After a long offseason, the National Hockey League's 2026-27 season is officially upon us, with five games on tap for Tuesday night including the Montreal Canadiens, who are set to take on their longtime rivals, the Toronto Maple Leafs, at Scotiabank Arena.
For Montreal Canadiens General Manager Kent Hughes, it was a relatively quiet summer, with just one addition made to the team's NHL roster along with several moves for their American Hockey League affiliate, the Laval Rocket.
After a trip to the Eastern Conference Final last season, falling to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes in five games, the Montreal Canadiens are hoping to take another step this season and solidify themselves as a contender for hockey's greatest prize.
Montreal Canadiens 2026-27 Season Preview
Last season was a big milestone for Montreal amid their rebuild, which I think it's safe to say we can now retire that word for this group of Canadiens players. In 2025, the club returned to the Stanley Cup Playoffs where they met the Washington Capitals in the first round and for an encore in 2026, as mentioned, the Canadiens made it all the way to the Eastern Conference Final.
It was Montreal's first trip to the Eastern Conference Final since 2014 where they faced the New York Rangers and their first appearance in the third round since 2021, when they faced Vegas in what was called the semifinals due to the league's realignment caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
With almost every team in the Atlantic Division improving in the offseason, along with teams like the Washington Capitals in the Metropolitan Division, the Canadiens face a tough path back to the Eastern Conference Final and potentially beyond, but they're going to be in the thick of things right until the end thanks to their young core.
Following career-years in 2025-26 from Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky and Lane Hutson, along with solid rookie campaigns from Ivan Demidov and Jakub Dobes, the Canadiens are going to make some noise this season and as I mentioned in my bold predictions article last week, it wouldn't shock me if they end up winning the Atlantic Division.
Additions to the Organization During the Offseason
It wasn't until a few days prior to the opening of training camp that Montreal Canadiens General Manager Kent Hughes made his biggest move of the offseason. Following a mutual contract termination between him and the Anaheim Ducks, Chris Kreider signed a one-year deal with the Montreal Canadiens, joining a team in which their fans dubbed him as an enemy for over a decade.
As everyone remembers, Kreider collided with Carey Price during game one of the 2014 Eastern Conference Final, ending the goaltender's season and ultimately, the team's chances of reaching what would have been their first Stanley Cup Final appearance since 1993.
It appears that the dislike for Chris Kreider among Montreal Canadiens fans has cooled off now that he's a member of the organization and the club has big expectations for the 35-year-old, who will begin the 2026-27 season on the top line alongside Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield, occupying a role that was held by Juraj Slafkovsky for the past few seasons.
In addition to the signing of Chris Kreider, the Canadiens brought in some organizational depth with forwards Sasha Pastujov, Samuel Poulin, Brett Berard and Hunter McGown, along with defensemen Maksymilian Szuber, Ethan Samson and Reilly Walsh. Meanwhile, a pair of defensive prospects are making the jump to professional hockey - Owen Protz and Bryce Pickford, although the latter is set to miss some time after undergoing shoulder surgery in the summer. Luke Mittelstadt, who stood out in training camp, will begin his first full season of professional hockey in Laval, too.
For the second straight summer, the Canadiens were unable to land a second line centerman for the club, meaning Oliver Kapanen will occupy that role, once he returns from a lower-body injury. Alex Newhook is expected to slot into the 2C role tonight, flanked by Juraj Slafkovsky and Ivan Demidov.
The Canadiens were also pursuing a top-six winger prior to the addition of Chris Kreider and had their sights set on a big name - Kirill Marchenko. Marchenko's name was in the rumour mill all summer long and just as it looked like he would have to begin the season in Columbus, Montreal's rival, the Toronto Maple Leafs, swooped in and acquired him on Monday, with the main piece going back to the Blue Jackets being Matthew Knies, another player the Canadiens were linked to dating back to the trade deadline in March.
