We may still be in the first month of the NHL offseason, but when it comes to speculating about the Montreal Canadiens, there are no days off.
Three years into their ongoing rebuild, the Habs finally appear ready to start being competitive. And while their young core is pretty far from reaching contender status, the 2024-25 season should be filled with exciting games and captivating storylines.
With all that said, we thought it’d be fun to make a few bold predictions about how this upcoming Canadiens campaign will play out.
For context, three out of five of our prophecies came true in last year’s prediction roundup. Here’s hoping for an even better score this time around.
1. Savard is traded
One of the most famous names floating around the NHL’s rumour mill last season was that of Canadiens defenceman David Savard.
GM Kent Hughes had ample opportunity to deal the 33-year-old at the 2024 trade deadline, with multiple teams calling about the player. However, according to reports from insider Pierre Lebrun, the Canadiens had too high of an asking price.
With 24 points over 60 games, the defensive-minded player logged one of the most productive offensive campaigns of his career last season, and is entering the final year of his contract.
Given his age and Montreal’s surplus of defencemen, there’s a good chance he’s dealt to a contender before mid-March.
2. Canadiens come close to playoffs
Yes, we made the exact prediction last year. And no, the Canadiens did not come close, finishing the season at the bottom of the Atlantic Division.
But there are a few reasons to be hopeful the Habs find themselves in a tight playoff race this season. From the arrival of highly-touted prospect Lane Hutson to the return of centre Kirby Dach, who missed all but two games last year with an injury, Montreal can make some noise in the standings — if they stay healthy.
They will likely miss the postseason again because of the calibre of talent in a stacked Atlantic Divison that includes the Florida Panthers, Boston Bruins, and Toronto Maple Leafs.
3. Hutson shines on Canadiens’ blue line
Speaking of Hutson, we’re predicting a big season for the 20-year-old blueliner.
Making his NHL debut in the final two games of the 2023-24 season, the Hobey Baker Award finalist looked stellar, picking up two assists while averaging 22:43 of ice time.
Time will tell how he will handle a full NHL season, but people are already starting to believe the hype.
Along with making the team straight out of training camp, we predict Hutson netting between 45 and 50 points in his rookie campaign.
4. Caufield gets first All-Star Game nod
With a productive start to his 2022-23 campaign, Cole Caufield was on pace to score over 40 goals before an injury ended his year early.
While last season saw him finish with a career-high 65 points, the goals did not come as easily as he finished the season with 28.
This season, we predict everything coming together for the 23-year-old as he racks up enough points on a line with Nick Suzuki and Juraj Slafksovky to earn a spot at the NHL All-Star Game.
5. 65 points for Slafkovsky
Forward Juraj Slafkovsky had a famously slow start last season, so much so that there were even talks of sending the first overall pick in the 2022 draft down to the AHL for a conditioning stint.
The 20-year-old’s game did a 180 around the halfway point of the season. Shortly after joining Caufield and Suzuki, the Slovakian winger began to pile up the points. He even beat a few Canadiens records as he became the first teenager in Habs history to record a seven-game point streak.
Ultimately, he concluded the year with a respectable 50 points
If he gets off to a more productive start this time, it’s not wild to think he can score 15 more.
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