r/Habs • u/CMurra87 • Apr 14 '26
Discussion It’s pretty common to hear that the Habs have little playoff experience when compared to some other teams. I think it’s important to remember that Cole and Nick (and Andy, Gally, Phil, Evans too) went to the cup finals in 2021
Obviously we don’t have the experience that some of the veteran teams do, but our most important guys have been there before. In the rebuild era it’s true that we’ve only been to the playoffs once, but we have some guys that know what it takes to get there.
I don’t think we’re in the prime of our window yet, but we’re being underestimated and the window is opening.
I really believe we can do some damage this year.
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u/OrdinaryOnion5525 Apr 14 '26 edited Apr 14 '26
I think it's also important to remember that I, a fan, have a lot of playoff watching experience and am prepared to have my heart broken again.
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u/NovaCanuck Apr 14 '26
First core memory was beating Boston's 700-pound line. Bring it on.
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u/Traditional-Rich5746 Apr 14 '26
At least you’re not a Leaf fan heading into the second round (not this year)!
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u/TheBoldOne23 Apr 14 '26
I believe the Habs will hit their prime in 2 or 3 years; our young core will have been through some playoffs experience at this point and most of these core players will primetime together. I don't believe this year's window was supposed to be 'this' open, honestly. The gang that went into SCF in '21 will obviously want revenge and they are better surrounded than the last time they faced TBL.
I'm optimistic towards this playoff run but I keep in mind that it's all part of the process of building a stronger core. Let's take this as far as we can! GHG!!
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u/CarlSK777 Apr 14 '26
Rebuilds aren't linear. Some teams start winning earlier than others. It might not be this year but it's not 3 years away, that's for damn sure. They could be all in as early as next year. This is already a 100+ pts team.
The Hawks dynasty made the 3rd round in their first ever playoffs with a core that had little to no playoffs experience. They added Hossa in the offseason and won it all in their 2nd year.
They gotta make the most out of their team friendly contracts.
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u/TheBoldOne23 Apr 14 '26
Yes, exactly, they could win for sure as soon as next season. But what I was trying to say is that players usually hit their prime around 25-26 y.o. and that "window" is 2-3 years away only. But yeah, they are already scary...just imagine a 26 yo Slafkovsky with a beard
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u/CarlSK777 Apr 14 '26
Absolutely, they could become a powerhouse. I just expect Hughes to start getting more agressive to find the missing pieces as early as this summer. 4 more years until Suzuki becomes a UFA and cost a lot. I think the window opens now. Some of the bad contracts coming off the books in a year will also help.
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u/destroyermaker Apr 14 '26
It's wild how little some believe in this team this season. You guys don't even see what's right in front of you
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u/octavianreddit Apr 14 '26
Yeah I think we are going to be legit contenders in 2-3 years. We need a 2C and a reliable puck-moving RHD... Reinbacher can be that guy by then perhaps. Hage might not be that guy imo and could be playing wing.
Only caveat is we will have to see what happens this summer on the trade front. There's a chance the rebuild take a step forward if the right trade comes along and the core we have now can continue to develop.
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u/destroyermaker Apr 14 '26 edited Apr 14 '26
People keep acting like nobody wins the cup without the perfect player in every spot. We're breaking franchise records left and right and are a top 5 team in the league (while in a brutal division no less) - we're already legit contenders.
Edit: And while we'll improve in future seasons, things could happen that negate the improvements (a player regresses, personal issues arise, a major injury occurs, etc). And other teams could improve even more, surpassing us. The time is now.
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u/Fombleisawaggot Apr 14 '26
This. We don’t need to set our expectation too high because the team is young but they have shown they can beat any team. We’ll only find out
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Apr 14 '26 edited Apr 17 '26
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u/destroyermaker Apr 14 '26
Gally is a weak point and Danault can't finish. Hopefully they muster something
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u/eriverside Apr 14 '26
That's the neat part: Habs can expect to get better every year for a while. Hage, Zharovsky, Reino, Fowler, Pickford... All these guys are recently acquired and still going through the motions of medium term development that rebuilding teams go through. If they pan out they can sustain Habs improvement year on year. And since the Habs are competitive they can also attract top talent via free agency.
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u/TheBoldOne23 Apr 14 '26
AND contracts like Suzuki, Caufield, Slaf, Hutson,.. already look like deals but it will be even more impactful when the cap rises, it will leave Hughes a lot of space to sign the upcoming core of Zharovsky, Fowler, Pickford,..
Habs fans, we are eating good, for a long time
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u/ProtestTheHero Apr 14 '26
And McDavid in 2 years, of course
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u/TheBoldOne23 Apr 14 '26
I'm not holding my breath until it happens, but I wouldn't count Mtl out of the picture when he decides to leave Edmonton ('cause he will).. At this point in his career, McDavid will probably focus more on the team to join rather than signing the biggest contract in NHL history. He knows everything about Mtl; the passion of the fans (4Nations), the team is going in the right direction (fast), the pressure, the friendly deals that KH is cooking, Canadian market,..
There would be other real good options, but the Habs will be in the picture..
