Top Canadiens Priorities Heading into 2026-27

One of the Canadiens’ priorities last season arguably should have been to play Xhekaj more. They went in the opposite direction, decreasing his ice time from 14:37 per game in 2024-25 to 11:25 this past season. His ice time technically dropped even further in the playoffs, with head coach Martin St. Louis playing him just 8:06… and, yet, it should be hard to argue against the Habs having benefitted from his on-ice presence, especially in Round 1. 

Keep in mind, the Canadiens still went with Xhekaj in the playoffs instead of the right-handed David Reinbacher, when fellow-rightie Noah Dobson got injured in Game 80. In the end, after playing just three playoff games in 2025, but nevertheless serving as something as an x-factor in the team’s first-round defeat to the Washington Capitals, Xhekaj dressed for 13 in 2026.

That’s progress, in some form. And it would do the Canadiens well to remind themselves some size in the lineup is a good thing, with the 6-foot-4 defenseman (240 pounds) still left unsigned as a restricted free agent. Based on the decrease in ice time, he may not be absolutely critical to the team’s success. There are far more valuable names on the roster. However, they signed him in 2021 and then went off the board to draft his younger brother, Florian, in 2023, for a reason. Now, three years after that, with Florian having a real shot at making the roster this season in his own right, the Habs find themselves at a crossroads with Arber for another.

The reason this time around is far less clear, in contrast to the apparent solution to their conundrum: Just commit to playing Xhekaj regularly.

4. Give Reinbacher Every Opportunity to Prove Himself

Just like the Canadiens don’t absolutely need Xhekaj to become a mainstay, they don’t need Reinbacher to either, but the preference must be that he does. After all, the Habs did select him fifth overall in 2023, presumably with the intention of having him fill a top-pairing role on the right side on defense. You typically wouldn’t have used up a high pick on him unless you saw him, correctly or incorrectly, as such, especially with top-end prospects up front (Matvei Michkov, Ryan Leonard, Zachary Benson) still available at the time.

That having been said, time should be running out on Reinbacher’s opportunity to prove himself as a regular NHLer within the organization. He may only be going on 22, but the Canadiens are clearly filled to the brim with talent on defense. See Xhekaj above.

As things stand, only one spot on the right should be up for grabs. While reports from TVA Sports’ Anthony Martineau suggest it’s his to earn in training camp, the Habs should arguably fix the game in his favour, because, with alternatives to fill that hole like Bogdan Konyushkov emerging as soon as the end of the season, the open spot, presumably in a sheltered third-pairing capacity, is a luxury to further audition Reinbacher that they won’t have for long.

You may risk rushing his development. However, there is an element of now or never here, as someone needs to fill that spot eventually. If it’s not Reinbacher now, the Canadiens must have eyes on other options. That’s just how functioning NHL organizations work. As an illustration, they used two of their first three picks this summer to take righties Tim Runtso and Cooper Cleaves. Why would they do so, unless they had doubts? Obviously, neither are on the cusp of making it, but three years into his tenure with the Habs, Reinbacher should be.

The Canadiens need to know beyond a shadow of a doubt how close he is. If he isn’t, this is the time to plan accordingly, as the team enters its window to contend, where minutes to players who are still NHL uncertainties should become very sparse, along with room for mistakes. If they don’t trust a (relative) veteran like Xhekaj, but played him anyway over Reinbacher in the playoffs, that should tell you everything.

3. Win the Atlantic Division

The Stanley Cup obviously remains the end goal, but no franchise should absolutely count on that happening in any given season because of all the unforeseen factors that can get in the way on the road to a championship. All you can do is build a contender, which, after they just reached Round 3, should describe the Canadiens.

As such, as has been explained previously, the most direct way to build on their success is to win the Atlantic Division, after literally having fallen a few points shy last season. That way, they also get favourable seeding in the playoffs and maybe don’t find themselves having to go the distance in Rounds 1 and 2 again before running into the eventual-Stanley Cup-champion Carolina Hurricanes, who bounced them in a lopsided five-game series.

