written by: Jonah sacks (@Silkypucktalk)

March 20, 2026

The Habs have been struggling to find consistency as of late. There are many reasons why they haven’t reached the spot many fans and even the team themselves, expected them to be in at this point of the season. Whether it’s the unpredictable effort level, defensive breakdowns, or the lack of saves they’re getting from their goaltenders, these are all issues they’ve been trying to fix all year, but they’ve only come in flashes.

Why is that?

This team is young. And young teams make mistakes. Martin St. Louis has tried to clean up those mistakes, but at the end of the day, he can’t lace them up and get out there, even if he probably wishes he could at times. The message might need to change. He’s been very patient with a lot of players, but it’s getting to the point in the season where patience shouldn’t be the priority. Learning lessons is no longer enough. There’s no room for error now, and that needs to be the message.

This team didn’t acquire a defensive defenceman; something they’ve needed badly all season. If David Savard offered to come out of retirement and play through this playoff push, I’m sure the Canadiens would welcome him back immediately because he’s the exact prototype they’re missing. But again, with just 14 games left in the regular season, it’s not the time to think “what if.” It’s time to produce.

It looks like Samuel Montembeault’s season is over, and that’s truly unfortunate. He was stellar during the playoff push last year, but this just hasn’t been his season. Jakub Dobeš has done a great job as of late, and Jacob Fowler would likely be best suited as the Rocket’s starter right now, but that hasn’t been the case due to Montembeault’s struggles.

The main issue is the amount of money being spent on players sitting in the press box. What once looked like a trade that couldn’t be understood from the Columbus Blue Jackets’ point of view now looks like a clear win for them. Patrik Laine hasn’t played since October, and although he’s been practicing for a while now, that $8.7M cap hit; combined with Montembeault’s $3.15M being scratched night after night adds up to the price of a superstar. Just look at the players making around $12M in today’s NHL: Kyle Connor, Mitch Marner, and Mikko Rantanen.

It’s hard not to think about that, especially when the Canadiens are now being forced to accelerate the development of Jacob Fowler, who should be spending the full season in the AHL. Now there are also rumours of David Reinbacher being called up. He’s been having a solid season in Laval, but similarly to Fowler, he should ideally stay there.

That said, the Canadiens desperately need size on the back end, and Reinbacher can provide exactly that while playing a responsible defensive game. At some point, you have to weigh development against necessity and right now, necessity might win.

The Habs currently have the sixth-worst penalty kill in the NHL. Can it really get any worse?

At the end of the day, this is where the Canadiens are at. A young team, thrown into meaningful games late in the season, being forced to figure it out in real time. It won’t be perfect. There will be mistakes. But this is exactly what comes with taking the next step.

Now it’s on them.

No more excuses, no more “learning moments” just results. Whether it’s the veterans stepping up, the young core rising to the occasion, or new faces being thrown into the fire, the Canadiens have put themselves in a position where these final games actually matter.

And that’s exactly where you want to be.