It’s been a great year for Montreal Canadiens’ fans, a year that has given them hope that the rebuild was heading in the right direction and that rewarded their trust with a first playoff appearance since the surprise 2021 Stanley Cup Final run. After missing the postseason for three years running, the young Habs rewarded their faithful with an appearance in the spring dance, a short-lived one, of course, but one that allowed them to learn and grow so much.
Seeing as this is the last day of 2025, it’s time to look back at what has gone on over the previous 12 months and reminisce about what went right for the most storied franchise in NHL history. Without further ado, here are my top five Canadiens moments in 2025.
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The Habs’ fan base was resigned to wait until the start of the 2025-26 season to see Ivan Demidov’s debut in the NHL since his contract with KHL side SKA St. Petersburg ran until the end of May. Still, fans and media alike were pleasantly surprised when it was announced that the Russian rookie was on his way.
In the days that followed, a kind of craze took over the fandom as Demidov’s plane was tracked online, and a group of fans showed up at the Toronto airport to welcome the most exciting offensive prospect in recent memories.
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It took a few days for Demidov to make his debut, but when he did on April 14 against the Chicago Blackhawks, there were already Demidov jerseys in the stands, and there was a distinct buzz in the Bell Centre. The youngster didn’t disappoint, registering a goal and an assist in his first game in front of his new fans. Even the press gallery was filled to the brim for the occasion. While the media usually stays neutral during games, that one was the exception to the rule, as everyone spontaneously got on their feet when the Russian prodigy found the back of the net.
It had been quite some time since a Canadiens player had won the Calder Trophy, awarded annually to the league’s best rookie. It hadn’t happened since the late great Ken Dryden captured the award all the way back in 1971-72, but there was little doubt by the end of the season that standout defenseman Lane Hutson would finally bring it back to Montreal.
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With four points in the first three games of the 2024-25 season, he wasted no time showing that he was something special. Every time he picked up the puck and carried it up the ice, the Bell Center buzzed with excitement; he had people on the edge of their seats, something a Habs’ defenseman hadn’t done since P.K. Subban’s best days.
Hutson led the rookie scoring race all season long, and by the time everything was said and done, he had a new franchise record for the most points by a rookie defenseman and the fourth-highest total in league history with 66 points. He tied Larry Murphy’s record for the most assists by a rookie defenseman with 60, a record that had been set nearly 45 years ago in the 1980-81 season.
Who would have guessed that Juraj Slafkovsky needed to be taken away from the top line to really shine? Not many. Throughout the 2024-25 season, the Canadiens’ top line, formed by the young Slovak, captain Nick Suzuki and sniper Cole Caufield, produced most of the team’s offence, and as the saying goes, if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it, right? Wrong.
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Because of the latest onslaught of injuries and the fact that he had more talent in his top six, bench boss Martin St-Louis decided to take the power forward away from his top line and to play him alongside rookies Demidov and Oliver Kapanen, and the result was a resounding success.
As the veteran on the line, Slafkovsky stepped up and started doing things he had never done on the top line, where he was merely seen as the complement to the dynamic duo. He clearly felt more confident and dared to do so much more. It took a few games, but fantastic chemistry started to develop among the three youngsters, and after 39 games, he’s on pace for 59 points, which would be a career high for him.
It’s about more than points for the hulking forward, however, the strength he shows on the ice and the way he’s now able to use his body to make an impact on the game are qualities the Canadiens have long needed. In his rookie season, he was often caught with his head down and found himself lying on the ice far too frequently, but now he can look like an immovable object even when colliding with an unstoppable force.
GM Kent Hughes had long been looking for a right-shot defenseman, and the opportunity finally arose in the run-up to the 2025 draft. The man in charge did not hesitate. When a 25-year-old defenseman with such talent wants a change of scenery and is willing to come to your team, you do whatever you need to land him, and that’s exactly what Hughes did.
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Sending two first-round picks to the New York Islanders and sacrificing promising forward Emil Heineman to obtain Dobson was a no-brainer for the GM. Not just because the man the Habs were targeting at the draft was likely to be available in the second round, but because of the message it sent.
Acquiring him showed his players that the Canadiens had taken a turn in their rebuild, that they were entering another phase, one in which they weren’t just after futures anymore, but after pieces that could make them win in the here and now. That message was also heard loud and clear by the fans, and the anticipation was palpable in the city in the run-up to the season.
When Hughes signed Hutson and Mike Matheson to contract extensions this season, he gave further proof to players around the league that his two defensemen believed in what the Habs were building so much that they were willing to take less money to stick around.
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While that may not seem like a big deal to some, it is actually crucial for a team that will soon be looking to add complementary pieces in free agency. Forget about the language, the weather and the taxes, as Hughes has often said himself, hockey players want to win. In other words, and to quote a particular Kevin Costner sports movie: if you build it, they will come. Except we’re not talking about a baseball field here, but about a winning culture.
Slowly but surely, this is what Hughes, Jeff Gorton, and St-Louis have been laying the groundwork for over the last few years, and it’s never been more evident that it’s happening: the Canadiens have a 44-26-14 record in 2025. They’ve won more games than they’ve lost, and it seems like the only way is up.
Follow Karine on X @KarineHains Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social and Threads @karinehains.
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