Divisional Focus: Red Wings Must Counter Rising Canadiens

Almost as tough as it was seeing the Ottawa Senators return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for fans of the Detroit Red Wings was simultaneously seeing the Montreal Canadiens do the same. 

Thanks to their own young, emerging players, both Atlantic Division teams reached the postseason before the Red Wings did during their respective rebuilds.

The Canadiens also dealt the Red Wings a considerable in late December, taking four of a possible four points with back-to-back wins by a combined 9-4 score just days before the dismissal of then-head coach Derek Lalonde and assistant Bob Boughner.

Entering the first game on December 20, both teams carried similar records - the Red Wings at 13-14-4 and the Canadiens at 12-16-3.

Montreal managed to edge out Detroit by a 4-3 final score at Little Caesars Arena in a tightly contested affair, but then dominated the rematch just 24 hours later at Bell Centre with a convincing 5-1 victory, as the Red Wings appeared listless and offered little resistance.

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From that point on, Montreal went 26-15-8 (including a record of 15-5-6 in their final 26 games) thanks in large part to the emergence of young core players like Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki, and Juraj Slafkovsky. 

Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson, a Holland, Mich. native, had an incredible rookie campaign and was awarded the Calder Trophy as the NHL's best first-year player for the 2024-25 season, while veteran Patrik Laine brought an immediate boost to Montreal's power-play. 

Fellow defensemen Mike Matheson and Kaiden Guhle took on larger roles, while Sam Montembeault took firm hold of the starter's reigns in between the pipes.

Montreal also got a pleasant surprise from rookie goaltender Jakub Dobeš, who became the first goaltender in team history to surrender a single goal through his first two career NHL starts and is now their full-time backup. 

While the Canadiens had a short stay in the Stanley Cup Playoffs as they were defeated in five games by the Washington Capitals, they feel they are now better positioned to not only return to the postseason, but to build on their successful campaign in 2024-25 and advance further this time. 

"We're better across the board by virtue of having such a young group that's gained a year of experience, a year of know-how," Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes said. "They've learned a little more, especially with the playoff run. But I would say that from a period of time in the season, we were in playoff mode trying to get back into the race and then kind of finalize it. So I'm hopeful that that experience provides a boost to the roster for next season."

The Red Wings will face the Canadiens in the opening game of the regular season at Little Caesars Arena on Oct. 9, followed by matchups on Jan. 10 in Montreal, and March 19 in Detroit.

The opening game will also mark the return of former Red Wings forward Joe Veleno, who was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks last season for goaltender Petr Mrazek. This offseason, he signed with his hometown Canadiens after being dealt from Chicago to the Seattle Kraken, who bought out the final year of his contract.

Detroit will look to get their centennial season off on the right foot in front of the home fans of Hockeytown. As the Red Wings found out the hard way at the end of the 2023-24 season, literally every point matters. 

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