Montreal Canadiens get major vote of confidence in Stanley Cup race

The Montreal Canadiens have received a strong vote of confidence in the Stanley Cup race this NHL season. Speaking with Jay Onrait, TSN director of scouting, Craig Button backed them as a legitimate contender. He made it clear that the Canadiens deserve serious attention.

“Yes [the Canadians are a Stanley Cup contender], and I don’t think you can look at it any other way,” Button said. MORE: Connor McDavid impressed by Oilers’ defensive depth amid playoff push Button pointed to the team’s rapid rise from a rebuilding group last season to one of the Eastern Conference’s top performers. A year ago, the focus was simply on making the playoffs, but that narrative has now shifted.

“Well, what now this team is showing through their really good disciplined play,” Button said. “Rookie goaltender tandem in [Jakub] Dobes and [Jacob] Fowler, you know, magic with their top line, [Juraj] Slafkovsky, [Nick] Suzuki and [Cole] Caufield. Caufield on the cusp of 50, which is a different magic when you do it for the Montreal Canadiens.

“A second line, [Alex] Newhook, [Kasperi] Kapanen, [Ivan] Demidov, who has been really good. Blue line, health, everything that goes with it. ” So, Button clearly explained why there is no reason to doubt Montreal’s status as a contender.