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As 2025 draws to a close and 2026 gets underway, I'd like to take a look back at where the Habs have been and where they are in their rebuilding journey.
Things were already pretty clear in 2023…
Two and a half years ago, in July 2023, following the drafting of Reinbacher and Fowler, I wrote that it was in the 2025-2026 season that Hughes and Gorton's plan would begin to show its true face and that the Habs would be back among the NHL's good clubs.
And that's exactly what's happening this season.
Not being optimistic about the prospect of an elite player, I had identified a few important transactions and the achievement of a sufficient level of maturity in the core players as the keys to this return to relevance, i.e., a club worthy of the top third, if not the top 10, of the NHL.
With the Suzuki, Caufield, Slafkovsky, Hutson, and Dobson and Bolduc acquisitions all reaching maturity, the Habs are indeed well placed in the standings.
Imagine where they'd be with Guhle, Dach, and Newhook healthy…
The latter two seemed well on their way to having their best season in Montreal before their injuries.
The acquisition of Phillip Danault also shows that Hughes and Gorton are keen to stay in this top group, in order to remain relevant and ensure a progression from last year.
Demidov and Hutson change the game
What we didn't exactly foresee in our July 2023 analysis was the arrival and immediate impact of a player as exceptionally talented as Ivan Demidov.
Demidov is improving week by week and will probably not reach his full maturity and superstar/elite level for another two years. But he's alreadyan impact player and could reach star status by the end of this season. For an effort to define these terms, I refer you to this other article.
So, the Canadiens' Kucherov or Kaprizov-style forward seems to have been snapped up at No. 5 in 2024, without having to sacrifice anyone.
The possibility of Hutson becoming a near-instant star at his position in his NHL debut was also mooted when he was drafted in 2022. But, following his Calder and his stunning first half of the season, you can remove the quasi and replace star with superstar, or even elite.
These two players gave the Habs' rebuild two enormous jolts, ones that even Hughes and Gorton couldn't fully anticipate.
What about Slafkovsky?
While Slafkovsky did manage to make an impact in his second season, helping the Canadiens build a true first line, the “big gun” followed a fairly normal development curve for a power forward of his stature.
Unsurprisingly, it's now in his fourth season that we're finally seeing the player the Canadiens had hoped to have drafted: the one who wants to make a difference, who wants to take control of a game, as Nick Bobrov eloquently put it in 2022.
Nick Bobrov was always a Juraj Slafkovsky Respecter
– /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) December 29, 2025
After two years in the role of third wheel on the first line, it was by putting him in the “boss” chair of the second line that Slaf was finally able to take his top gear.
It's safe to say he's been the club's best forward since the transfer, and now we're wondering how far he'll go and what his real ceiling is?
Is it comparable to that of the Tkachuk brothers? Rantanen? Or even Draisaitl, as we've already mentioned? Stats-wise, Slaf still has little to envy some of them at the same age, especially if he maintains a point-per-game average between now and the end of the season.
Will the Canadiens then be able to count on another superstar-caliber player?
Not impossible.
If Suzuki is now counted among the league's superstars, the Habs could soon have four such players. And let's not forget Caufield and Dobson, undoubtedly stars in their own right.
That's a lot of players.
Few teams have so many high-quality players…
The defensive surplus will help the Habs get to the next level
Another, shall we say, macro factor that I had identified as key to becoming a very good club, even a contender and eventual champion, is the balance between defense and offense.
In this respect, with the surplus of young defensemen, we can say that the Barron/Carrier trade solidified the defense and that the Mailloux trade provided the extra punch the club needed on offense.
As for Engstrom, my little detour to Brossard for the 2023 development camp was well worth it. The Swede, the 92nd pick in 2022, had clearly beenthe second-best defenseman behind Hutson, a mere length ahead of Reinbacher, freshlydrafted fifth.
I figured this guy would one day give his bosses some options, and now he has: Here he is, competing with Xhekaj, Struble, and maybe even Carrier, for a regular NHL spot.
With Dobson moving into a very big chair, Guhle's imminent return, Reinbacher likely to earn himself an audition this winter, and a certain Pickford already on the horizon, we can expect more defensive moves from Hughes and Gorton.
There will clearly be another surplus to deal with among the defenders, and decisions will have to be made sooner rather than later.
After the 16th and 17th picks with Heineman last summer, we suspect that another package could soon be offered to interested parties (this winter? this summer?) to move the Habs up to the level of aspiring clubs.
Bet there will be at least 1 or 2 defensemen involved in the package.
