Taking advantage of a four-day break in action before the Montreal Canadiens start their playoff run, myself and Patrik Bexell got together for an episode of Habsent Minded. We discussed how the Habs managed to get here, what we’d like to see from them on this playoff run, and who we feel will be key contributors for the team. It has been four years since this team went on its magical run to the Stanley Cup Final, and some of those players are still around to provide some experience in the dance.
But you may have already guessed who our X-factor is…
From Russia with the love bone pic.twitter.com/zHuBGsi449
— Matt Drake (@DrakeMT) April 17, 2025
What about Nick Suzuki, who was but a sophomore in the league during the team’s last run, and has now developed into a near 90-point player? What about Cole Caufield? Not even a rookie the last time around, he has become a perennial 60-plus point player. The most interesting thing about this team going into this run is how young they are – the youngest team ever to participate in the NHL playoffs – so this is just the beginning for them.
Few pundits will pick them to go anywhere in these playoffs, but us fans who have been around for decades know all too well what they can do from an underdog position. At the end of the day, we’ll be happy with any kind of competitive performances against the Washington Capitals, and we’ll enjoy every minute of them trying to upset other teams like they did in 2021, and 2010.
Click the play button below to listen to the full episode, and don’t forget to subscribe on your preferred platform, as we will have plenty of playoff content coming up once the series starts this Monday night in Washington.
