“The CH will be a top-10 team in the NHL in 26-27”

Marc-Olivier Cook
“The CH will be a top-10 team in the NHL in 26-27”
Credit: Capture d'écran/Twitter

The Canadiens didn't sign any talented players this summer.

Does that mean the Montreal team will miss the playoffs and finish next season at the bottom of the National Hockey League standings? No.

Because, in reality, the Habs have a solid core that can deliver concrete (and positive) results.

That's what Marco D'Amico tried to remind fans of in a recent episode of the Starr & D'Amico Show. D'Amico believes the Canadiens will be a top-10 team in the National Hockey League next season because they have good players in place who have already proven their worth.

I think a lot of people underestimate the strength of the current core. – Marco D'Amico

On paper, it's true that the Habs have the same roster as in '25–'26. And the team finished the season in 6th place in the NHL standings…

Other teams in the East have improved over the past month, and that's an important factor to consider in this discussion.

But even so, as Marco D'Amico said, the Canadiens have players who can carry the team on their shoulders.

Juraj Slafkovsky, Noah Dobson, Nick Suzuki, Lane Hutson, Cole Caufield, Kaiden Guhle, Mike Matheson, Ivan Demidov, Jakub Dobes… If these players are capable of having another big season like they did in '26–'27, the Habs are going to win games.

Montreal's management seems to be banking on internal development, and in that regard, it's true that a player like Demidov is likely to step up in his second NHL season.

But I'm still eager to see how this plays out… especially given that we've seen other teams in the East and Atlantic Divisions get better since the start of the summer.

And that's what's particularly concerning with just a few months to go before the season kicks off.


In a Nutshell

– Oh, really?

– I like his profile.

– A real funny guy.

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