Montreal Canadians need to win early to consolidate playoff hopes – Hockey Writer – Montreal Canadians

The Montreal Canadiens have higher expectations into the 2025-26 season than they have been in years. The cores come together, the front desk has been active in reshaping the roster, and fans are eager to see playoff hockey return to the second season of the Bale Center. But if you teach anything last season, it’s a bad start that puts a lot of stress at the end of the season.

Need a better start

2024 – 25 campaign kicks off Montreal in a nightmare way. The Canadians have only 12 victories in their first 31 games. This record makes them the worst team in the NHL, well below the playoff deadline. The lack of consistency, drought and defensive failures all resulted in a nearly impossible hole to climb out.

Until the acquisition of Alexandre Carrier, the team began to defend stabilizing, showing signs of becoming a competitive unit that many people expected. Even with improved games, catching up to the rankings in the final months of the season requires excellent hockey. In today’s NHL, equal domination and playoff games quickly intensified the game, with no team able to pay the first third of the schedule.

Strong performances in October and November do not guarantee playoff locations, but they set the tone. Excellent teams use early momentum as buffers to prevent inevitable damage and downturns in the late stages of the campaign. For Canadians, early bank points are the difference between controlling one’s own destiny every night after Christmas and chasing.

The pressure in the second half is very little effective

The problem with a slow start is that they force a team to play desperate hockey in the game. For veteran clubs full of playoff experience, this pressure may be manageable. But for a young roster like the Canadian, it’s an unnecessary burden.

Last season, the youngsters in Montreal were asked to win games long before they built the required consistency. Surprisingly, they answered the phone and climbed the mountain. The Habs returned to the playoffs under Nick Suzuki and Lane Hutson.

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History shows that young teams relying on late trends are often short. The NHL’s schedule is struggling and expecting the roster to still develop its identity to maintain near-perfect hockey for 40 or 50 games is unrealistic. Canadians should aim to relieve stress, not recreate it. Being stronger means their young talent can grow in a more natural rhythm, and every game feels like a playoff knockout.

Canadians’ playoff expectations

The Canadians proved last season that they were able to make the playoffs even after a disastrous start. However, this achievement should be regarded as a warning of victory. Yes, they show resilience and growth, but relying on crazy second-half pushes is not a sustainable strategy in the league where every point of view matters.

Now, expectations are no longer just in the playoffs, but about the establishment of rewards. For this reason, Canadians can’t wait until December to find their own rhythm. A stronger start will allow them to not only compete for the universal card, but also better playoff seeds in the Atlantic division.

By avoiding the pitfalls of the early struggles last season, the Canadians will provide themselves with room to grow, manage young rosters more strategically, and make the playoffs fresh and more confident. In short, if Montreal wants to turn the playoff appearance into a new standard rather than a one-off standard, their season must start with urgency and consistency.

The Canadians have the talent, depth and leadership to make the 2025-26 season a turning point in reconstruction. But the lessons from 2024-25 should be fresh in their minds. A slow start is not only inconvenience—it can be shocking. Montreal was unable to repeat the wrong mistakes, causing them to play desperate hockey for months.

Instead, they have to treat opening night and the first 20 games in a playoff-level emergency. Early bank points will not only increase their chances of playing the playoffs, but will also give them confidence, stability and breathing space to their young roster. If the Canadian really wants to go back to the playoffs again, the path forward is clear: start better, start stronger, don’t look back.