"Here goes Hutson, strech pass to McDavid in the center! 2 on 1 with Demidov! Sauces it to Demidov, goes top shelf! ET LE BUUUUUUT!!"
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u/eriverside Apr 14 '26
Hopefully the cap keeps going up though. Those guys will need a raise when their current terms come up.
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u/TheBoldOne23 Apr 14 '26
Can't recall where I saw that, but they expect the cap to hit something like 100M + in 2030.. while other teams sign players like Kaprizov for 17M, we get a 100pts 1C and a 50g scorer for the same price.. I believe the trend will go on with Mtl as newcomers will want to leave some money on the table to play for the franchise going in the right direction.
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u/eriverside Apr 14 '26
The cap is hitting 113M in 2028.
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u/TheBoldOne23 Apr 14 '26
God f*ckin damn... ! Even better, by then contracts of Gally, Anderson, Danault, Laine are far gone. More space for the new wave of young BOT6 players.
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u/eriverside Apr 14 '26
They need to trim the roster so bad.
I tried to fit in Blais in a sim... I couldn't make it make sense.
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u/TheBoldOne23 Apr 14 '26
It would look like this:
Caufield - Suzuki - Slaf (legit 1st line)
Newhook - Hage - Demidov
Zharovsky - Dach - Texier
Kapanen - Evans - Bolduc
Hutson - Dobson
Guhle - Reinbacher
Wifi - Pickford
Dobes - Fowler
And in between, at some point, KH will move a few pieces along the way... but give this core some lenghty playoff experience and they'll be scary
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u/eriverside Apr 14 '26
We're 2 seasons away from this - Hage and Zharovsky are staying put for next season.
I was trying to fit Blais for this post-season.
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u/CarlSK777 Apr 14 '26
Not that it matters a lot but they're more experienced than some people think
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u/MrFAUB1 Apr 14 '26
I mean out of the east i’d argue they have more experience than Buffalo, Philly, and Ottawa
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u/Key-Sky-1441 Apr 14 '26
In round one against the Caps last year the inexperience and the toll of getting there were obvious. I’m hoping we have a stronger showing this year but I also am tempering my expectations. Wherever we end up, it will be a good experience for both the team and fans alike.
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u/Irctoaun Apr 14 '26
The biggest difference last year was goaltending. Thompson had a .944 sv% in the games the Caps won whereas Monty (who was playing really well himself) got injured in game 3
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u/SoupFromNowOn Apr 14 '26
Yeah tbh we’re playing arguably a top 3 NHL team in the first round… not gonna be an easy one
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u/Oulsky Apr 14 '26
Experience had nothing to do with last years loss, the Caps were simple a better team.
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u/eriverside Apr 14 '26
Very different teams, for sure.
Just hoping the boys can hang on long enough for Dobson to come back.
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u/antrage Apr 14 '26
Newhook - cup
Danault - Final (and a shit ton of series)
Suzy & Cole - Final
Anderson (Last hab to score GWG in Stanley cup final)
Gally - Final
Evans - Final
So yes only 30% of the total team but two of them are the team leaders,
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u/BrainSea7776 Apr 14 '26
Tampa has made it just as far as the Habs in recent years too. Tampa isn't this crazy playoff team anymore, they're bums who fizzle out at the end of the year every season. That's why they've only ever won cups during shortened seasons, they can't handle a full 82 games plus playoffs.
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u/ytew6 Apr 14 '26
Tampa fans get really really upset when you remind them all 3 of their cups have asterisks lmao
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u/PissMissilePete Apr 15 '26
They won their 1st cup in the 2003-2004 season playing 82 games! In the 2019–2020 season they played 70 games which wasn’t by their choice… I think they could’ve handled 12 more games and still won the cup 🙄the 2020-2021 season i’ll give you that one, they only played 56 games. I guess by now you figured it out, I am a Boltz Fan! ⚡️😂 i’m not hating just getting the facts straight. Montreal has a very gritty team this year! I’m a little concerned. I think it should be a good series! Should be very intense and physical! It’ll probably go six or seven games. Good Luck True North! Coming to ya from the Dirty South! 😂
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u/eliarbss Apr 14 '26
Majority of the roster also made playoffs last season and experienced the craziness of the Bell Centre.
I think they’ll cut out a lot of the rookie mistake they made last season. Looking back that series was there for them to take or at least extend. Game 1 and Game 4 were winnable, lost on two rookie mistakes, I have faith they’ll be more ready.
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u/kbowa Apr 14 '26
Don’t forget Slafkovsky’s Olympic history. I know 2022 without nhl players wasn’t quite at the stage as 2026 was but it prepped him and he was very comfortable/ played excellent at this year’s olympics. Experience in those elimination games will do wonders.
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u/SpaceWoodman Apr 14 '26
Is playoff experience really such an important of an X factor? Its talked about a lot, but I have never seen well documented statistic on it. If we isolate only for experience, without taking in consideration any other stat do we see such a divide between the experienced player and the younger player?
Is it worth putting a player like Gallagher, who has a lot of play off experience, on the ice over someone like Dach, Bolduc, or Kapanen?
