Kicking off their highly anticipated 2026-27 campaign, the Montreal Canadiens were in Ontario on Tuesday night to visit their longtime rivals in the Toronto Maple Leafs. Despite giving up a goal on just the second shot of the game, the Habs rallied back with three unanswered goals, and ended the night with a 3-2 win.
As is always fun for an episode of the Bottom Six Minutes, it was the lower half of the lineup that won the evening for Montreal.
Zachary Bolduc dit bonjour.
— Matt Drake (@DrakeMT) September 30, 2026
2-1 #Habs pic.twitter.com/q8eH5ftAc4
Depth was a massive part of how they made the conference final last season, and it will have to play a significant role if they want to compete for the top spot in the Atlantic that many pundits are now picking them to take. It was where their goals came from on Tuesday night, with Zachary Bolduc, Josh Anderson, and Alexandre Carrier providing the output. We know who the big dogs are on this roster, and more often than not they’ll be the ones the team expects to get the job done, but on nights where they don’t, they will need depth performances precisely like the ones they had last night.
I’m even willing to eat some crow on Kirby Dach, since we’re discussing depth. His preseason was very unimpressive, and had me wondering if there would even be a spot in the lineup for him on opening night. He performed well on a line with Phillip Danault, which we know isn’t easy due to the assignments that generally comes with. If Dach can continue to play like he did, embracing a bottom-six role, there will be no risk to his place in the lineup for the foreseeable future.
There may be something to be said about the top line, and whether Chris Kreider can stay there long term. They weren’t bad against the Leafs, but they seemed to still be figuring each other out. The coaching staff also seems to want to explore the chemistry between Juraj Slafkovsky and Ivan Demidov a little more, and there is time for that. Depth gives them time for that. It also gives Kent Hughes the space he needs to continue monitoring the irons he has in the fire on the trade front. Being able to win games when your best players don’t show up on the score sheet is a comfortable place to be.
We’ll be expecting more from the top dogs shortly, but this will be a fun season if they consistently have this kind of support behind them.
Click the play button below to listen to your full Bottom Six Minutes, also available wherever you get your podcasts. We’ll be back on Saturday night, when the Habs will pay a visit to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
