The Canadiens have improved this summer, according to The Athletic

Charles-Alexis Brisebois
The Canadiens have improved this summer, according to The Athletic
Credit: X / Patrick Guillet

The Canadiens haven't (yet) managed to improve at the NHL level this summer.

Is it too late to do so? No. But we can all agree that at this point, the teams we're seeing across the Bettman League are pretty much the ones we'll see in September.

Changes are still possible, but they're harder to make.

The proof? We're far enough into the offseason that Dom Luszczyszyn has published an article (on The Athletic) analyzing which teams have improved the most this summer.

Note that this takes into account only additions and departures, not players' natural development.

I was eager to see where the Habs would rank, given the Canadiens' GM's inaction despite his numerous calls. And in the end, the Habs are ranked 12th in the NHL—tied with the Blackhawks, who are ranked 11th.

And this is despite the fact that they're one of only two teams in the NHL (along with the Stanley Cup champions) to have added no one, and their only roster move was trading Brendan Gallagher. Joe Veleno wasn't even counted.

The Canadiens' Net Rating Added, according to Luszczyszyn's model, is +1. So basically, the model suggests that the Habs are better off without the veteran on their roster.

And most importantly, it finds that only 10 teams have outperformed Kent Hughes this summer.

The analyst also states that internal improvements (which aren't factored into the calculation) should help keep the Canadiens in the playoff conversation in 2027.

We agree with that… except that's not the point. They needed to keep improving, and that hasn't happened yet.

We can all agree that it's surprising to see that 20 teams had a worse offseason than Kent Hughes. Are the best trades the ones you don't make?

No matter how you look at it, everyone knows Kent Hughes needs to make a move. He's put the Habs in an excellent position, but the job isn't done.


In a nutshell

– Enjoy the show.

– What a player.

– Must-read.

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