The Montreal Canadiens played the final home game of an outstanding 41 in the 2025-26 season, a year that featured some of the most exciting moments for the franchise this century.

The Canadiens are a thrilling, high-scoring club providing memories of the highest order for their fans. They wanted to finish the home season with another good memory. The Columbus Blue Jackets didn’t just want to ruin that hope; they needed to ruin it. The Blue Jackets are fighting to stay alive in their playoff hunt, and they did with a 5-2 win.

Wilde Horses 

Cole Caufield scored another goal that perhaps only Caufield can score. It was a shot that didn’t seem to have the slightest chance. It was from a horrible angle, but he fired it anyway, hitting the joint in the crossbar and the post. That’s 51 on the season for Caufield.

He’s in the fight for the Rocket Richard trophy behind only Nathan MacKinnon who has 52 on the season. The Canadiens have two games left. The Avalanche have three games left.

Nick Suzuki had an assist on the goal. He now has 99 points on the season as he tries to become the first Canadiens player to get 100 points since Mats Naslund in 1986.

Wilde Goats 

It was always going to be a letdown night after the events of Thursday against Tampa Bay. It’s an extreme challenge to not lose energy and focus after Caufield scored 50 goals, Juraj Slafkovsky scored 30 goals, and the club beat the Lightning in what felt like a grudge match.

There were poor performances from players on the cusp of trying to become regulars.  It’s difficult to be strong every single game. The Canadiens have relied  on Jayden Struble and Arber Xhekaj a lot lately due to injuries to Kaiden Guhle and Alexandre Carrier.

Struble and Xhekaj have handled the challenge quite well. They’ve upped their games. However, keeping it going night after night is difficult. Xhekaj had trouble on the first goal. Struble basically passed to the Blue Jackets on the fourth goal.

Another player who had a difficult night was Alexandre Texier as he tries to move from bubble player to regular. Texier has played some soft minutes recently. He’s not an effective first forechecker as he doesn’t bring the body. The NHL playoffs are angry and dirty, and what’s coming may not be to Texier’s liking.

It was also perhaps a little too much of the net for Jakub Dobes, who had his first tough game in three weeks. He had been awesome for nine straight games, but taking over the net, and not sharing it, is a different story for a goalie. The concentration required is intense.

That’s not a knock against Dobes. Every goalie needs a break now and then, even Carey Price. When the Blue Jackets rolled in to town two weeks ago, they probably deserved a better fate than the loss they registered, so some fair equity was in order as well.

This loss will go a long way to not capturing second place in the Atlantic Division, but there shouldn’t be too much consternation. No team will have the required intensity for 82 games. The club that absolutely has to win to keep its playoff hopes alive is likely to be more focused on the task. That was the Blue Jackets. They had to have a result, and they got it.

Not a tragedy to lose against a hungry team.

Two far more pressing concerns are being discussed right now around the mahogany table as the playoffs approach. Noah Dobson has suffered a thumb injury, most likely, after taking a shot on it in the second period. The club says that he is gone for two weeks, and will be reevaluated at that time.

David Reinbacher has been recalled from Labal. This is a massive blow to the fortunes of the club who will likely play the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round starting next Saturday. The timeline for return is usually three to four weeks on this injury, but it can be even longer. Dobson can’t be replaced. He is a 25 minute per night defender.

Another concern in the play of the second line. It doesn’t have a centre that can help Ivan Demidov play more of the game in the offensive zone. They tried Texier with Oliver Kapanen and it was more of the same — poor hockey.

This club is lacking a second line, and it is the biggest concern for the playoffs. One can tell this because they keep changing the combinations every game. They’re struggling to find something that works.

Wilde Cards

An absolute shocker from Michael Hage Saturday afternoon. Expectations from everyone involved were that Hage would sign with the Canadiens after getting eliminated in the Frozen Four on Thursday. Hage, however, has decided to return to Michigan for a third season.

This is a choice that is extremely difficult to understand. Hage has nothing more to learn in college hockey after dominating for two seasons. His numbers in his sophomore season are world class, and another season there doesn’t forward his career.

Hage should turn pro. If he made the Canadiens right away, that would be massive for his development under Martin St. Louis. If he played initially for Laval, that would also forward his career to play against pros and experience the grind and the learning experience that is the American Hockey League.

Playing another season at Michigan is more of the same. It won’t forward his career in any capacity to play against the same players and listening to the same voices behind the bench.

Three aspects come to mind in trying to understand Hage’s motivation. First, he may care about his education and wants to get closer to an actual degree at some point in his life.

Second, his brother Alex is a Michigan-commit for next season. Alex is smaller than Michael and will not likely have an NHL career, so this would be Michael’s only opportunity to play with his brother.

Third, the money that college athletes can make in name-image-likeness agreements — NIL agreements — is actually higher than minor league money, and on the verge of even higher than entry-level NHL money.

It could become a real issue for the NHL one day, if NIL is so significant that a player doesn’t choose the NHL. The NHL must be the highest-paying league. That can’t be a debate. Otherwise, the league is compromised.

Many will begin to worry that Hage is interested in signing as a free agent with another NHL team by allowing the Canadiens rights over him to expire. Montreal has his rights until Aug. 15, 2028.

Even when Hage reaches the conclusion of his junior season next April, the Canadiens will still own his rights for another year. If he wants total free agency, he would have to play his senior season in Michigan as well. Not entirely impossible, but no one thought this scenario was possible either.

If the Canadiens want to become a bona fide Stanley Cup contender next season, they are 100 per cent short a second line centre who can carry the puck up ice and win offensive zone time to get the most out of Demidov.

The player who suffers the most with this decision is Demidov. He’s spending too much time in his own zone because his line doesn’t have a centre to drive the play. If the Canadiens big deal that didn’t happen at the trading deadline was a centre, they will surely be revisiting that deal now.

Alex Newhook, Kapanen and Demidov had a 43 Expected Goals share this season. That won’t win a cup. The second line centre hunt just became a massive storyline for next season. It is within a percentage point of the worst line on the team this season. An upgrade is needed. An upgrade that is now not Michael Hage.