Will the Canadiens Power Play be Elite?

Finally, the Canadiens have an elite young talent like Ivan Demidov that can be a dual threat as a shooter or passer. Demidov’s spot is likely to be on the right half wall where fellow-Russian Alex Kovalev used to do his work. The Habs have lacked a true threat from the right half wall since Alex Galchenyuk was traded in 2018. Now, with true threats on both sides of the ice, the Habs won’t be as predictable as they were in the early years of the rebuild.

According to McGuire, he expects the Habs to essentially have their power-play be as good as it was during the 2007-08 season when Kovalev was the team’s main offensive star.

Last year, the Canadiens’ power play was above 20% for the first time in seven seasons, but with the additions of Ivan Demidov, Noah Demidov, Zach Bolduc and a healthier version of Patrik Laine, there is no reason why the Habs couldn’t improve on that. I truly don’t remember a time in my lifetime when the Habs had two power-play units that were legitimate threats when on the ice. Even during the years when the Habs had a top 5 power-play, the team only had one dominant unit on the team.

The Habs may be one of the few teams that can ice two dangerous power-play units at all times, which is why McGuire may have a point in thinking the Habs should have a 24% success rate on the power-play. Looking at last season’s power-plays around the league, it seems like a plausible expectation for the Canadiens to score on 24% of their power-plays.

The Habs had the 21st-best power-play last year despite having their best man advantage in years. If everyone stays healthy for most of the year, the Habs could have multiple players who score 10+ power-play goals and finish among the top 10 power plays overall in the league.

What are your expectations for the power-play in 2025-26?