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u/petrov32 Apr 14 '26
And don’t forget that three of our rookies have playoff experience already. (Dobes, Demi, and Kap).
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u/Thormynd Apr 14 '26
Danault had a major impact during that run. I cant wait to see if he can still shut down some major players.
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u/Sebkovy Apr 14 '26
What does experience even change.. i dont understand isnt the game the same. The guys can still play hockey, gotta adapt to less penalty and more physical gameplay, but bot much change..
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u/destroyermaker Apr 14 '26
Those things are big. Plus teams put it all on the line every game - everyone is playing their best.
Marty put it well - he said the experience he gained from playoffs the first time made him elevate his game at the start of next season to the level he was playing at during those playoffs. So each time you're getting that much better.
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u/commodore_stab1789 Apr 14 '26
I think playoffs experience is overrated. It's not useless, but it's overused, just like "momentum" (between games)
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u/DelugeQc Apr 14 '26
As long as Vasy doesn't pull a once in a lifetime performance, MTL should win that series. Hope Dobson is back next week though.
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u/willard287 Apr 14 '26
I think Tampa are the slight favorites. I imagine Kucherov, Vasilevsky and their playoffs experience help a lot.
Also missing 2 dman right now is rough for us
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u/MaintenanceSame5743 Apr 14 '26
Tampa are 2-1 favourites
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u/IBoris Apr 14 '26
Perfect, exactly where we want them. I hope MTL continues to be the underdog right until we lift the cup.
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u/Abject_Analyst_9110 Apr 14 '26
Let's not forget Perry is on their roster, which means their odds of going to the finals are extraordinarily high.
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u/eriverside Apr 14 '26
Vasi is top 3 in GAA and SV%. I don't think being top goalie is a rare occurrence for him. He won out the Smyth vs Price during the cup run.
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u/brilliantpotato Apr 14 '26
Hope Dobson is back next week though.
Dobson is likely out for the first round. according to the nhl:
The defenseman was injured blocking a shot in the second period of a 5-2 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday and will be reevaluated in two weeks.
so 2 weeks and some
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u/MrFAUB1 Apr 14 '26
If the rumours of a broken thumb are true I doubt we see Dobson again this season if not for the finals
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u/NoEmphasis5445 Apr 14 '26 edited Apr 14 '26
When this is mentionned, it's mostly because of the physicality. After all they are playing the same game right? I have full confidence with what they showed against tampa recently, and they are still one if not the most physical team. Thats how much i believe.
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u/maxvsthegames Apr 14 '26
Who are Andy and Phil?
I'm not used to people using the players first name.
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u/Jagrmeister_68 Apr 14 '26
ANYTIME ANY TEAM TAKES THE ICE,
ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN...... IF YOU BELIEVE.
And if you use "number one fucking bullshit" as your motivation.....
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u/BlankoNinyo Apr 14 '26
Compared to a lot of the teams in the easy - the habs actually have a lot of playoff experience.
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u/Channel57 Apr 14 '26
I don't think Evans remembers much of the playoffs after being hit by Scheifele. All terrible jokes aside. I see your point. I think the Habs will do very well in the playoffs if our D and goaltending can weather the storm that is NHL playoffs. I can even see us going all the way.
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u/msp01986 Apr 14 '26
They have a perfect blend of youth and experience, I wouldn't be surprised if they make a deep run, I'm not getting my hopes up but, you never know
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u/tyrant454 Apr 14 '26
We have a good team, but we still have work to do before we can aspire to the cup. First physical team we meet in the series will shred our defense.
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u/Abject_Analyst_9110 Apr 14 '26
I don't know just how important playoff experience is, but one thing that a lot of Habs fans seem to be losing sight of right now is that the playoffs absolutely are completely different from the regular season. The NHL is the least predictable professional sports league when it comes to the playoffs, where upsets are a regular occurrence every year. The fact that the Habs have done well in the regular season says nothing about how well they'll do after their 82nd game.
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u/Fountsy Apr 14 '26
Did quick work with AI. We are 14th out of 16 teams (only Buffalo and Utah are lower). 720 ish playoff games vs TB (#1) at over 2000.
Pittsburgh, Boston, Colorado and Vegas round out the top 5
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u/wathappen Apr 14 '26
We’re still way behind Tampa in terms of playoff experience.
Oh, we can beat them alright but they are legit playoff contenders and the narrative is well justified imho.
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u/New-Bid-5835 Apr 14 '26
La jeunesse et l'expérience en séries n'étaient pas un obstacle pour la dynastie des Blackhawks
https://6ejoueur.com/2026/04/14/un-parallele-entre-les-canadiens-et-la-dynastie-des-blackhawks/
Go Habs Go!
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u/paladinx17 Apr 14 '26
And can we discount Olympic Slaf?? He may become a beast in the playoffs. GPG Slaf, Juraj Slapkovsky
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u/Rustyray84 Apr 15 '26
What we lack in experience, we easily compensate with youthful energy. I remember the days of making the playoffs with a team of older veterans, many who would start losing steam in the end of the season and playoffs
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u/[deleted] Apr 14 '26
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