March 17, 2025 | 12:00pm ET
By David Calabretta, TheFourthPeriod.com
HABS FOCUSED ON FINAL STRETCH FOR PLAYOFF PUSH
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Nick Suzuki, captain
MONTREAL, QC — The trade deadline has come and went, and the GMs can shut their phones off for a little while, enjoy the Florida sun during the GM Meetings this week, and see if their moves paid off.
Montreal Canadiens GM Kent Hughes decided to have a calm trade deadline by “rewarding” his players for sticking to the pre-season objective in “staying in the mix.”
However, with other teams in the wildcard race adding and subtracting, will staying put be enough for the rebuilding Canadiens to see post-season hockey for the first time since 2021?
Hughes Rewards His Team
At the start of the season, Canadiens GM Kent Hughes publicly stated that the goal for the team was to be in the mix, playing meaningful games come February and March, and they did exactly so. Despite many UFAs on the roster were gaining traction on the trade market, such as Jake Evans (signed an extension $2.85M x 4), Joel Armia and David Savard, Hughes kept the team intact and refused to sell despite the sellers’ market on Deadline Day.
Captain Nick Suzuki expressed his gratitude to finally see his players remain in uniform post-deadline after years of selling, as he explained in an interview with TVA’s Renaud Lavoie.
“I’ve hated trading all these teammates and good players for the last few years,” Suzuki said. “It’s definitely nice and refreshing this year. We have a lot of belief in the group. The guys that were rumoured to be traded got a weight lifted off their shoulders.”
The Habs currently sit one point off a wildcard spot with 71 points on the season.
Rival teams stock up
The Habs didn’t sell, but fans seemed to wonder at the possibility of Hughes being a soft buyer at the deadline, to reinforce his team for the final push of the season in hopes of a playoff push.
Not for a lack of trying, Hughes admitted he was in the market for a second-line centre with Kirby Dach suffering a season-ending injury, nothing had metalized however and it is deemed more of a “summer move.”
However, another possibility could’ve been adding a rental who couldn’t be moved by the deadline, but Hughes had decided to keep its path and continue with the long term plan.
The problem is that teams in contention with the Canadiens decided to bolster their lineups, which may give them an advantage over the Habs.
Their rival, the Ottawa Senators completed a blockbuster trade on deadline day, acquiring Dylan Cozens, Dennis Gilbert and a second-round pick in exchange for Josh Norris and Jacob Bernard-Docker. They also grabbed top-six winger Fabian Zetterlund from the San Jose Sharks. Those are some major acquisitions for a fellow team fighting in the Eastern Conference wildcard race.
The Columbus Blue Jackets also added some forward depth at the deadline, adding Luke Kunin from the San Jose Sharks and Christian Fischer from the Red Wings on waivers. Along with the Jackets, the New York Rangers added J.T. miller in a blockbuster trade in February alongside with some partial selling, seeing Reilly Smith return to the Golden Knights and a late Carson Soucy addition at the dawn of the hour. The Rangers currently occupy the final wildcard spot in the East with 72 points.
Magic Number for Playoffs
Every season, we often refer to the “magic number” needed for a team to make the playoffs. Referring to last season, it was 91 points, which saw the Washington Capitals make the post-season with a 40-31-11 record. The Canadiens currently stand at 71 points with 16 games remaining on their schedule. The ideal record that can see them squeeze into the post-season will be 10-4-2 or 9-3-4, something that is doable, but will need to figure out which games hold more value this time around.
Montreal plays the Ottawa Senators two more times this season, needing to get at the very least three out of four points. Another significant game will be Montreal vs. Detroit on April 8th, another team that is in the mix for the final two wildcard positions. They are 2-1 versus Detroit this season, and 2-0 versus Ottawa. They also hold a big challenge, facing off the 1st place in the Atlantic, Florida Panthers two more times this season, a club they beat 3-1 on Saturday.
Late season reinforcements
Don’t expect one of Montreal’s prospects to make the jump in time to help solidify a playoff spot this season, even if fifth-overall pick Ivan Demidov’s team in Saint Petersburg gets an early exit in the KHL playoffs, with his contract expiring only on May 31st.
As for Jacob Fowler, it is in his court to decide whether he wants to make the jump to the pros after his sophomore year in college, as per Hughes in his end of deadline media availability. Whether he joins the organization or not, he likely won’t be seeing an NHL opportunity this season, instead possibly joining the 1st place Laval Rocket for their upcoming playoff run alongside recently waived Cayden Primeau for a great goalie tandem.
It is up to the current Canadiens roster to pave their way to the post-season for the first time since 2021, without any external or internal help, it remains a challenge but they continue to push past adversity as they’ve been doing all season, with one goal, staying in the mix.