When will the Canadiens become a Stanley Cup contender? It could take five or six years from the moment the Habs take part in the playoffs.
• Also read: Last year of grace for the Canadian
Four years would be the shortest scenario if the Canadian participated in the playoffs this season. Which seems very unlikely, if not impossible, at this moment. But starting next year, the pressure will be greater, the expectations higher.
“If the Canadian qualifies for the playoffs next year,” says Lucien DeBlois, who was a long-time professional scout with the Anaheim Ducks and the Vancouver Canucks, “it will take two years after that and I would even say three , so that we start the year by saying that the team has a chance of winning the Stanley Cup.
Some might say that’s a long time, but the Oilers reached the final nine years after Connor McDavid came on the scene.
DeBlois sees in Jacob Fowler the goaltender who could lead the Canadian to the promised land. A Florida native and third-round pick of the Montreal organization in 2023, Fowler is performing wonders in front of the Boston College Eagles net.
Nonetheless, Gilbert Delorme would like things to get going for the Canadian and for the cup to finally return to Montreal sooner rather than later.
“We shouldn’t end up eating oatmeal in a CHSLD,” he says with typical enthusiasm.
