2024–25 Montreal Canadiens season
| 2024–25 Montreal Canadiens | |
|---|---|
| Division | 5th Atlantic |
| Conference | 8th Eastern |
| 2024–25 record | 40–31–11 |
| Home record | 23–12–6 |
| Road record | 17–19–5 |
| Goals for | 245 |
| Goals against | 265 |
| Team information | |
| General manager | Kent Hughes |
| Coach | Martin St. Louis |
| Captain | Nick Suzuki |
| Alternate captains | Brendan Gallagher Mike Matheson |
| Arena | Bell Centre |
| Minor league affiliate(s) | Laval Rocket (AHL) Trois-Rivières Lions (ECHL) |
| Team leaders | |
| Goals | Cole Caufield (37) |
| Assists | Lane Hutson (60) |
| Points | Nick Suzuki (89) |
| Penalty minutes | Arber Xhekaj (118) |
| Plus/minus | Nick Suzuki (+19) |
| Wins | Sam Montembeault (31) |
| Goals against average | Jakub Dobes (2.74) |
The 2024–25 Montreal Canadiens season was the franchise's 116th season since its establishment on December 4, 1909, and their 108th season (107th season of play) as member of the National Hockey League.
After finishing as the worst team in the league during the 2021–22 season and fifth-last in both the 2022–23 and 2023–24 campaigns, the rebuilding Canadiens approached the season at hand with the goal of being "in the mix" for the Stanley Cup playoffs until late March or April. Because of this, general manager Kent Hughes opted not to deal pending unrestricted free agents at the annual trade deadline, having judged the team's performance a success to that point.
Following the NHL's midseason hiatus for the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament in February 2025, the Canadiens performed strongly, culminating in a six-game winning streak from March 30 to April 8 that saw the team reach the second wild card position in the Eastern Conference standings, with four games remaining in their respective schedule. With other teams gradually being eliminated from playoff contention, the contest for the final wild card spot came down to the Canadiens and the Columbus Blue Jackets. After losing once in regulation and twice in overtime, the Canadiens entered their final regular season game against the Carolina Hurricanes on April 16, needing a single point to qualify for the playoffs. The Canadiens ultimately defeated the Hurricanes 4–2, securing their first playoff berth since 2021 and, in doing so, became the last such team to clinch for 2024–25. With an average age of 25.95 years, the current iteration of the roster overtook the 2012–13 Toronto Maple Leafs as the youngest team in history to qualify for the NHL postseason. Facing off against the top-seeded Washington Capitals in the ensuing first round, Montreal was defeated in five games.
After setting a number of franchise and league records for a rookie defenceman, Lane Hutson received the Calder Memorial Trophy as the Professional Hockey Writers' Association's choice for the season's best first-year player. He was the first Canadiens player to earn the distinction since goaltender Ken Dryden in the 1971–72 season.