While the Montreal Canadiens enjoyed a great 2024-25 as a team, far from every Canadiens player enjoyed individual success. Some struggled mightily, which to a degree is to be expected. You can’t count on things going perfectly to plan, even as others begin to fall into place.
As an undeniable team on the rise, the Canadiens are nevertheless poised to build on their playoff finish in 2025-26. Part of the projected improvement is based on the assumption at least some of the Habs coming off poorer-than-expected seasons will bounce back. Here are the top five, ranked in order of least likely to most:
5. Arber Xhekaj
When he first made the NHL, Arber Xhekaj showed some offensive potential, getting regular time on the power play. That no longer looks like it’s in the cards with the infusion of more talent over the last few years, to the point he averaged just three seconds on it in 2024-25. Ironically, despite the perceived slight to Xhekaj in his relatively limited deployment, he still played a career-high 70 games.
Granted, a large portion of the 12 games he was scratched came down the stretch, as the Canadiens were fighting for a playoff spot. He only played in one of the team’s last 10 games, a trend that carried into the playoffs, as head coach Martin St. Louis dressed him for the first time in Game 3, with the Habs trailing two games to none in their series against the Washington Capitals.
True, the Canadiens did lose the series. However, Xhekaj’s series debut coincided with an impressive 6-3 win, in which the Habs displayed less of a tendency to get pushed around. They even held a third-period lead in Game 4, before the tide turned on a Tom Wilson hit on Alexandre Carrier and they lost it (and Game 5). Even though the Habs outhit the Capitals in the series, there’s a solid chance the Habs focus more on physicality in 2025-26, which bodes well for Xhekaj’s overall minutes and the positive impact he ultimately has.
4. Kirby Dach
All eyes are on Kirby Dach, as the Canadiens’ potential second-line centre in 2025-26, emphasis on potential. His two straight season-ending knee injuries have been well-documented. So, his (in)ability to find his footing will inevitably play a role in his overall effectiveness and whether or not he actually ends the season as such.
It’s not even a certainty Dach starts it down the middle. He should be ready for training camp, but it’s abundantly clear his position is the biggest apparent hole in the lineup. While Canadiens management has gone on record saying they’re comfortable moving forward with the status quo, you have to believe they’re at least looking to upgrade before the season starts.
That would move Dach to right wing, probably below Juraj Slafkovsky and Ivan Demidov on the depth chart, which contributes to his low ranking here. Assuming Dach does successfully reclaim his second-line-centre spot, he would instead presumably ride shotgun with a Calder Memorial Trophy candidate in Demidov instead. That in turn would work wonders for Dach’s ongoing rehabilitation back into the conversation of the team’s key young players. His previous two campaigns, including a disappointing 10-goal, 22-point effort in a 57-game 2024-25, all but took him out of it.
3. Alex Newhook
Alex Newhook stepped into the second-line centre spot with Dach out for the second straight season. While he found success in the role in 2023-24, scoring 34 points in 55 games, he only managed 26 over a full schedule this past season.
Part of Newhook’s debut-season success with the Canadiens stems from an unsustainable, career-high 17.6% shooting percentage. It dropped to 12.7% in 2025-26, in line with his career average. So, there’s reason to believe he punched above his weight. However, as a former first-round pick, who’s just 24, he clearly has untapped potential.
Newhook may find himself as Dach’s replacement yet again, but, even if plays the wing, due to a lack of depth on the left, he’s likely to get second-line minutes again. It may be a lot of pressure to place on Demidov, but the same thought process regarding Dach above holds true here. Demidov has the talent to get the most out of his linemates, whoever they are.
2. Patrik Laine
If you look at the big picture of Patrik Laine’s first season with the Canadiens, everything went as planned, in the sense the Habs made the playoffs. He undeniably contributed to the berth as well, seeing as they had been in last place in the Eastern Conference when he debuted on Dec. 3 and made an impact right away.
Related: Laine Scores in Canadiens Debut as Habs Outlast Islanders in OT
Could things have gone better? Sure. He ideally wouldn’t have suffered a major knee injury in the preseason, which kept him out of action for months. Perhaps as a byproduct of the injury, Laine could have been more mobile and effective at even strength, the vast majority of his points having come on the power play. However, for him to have been the cancer some in the media have made him out to be, the Canadiens likely wouldn’t have made it further than they have in literally four years.
Laine undeniably could have delivered better value for his at-the-time team-high $8.7 million cap hit. However, when a player of his profile becomes available for the low price tag he did, you take advantage. It’s hard envisioning general manager Kent Hughes having regrets, considering the risk was relatively low too, with just two years left on his contract.
One year remains and Laine is playing for his next deal. So, he has ample motivation. Should the summer away from the game help improve his mobility, he’ll be further poised to improve on his modestly successful 33 points (but 20 goals) in 52 games.
1. Noah Dobson
Because on the hoopla surrounding the Canadiens’ acquisition of Noah Dobson, the focus was obviously on the 70 points the defenseman scored in 2023-24 with the New York Islanders (79 games). His production nevertheless took a huge hit in 2024-25, when he notched just 39 (71).
In a vacuum, that’s still impressive. It’s just disappointing compared to his previous season’s totals. For Dobson’s new eight-year, $76 million deal (a new-team-high $9.5 million cap hit) to be worth it, he’s going to have to get back there, because the Canadiens obviously didn’t commit to paying him that much in the hopes he’ll simply score around 40 per season. There’s good reason to believe he can return to those levels he’s proven himself capable of reaching, though.
For starters, defenseman Lane Hutson just scored 66 points as a rookie. Mike Matheson scored 62 the season before. These are totals to which Canadiens fans aren’t exactly accustomed. On their own, some may consider these on-offs. However, it’s quickly becoming a trend on a team that has been stockpiling young offensive talent and has improved its number of goals scored and power-play efficiency each year since they finished last in the NHL in 2022. With Dobson in the fold, those numbers will conceivably continue to increase (just like his own, anew).
