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2024-25 Montreal Canadiens Predictions and Odds to Win Stanley Cup Finals

by Ryan Cobbett - 9/13/2024

Montreal Canadiens predictions Cole Caufield

The Canadiens struggled big time last season as they finished in last place of the Atlantic Division with just 76 points. Montreal led the NHL with 16 OT losses and eight shootout losses, while their 20 regulation wins were the third lowest in the NHL. They managed more points (39) on the road than they did at home (37), and their -53-point differential was the second worst in the Eastern Conference.

Montreal averaged a mere 2.83 GF/G last season, which ranked just 26th in the league and was the third worst mark in the Eastern Conference. They also really struggled on their special teams play, ranking just 25th in Pk%, killing just 76.3% of their opponent’s man advantages, while cashing in on just 17.5% of their Power Play chances, which ranked 27th in the NHL. Nick Suzuki led the Canadiens in points with 77 as well as in goals with 33. Blueliner Mike Matheson recorded a team leading 51 assists while finishing third on the team in overall points with 62. Sandwiched between Suzuki and Matheson was youngster Cole Caufield, who recorded 65 points and 28 goals. Budding star and former number one overall pick, Juraj Slafkovsky, had a tremendous season, going for 50 points on 20 goals and 30 assists in his first full season of action.

The Canadiens goalie room was really inconsistent throughout the season, thus being unreliable. Sam Montembeault finished 16-15-9 across 41 games played while allowing 3.14 GA/G with a .903 SV%. Cayden Primeau produced solid numbers in his 23 games last season allowing just 2.99 GA/G, with a .910 SV%. Backup netminder Jake Allen really skewed the numbers for Montreal as he allowed 3.65 GA/G in his 21 games.

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Seasons come and go, so now it’s time to take a look at what we can expect from the Montreal Canadiens in 2024/25:

Montreal Canadiens Key Additions/Losses

The Canadiens traded away defenseman Jordan Harris to Columbus in a trade that brought in the oft-injured veteran Patrick Laine. Outside of Harris, the Montreal roster is mostly the same group, with only minor role pieces in Mitchell Stephens, Jesse Ylonen, and Tanner Pearson departing for new teams.

Bringing in Patrick Laine should immediately boost the offensive potential for Montreal. Laine has struggled to stay healthy over the last five seasons. However, if he can return to his early years, he could be a great acquisition for Montreal. Over the course of his first four seasons, Laine averaged 62 points, which is what the Canadiens fans want to see out of their newly acquired left winger. In addition to Laine, the Canadiens worked on a minor move by adding Alex Barre-Boulet (nine points) to provide depth.

Montreal Canadiens X-Factors

The Future- Even with the addition of Laine, this Montreal team is years away from being a competitive team in the NHL. However, they have some incredible pieces to build around. Nick Suzuki is only 25 years old and has recorded at least 61 points in each of his last three seasons. Cole Caufield recorded 65 points in his first full season, and fourth of his career at just 23 years old. Joining Caufield and Suzuki is 20-year-old Juraj Slafkovsky, who looked incredible last season, as well as youngster Alex Newhook, who has recorded 30 or more points in each of his last three seasons at just 23 years old. It also helps that Montreal has two first round and two second round picks in next year’s draft.

Montreal Canadiens Goalie Outlook

It looks like the netminding tandem of Sam Montembeault and Cayden Primeau is back in full force for the ensuing campaign. If you take out Jake Allen’s numbers from a year ago, Montembeault and Primeau combined to allow just 3.07 GA/G and posted a .907 SV%, not bad numbers. The problem is neither goalie has experienced the workload they are expected to face this season. Montembeault’s 41 games played were a career high, while Primeau’s 23 games played were also a career high. Expect each netminder to record new career highs with a bigger workload this season, which could lead to negative impact on their numbers.

Grade: D

Montreal Canadiens Key Schedule Stretch

March 28th-April 3rd: This small stretch features four straight games in which Montreal can play spoiler and have an impact on the playoff seeding. The collection of games begins on the road with back-to-back away games against Carolina and Florida. Then it ends with home matchups against Florida and Boston. Four straight games against teams who will be in the thick of the playoffs and fighting for better seeding.

Montreal Canadiens Notable Odds

Stanley Cup Champions: +23000

Conference Winner: +15000

Division Winner: +11000

To Make the Playoffs- Yes: +800

Calder Trophy- Lane Hutson: +700

Montreal Canadiens Prediction

Last season the Canadiens would have hit the over on this point total and, if anything, they got better this offseason just by acquiring Patrick Laine. Their young stars are improving and gelling, and Laine should provide a much-needed veteran presence. Montreal is still going to be the worst team in the Atlantic, but they should once again finish with 76 or more points this season. Lane Hutson also could have a positive impact on the very young blueline group for the Canadiens.

Over 75.5 Team Total Points

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