see the Canadiens moving on from him in order to fill a bigger need at second-line centre.

While Guhle is a big part of the Canadiens’ defensive group, he is still seen as the third-best left-handed defenseman on the team behind Lane Hutson and Mike Matheson. Playing behind Hutson and Matheson, as well as his injury history, makes Guhle somewhat expendable if a bonafide second-line centre becomes available. 

Right now, there don’t seem to be many second-line centres on the market that would be appealing to the Montreal Canadiens. However, with some teams starting the season off slow, there will be more pieces that become available and would be a fit for the Canadiens, which is where trading Guhle comes into place. In order to get something, teams need to give up something of value as well, which Guhle has. 

A lot of whether or not the Canadiens can afford to trade Guhle will also depend on whether or not prospects David Reinbacher and/or Adam Engstrom are ready to take a jump to the NHL. I predict both players have a good camp, which leads to the Canadiens being willing to sacrifice an everyday NHL defenseman to make room for their top prospects. Rather than simply trade bottom-of-the-line players, the Canadiens will decide to make a bigger move to fill a need elsewhere, like the second-line centre role.

There is a good chance that this trade will take place at some point mid-season and more pieces like a veteran right-handed defenceman to shore up the right side of the Canadiens’ defence. However, the main pieces of a deal would be Guhle heading to a struggling team, while a centre that can play on the Canadiens for the next few seasons to take pressure off Michael Hage comes the other way.

*Potential trade partners for a deal could include a team like the Seattle Kraken, Nashville Predators, and Calgary Flames, among others. 

3. The Montreal Canadiens Will Win the Atlantic Division 

The Montreal Canadiens will win their division after being the last team standing in the Atlantic during the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

This prediction is less bold than the previous two takes, but it is one slightly bold, especially considering the Montreal Canadiens have yet to make any moves to improve their team this off-season. As a result, the Canadiens will need to rely on the internal improvements of its players.

Given how they remain the youngest team in the NHL with an average age of 25.8 years old, the Canadiens have plenty of players who should see improvements in their game, most notably Demidov, who will look to build off a solid rookie campaign where he had 62 points in 82 games. Not only will Demidov and Bolduc (see above) improve, but players such as Hutson and Juraj Slafkovsky should continue to put up similar or better numbers than last year as well. Meanwhile, a Jakub Dobes and Jacob Fowler goaltending tandem should only get better with time as well.

The only core players who may take a step back in production are Suzuki, who had 101 points, and Caufield, who scored 51 goals last season. Although, the dip in production wouldn’t be as much about struggles and more about how difficult it is for a player to score 100 points or 50 goals in the NHL. Nonetheless, expect both Canadiens stars to be a prominent part of the team finishing first in the Atlantic.

On top of the internal improvements that the Canadiens should see this upcoming season from their young guys, the teams that finished around them didn’t improve much. The Buffalo Sabres, who won the Atlantic Division last year, lost both Alex Tuch and Bowen Byram in the off-season without any significant immediate replacements, meaning they are likely to take a step back. 

While the Tampa Bay Lightning added John Carlson to replace Darren Raddysh, the team is aging, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see them have a bit of a decline as well. As for the Florida Panthers, they appear to be healthier and more improved for the most part, but historically they aren’t a team that stands out in the regular season as much as they do in the playoffs. Not to mention they have a 38-year-old Jakob Markstrom who is on the decline as their starting netminder.  

The Panthers and the Lightning will make the playoffs, but they might not be as dominant as many think. Nobody should discount the Ottawa Senators and the much-improved Toronto Maple Leafs, who will be competitive but not necessarily to the level of the Canadiens. 

With how many improvements the Canadiens have seen internally over the past few seasons, winning the division seems like a real possibility for the 2026-27 season.