Brendan Gallagher Among Those to Leave the Canadiens Organization
After 14 seasons with the Montreal Canadiens, Brendan Gallagher's time with the organization came to a close a couple days after the draft, with GM Kent Hughes trading him to his hometown Vancouver Canucks in exchange for future considerations. Moving on from a player like Brendan Gallagher, who was the heart and soul of the Canadiens for over a decade, is never easy and his return to Montreal on March 6th should be an emotional one for both the now former Hab and every fan in attendance at the Bell Centre.
Patrik Laine and Joe Veleno were two of the more well-known unrestricted free agents the Canadiens had this summer. Laine, the second overall pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, is still looking for a new home for the 2026-27 season. An injury last season limited him to just five games and he hasn't played since October 16th, 2025 against the Nashville Predators.
Meanwhile for Joe Veleno, he signed a one-year deal with the New York Rangers and a earned a slight jump in pay, going from $900,000 to $1.2 million, after a strong season in the dot, finishing the 2025-26 campaign with a 51.6 faceoff percentage. The Montreal native cracked New York's opening night roster and will likely make his Rangers debut tonight in Boston.
Roster Moves & Who Made the Opening Night Roster
When the Montreal Canadiens announced their opening night roster on Monday, there were some interesting decisions made by the coaching and management staffs, none bigger than the omission of former fifth overall pick David Reinbacher.
Reinbacher had a really strong showing in training camp and during his three appearances in the preseason, proved that he deserved to begin the year in the National Hockey League, but, the Canadiens had other plans. The Austrian blueliner was among several cut by the club on Sunday. Former first round pick Filip Mesar and Owen Beck were also cut over the weekend.
Another very notable name that'll be starting the season in Laval is goaltender Jacob Fowler. Fowler took over the backup role behind Jakub Dobes from March onward following a poor performance from Samuel Montembeault against the Anaheim Ducks, but with the latter's resurgence in the preseason, he earned a spot on the opening night roster over the team's top goaltending prospect.
As for who did make the opening roster, forward Florian Xhekaj, brother of Canadiens defenseman Arber Xhekaj, and blueliner Adam Engstrom were among those on the bubble that'll start the season with the big club in Montreal. Both Xhekaj and Engstrom got a taste of the National Hockey League last season, appearing in five and 15 games, respectively.
Notable Games for the Montreal Canadiens During 2026-27 Season
An Original Six battle to begin the season is a given, with Montreal in Toronto to face the Maple Leafs this evening. But there are a handful of other games that fans will want to keep a close eye on over the course of the 2026-27 campaign.
The Canadiens' home opener is set for next Tuesday against the Carolina Hurricanes, a rematch of the 2026 Eastern Conference Final. Montreal will have a second round rematch with the Buffalo Sabres one week later at the Bell Centre, while their first game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, who they faced in round one in the spring, is set for Wednesday, December 2nd.
For the first time since 2017, the Canadiens will head outdoors as will take on the Jets in Winnipeg in the 2026 Heritage Classic. It'll be Montreal's third appearance in the Heritage Classic and first since 2011 when they lost 4-0 to the Calgary Flames. That game is set for Sunday, October 25th at 7 pm ET on Sportsnet and TVA Sports.
The National Hockey League will stage games on Boxing Day for the first time in 11 years and among the matchups on that day is Montreal against the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Bell Centre. The Canadiens and Maple Leafs have met on Boxing Day before, most recently in 2009 in Toronto, with Andrei Kostitsyn scoring the overtime winner.
Montreal's annual back-to-back matinee games on Super Bowl weekend returns for the first time since 2024. On the Saturday, the Canadiens will face Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals, while taking on the New York Rangers one day later. Both games are set for 1 pm ET.
Brendan Gallagher will mark his return to the Bell Centre on March 6th as part of Sportsnet's new Saturday Night Hockey broadcasts. Meanwhile a little over a month later, on April 10th, the Canadiens will wrap up the 2026-27 regular season on the road against the Ottawa Senators.
Stay Tuned to Hockey Buzz all season long for up-to-date coverage of the Montreal Canadiens.