The NHL is set to release the 2025-26 season schedule on Wednesday, July 16th, but we’ve seen a copy of the Montreal Canadiens’ schedule already, and a few comments come to mind.
As is often the case, the Canadiens will kick off their season on the road, starting with an Original Six back-to-back against the Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings on October 8th and 9th, followed by a Saturday night game in Chicago against the Blackhawks.
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The Canadiens’ first home game is scheduled against the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday, October 14th, followed by a match-up with the Nashville Predators on Thursday, and a visit from the New York Rangers on Saturday, the 18th. With all due respect to the Kraken, this is hardly the most exciting opening night opponent. Kudos for the three original matchups on the road; however, that’s an interesting start to the season. Montreal will only host four home games in October, the final one being against the Buffalo Sabres on the 20th. Then, the Habs will wrap up the month with a western trip with halts in Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, and Seattle.
The Canadiens will have eight home games in the following two months, the November schedule featuring a first game against old rivals, the Boston Bruins, and a duel with last year’s first-round opponents, the Washington Capitals, in Montreal on November 20th. The month will also end with a road trip, this one featuring battles with the Utah Mammoth, the Vegas Golden Knights, and the Colorado Avalanche.
December will start with a home back-to-back against the Ottawa Senators and the Winnipeg Jets. Zach Bolduc will get to face his former St. Louis Blues teammates on December 7th, and Canadiens fans will welcome Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins on December 20th. Montreal will then spend Christmas on the road, as is the tradition.
January will be the busiest month with 17 games crammed in in readiness for the quiet month of February, when the NHL will shut down to allow the players to take part in the Milan Cortina Olympics in Italy. The Canadiens will play only four games that month, two on the road against the Minnesota Wild and the Jets, and two at home against Noah Dobson’s former team, the New York Islanders, on the 26th, followed by a visit from the Caps on the 28th.
March will be a busy month with 15 games, and the Canadiens will wrap up their season on April 12th. However, they’ll still play seven games in the month with a final home stretch of four games, which will wrap up on April 11th, meaning the Habs will finish their season with a back-to-back, challenging circumstances if they are fighting for a playoff spot. Although by then, they should be used to it, since they will be taking part in no less than 17 occurrences of two games in two nights. This is an intense schedule to say the least, but it was to be expected with the Olympic Games break. It will be interesting to see if all teams have as many back-to-backs.
Photo credit: Russell LaBounty-Imagn Images
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