Backcheck
Team diagnostic
2025-26last seasonAs of Sun, Sep 20

Montreal Canadiens

5-on-5 · model-estimated

Canadiens: a possession-driving team (57.4% 5v5 xG) with league-average goaltending, flagged for regression (1 signals).

How to read this

This is one team through the publication's three layers. The identity row separates process — the chances a club creates and allows (, ) — from luck, which is what measures. Process predicts the future; luck predicts a correction.

Everything below follows that split: regression flags mark places where results have outrun (or trailed) the underlying play, talent tiers and the player table rank the roster by a model-estimated , and roster needs compare each position group against league average. The proxies rank things usefully but share credit with linemates — read orderings as solid and exact magnitudes as approximate.

PROCESS
chance creation and possession — xG%, Corsi. The repeatable part.
RESULT
goals, wins, special-teams conversion. What the standings see.
LUCK
PDO, finishing vs expected, GSAx — the part that mean-reverts.
GOLD/RED
regression flags: gold = watch it, red = act on it
Fine print · verbatim from the model
  • WAR / Impact are model-estimated proxies, not cap-validated
  • Roster-need gaps are ordinal — ranked correctly, magnitudes relative
Identity · possession-driving
57.4%
xGoals %
This team controls play outright.
48.2%
Corsi %
0.09
xGF / 60
1.019
PDO
The bounces are flattering them — expect some giveback.
Strengths
  • Drives 5v5 play (57.4% xG share).
  • Elite top-end talent: Cole Caufield, Lane Hutson.
Weaknesses
  • Leaky penalty kill (78% kill rate).
Regression watch · luck-reconciliation

PDO 1.019 — running hot at 5v5; expect negative regression.

Flags mark gaps between process and result likely to move toward the mean.

Talent tiers · model impact
Elite02
  • Cole Caufield
  • Lane Hutson
Top02
  • Nick Suzuki
  • Sammy Blais
Middle11
  • Juraj Slafkovsk
  • Ivan Demidov
  • Oliver Kapanen
  • Noah Dobson
  • Zachary Bolduc
  • Alexandre Carrier
  • Alexandre Texier
  • Brendan Gallagher
  • Josh Anderson
  • Kirby Dach
  • Jayden Struble
Depth07
  • Alex Newhook
  • Jake Evans
  • Mike Matheson
  • Kaiden Guhle
  • Phillip Danault
  • Joe Veleno
  • Arber Xhekaj
Rate-first

Special teams

Power play
0.00 xGF/60 · 23.1% SH%
6.94GF/60
Penalty kill
0.8 Kill%
7.88GA/60
Source · MoneyPuck 5-on-5 + ST splits
Team GSAx +0.7

Goaltending

Above expected
GoaltenderGP
Jakub Dobes4390.14050.000-0.7
Samuel Montembeault2587.240100.000+1.3
Source · GSAx = xGoals − goals, computed in-app
Roster needs · ranked
01
Depth defensehigh
team 39.7 vs league 87.3
-48
02
Bottom-6 forward depthhigh
team 44.6 vs league 81.9
-37
03
Top-6 forwardhigh
team 61.8 vs league 86.1
-24
04
Top-pair defensemanhigh
team 71.6 vs league 91.5
-20

Gaps are ordinal — needs are ranked correctly; treat the magnitude as relative, not absolute.

Top players · adjusted impact
PlayerGPTOI/GP
Cole CaufieldR8113.9+83.60+4.8
Nick SuzukiC8215.2+65.50+4.2
Lane HutsonD8218.9+85.80+4.1
Juraj SlafkovskL8214.1+49.40+2.4
Ivan DemidovR8211.7+46.50+2.0
Oliver KapanenC8211.5+46.60+1.2
Noah DobsonD8017.8+45.50+1.2
Zachary BolducR7811.8+49.70+1.1
Alexandre CarrierD7315.4+57.40+0.9
Alexandre TexierL5112.2+55.30+0.9
Schedule load · logistics

How hard is this team’s season, logistically? This grades the schedule itself — travel, rest, and clustering — separate from how good the team is.

Logistics, not talent

Schedule load

DEPTH
Load index
0/ 100 · pctile vs league

The 32nd-heaviest schedule in the league84 games, 1.3 days average rest.

Total travel
39,518
road miles flown
10
Back-to-backs
2 games, 0 days off
8
3-in-4s
3 games / 4 nights
10
4-in-6s
4 games / 6 nights
4
Longest road trip
3,145 mi
Rest-days distribution
0d10
1d48
2d19
3+d6

Nights of rest before each game · 0 days = red, 3+ = green

Rest advantage

25 games with more rest than the opponent · 22 with fewer · 36 even.

Hardest stretches
  • 6 games in 9 days with 2,686 travel miles

    Jan 13Jan 21

  • 6 games in 13 days with 5,672 travel miles

    Feb 20Mar 4

  • 6 games in 10 days with 2,874 travel miles

    Dec 26Jan 4

Source · NHL schedule · arena coordinates · rest & travel model
By the Model5-on-5 aggregates · MoneyPuck* WAR / Impact are model-estimated proxies, not cap-validated