LAS VEGAS — Cole Caufield and his teammates took a massive step last season. The Montreal Canadiens exceeded expectations — at least those outside their locker room’s four walls — following a long and painful rebuild. The Original Six club finished with 106 points and made a run to the Eastern Conference final before getting smothered by the relentless Carolina Hurricanes on the way to that franchise’s second Stanley Cup victory. Despite that disappointment, and the harsh realization how far his group still has to go, Caufield sees last spring’s heartbreak as simply the first step in a long journey. “It’s just building our standards and keeping those higher than ever,” he said this week at the NHL/NHLPA player media tour. “The experience from last year will help. But it’s only going to get harder.” That certainly looks to be the case after a number of Atlantic Division rivals reloaded for the upcoming 2026-27 campaign. The Florida Panthers — Cup winners in 2024 and 2025 after also making the 2023 final — are back healthy following a lost season that saw captain Aleksander Barkov suffer a serious injury in training camp. The team also added a second Tkachuk to the fold, with bruising Brady now set to suit up alongside older brother and fellow winger Matthew thanks to a trade with the Ottawa Senators. The Toronto Maple Leafs dipped into free agency by signing goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, defenceman Darren Raddysh and reworking their forward depth. The Buffalo Sabres and Tampa Bay Lightning, who the Canadiens both topped in dramatic seven-game series, finished just ahead of Montreal in the regular-season standings. Ottawa and the Boston Bruins also made the playoffs, while the Detroit Red Wings were above the cutline for a large chunk of last season before a late collapse. The Canadiens largely stood pat and didn’t make a splash in free agency or via trade despite close to US$9.8 million in available salary cap space, according to PuckPedia.com. Caufield, 25, who’s coming off Montreal’s first 50-goal season since 1989-90, isn’t concerned. “We trust the guys that have built this up,” he said of the management group led by president of hockey operations Jeff Gorton and general manager Kent Hughes. “They wouldn’t do anything that would change the direction and the path. For us, it’s all about internally, ‘How do we get better and how do you push the group from inside?’ “That’s why the top of mountains are so high.” And while contract numbers have ballooned this summer across the NHL with the cap shooting up significantly to $104 million per team, Montreal’s core that includes Caufield, captain Nick Suzuki, star defenceman Lane Hutson and flashy winger Ivan Demidov are all on long-term, team-friendly deals that allow more wiggle room. Caufield said there are no hard feelings about salaries despite players of their vintage and younger cashing in. “We get paid a lot of it to do what we do,” Caufield said. “The culture that we’ve created is no joke. People just love being around each other. It’s cool to see hockey (contracts) growing in that way. There’ll be time for that to come. But right now is probably the biggest five, six years of our careers. What’s more important is winning and doing all those things and doing it with the group. “That’s what would make it that much sweeter.” And the Canadiens plan on trying to do it their way. “We know where we’re at,” Caufield said. “Everybody else is adding pieces to their puzzle. What we’ve been doing is making our own brand of puzzle that’s a little bit different. “We’re going to stick to what we believe and what we’ve been building.” What about Bob? Barkov said Toronto is gaining both an elite goaltender and leader with the 37-year-old Bobrovsky, who backstopped Florida to those Cup wins across seven seasons. “There’s no one like him,” Barkov said. “That type of guy who you look up to every single day. I learned so much from him just watching him, just seeing what he does day to day, how he tries to get better. “He feels like and looks like he’s early 30s, maybe even late-20s. That’s what you want to be, as a perfect human being and athlete.” Last dance The Calgary Flames will bid farewell to the Scotiabank Saddledome after the upcoming season before moving into the brand-new Scotia Place. Flames winger Matt Coronato is excited for the move, but also has a soft spot for an arena that opened in 1983. “I’ll definitely miss parts of it,” he said. “I know it’s old … at the same time, I know I’m going to love the new place. “But it’s mixed feelings.” This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 9, 2026. Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press