Once the Canadiens get to that point, after successfully winning a division, you can maybe discuss shifting priorities to a championship, but no one should kid themselves: Their contention window is just opening. They’re just getting started.

2. Fowler’s Development

Ultimately, the Canadiens remain incredibly young. They’re projected to be (at least among) the youngest in the NHL in 2026-27. So, the Habs should keep their eyes on the future while simultaneously keeping their collective foot on the pedal this season. Goalie Jacob Fowler is widely believed to represent the future in net as one of the top prospects at the position in the game currently.

While Jakub Dobes emerged as a viable No. 1 option and represents the logical starter after a strong end-of-season and playoff performance, the Canadiens shouldn’t take the notion that they’ve found their goalie of the future as gospel. Remember, Samuel Montembeault put together a very good 2025-26, leading to him having earned the same job to start last year only for him to post below-average numbers and force the team’s hand to ride Dobes.

All that proves the Canadiens still need to hedge their bets and pay careful consideration to Fowler’s development. That isn’t to say he would have been an afterthought or anything, but first keeping him in the organization (as opposed to using him as a trade bait) for the time being should be common sense. Second, the team should be wary regarding where he plays, whether it be with the Habs or with the Laval Rocket in the American Hockey League.

On one hand, it makes sense to send him down to the AHL, because he is still exempt from waivers, whereas Montembeault is not. That would also theoretically give him more playing time. On the other, seeing as Fowler backed Dobes up during the playoffs (after posting stronger regular-season numbers than Montembeault), it’s clear the Canadiens trust him more than the latter. And, seeing as he has proven he can win consistently in the NHL, it seems like he has little else to prove to the organization in the AHL. So, the Habs need to take a lot into account regarding where he plays with the goal of developing Fowler into a starter himself. Only then, once he has reached that level should they decide between him and Dobes.   

1. Determine What You Have in Kapanen

For all of the reported shortcomings in Oliver Kapanen’s game, the 23-year-old still scored 22 goals as a rookie last season, playing between Ivan Demidov and Alex Newhook for most of the season on the second line. As the team’s de facto No. 2 centre, Kapanen has been relatively polarizing, many having suggested general manager Kent Hughes should acquire more of an established player to fill the role, which would drop Kapanen down the lineup.

Of course, one possible solution would be to go in the opposite direction and wait for Michael Hage to sign his entry-level contract and presumably join the team at the end of 2026-27. He may be projected as (more of) a legitimate second-line centre, but a lot can happen over an entire campaign. It would be unwise to count Kapanen out, especially taking into account his age and how the Canadiens as a whole, being as young as they are, are half-expected to improve in the standings through sheer organic growth. If Kapanen becomes more of a play-driver in his own right and less of what many perceive to be a mere complement to Demidov, suddenly the paradigm shifts. The Habs would no longer need to put pressure on or rush Hage.

After all, for all his weaknesses, Kapanen undeniably put up numbers, proving he can at the very least fit in on that line, which is something you can’t really say of Hage or anyone else. That’s fairly invaluable for a young player carving out his niche in the NHL, making him an asset already. Giving him the opportunity to build on the success he’s already enjoyed, which should be a no-brainer seeing as the team has failed to sign or trade for a replacement, could increase his value significantly, whether as an asset to the Canadiens or another team in a trade.

Obviously, signing Hage to his deal is a priority in its own right. It just didn’t make this list, because, despite widespread concerns to the contrary, it’s pretty much a given he does. That’s a relative certainty. The Canadiens however can’t be certain what they have in him yet. While Kapanen is something of a mystery himself, the differences between them are two-fold. He’s less of one. He’s also here, giving the Habs direct control over how he develops this coming season. As a result, his development must be more of a priority… arguably the top priority.