Optimism reigns supreme in Habs locker room at end of '23-24 season
Despite missing the playoffs yet again, players excited about the team's future
If there's unbridled optimism at the start of every Canadiens season, those same feelings permeated the dressing room at the conclusion of this 82-game marathon, despite Montreal yet again missing the playoffs.
“I think we have a lot of room to grow and it's exciting,” captain Nick Suzuki said Wednesday at the team's season-ending media availability at the CN Sports Complex in Brossard. “We're definitely not that far off from being a playoff team and competing for the Stanley Cup.
“That's our goal definitely going into next season, to make the playoffs and go for a run.”
A team must learn to crawl before it can walk, and the Canadiens have been taking baby steps in this arduous process, missing the playoffs three consecutive seasons following their unexpected run to the Cup final during the abbreviated 2020-21 COVID campaign.
Montreal also finished last in the Atlantic Division for a third successive season, two points behind the Ottawa Senators.
The Canadiens went 30-36-16 and the team has improved marginally the last three seasons, going from 55 points to 68 then to 76 this season. But the rebuilding Detroit Red Wings, a division rival, won 41 games and were edged by Washington for the final wild-card spot in the East. And only four teams — Columbus (27), Anaheim (26), Chicago (23) and San Jose (19) — won fewer games than Montreal.
Competing for an NHL championship appears to be nothing more than wishful thinking at this juncture.
“I think, as a group, we created a lot (offensively), especially over the second half of the year,” said Suzuki, who led the team in scoring with 33 goals and 77 points over 82 games. “We tried to implement a lot of new things this year offensively. I think it really helped us. There's a lot of talent in the room already. We have young guys coming up that have a lot of talent, as well. I think there's a lot of nice pieces that are going to work well together.”
Contrary to Suzuki's belief, the Canadiens appear to require offensive help beyond their top line. Montreal scored 236 goals this season, the trio of centre Suzuki between Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky accounting for 81 of that total (34.32 per cent). The departure of Sean Monahan, who had 13 goals in 49 games before being traded to Winnipeg, along with the season-ending knee injury to Kirby Dach after only two games, didn't help the situation. Nonetheless, the Canadiens require more offensive balance.
General manager Kent Hughes admitted as much Wednesday morning, before the player availability.
“I think it was an encouraging season. Exciting,” said Alex Newhook, who was acquired in a trade from Colorado last June and produced career highs in goals (15) and points (34) despite being limited to 55 games. “We have a lot of key pieces here. We play the right way. We're really close to becoming a pretty dangerous team in this league and a top team. I'm just looking forward to taking the next step next year.
“We've got a lot of young guys here,” he added. “It takes a couple years to kind of figure out what it takes to be a winner in this league and to be a winning team. Maybe it's learning from what we went through this year. I think we're right there. I'm looking forward to what the future has for this group.”
Following Montreal's 9-3 drubbing of Philadelphia on April 9, the season ended with four straight defeats, all decided in overtime or a shootout. Those losses served as a microcosm of yet another of this team's weaknesses — its inability to hold leads.
In a pair of games against the Red Wings this week alone, the Canadiens squandered three- and two-goal leads. Montreal's record in games decided by one goal was 17-11-16. The 27 one-goal defeats were the most in the NHL.
“You can't just sit there and (suggest) we're a lot closer and we're going to be great next year,” said defenceman Mike Matheson. “You can say it but it doesn't change showing up to the rink next year, getting to work and seeing where it brings you.
“That has to be the mentality. Get better every single day and see where it brings us.”
Note: Matheson, whose wife is expecting a baby in May, spurned an opportunity to represent Canada at the world championship beginning May 10. Suzuki has been invited but hasn't committed, while goaltender Samuel Montembeault, who won a gold medal last year, has passed to concentrate on his summer training regimen. Caufield will play for the U.S. team, while Slafkovsky is expected to represent Slovakia.