NHL analyst raises red flag on Canadiens culture, urges immediate veteran trade - "Not going to win Stanley Cup"

The Montreal Canadiens entered this season with hopes of success after making it to the playoffs in 2025. They qualified for the playoffs last season, for the first time since 2021, and looked good initially, with a 9-3-0 record. But they started facing injury setbacks, goalie issues, and inconsistency plagued their season.

Former NHL forward and analyst Maxim Lapierre delivered a blunt warning about the Montreal Canadiens’ direction during The Sick Podcast with Tony Marinaro on Wednesday. He argued that the team is drifting away from the culture needed to compete for a Stanley Cup.

"I'm worried, but right now about the culture," Lapierre said. "When the rebuild started, we were talking about the culture. It's important to bring good veterans like [David] Savard and take care of the kids and take their good habits and play the right way. Is that what you're seeing lately?

"I don't see that on the I don't care... I don't care about the flashy moves from Demidov. I don't care from 360 for [Juraj] Slafkovsky to make nice plays. I don't care if the guys are scoring on the power play. This is not a culture that's going to win a Stanley Cup right now. I'm not saying they lost it completely, but they need to act before it's too late."

Lapierre believes the organization must act quickly to correct course, starting with adding a proven veteran voice to stabilize the room. He criticized what he views as a relaxed, unfocused attitude creeping into Montreal’s young lineup.

"We need to fix it, and it starts with bringing a veteran," Lapierre said. "... you need a veteran presence. You need some jam when you play hockey right now. I see a group of players that is, they're not mad. They're just going through the flow.

"They're playing casual hockey. ... What we're losing is our identity. We were a fast team. We were checking, ... I feel like it's basically too cool for a school type of attitude."

The Canadiens' drop in performance this season

The Canadiens’ recent results support some of Lapierre’s concerns. After their strong start, Montreal has gone 4-6-3, falling to fifth in the Atlantic Division with a 13-9-3 record. Defensive issues have become glaring. Montreal allows 3.60 goals per game, one of the worst marks in the NHL, and has suffered several blowout losses, including a 7–2 defeat to Colorado and a 5-2 loss to the Senators.

Goaltenders Sam Montembeault and Jakub Dobes have battled heavy workloads and sub-.880 save percentages. Plus, offensively, the Canadiens remain competitive. Nick Suzuki leads with 30 points and a plus-13 rating, while Cole Caufield’s 14 goals and a 25.4 percent power play keep them dangerous. Young talents like Lane Hutson and Demidov continue to produce.