If the Habs are able to hold onto a playoff spot, this section is where they're likely to pick in, barring a long run to the Conference Final. With that in mind, these will be some players to keep an eye on in the coming months.
With Patrik Laine set to return after the Olympic break and the trade deadline less than two weeks after that, the Habs have a narrow window to determine the best path for their highest-paid forward.
After the All-Star break, Laval returned home to wrap up their home stand. With a roster augmented by the return of several healthy players, they took care of business in both of their games to maintain their lead in the North Division.
As things stand, a lot would have to go right for the Habs to be picking toward the end of the first round. However, some players in this group of rankings could vault themselves closer to the back of the lottery with a strong second half which would line them u with where Montreal should be selecting.
The Habs have experimented with several wingers alongside Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield on the top line so far this season. Which combination has been the best one?
With the NHL on break for a while, it's a good time to start this year's look at the upcoming draft. As usual, we begin with a look at the potential second-round picks; the Habs still have one in this range even after moving one for Phillip Danault back in December.
The 2026 Winter Olympics are underway with NHL participation for the first time since the 2014 event and a total of four Habs are taking part. As always, we'll keep track of their stats here.
With the hockey world largely fixated on the upcoming Olympic tournament, it's a good time to look back at last month and who were some of the Habs' top prospect and AHL performers.
Laval returned home from the road for a trio of divisional games before the All-Star break, including two against a team close to them in the standings. They took care of business, winning all three, giving them a six-point lead in the division at the break.
The Habs wrapped up their pre-Olympic portion of the schedule with a pair of road games against the Central. While they couldn't snap their extra-long losing streak in Minnesota, it was still a successful week in the standings with Montreal picking up three of four points.
