The Hockey News writer Adam Proteau slots Canadiens among NHL’s top five teams, tied with Stars

The Montreal Canadiens have not yet made any conspicuous free-agent or trade-market moves this offseason, but they are still being treated as one of the NHL’s better teams heading into the new season. In a recent piece by The Hockey News writer Adam Proteau, Montreal was listed as the fifth-best team in the league, tied for that spot with the Dallas Stars.

Proteau’s placement is part of a broader wave of summer attention on team quality and near-term competitiveness, where writers and analysts weigh rosters, recent performance, and the likelihood that teams improve or hold steady. The Canadiens’ ranking also arrives shortly after they appeared near the top of Bleacher Report’s NHL Power Rankings, where they were placed in the top three in a separate set of rankings reported earlier this month. Together, the two lists reinforce a perception that Montreal is not simply a “wait-and-see” club.

This is the kind of evaluation that matters most in the NHL’s offseason context. Before trades and signings reshape the competitive landscape, ranking exercises function as a snapshot of who writers believe has the pieces to challenge consistently. A top-five designation indicates that Montreal is being viewed as a legitimate contender in a league where even small gaps in goaltending stability, defensive structure, and depth can swing a season.

The tie with Dallas is also a telling detail. When two teams share the same rank, it generally reflects that the writer sees them as comparably placed in the hierarchy, rather than one clearly ahead of the other. In practical terms, the Canadiens and Stars end up grouped with the same expectations in this framework, which can shape how fans interpret preseason storylines, what matchups are treated as must-watch, and how quickly a team is expected to separate from the pack.

Still, there is an important caveat to keep in mind with summer rankings: they are not standings, and they are not performance-based documents from this season. They are best read as an argument about projection, not a measure of results. With the Canadiens still early in the offseason and the league’s transaction cycle only beginning to heat up, the ranking could change quickly if Montreal adds roster pieces that address key needs, or if other contenders strengthen in ways that alter the balance.

For Montreal, being named among the league’s top five teams before major moves also sets a baseline expectation. It suggests that the organization’s current roster configuration is already seen as capable of competing at a high level, rather than requiring a full rebuild or a dramatic reset. The next competitive test will be whether the team can translate that reputation into consistent play once games begin, particularly against teams that are also treated as top-tier outfits by multiple publications.