What tier are the Montreal Canadiens in?

The Montreal Canadiens are a certified contender for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but where do they stand against the rest of the NHL?

The Canadiens made waves by snapping their postseason drought last season, and entered the 2025-26 season with expectations to make it back to the playoffs. While they have dealt with some adversity, including trying to overcome some lackluster goaltending, Montreal remains near the top of the Atlantic Division.

That said, as this team continues to grow, many are curious to see how good this team is when it matters most this season, as well as in the future.

On Monday’s edition of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Tyler Yaremchuk and Carter Hutton come together to discuss where the Habs rank among the league’s best.

Tyler Yaremchuk: I think everyone looks at the East and goes, ‘Okay, Tampa Bay and Carolina, those are our top two sort of Stanley Cup contenders out of this group, and then everything else after that is kind of mush.’ Do you think Montreal’s in the group with a Detroit, who has a legit chance of going on a run? Are they maybe closer down to like the Islanders and Penguins who might be in a little bit of like a, ‘Hey, just happy to get in, spot?’

Carter Hutton: If I’m a Montreal Canadiens fan, I feel like your expectations are still tempered. I think you’re at a point where playoffs and anything past the first round, the second round would be just the house’s money, right? Where if you get a matchup against the Wings, I think you have a legit chance of moving on to the second round…but I don’t see this team ready yet when I look at just where they’re at. I see this team built for the future. If you talk about potentials of where this team can go and how good they’re going to be, this was a good build, right? This is a team that isn’t far removed from the Stanley Cup Final, and they did this quick.

Now it’s figuring out who is going to be your goalie of the future. I like Jakub Dobes. I think he’s good. I think he’s played well. But I don’t see him as an upper-echelon guy. I think he could still be a solid 1B. He can play your 30 games, 40 games and play well. But is he going to be a difference maker? So I think that would be the high priority.

You can watch the full segment and entire episode here…