Much has been written about the Montreal Canadiens’ rebuild and the way the team has progressed over the last few seasons, but the Habs are not the only team in rebuilding mode. The Chicago Blackhawks are as well, and they had the opportunity to draft a generational talent in Connor Bedard in 2023, who instantly became the franchise cornerstone.
A player doesn’t make a team, though, and the Hawks had a tough season, finishing in 15th place in the Western Conference and 31st place in the league. One would have thought the Habs could have taken advantage of the Illinois outfit, but it didn’t happen; Chicago skated away with four points in their two duels with the Canadiens.
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The two teams met for the first time of the season on January 3, 2025, in Chicago, and the host team won 4-2. While the Canadiens dominated in the shots department with a 40-26 edge, it was the Hawks who managed to score the most goals, a direct result of the 15 giveaways the Habs committed. Captain Nick Foligno led the charge for Chicago with a pair of goals, and veterans Tyler Bertuzzi and Patrick Maroon also found the back of the net. Meanwhile, Cole Caufield and Emil Heineman were the only Habs able to beat Arvid Soderblom, who finished the game with a .950 save percentage, while Samuel Montembeault had a .846 SV.
The Canadiens were hoping for revenge in the second-to-last game of the season and for a win that would allow them to make the playoffs when the Hawks came to town on April 14th, but it wasn’t to be. Chicago spoiled Ivan Demidov’s debut with a 4-3 shootout win. Frank Nazard, whom the Hawks drafted with the pick the Canadiens sent them to obtain Kirby Dach, got a goal and an assist in the win. Bertuzzi added another goal to his account against Montreal, and Lukas Reichel scored their third regulation goal. The Habs had taken an early two-goal lead through Alex Newhook and Demidov (who also had an assist), but they allowed the visitor to score three unanswered goals to take a 3-2 lead with under 15 minutes left in the game. It was a Juraj Slafkovsky marker that allowed the Tricolore to get a consolation point. In the shootout, Nazar was the sole scorer. Montreal had 18 giveaways in the loss, and Montembeault’s save percentage stood at .880.
The second loss of the season came at the most inopportune time as the Canadiens desperately needed points to punch their ticket to the playoffs, but the occasion seemed to be too big for the young Habs, who were playing with jitters.
If Chicago’s win in the first duel was the result of veteran leadership, it was the team’s youth that stood tall in the second game. Unlike the Canadiens, though, the Hawks were skating in yet another meaningless game.
Chicago made some changes this summer, but wasn’t very active on the free agency market, only signing Dominic Toninato to a two-year, two-way deal. They acquired Andre Burakovsky in a trade with the Seattle Kraken, sending Joe Veleno the other way and Sam Lafferty from the Buffalo Sabres. They bought out veteran defenseman TJ Brodie, and cut ties with Philip Kurashev, but extended Ryan Donato with a four-year contract. Pat Maroon and Alec Martinez both retired, meaning the Hawks will be even younger this year.
Chicago is behind Montreal in its rebuilding process, and the Canadiens need to perform accordingly against Bedard and co. The Atlantic division is set to be even tougher this season, and if the Habs want to qualify for the playoffs for a second year in a row, they need to learn not to play down to the opposition.
Suppose Montembeault can get back to his former form against the Hawks; it would go a long way toward achieving that goal. In both games this season, his SV was below .900; in his three duels with them before, he had .903, .938, and .933. This is the kind of numbers the goaltender of a contending team needs to put up. Soon, there will be real competition for the role of starting goaltender in Montreal, and the Becancour native needs to stake his claim right now. While most pundits believe Jacob Fowler will be the Canadiens’ goaltender by the time the team is ready to contend, he will still need to earn that role, and the Habs brass certainly won’t complain if they end up with two starter-quality goaltenders.
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