The Montreal Canadiens [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens]’ season drew to an official close Monday in Brossard when the Habs’ brass and the players met the media for the post-mortem of a successful campaign. While the elimination at the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/carolina-hurricanes] in five games wasn’t a dream ending, far from it, Montreal exceeded expectations this season. That was made clear by Kent Hughes’ opening remarks that if he had been told his team would finish the regular season with 106 points and make it to the Eastern Conference Final, he probably wouldn’t have believed it. Still, Hughes and Jeff Gorton agreed that these results aren’t about to send them into overdrive to panic buy missing pieces, and they’re not about to start imitating Carolina just because Rod Brind’Amour’s team eliminated them. Just as they did last year, the Canadiens’ architects said they would be open to making moves on the trade market and could even sacrifice some young assets if it meant adding a significant piece to their core. Montembeault On His Big Issue [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/montembeault-on-his-big-issue] Canadiens’ Caufield Took The Blame [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/canadiens-caufield-took-the-blame] Canadiens' Gallagher Ripped Off The Band-Aid [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/canadiens-gallagher-ripped-off-the-band-aid] That philosophy is what allowed them to land Noah Dobson last summer and considerably bolster their blueline. They traded two first-round picks and Emil Heineman, but they got an important piece for the team’s core. Asked if the transaction that almost was at the trade deadline was still a possibility, the Canadiens’ GM replied: > It depends on the other team, but that won’t stop us from making the call to > revisit the deal. I’ll be calling 31 teams and revisiting a lot of stuff. As I > said earlier, what’s available in June is not always the same as what was > available in March. - Asked about Martin St-Louis’ job this season and the lack of adjustments made in the last round of the playoffs, he explained: > We’re very happy. I think you always have to assess the work, be it a player's > or a coach's, by looking at the entire year, not just a series. […] It’s > impossible not to be positive in our evaluation. We’ve improved by leaps and > bounds in the regular season, and some players have progressed a lot as well. > But like for our players and for us, there’s still work to be done, and it > applies to our coaches as well. They’re aware of it, and I expect they’ll work > very hard this summer to evaluate their season, determine what the team needs, > and figure out how they can continue improving. As a staff, they’ve improved a > lot from year to year, and that’s what I expect from them next year as well. - While it’s fair to say that the Canadiens’ coaching staff didn’t seem to have an answer against Carolina, the same cannot be said for the rest of the playoffs. The Habs wouldn’t have won the first round if St-Louis stuck to his guns on matchups and just hoped his first line would eventually figure it out. He became more creative and active behind the bench, playing cat and mouse with Jon Cooper over which players to deploy and when. Unsurprisingly, Gorton and Hughes were also questioned about the top line’s lack of production at even strength in the playoffs, and they both defended their players. Refusing to blame Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, and Juraj Slafkovsky, they said that the team as a whole had to be better and not ask so much of that top line. Asked about Kirby Dach, who’s set to become an RFA at the end of the month, Hughes explained: > We know that Kirby is a really talented player and that he’s also very unlucky > with injuries. Still, we have to sit down and talk with Kirby, perhaps today > in his exit meeting and we, Jeff, Marty, Sedge [John Sedgick, the Canadiens’ > “capologist”] and I, to discuss his case. It’s too early now to talk about > that. - While it’s true that it was early to ask about Dach’s next contract, the answer wasn’t exactly a ringing endorsement of the player. He had some good flashes in the playoffs, but he soon faded back into the background and ended the playoffs on the wing of the fourth line. Hughes briefly spoke about Samuel Montembeault’s struggles this season. He praised how hard the goaltender worked and in how good a shape he was now. The GM also said he had been exceptional as a teammate, just like Patrik Laine and Brendan Gallagher. The veteran’s situation was also covered, and Hughes admitted that the lack of action he saw in the playoffs must have been a tough pill to swallow. He added that the alternate captain had earned all the respect in the world and that they would discuss with him about the way forward. Little did Hughes know that Gallagher had already made up his mind about what to do next and would tell the media about it less than an hour later. Finally, Hughes expressed the organization’s will to sign Ivan Demidov to a long-term contract as soon as possible, making it clear that he would be at the top of the team’s to-do list. The GM added that not all players want long-term deals and that they’d have to see what Demidov wanted. Still, the Russian rookie made it clear to the media that he wants his contractual situation sorted as soon as possible and wishes to stay in Montreal long term. Clearly, Hughes and Gorton are pleased with the progress they’ve seen from the team, but they know they’re not done building yet, and they won’t be rushed in their quest to build a perennial Stanley Cup contender. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Follow Karine on X @KarineHains [https://x.com/KarineHains] Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/karinehains.bsky.social] and Threads @karinehains [https://www.threads.net/@karinehains]. Bookmark The Hockey News Canadiens' page [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/] for all the news and happenings around the Canadiens. Join the discussion by signing up to the Canadiens' roundtable [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens] on The Hockey News. Subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free [https://thehockeynews.store/products/print-subscription]. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here [http://eepurl.com/i7OC4I].
