The Canadiens’ 10 challenges upon their return from the Olympics

Charles-Alexis Brisebois
The Canadiens’ 10 challenges upon their return from the Olympics
Credit: Getty Images

Right now, things are going well for the Canadiens.

The Montreal club is second in its division and has a good chance of making the playoffs. That said, nothing is guaranteed, as the race in the East is tight.

But that's better than last year's standings at this point in the season.

(Credit: Screenshot / NHL.com)

The Canadiens will face challenges in the 25 games remaining in the regular season. This will involve the players, coaches, and club management.

Here are a few of them.

1. Stabilize the situation in front of the net

In the last few games before the break, Jakub Dobes and Samuel Montembeault performed well. That will have to continue—and it won't be easy, since that hasn't always been the case this season. Marco Marciano isn't there by chance…

2. Look the market over for a right-handed defenseman

The Canadiens don't seem to have too much confidence in Arber Xhekaj, Jayden Struble, Adam Engstrom, and David Reinbacher—at least not 100%—for the #6 spot. Will GM look for a right-handed defenseman to play on the third pairing?

3. Trade Patrik Laine

No surprise here: we know this is a priority for the Canadiens. Expect the Habs to make a move in this direction within the next two weeks, if all goes well.

4. Find the right winger for Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield

I don't know if the solution is internal or not, but ideally, the Canadiens' top line would be firing on all cylinders heading into the playoff race.

5. Evaluate the second center position

Oliver Kapanen was playing a little above his head at the start of the season. Are the Canadiens willing to pay to bring in reinforcements in this regard? Who knows.

6. Have more sandpaper

Maybe the solution is in Laval (Samuel Blais, Florian Xhekaj, etc.) or elsewhere on the market… but the habs need to learn from their 2025 series against the Capitals.

7. Manage the surplus of players when Alex Newhook returns

Even with Patrik Laine elsewhere and Samuel Blais down, there will be congestion when the injured players return. When Alex Newhook and Alexandre Texier are healthy, there will be 14 forwards.That's allowed… but if no one gets injured, it won't be easy to manage.

8. Artificially creating a sense of urgency

Last year, as soon as they returned from the Four Nations Challenge, Martin St-Louis put his players in playoff mode because time was running out. Will the same players feel the same sense of urgency now that the club ismuch higher in the standings?

9. Don't overload the guys who are currently in Italy

The players who went to warm up in the South will return to Montreal (next week) in top shape. But what about the Olympians, who will also have to deal with jet lag? It will be a good challenge on the heels of a busy schedule.

10. Make the playoffs

Ultimately, we can say what we want, but all of these goals must converge on the Canadiens' #1 challenge: making the playoffs for a second year in a row. At this point, not qualifying would be a failure.


Overtime

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