Of all the NHL teams that improved this off-season, the Montreal Canadiens may have improved the most. Trading for a No. 1 defenseman, Noah Dobson, from the New York Islanders [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders] really elevates Montreal’s game, and acquiring up-and-coming right winger Zack Bolduc from the St. Louis Blues [http://thn.com/stlouis] improves the Habs’ attack up front. But looming not too far in the distance is a showdown we anticipate could be one of the most compelling battles in the league next season – the Canadiens [http://thn.com/montreal]’ rivalry with the Ottawa Senators [http://thn.com/ottawa]. If things shake out in the standings the way we think they may, Montreal and Ottawa could wind up fighting it out for one of the last Stanley Cup playoff spots in the Eastern Conference. This past season, Ottawa got into the post-season with a fourth-place finish in the highly competitive Atlantic Division. Montreal squeezed into the playoffs with their fifth-place finish in the Atlantic. Next season, however, there may be only four Atlantic teams that get into the playoffs, as the Metropolitan Division’s New York Rangers [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-rangers] could bounce back and give the division four representatives in the post-season. If the Columbus Blue Jackets [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/columbus-blue-jackets] prove last year’s improvement was for real, they may even end their drought. If that’s what comes to pass, the battle in the Atlantic will be ferocious. The back-to-back defending Cup-champion Florida Panthers [http://thn.com/florida] are locks to be a playoff team in 2025-26. The Toronto Maple Leafs [http://thn.com/toronto] – which led the Atlantic this past season – are also all but guaranteed to be a playoff team this coming year. The same goes for the Tampa Bay Lightning [http://thn.com/tampabay], which bolstered their lineup in 2025. That leaves a slew of teams – the Canadiens, Senators, Detroit Red Wings [http://thn.com/detroit], Buffalo Sabres [http://thn.com/buffalo] and Boston Bruins [http://thn.com/boston] – competing for what could only be one playoff berth. And out of those five teams, we feel that Ottawa and Montreal are best-positioned to return to the playoffs. But if only one of them can make it, that will certainly crank up the heat of an already-hot Montreal and Ottawa rivalry. Ridly Greig and Juraj Slafkovsky (Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images) [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/acbcb9d0-180f-40fd-890c-9eca43ba2b58.jpeg] Ridly Greig and Juraj Slafkovsky (Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images) Make no mistake: this rivalry is already intense. Senators fans don’t forget Arber Xhekaj hitting and injuring former prospects Angus Crookshank and Viktor Lodin in the AHL [https://thehockeynews.com/ahl] and a rookie tournament, respectively. A high pre-season hit that knocked Tim Stutzle out of the game and earned Xhekaj a major penalty [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/canadiens-vs-senators-xhekaj-might-have-gotten-himself-out-of-the-running] last fall caused a stir as well. And Canadiens fans, along with Brendan Gallagher, have accused Stutzle of embellishment in the past [https://www.tsn.ca/brendan-gallagher-on-tim-stutzle-he-needs-to-stop-laying-on-the-ice-1.1781496]. Both teams virtually forgot about the play [https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/video/canadiens-gallagher-instigates-brawl-with-senators-stutzle/] to tussle during an important game this past April. This upcoming season, the Canadiens and the Senators will square off four times – once at the start of November, again at the start of December, once in mid-January and one final time on March 11. That final game will be particularly important, as it will come after the league’s 2026 trade deadline. At that point, Montreal and Ottawa’s lineups will be as good as they can be, and fans of both clubs will pack the Senators’ arena to watch them battle. The close proximity between the Senators and Canadiens and playoff matchups from the last decade have already built a strong rivalry. But if either club puts a dagger in the heart of its rival and prevents them from making the playoffs, this rivalry will be scorching. That’s good news for league executives whose blueprint for success hinges on building up rivalries within divisions. If we’re being honest, we think the Canadiens have a shot at leapfrogging over the Senators. Montreal has been proactive in improving its lineup, while Ottawa has largely stood pat with its group from last year and filled the gaps. We’re not suggesting teams that make big off-season moves are guaranteed to do better than teams that have been static with their lineup. But the Canadiens’ dynamic attack might just prove to be better than that of the Senators. Time will tell whether this prognostication is correct. But if a heightened Sens/Habs rivalry is in the cards this season, their battles will be epic. One lost point here or there might just be the difference between a team making or missing the playoffs, so every Canadiens and Senators game will have major repercussions on their season. That’s exactly the type of development that will boost the league’s business. Get the latest news and trending stories by following The Hockey News on Google News [https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMK-q0gsw7sXpAw?hl=en-CA&gl=CA&ceid=CA%3Aen] and by subscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here [http://eepurl.com/i7OC4I]. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com.
