10. Alex Newhook. The pride of St.John's, Newfoundland has shown he can put the puck in the net and moves with blazing speed but nobody really expected he'd end up being one of the heroes of the post-season for Montreal. However, with two Game Seven series winners...one in OT...Newhook proved there's some jam in his game, and he can be a clutch player. If Kent Hughes was wondering whether the deal he made for Newhook was a good one, he got some assurances from the player this spring.
9. Hutson Assists Dobes. This moment stood out because its originality and quick thinking were absolutely emblematic of Lane Hutson's game. There was Jakub Dobes in Game Seven against Buffalo, stretched out in a half split, desperately trying to hold his skate tight to the post as a couple of big Sabres hacked away at him. Hutson, recognizing Dobes was having trouble, smartly dropped down into the net behind his goalie and used both hands to push Dobes' pad and help him close the gap between skate and post. It was a unique and savvy play by a young player who's earning those descriptors anew in every game.
8. Slafkovsky Hatty. Juraj Slafkovsky was the first overall pick in the 2022 draft and was booed by some unhappy critics at the Bell Centre who wanted Shane Wright instead. Slafkovsky told everyone that day that he hoped people would like him eventually. He's been working on developing the power forward game Hughes had envisioned before committing to him, and his breakout party came in Game One of the first round against Tampa. His three power play goals, including the OT winner, marked the first time in Habs history a player has done that on the road. Slafkovsky served notice he's growing into his size and skill and and at just 22, he's already a force. Shane who?
7. Dobes Being Dobes. Jacob Fowler has been touted as the Habs goalie of the future and at 21 years of age, there's nothing to say he won't be the starter when it's time for the Canadiens to compete for a Cup. Dobes, however, has made it known the job will not be Fowler's by anointing. Dobes is one of the biggest reasons the Canadiens got as far as they did in the post season, and he did it with inimical style and humour. When he went to the wrong net in his first playoff OT, it was funny. When he play-fought with Arber Xhekaj in the crease after a win, and when he stood at centre ice wide-eyed and smiling as the Bell Centre crowd screamed his name it was entertaining. And when he gave an interview, he was spectacularly honest. He also proved he's nobody's patsy and will defend his space as needed.
6. The Wolf Hat. It was silly, it was (probably) smelly and it wasn't pretty, but it was an important talisman binding the group together. The message that the team was as tight as a wolf pack was one coach Marty St.Louis pushed all season and the players bought into it wholeheartedly.
5. Gallagher's Goal. It's never easy to see a player whose entire career you've witnessed coming down the other side of the pro hockey hill. It was very tough for him to be a healthy scratch. He's a proud player who's been a leader and contributor for more than a decade, but he tried to stay positive for the sake of his young teammates on an important playoff run. So when he finally got the call to suit up, he was more than ready. The last goal of Gallagher's Canadiens career in Game Five against Tampa opened the scoring and led to a critical win. The only ones happier for him were his teammates.
4. Hutson's Shot. Hutson has faced a lot of doubt in his young career. First he was too small to make the NHL at all. Then he was too offensively-minded and allegedly didn't play strong enough defence. Then he was okay on defence, but his shot was lacking. Well, not anymore. Hutson said he'd spend last summer working on his shot and boy, did he ever! Game Three OT against Tampa, the puck came to Hutson on the blue line and he absolutely wired it for the winner. Hutson may have arrived last September, but his shot arrived on April 24, 2026.
3. Dobes Pie. This was a silly little moment after Dobes stood on his head to close out the Tampa series. Sam Montembeault, who lost his job to Dobes this year and hadn't played since March, surprised Dobes with a post-game shaving cream pie to the face. And while it was silly, it also said a lot about the guys who only got to watch the games from the press box. That even the scratches were part of the team shenanigans was good for the morale of the whole group.
2. The Church. The Montreal fans got some flack for being crazily over-the-top in showing their love for their team, but you have to admire the Catholic church that hosted watch parties for fans. And the guy who changed the name of his restaurant to Dobes. And the 20-thousand-plus who stood outside to watch every home game and inside for every road one. Yes, Montreal fans are devoted, loud and likely a little bit crazy, but they make the Canadiens' experience different than what most other teams offer.
1. Josh Anderson. When these playoffs come to mind in the future, Josh Anderson will loom large. Very large. As in Powerhorse large. The value to a team of a player who can flip a mental switch and ramp up his game to a whole new level is immeasurable. Anderson was everywhere all post-season long. He hit everything that moved (and some that didn't...including the goal post how many times?) He scored important goals and killed penalties. He was a force and if young Florian Xhekaj wants to make an impact in the NHL, he can learn a lot from Mr.Anderson.
Honourable mention: The Aftermath. Although the players were hard on themselves during some tough losses this season, they're not letting the self-flagellation continue into the offseason. With players going to concerts and sports events together, even hanging out with St.Louis, they're nurturing the spirit they'll need when they come back next year and push to go farther than they did this season. When kids like Ivan Demidov and Alexander Zharovsky (where's Hutson and who hogtied him?) are already on the ice before June is even over, they're showing they want to be part of that climb too. The future is arriving way more quickly than we could have imagined and it is good.
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