According to Chris Johnston, the Habs aren’t a Cup contender yet

Jonathan Di Gregorio
According to Chris Johnston, the Habs aren’t a Cup contender yet
Credit: Vitor Munhoz/NHLI via Getty Images

With just eleven games remaining, the Canadiens are right in the thick of the playoff race.

Martin St-Louis's squad is currently in a strong position to make the playoffs for a second consecutive year, sitting four points ahead of ninth place and with a 93.8% chance of qualifying, according to the Moneypuck website.

However, even if the Habs make the playoffs, one has to wonder how far the team will go this year, as several journalists, including Chris Johnston, do not yet consider them a team capable of contending for the championship, as heard on the Overdrive show on TSN.

According to him, one of the major question marks for the Habs is the performance of their goalies, as the team will enter the playoffs with a rookie goaltending duo that has a combined total of three games of experience.

Especially since there's a strong chance the Canadiens' first-round opponent will be the Lightning—the team no one wants to face—and their goaltender, Andrei Vasilevskiy, is having an excellent season.

Let's just say it could be a very big challenge for the Habs goaltender who gets the starting nod for this series.

However, even though Tampa Bay has a good team, I don't think they're an unbeatable opponent for the Montreal club.

The Bolts have more experience, but they're an older team than the Canadiens (average age of 29.7 vs. 25.9), which could be a disadvantage for them if the series goes the distance.

On the other hand, if Montreal can make it to the second round, there isn't really a team that stands out from the pack in the East, and the Habs could have a clear path all the way to the final, as their opponents in the second and third rounds could be beatable teams.

Because I agree that the Canadiens aren't a contender yet this year, but I don't think any team in the East really is.

And a Stanley Cup Final would be an excellent experience for our young players and help turn us into a contender for the top honors even faster.


In a nutshell

– Laval loses in a shootout.

– Red Wings win.

– The Rangers' offense explodes.

– A big outing.

facebook icon Share twitter icon Tweet linkedin icon Share
Copied!