The Montreal Canadiens [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens] had a fantastic season by all accounts. Martin St-Louis’ team went from a 16th-place finish in 2024-25 to a fifth-place finish in 2025-26. There were many reasons for that progression, but the main one has to be the solid play of the team’s top players, who all set new career-highs offensively. Nick Suzuki The Habs captain had a season for the ages, as evidenced by his Frank J. Selke Trophy win. For the first time in his career, he surpassed the 100-point mark, finishing with 101 points, including 29 goals and a whopping 72 assists. He’s the first Hab to reach the milestone since Mats Naslund in 1986. He also became only the fourth Canadiens player to do it after Naslund, Guy Lafleur and Peter Mahovlich. Year after year, his numbers keep on improving. He has 12 more points than in 2024-25, and his differential has gone from plus-19 to plus-37, a top-10 mark in the league. The 26-year-old also picked up a lot of valuable experience this year, playing for Canada at the Olympics and guiding the Canadiens to the third round of the playoffs. Even though the first line struggled to produce at even strength in the playoffs, Suzuki still co-led the team in points with 16 in 19 games, just like Lane Hutson. Grade: A+. There’s just no way he can get anything but the top mark. The Canadiens are Suzuki’s team; he leads them admirably, and their successes depend on him. Canadiens Dangled A Big Package To Get Knies [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/canadiens-dangled-a-big-package-to-get-knies] Pair Of Canadiens Stars Win Individual Trophies [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/pair-of-canadiens-stars-win-individual-trophies] Canadiens Report Card Defensemen Edition [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/canadiens-report-card-defensemen-edition] Canadiens Report Cards Goaltending Edition [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/canadiens-report-cards-goaltending-edition] Cole Caufield If Suzuki wrote his name in the Canadiens’ history book this year, so did his linemate Cole Caufield. The diminutive winger became the first Hab since Stephane Richer in 1989-90 to score 50 goals and only the seventh in team history (Caufield, Richer, Pierre Larouche, Guy Lafleur, Steve Shutt, Bernard “Boom Boom” Geoffrion and Maurice “Rocket” Richard). On top of scoring 51 goals, the sharpshooter also added 37 assists to set a new career high in points at 88. He was second in the league in goals scored, but first in game-winning goals (12) and overtime goals (5). 29 of his goals were go-ahead, underscoring just how important he is to the Canadiens’ success. Beyond the numbers, though, Caufield’s impact is also felt in the dressing room as he’s a real team player and was voted the Lady Bing Trophy winner as he combines sportsmanship, gentlemanly conduct and ability. Grade: A. He comes just short of the top mark because of his struggles to find the back of the net in the playoffs. You can, however, bet on that being a big motivation for him next season, just like being snubbed by Team USA for the last two years was. Juraj Slafkvosky The big Slovak has finally realized how the Canadiens want him to play, bringing speed and physicality to the lineup. Being put on the second line with Ivan Demidov and Oliver Kapanen allowed him to discover that he could, in fact, lead a line, and he wasn’t just a complementary piece for Caufield and Suzuki. Better yet, by playing the right way, he set new career highs in goals (30), assists (43) and points (73). He was a real force to be reckoned with after Christmas, but had another relatively slow start. This is not surprising as consistency is hard to achieve for young players. At times, he fell back into bad habits, such as no-look passes, but generally he had a great season and showed that he will be a vital part of the team for years to come. Grade: A-. Consistency issues are the sole reason why his grade suffered a bit; he’s a work in progress, and what a masterpiece he will be when he reaches his ceiling. Ivan Demidov Had it not been for Matthew Schaeffer’s fabulous season, the Russian rookie would have won the Calder Trophy. He led all rookies in scoring with 62 points, including 19 goals, and has shown just how amazing his hands are. He’s fast, he’s elusive, and he has superior hockey IQ. His love of hockey and work ethic are only matched by road roommate Lane Hutson, and they’ve both made each other better this season. It’s almost scary to think of what he could do if he were given a prolific center to work with. He’s in large part responsible for linemate Oliver Kapanen overachieving in his rookie season, setting him up for plenty of goals. Grade: A. The winger had an impressive season, but was also impressive in the playoffs, perhaps not in terms of productivity; he got nine points in 19 games, but, in the process, he improved throughout the spring dance, taking in the intensity of the postseason and learning to perform in it. Alex Newhook His speed is an ace up Martin St-Louis’ sleeve, and had it not been for a serious injury that limited him to just 42 games, he would have had the best season of his career. He recorded 25 points, just one fewer than last season, but he needed 82 games to reach 26 points then. Of course, playing with Demidov didn’t hurt, but he has really come into his own. There’s also a lot to be said about his playoff performances; he had 10 points in 19 games, including seven goals, two of which were series-clinching. The only Hab with a Stanley Cup ring knows what it takes to win, and it showed. Grade: B+. He’s got one year left on his contract, but if he can build on what he accomplished this season, he’ll be well on his way to earning a long-term deal and showing the Canadiens why he should be considered a core player for this young team. Oliver Kapanen The Finnish center inherited the role of the second center because there was no one else to fill it, and he ran with the opportunity. He finished his rookie season with 37 points, including 22 goals, but he did struggle towards the tail end of the year. This is not all that surprising since he’s not accustomed to playing so many games in a season. Since he faded away, he lost his role in the playoffs and was featured in only 7 games, but he did win 61.9% of his draws in the postseason. Grade: B. It was a very good first complete season for Kapanen, and he has shown great potential. So much so that it wouldn’t be a shock if he were on demand on the trade market this summer. It feels like he could be this year’s Emil Heineman and be sacrificed to bring some immediate help, perhaps down the middle. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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].
