WASHINGTON 鈥� Martin St. Louis's excitement for what lies ahead far outweighs any feeling of despair.
鈥淭he pain that you feel right now is normal,鈥� Montreal鈥檚 head coach said after the Canadiens鈥� early playoff exit. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 not even close to what鈥檚 coming 鈥� the joy that鈥檚 coming.鈥�
The Canadiens were eliminated from the first round of the playoffs in five games by the Washington Capitals, but St. Louis believes his young group is only scratching the surface after a remarkable season of shattered expectations.
They were the youngest team to enter the playoffs, with an average age of 26.4.
After three seasons of missing the post-season 鈥� and undergoing the first rebuild in the storied franchise鈥檚 history 鈥� the Canadiens are far ahead of schedule in their return to playoff relevance.
Now the expectation is to stay there.
鈥淚 believe we have a lot of playoff hockey in front of us,鈥� said rookie goalie Jakub Dobes, who replaced injured starter Sam Montembeault for the series鈥� second half. 鈥淓xciting feeling about the future.鈥�
Perhaps nothing illustrates the reason for optimism better than St. Louis鈥檚 lineup at the end of Game 5.
Needing a couple of goals with the goalie pulled in the dying minutes, St. Louis sent five players over the boards age 25 or younger, alongside veteran forward Brendan Gallagher.
His first power-play unit 鈥� which found plenty of success in the second half of the series 鈥� consisted of Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky, Lane Hutson and Ivan Demidov, for an average age of 22.
Washington head coach Spencer Carbery heaped praise on Hutson and the top line of Suzuki, Caufield and Slafkovsky, comparing the game-planning process to what he faced against Tampa Bay Lightning stars Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point a few years ago.
鈥淭hat top line, and what Lane Hutson has been able to do this year, that鈥檚 big-time stuff,鈥� Carbery said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e so young, so now you鈥檙e just imagining. I don鈥檛 even want to go to that place with the next 10 years of having to deal with that.鈥�
Suzuki鈥檚 89 points were the most by a Canadien since 1995-96. Hutson, with 66 points, tallied more than any rookie defenceman in franchise history. Caufield led the team with a career-high 37 goals, while Montembeault nearly doubled his previous best with 31 wins.
Demidov 鈥� one of the last core pieces yielded from Montreal鈥檚 teardown 鈥� flashed his world-class skill in only seven regular-season and playoff games.
The combination of young talent and resilient veterans like Gallagher, Josh Anderson and Mike Matheson fuelled the Canadiens鈥� 15-5-6 run after the 4 Nations Face-Off to punch their ticket to the playoffs.
And while the Capitals took the series in five games, every one was hard-fought.
鈥淚 gained a lot of respect for that team over there,鈥� Capitals winger Tom Wilson said. 鈥淭hey've got a bright future, obviously, and they competed really hard and they got a bunch a warriors.鈥�
The Canadiens believe they鈥檝e grown after many experienced the physical, punishing nature of the NHL playoffs for the first time.
鈥淵ou're going to be more comfortable next time you're in these situations in the playoffs,鈥� said Suzuki, the captain. 鈥淭here's a different level each individual has to get to. And I think it's a big learning opportunity for us, and we'll try to take everything and be better for next year."
鈥淵ou get an understanding of what the playoffs are all about,鈥� Gallagher added. 鈥淭he physicality, the margin of error 鈥� It's really like a tug of war, one mistake, two mistakes usually are the difference in an outcome of a game.鈥�
Gallagher, a 13-year veteran with seven seasons of playoff experience, knows the Canadiens' journey back to the NHL鈥檚 spring dance isn鈥檛 guaranteed.
鈥淚t's not going to be easy next year,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e're going to have to work just as hard to get back in this position and hopefully we're fortunate enough to get that opportunity.鈥�
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 1, 2025.
Daniel Rainbird, The Canadian Press
