They became the second Canadian franchise officially eliminated from playoff contention on Thursday when they lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning, but for the Montreal Canadiens, it was a season of growth and garnering experience.
It’ll be the third consecutive season for the Canadiens that they won’t make a playoff appearance, a feat they haven’t achieved since their run to the Stanley Cup Final during the COVID bubble — when they lost in five games to the same Lightning team.
As the bottom team in the Atlantic Division through 77 games this season, the Canadiens won’t have the luxury of playing playoff hockey. Still, while it seems like it’s nothing to celebrate, this young squad took steps towards overall development even if it meant sacrificing another season.
With that, here’s a look at what went wrong for the Canadiens this season, what might’ve changed their outcome and whether or not they have something to look forward to beyond 2023-24.
Where the Canadiens’ Season Went Wrong
Outside of goaltending, injuries played a major role for the Canadiens this season. Kirby Dach and Christian Dvorak suffered season-ending injuries — in the second game of the season when it comes to Dach — and Alex Newhook missed significant time early on in the season. All three were to have major roles for the Canadiens this season.
Other players like David Savard and Tanner Pearson missed time as well, while Kaiden Guhle suffered a late-season injury which likely didn’t affect the overall outcome for the team.
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On the other side of the puck, the Canadiens ran with a three-goalie system for the majority of the season, until they traded Jake Allen to the New Jersey Devis. Each goalie had 20 games or more played this season through 77 team games — with Sam Montembeault leading the way with a 15-15-7 record through 38 games played this season.
While Allen’s numbers were subpar — a save percentage (SV%) of .892 and 3.65 goals against average (GAA) — both Montembeault and Cayden Primeau had save percentages of over .900 and Primeau was the only one of the three to have a GAA under 3.00. It’s hard to win games when that’s the case.
Canadiens Needed Consistency, Offence
It’s simple — to win games you need offence and the Canadiens weren’t getting enough of it this season. Through 77 games, they are 26th on powerplay efficiency at just over 17 percent and 27th in the nHL in scoring, averaging 2.73 goals per game.
They will finish the season with two 20-goal scorers in Nick Suzuki (33) and Cole Caufield (24), but after Suzuki’s 74 points, the next highest point total on the team is Caufield at just 59 points. Even Newhook, who has only played 50 games this season sits sixth on the team in scoring — one spot behind Sean Monahan who was traded to the Winnipeg Jets at the deadline.
Aside from that, the Canadiens were just not the better team in most games this season. Rarely did they deserve the win and it showed in the standings this season.
Canadiens Need Experience, Have Pipeline Ready
As for what is yet to come for the Canadiens, this was just the starting point for this young squad. It’s a team that needs more experience, but that’s something they got through the trials and tribulations of the 2023-24 season.
In addition, they had an opportunity to see Juraj Slafkovsky find his footing at the NHL level this season. In 76 games, he’s put up 16 goals and 45 points and will likely fall just shy of his first 20-goal season. It’s a big step up from his 10-point season a year ago.
On top of that, their pipeline is prospering at different levels of the game. Owen Beck, Lane Hutson and others have contributed to their respective teams and Canadiens fans have to be excited about what they have coming up. Let’s not forget their two first-round picks and 12 picks overall in the 2024 NHL Draft. There are some exciting times ahead for the Canadiens — but for the 2023-24 edition can rest in peace, without playoffs.