Obviously, the New Jersey Devils need a general manager. However, could they split the position and name a president of hockey operations first?

The noise around Brendan Shanahan has intensified, with the latest coming yesterday.

In the link, the Devils’ first name is linked to their GM position, a defenseman for the season and more.

Devil’s Trade Rumors and News

New Jersey Hockey Now: That’s why the Devils are shutting down Luke Hughes for the remainder of the season as he prepares to undergo surgery.

I’ve said it once, I’ll say it again, and again, and again. The Devils definitely need to get their next general manager right. Here are the five interview essentials for GM candidates.

And speaking of those candidates, the Devils have already received permission to speak with one of them as their GM search is firmly underway.

Last night in Newark, the Devils looked like a team with nothing to play for, while the Pittsburgh Penguins—who scored five—definitely handed New Jersey another loss.

📺 devil’s rink report:X A hot topic that was discussed on the last Devils Rink Report was, is Jack Hughes a Top 10 NHLer?

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NHL Trade Talk, News and National Hockey Now

Forever Blueshirts: The New York Rangers will not be playing for the Stanley Cup in the near future. So, here are the players they should be training. Maybe, as soon as this summer.

Boston hockey now: So, James Hagens has been signed with the Boston Bruins. However, in his next game, Marco Sturm says there is no guarantee he will play. here’s why.

Toronto Hockey Now: Rumors have begun to swirl about Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews. One insider adds one team would be a “big player” for the former 60-goal scorer, while naming the other as a fit that “makes sense.”

Montreal hockey now: Cole Coffield is a 50 goal scorer. The Montreal Canadiens forward achieved the milestone for the first time in his career last night against the Tampa Bay Lightning. See the highlights inside.

James is the fully certified New Jersey Devils beat reporter for New Jersey Hockey Now on SportsNote and … More about James Nicholls

With only 11 games remaining on the docket, the Montreal Canadiens are in a very good position when it comes to playoff chances.

Before we move on, I would like to address one small annoyance when discussing the process of qualifying for the playoffs. We will often see analysts saying that a team has not yet been ‘mathematically eliminated’, or something similar. However, it should be noted that mathematics is at the core of every playoff race.

Therefore, we can assume that every elimination is based on mathematics.

Every qualification, every win, every loss and most everything related to the game is like this.

Of course, this is absolutely the right thing to choose, and it fits in perfectly with my annoying habit of reminding everyone that there is no such thing as an ‘assistant captain’ in the NHL.

This is an alternate captain. They don’t bring their captain coffee or pick up his dry cleaning.

With that in mind, let’s get to the crux of the matter in Montreal mathematical The race to qualify for the playoffs.

Or, optionalPlayoff race.

Montreal Canadiens Playoff Odds

As it stands, the Canadiens’ playoff chances have increased to 93.8%.

They’re not a lock, but all things considered, the Habs should qualify for the playoffs in the tightly contested Eastern Conference.

This may seem a bit counterintuitive, as they are only four points ahead of the Ottawa Senators, but it’s important to remember that it is very, very difficult to make the final stretch of the year. The game featured three-point games, reducing the importance of the late-season push.

Eastern Conference Playoff Odds (via Money Puck)

Carolina Hurricanes – 100%

Buffalo Sabers – 99.98%

Tampa Bay Lightning 99.91%

Montreal Canadiens 93.8%

Pittsburgh Penguins – 79.4%

Columbus Blue Jackets – 77.9%

Boston Bruins – 72%

Ottawa Senators – 66.5%

New York Islanders – 54.1%

Detroit Red Wings – 39.2%

Philadelphia Flyers – 12.6%

Washington Capitals – 4.1%

New Jersey Devils – 0.5%

Florida Panthers – 0%

Toronto Maple Leafs – 0%

New York Rangers – 0%

Final Montreal Canadiens Regular Season Games

remaining rivals: Nashville Predators, Carolina Hurricanes, Tampa Bay Lightning (x2), New York Rangers, New Jersey Devils (x2), Florida Panthers, Columbus Blue Jackets, New York Islanders, Philadelphia Flyers.

Of the 11 games remaining on the docket, the Canadiens will face teams in a playoff spot on only four occasions (Hurricanes, Lightning x2, Blue Jackets, Islanders).

To make matters more interesting, only two of those rivals are playing in the Atlantic Division.

