The Montreal Canadiens have completed just over one-quarter of their 2024-25 season, which started with several ups and downs. The good news is that the lineup is one of the youngest in the NHL and is trending upwards. The bad news? The highs are being outnumbered by the lows so far and several issues continue to plague the roster.
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General manager (GM) Kent Hughes’ rebuild plan has entered its third season and while there are clear signs of progress, the fans do wish for more, especially now as there are certain expectations. With Christmas just around the corner, everyone who celebrates the holiday has a wish list for Santa. It seems fitting to look at what the Canadiens should wish for heading into the 2024 holiday season.
A Consistent Canadiens Lineup
Consistency is the hallmark of a great team and the Canadiens are not there. They are more of a “Jekyll and Hyde” team as they are consistently inconsistent. After 29 games of the 2024-25 season, they have yet to win three consecutive games.
In some games, they look competitive, such as in their shutout win over the Edmonton Oilers on Nov. 18 where they finished every check, battled for every loose puck, and went toe to toe with one of the best teams in the NHL. Then there’s others such as their lopsided 9-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Some games even see the Habs start with a loose, inconsistent approach only to finish with a significantly improved effort level, such as the shutout win against the Nashville Predators at home in Montreal. That game saw an unpredictable effort by Montreal through 40 minutes, only to step onto the ice in the third period and provide a dominant performance. Then there was the embarrassing 6-3 loss to the Boston Bruins, in Boston on Dec. 1, where they fell behind 3-0 right away, and never recovered. It is that type of inconsistent effort that costs them games and points in the standings, which makes it difficult to remain in the mix.
After 29 games played, Montreal sits last in the Eastern Conference, 29th in the NHL, and yet is still only seven points back of a playoff position. To be “in the mix” they need to cut that deficit in half. Seeing a rebuilding team have inconsistent outcomes is expected. Consistency doesn’t imply a rigid conformity to a system, or…
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