Canadiens At Bottom Of The Athletic Playoffs Pressure Rankings

[ASFN Admin]

You must be registered for see images attach

The Athletic released its playoff pressure rankings today, and unsurprisingly, the Montreal Canadiens, the 16th and last team to qualify for the Spring dance, are dead last. Shockingly enough, however, is that they’ve got the Toronto Maple Leafs in sixth place. Considering the days of the Core Four seem to be numbered with Mitch Marner’s and John Tavares’s contracts running out, the Leafs need to win now, but I digress; this piece is about the Habs.

Canadiens: Poised St-Louis Won’t Panic
Canadiens Desperately Need More From Bottom Nine
Could Roy and a Former Canadiens' GM Fuel the Islanders?

Understandably, Sean McIndoe states that the Canadiens are playing with house money since nobody expected them to even make the playoffs. If they win a round or two, it’s just gravy on top; if they lose, it’s just a good experience.

That’s a fair assessment and a popular one with the fans. After all, when Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes came on, it was crystal clear: the age-old franchise was entering the first rebuilding of its history, and the fans bought in; they were ready for it.

The players did too. Veterans like Brendan Gallagher, David Savard, and Josh Anderson understood what needed to be done, even though the timing wasn’t great for them. The Habs fought tooth and nail to get back in the Stanley Cup playoffs, and they made it.

While it’s true that the young Canadiens are still in the learning stage or the rebuild, don’t tell the veterans or the coach they are playing with house money. When that was put to Anderson in a question on Saturday, he refused to agree:

Erm..I don’t know. Every year, you want to be in the playoffs. Obviously, that was our main goal this year, but when you get an opportunity to be in, anybody can win in this league, so I think we’re all very confident in the team that we have and what we can bring. I just like the depth that we’ve been playing with

- Josh Anderson on playing with house money.
As for coach Martin St-Louis, he had a similar reaction, saying :

Of course when you clinch a playoffs spot, it’s not like you get there and you want a participation ribbon.

- Martin St-Louis on being hungry for more.
While The Athletic may be right that the Canadiens don’t have much outside pressure, please make no mistake; they put plenty of inside pressure on themselves, like any professional athlete would.

---

Canadiens stories, analysis, breaking news, and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News, never to miss a story.

Follow Karine on X @KarineHains Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social and Threads @karinehains.

Bookmark The Hockey News Canadiens' page for all the news and happenings around the Canadiens.

Continue reading...