The situation is reflected in Montreal’s strength of schedule (SOS), which is not the easiest in the league, but is the least worrisome in the Eastern Conference, as only four teams have an easier SOS.

Eastern Conference strength schedule (via Tankathon)

1 – Boston Bruins (.615)

2 – New York Islanders (.607)

3 – Columbus Blue Jackets (.603)

4 – Ottawa Senators (.598)

5 – Philadelphia Flyers (.596)

6 – Tampa Bay Lightning (.594)

7 – Detroit Red Wings (.584)

8 – New Jersey Devils (.582)

9 – New York Rangers (.581)

10 – Carolina Hurricanes (.579)

11 – Montreal Canadiens (.577)

12 – Buffalo Sabers (.572)

13 – Pittsburgh Penguins (.570)

14 – Florida Panthers (.569)

15 – Washington Capitals (.568)

16 – Toronto Maple Leafs (.563)

Mark has been covering the Habs for over a decade. He previously worked for the Journal Metro, The Athletic, The… More about Mark Dumont

The Montreal Canadiens have 20 games left to play in the 2025-26 season, giving us a great opportunity to look at the team’s playoff odds again.

We’ll also evaluate the changes in the odds of the various Eastern Conference teams competing with the Habs for a playoff spot.

Updated Montreal Canadiens Playoff Odds

With 78 points in the bank after 62 games, the Canadiens are on solid pace to qualify for the playoffs.

According to Money Puck, his chances are currently 81.8%.

If they maintain this pace, they will finish the year with 103 points, which is significantly more than their results last season.

The Habs finished 2024-25 with 91 points, thus, their pace in 2025-26 represents a 13% increase in points per game.

The standings in the Eastern Conference are relatively opposite.

The Canadiens are just five points ahead of the Columbus Blue Jackets in the wild card race, however, it should be noted that they are only six points behind the Buffalo Sabers for the top spot in the Atlantic Division with two games remaining.

As always, the Eastern Conference is offering a very tortuous, chaotic playoff race.

With that in mind, we must remember that it is very difficult to close a gap of five or six points in the standings with only 20 games left on the schedule, especially since there are overtime and shootout points in the games.

Although the points paint a somewhat worrisome picture, the prospects reflect the fact that scoring a half-dozen points with very few games left to play is a tall mountain to climb for any NHL club.

Changes in Eastern Conference playoff odds

Two months ago, Montreal’s playoff chances were less than 70%.

Within a month, they increased slightly, but not to the point where anyone would feel comfortable suggesting any signs of relaxation.

With the Olympic break behind us, the Canadiens have not only strengthened their position, but they have increased their chances by more than 12%.

While the Canadiens slowly but surely improved their odds, some teams, such as the Washington Capitals, Philadelphia Flyers, New York Rangers and Toronto Maple Leafs, fell out of the playoff race, paying homage to Thelma and Louise.

On the other side of the coin, the New York Islanders, Boston Bruins, Columbus Blue Jackets, Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings significantly improved their chances of qualifying for the 2025-26 playoffs.

remaining montreal canadiens games

Opponents: Toronto Maple Leafs, Ottawa Senators, San Jose Sharks, Anaheim Ducks, Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings, New York Islanders (x2), Carolina Hurricanes (x2), Columbus Blue Jackets (x2), Nashville Predators, Tampa Bay Lightning (x2), New York Rangers, New Jersey Devils (2), Florida Panthers, Philadelphia Flyers.

With 20 games left on the docket, the Habs will face 17 Eastern Conference teams that will certainly have a major impact on their playoff race. They will play organizations in the Atlantic Division on seven occasions, while facing teams currently in a playoff spot nine times.

In other words, while Montreal’s playoff prospects are relatively healthy, there are enough games left in the season that there could be quite a swing when we consider that most of their rivals are also competing for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Montreal Canadiens Brass Tacks

All things considered, the Canadiens have a very high chance of reaching the playoffs, an accomplishment that should be celebrated.

Just four years ago, they were the worst team in the league, and they were given the No. 1 pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft.

Expectations may have risen to unreasonable levels since then, but there’s no doubt that the Habs have done a great job in their rebuild.

This is one of the cleanest, most streamlined rebuilds in modern NHL history, as reflected by their strong bid to qualify for the playoffs in consecutive seasons.

All Montreal Canadiens and NHL playoff odds via Money Puck.

Mark has been covering the Habs for over a decade. He previously worked for the Journal Metro, The Athletic, The… More about Mark Dumont