Eh, if the argument is that nearly everything goes right then Montreal may compete for the playoffs isn't really a great selling point, since I'd argue there isn't a team in the NHL that couldn't make that argument. Maybe San Jose, but that's it.
Indeed.
That's the case for any team outside the contenders... And even a contender can end up outside looking in if enough things go wrong.
Not sure it was meant to be a "selling point".. just stated some facts.
Montreal was one of the worst teams offensively AND defensively last season. And its unreasonable to expect rapid and consistent organic growth. And notwithstanding the bad injuries they had to deal with last season, it wasn't like 2021-2023 when they were the most injured team in the NHL.
It realistic to expect a bigger "growth" curve from a very young roster relative to an older/more veteran roster.
U25 players have more room to grow than 30+ players.
We were yet again a top 5 team in man games lost. That's a big reason why our top forward ice time last year featured 3 guys whose level of play should've had them bottom 6.
Back in 2012, when MB took over, we went from a bottom 3 finish to division winner... Only external adds were bouillon, Armstrong & prust + rookies Gally & Galch.
Big difference was that we went from leading league in games lost to bottom tier/better than average health.
People underestimate what a big impact it has, especially on a roster that isn't contender-level depth.
Next season isn't about making the playoffs or even contending the playoffs. Its about trying to play meaningful games and having more young players lay claim to roles on the roster or demonstrating growth that they could lead there. 2025-2026 is the season Montreal will start pushing for the playoffs and beyond - once they start graduating their blue chip prospects on a more permanent basis and guys get more experience.
Sure. Same as last year... But with greater expectations fairly resting on the shoulders of:
Suzuki, Caufield, Slaf, Dach, Newhook, Guhle, Xhekaj, Barron, Roy, Monty & Primeau.
Everyone of those players is quite reasonably expected to be better next season. Not all will, and injuries will possibly rear their ugly head... But as a core roster of U25 players, growth at the group level should absolutely be expected.
I suspect that is precisely what KH believes and why he is being sincere when he states that they expect to be better this coming season even as he hasn't made any external additions (& actually traded away a vet for a pick in moving Kovacevic).