00:00 – Intro
00:20 – Canadiens Boost Offense with Noah Dobson Trade – 2025-26 Preview
01:32 – What the Puck: Expect the Canadiens to Take a Step Forward Next Season
08:09 – Canadiens 2025-26 Season Preview: Dobson, Slafkovsky, & Goaltending Analysis
1. Canadiens Boost Offense with Noah Dobson Trade – 2025-26 Preview
Discover how the Montreal Canadiens strengthened their defense and added offensive firepower with the trade for Noah Dobson. Learn about key arrivals like Zack Bolduc, Sammy Blais, Joe Veleno, and Kaapo Kahkonen, and see which players are leaving the team. Plus, insights into their upcoming season and what they still need to succeed.
2. What the Puck: Expect the Canadiens to Take a Step Forward Next Season
In the sweltering dog days of July, our thoughts naturally turn to… next season’s Montreal Canadiens lineup! For us hockey obsessives, it’s part of the beauty of living in Quebec — hockey talk never stops, even during a summer heat wave. I remember years ago swimming in a lake in the Townships and spending a half-hour in the water in the noonday sun chatting Habs with my buddy Karsten.
The chatter is more animated than usual this summer, given that the Canadiens management team of Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes have added some key pieces and let go a few supporting-role players. The big additions are defenceman Noah Dobson (https://www.montrealgazette.com/sports/hockey/montreal-canadiens/article1015260.html) and winger Zachary Bolduc (https://www.montrealgazette.com/sports/hockey/montreal-canadiens/article1019871.html). Both are upgrades any which way you look at it.
The signing of Montrealer Joe Veleno Wednesday (https://www.montrealgazette.com/sports/hockey/montreal-canadiens/article1045983.html) is a much more minor add. The centre from Kirkland inked a one-year $900,000 contract with the Habs and presumably he’s at best a fourth-line centre or maybe even someone who can help the Rocket in Laval. He’s a left-shot centre and that’s something the Canadiens strongly needed. But thus far in the National Hockey League, he has underwhelmed.
The departures include David Savard, Joel Armia, Christian Dvorak, Emil Heineman and Michael Pezzetta. Savard was very good on the penalty kill and did yeoman service blocking shots. But he retired for a reason — he was seriously banged up after all those years sacrificing his body on the ice and by last season he was lumbering around. With Dobson being added to the blue line, the D is better, no questions asked.
Dvo and Army are big losses because, with Jake Evans, they were the team’s key PK dudes. So others will have to step up in that department. Heineman was a forward with some toughness and skill, but Bolduc last season showed he can also play that gritty style and he clearly has way more offensive upside than Heineman.
Here’s the key question right now about nos Canadiens: Do you think they will take a step forward next season, a step back or stay at about the same level? I would say the team will take a modest step forward and will probably be back in the playoffs. But there are no guarantees. To move forward, Juraj Slafkovsky has to play a consistent full season, something he has yet to do. Patrick Laine has to continue to pop in those power-play goals on a regular basis.
Lane Hutson can’t have a sophomore slump. Dobson has to show that he’s more like the guy who put up 70 points two seasons ago than he is the fellow who only garnered 39 points last season. Bolduc, honestly, I have no worries about. He’s going to be great.
The other cool thing is that with the addition of Veleno gives Montreal six Québécois players, the most local players the team has had since 2008-2009. I have to applaud this as a chap who published a book last year, Le CH et son peuple, that made the case that the bleu-blanc-rouge had their greatest success when the roster was at its most Québécois. The six Quebecers are Veleno, Bolduc, Alexandre Carrier, Mike Matheson, Samuel Montembeault and Samuel Blais. It’s interesting to underline that the team now has two bilingual anglo West Islanders in Veleno and Matheson. So much for the stereotype of the unilingual anglo!
3. Canadiens 2025-26 Season Preview: Dobson, Slafkovsky, & Goaltending Analysis
The Montreal Canadiens made significant offseason moves, but questions remain. We break down the impact of Noah Dobson on the defensive pairings, Juraj Slafkovsky’s potential for a breakout season, and whether the goaltending duo of Montembeault and Dobes can lead the team past the first round. Will the Canadiens be a playoff contender again? Join us as we analyze the key additions, player development, and team dynamics heading into the 2025-26 NHL season.
Keywords: Montreal Canadiens, NHL, 2025-26 season preview, Noah Dobson, Juraj Slafkovsky, Sam Montembeault, Jakub Dobes, Lane Hutson, Ivan Demidov, Zach Bolduc, NHL playoffs, hockey analysis, sports breakdown
