THN Yearbook projects Canadiens leap in Atlantic Division standings

The Hockey News’ Yearbook is out for the coming NHL season, and its Atlantic Division projection is a vote of confidence for the Montreal Canadiens. In the Yearbook’s ranking, Montreal is forecast to finish second in the division rather than slipping into the lower half of the standings, a change from where the Canadiens landed last season.

Montreal’s baseline for the projection matters. The Canadiens finished last season in third place in the Atlantic Division, and the Hockey News characterizes the outcome as being shaped by a tie-breaker. That third-place spot also shaped the postseason picture, because it placed Montreal into a first-round series against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

From there, the Yearbook’s logic is essentially a projection of momentum. Instead of treating Montreal’s prior placement as a ceiling, the publication’s Yearbook suggests the Canadiens should climb even higher in the Atlantic this time around. In its view, the only team standing between Montreal and first in the division is the Florida Panthers, with Florida projected to take the top spot.

The Canadiens’ path to a second-place finish would have practical implications for the way they manage the season. In the NHL, division placement affects playoff matchups and seeding pathways, even when the league-wide standings are close. A jump like the one outlined by the Yearbook could also change how Montreal approaches the late-season stretch, with more clarity on what a “successful” finish would look like relative to divisional rivals.

For the Panthers, being positioned as the Atlantic’s standard-bearer raises the bar. The Yearbook’s forecast places Florida ahead of Montreal by design, implying the Panthers are expected to sustain their level and remain the team to beat within the division. That kind of projection can influence how other clubs measure themselves in head-to-head games, particularly when multiple contenders sit near each other in the standings.

It is important to treat this as a forecast, not a prediction backed by on-ice results already earned in the new season. Yearbooks typically reflect a blend of evaluation and expectation, and their division rankings are best read as a framework for what to watch rather than a guarantee. Still, Montreal being pushed up to second place indicates that the Canadiens’ recent trajectory is viewed positively by at least one major hockey publication.

Going forward, the most telling test of the Yearbook’s Atlantic ranking will be whether Montreal can sustain performance against divisional competition early enough to make second place feel plausible. If the Canadiens consistently challenge teams in the Atlantic from the first half onward, their projection becomes more than a preseason talking point, and it moves closer to a postseason advantage.

If the Canadiens do not match the Yearbook’s second-place forecast, the outcome will still be informative. Finishing closer to third, or dropping behind the Panthers as well as other challengers, would suggest Montreal’s next step is smaller and more incremental than the Yearbook expects. Either way, the Atlantic race will likely produce measurable answers on where Montreal stands compared to Florida and the rest of the division.