Did Canadiens’ success in 2024-25 change team’s long-term outlook?

Nearly everything went better than planned for the Montreal Canadiens in the 2024-25 NHL season, as they returned to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since making the final in 2020-21.

Yet, they now find themselves amid an offseason, where they will look to elevate the talented young players on their roster and build towards becoming a true contender once again. 

After falling out of the first round of the playoffs against the Washington Capitals, how could general manager Kent Hughes and the Canadiens approach free agency, the NHL Draft and the rest of the offseason?

On Thursday’s episode of Daily Faceoff Live, Tyler Yaremchuk and Frank Serevalli broke down what the Habs’ offseason could look like. 

Yaremchuk: The Montreal Canadiens are up on our list, and obviously, they had a wildly successful season. They were back in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and it was so good to see the Bell Centre rocking again. 

[Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations] Jeff Gorton and [GM] Kent Hughes have been very process-oriented, but did the success this season change up an internal timeline?

Seravalli: I don’t think so. I think they’ve been meticulous in terms of how they’ve put all this together, and I think the biggest challenge that the Montreal Canadiens’ front office is going to be facing this summer is not that different from what the Utah Mammoth went through last summer. 

The lesson and game plan of the summer is, don’t do anything stupid. That’s really it. Do not get entangled in eight-year deals that you’re going to hate by the fifth year. Do not make a trade that you’re going to regret to win now.

I think you continue with this build. They’ve got defensemen on the way, which is going to significantly improve their back end. They’ve got an enviable young power play that could honestly be the best in the league, and Martin St. Louis, their coach, has grown a ton. They’ve checked so many important boxes, and by getting Ivan Demidov in and getting a taste of the electricity that he brings to that market, Montreal has an incredibly bright future. 

With the playoff appearance that they made, and we know it’s not a guarantee and development in the NHL is not linear, I think they’ve put everyone else on notice…now it’s time to take another step forward, but it needs to be organic.

You can catch the full Canadiens discussion and the rest of the episode here…