Could the Canadiens make a serious playoff push in 2024-25?

Montreal Canadiens winger Cole Caufield and goaltender Sam Montembeault.
Credit: © Eric Bolte

When it came to predicting the Atlantic Division this season, everyone felt like it was easy to see who would finish where. The Florida Panthers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Tampa Bay Lightning and Boston Bruins would all probably be the best teams, with the possibility for the Buffalo Sabres, Ottawa Senators and Detroit Red Wings to take steps and maybe surprise, while the Montreal Canadiens were easily the biggest candidate to finish last.

And yet, the Canadiens have been the ones surprising thus far. They find themselves in fifth in the Atlantic with a 4-4-1 record and have gotten some excellent performances from some of their key players. Cole Caufield is on pace for 50+ goals this year. Nick Suzuki is above a point per game. Lane Hutson looks like a strong Calder candidate. Sam Montembeault is playing at a level not seen since Carey Price.

But do the Habs have what it takes to stay in the playoff hunt all season? Frank Seravalli answers that and more on Daily Faceoff Live.

Frank Seravalli: This team doesn’t defend, they don’t defend nearly well enough to be a playoff team, at least right now. They’re asking way too much of Montembeault. They’ve been hit with some injuries early on. They were missing Kaiden Guhle for a bit, and then Mike Matheson has back spasms, and then all of the sudden Hudson plays 30:05 minutes in a game, and David Savard is overtaxed.

And look, they give up way too much. I told you before, I think they have close to a Stanley Cup Playoff caliber offense, and that’s even with some guys missing time, including Juraj Slafkovsky and Patrick Laine. That said, you’re going to need a serious upgrade in terms of defensive capability in order to compete. They’re going to hang in the mix, but they’re not going to be within six points.

You can watch the full episode right here…

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