Canadiens Eliminated: Still Way Ahead of Schedule Despite Tough Playoff Exit

Despite a difficult Eastern Conference Final exit, the Montreal Canadiens earned high praise from several insiders, analysts, and fans, including well-known Habs supporter, TSN insider Pierre LeBrun. The love is not surprising given the unexpected playoff run and bright long-term future.

It became clear after Game 1 that the Canadiens weren’t in the same weight class as the Hurricanes, and they certainly couldn’t overcome the storm. Carolina self-corrected during the series, and the less experienced Canadiens didn’t (or couldn’t). Still, there is a lot to look forward to.

“Tough conference final for the Canadiens by any measure. But what a run by the youngest team to make the playoffs,” LeBrun wrote. “Other front offices talk so highly about how Montreal is set up for the next decade with so many good contracts and a salary cap that’s going up big time. More in pipeline coming. Still some holes in that lineup, for sure. But Montreal is way ahead of schedule. Sky’s the limit.”

The Canadiens’ season ended with a disappointing, one-sided elimination, but the loss may serve as a valuable lesson for a young team that simply wasn’t built to compete with a deeper, tougher, and more experienced Hurricanes squad. Montreal’s overall run was a major success, exceeding expectations. With a talented young core and clear progress under head coach Martin St. Louis, the next challenge is turning this promising group into a true Stanley Cup contender.

The Canadiens’ young core made a significant statement this postseason, exceeding expectations by reaching the conference final as one of the league’s youngest rosters. The building blocks are there and the core is going to be tough to handle for years to come. With Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky, Ivan Demidov, and Lane Hutson, what they should be able to accomplish was only teased in this playoff run.

Not only are many of these players on team-friendly deals, but a number of them are on entry-level contracts. Montreal possesses enviable cap flexibility as the salary cap is projected to rise substantially in the coming years. That financial flexibility, combined with the fact that most of these players haven’t even hit their prime, has other NHL front offices envious of GM Kent Hughes’ position.