Craig Button doesn’t rule out the playoffs for the Habs next year

The Canadiens are rebuilding.

The club is still looking for the light at the end of the tunnel, but at least there are encouraging signs.

I’m thinking in particular of Juraj Slafkovsky, who’s shown great promise over the last twenty games or so.

Suzuki is having an excellent season, Caufield is picking up points here and there… But at the end of the day, you have to wonder whether the club is progressing.

After 55 games this season, the Canadiens have racked up 22 wins. Last season, the Montreal club won 23 of its first 55 games, before completely collapsing at the end of the season…

In both cases, there were major injuries, and we mustn’t forget that. But at the end of the day, the conclusion remains the same: the Habs still have a long way to go before they become dominant.

Maybe that means acquiring a guy like Trevor Zegras, who, according to Eric Engels (Sick Podcast), would thrive under the pressure of a market like the one in Montreal.

Maybe it means getting Kirby Dach back into the game.

Maybe it means a major transaction next summer, or whatever.

That said… In the eyes of Craig Button (TSN), the Habs aren’t THAT FAR from the playoffs.

The progress of Juraj Slafkovksy, Samuel Montembeault and Kaiden Guhle leads him to believe that the Tricolore can make the playoffs as early as next year if more players are added to the roster:

Some youngsters took a big step forward this season.

Add players to the group and if he takes another step like this year, the Habs can aspire to the playoffs next season. – Craig Button

It’s hard to say right now because we don’t even know what the other teams are going to look like at the start of the next campaign.

Things change fast in the NHL, let’s not forget…

But given that the Habs are still struggling this season, and given that we’ve seen the Habs go through a lot of slumps since the start of the season, I feel like this is a bit premeditated too.

The Habs are on the right track because the youngsters who will be part of the core for the long term are improving.

That said, there are so many unknowns in front of the net, both offensively and defensively, that it’s impossible to imagine anything right now.

It’s all going to come down to the summer, when Kent Hughes will have his work cut out for him. And after the draft and the opening of the free agent market, we’ll have a better idea of what’s in store for the Habs next season.

If the Habs can make the playoffs next year, so much the better. But with what they’ve shown since the start of the campaign, I think we can agree that that’s no guarantee either.

In a row

– Good.

– The uniform is beautiful!

– For those interested:

If you’re in Sherbrooke on Thursday, come by resto-bar Chez Stanley for the Molson Viewing Party starting at 6:00 p.m.

Two Canadiens Alumni will be there and you could win prizes!

Details ↓ #GoHabsGo

– Montreal Canadiens (@CanadiensMTL) February 20, 2024

– Will they have a good season?