Will the Canadiens Be Able To Handle Added Pressure

Engels mentioned how, during their first big stretch of wins back in December last season, they really learned how to win after starting the season slow. He also states that head coach Martin St. Louis stated that the main goal of the 2024-25 season was to learn how to win games. In previous seasons during the rebuild, the Habs would often be out of games once they were down a goal or two, but last season, the Canadiens learned how to officially overcome the adversity.

Last season, the Canadiens had 10 come-from-behind victories in the 3rd period alone, which was tied for the most in the NHL with the Calgary Flames and Philadelphia Flyers. Essentially, as the Habs started learning how to win, they started pushing much harder against teams that weren’t expecting them to come out so hard late in games. This is where the Canadiens would pounce on unexpected teams, some of which were the top teams in the entire league.

Now, this upcoming season, teams will likely be more prepared to take on this previously underdog team. Like Engels says, the Canadiens will be more hunted, and teams will be ready for their pushes down the stretch of a game. No longer can the Habs afford to have slow starts and then turn it around. The Habs must find a way to play a more consistent 82-game season if they want to make the playoffs, as their opponents don’t see a rebuilding team that could be an easy game, and instead see a fast up and up-and-coming team, with young stars like Lane Hutson, Juraj Slafkovsky and Ivan Demidov being able to be game changers. That’s not forgetting the young borderline superstar talents like Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield and Noah Dobson who can instantly change a game with a single play.

The new identity of the Canadiens is clearly a fast and upcoming team with a ton of skill along the wings and defense. Sure, they lack a little in centre depth, but on paper, this is a team that should make the playoffs as they will be another year older and wiser. The fact that they are a year older and wiser as hockey players means that they should be able to adapt to situations better than they did last year and the other seasons prior.

For this upcoming season, Engels mentions that to win, that’s exactly what they need to do: make micro adjustments to their original game plan so that they can manage to throw their opponents off a little bit. Of course, they shouldn’t try to change their system as a whole, but rather just make the small adjustments that can make the difference most nights.

Engels believes that the Habs have what it takes to return to the playoffs as a stronger and better team. For starters, they will likely be a much better team to start as they have learned how to win, but also they have more depth and experience across the lineup to help manage the adversities throughout the season.

The Canadiens should definitely build on their success from last year as one of the most improved teams in the NHL throughout the off-season. My prediction is like Engels, they will make it back as a playoff team and finish as the first Wild Card team with around 97 points.

What are your predictions for the Habs’ season?