That was fast, eh?

At this time last year, the Montreal Canadiens were a team most people believed was still elbow-deep in a ground-up rebuild. And while management famously quipped that they hoped to be “in the mix” during the 2024-25 season, almost nobody predicted the Habs’ progress would result in the playoff spot they earned by virtue of posting the 91 points required to claim the final berth in the Eastern Conference.

To be sure, this team is ahead of schedule. Now, the challenge is to stay on track and take meaningful strides toward its ultimate goal of being a Stanley Cup contender year-over-year.

A cynic might suggest, after a year of overachieving, Montreal is primed for a step back. After all, this team was 8-13-3 after 24 games last year, a record that gave it the second-wor

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