Four years ago, the Montreal Canadiens were the worst team in the NHL.
Today, they’re one of the final four teams standing as the league’s conference finals are set to kick off. It’s a remarkable turnaround, made even more impressive by the fact that the Habs would appear to be well-positioned for a period of sustained success.
If you’re a Calgary Flames fan, it’s pretty tempting to look across the country at the Canadiens and wonder what lessons can be learned. Could the Flames go from the bottom of the league standings to the hallowed ground of being a true contender in just four years?
Let’s take a look at how Montreal did it and how the Flames might put themselves on the same path:
1. Drafting
A few years ago, we used to talk about the Dallas model of rebuilding/retooling a lot around Calgary. The Montreal model is a bit different, although it still relies on one thing: The NHL draft is absolutely critical, and hitting on your picks makes all the difference.
That’s obvious, we get it, and just saying “Do a really good job drafting” is oversimplifying an incredibly challenging process where you’re trying to outsmart a bunch of teams who have the exact same goals as you do.
But Lane Hutson, Ivan Demidov, Juraj Slafkovsky and Jacob Fowler are all guys who have been drafted in the last couple of years. Slafkovsky was the first overall pick in 2022 and Demidov was taken fifth overall in 2024, so there’s no overstating how important high draft picks actually are, but Hutson was picked 62nd overall in 2022 and has emerged as one of the NHL’s best young blueliners. Go back a little further and you can include Cole Caufield being taken 15th overall in 2019 as another great bit of work by Habs management.
Montreal Canadiens’ Juraj Slafkovsky celebrates with Cole Caufield after scoring against the Buffalo Sabres during the second period of Game 3 of NHL playoff series action in Montreal on Sunday, May 10, 2026.
There’s no question the Flames understand the value of the draft. They’ve done a nice job adding young players over the past couple Junes, and they have two first-rounders and four more in the second round this year. They’ve got to hit on their picks, and a little luck can go a long way, but Montreal’s rapid rebuild has been sped up in no small part by what they’ve done in the draft.
If there’s been a connective tissue between the Flames’ draft picks, it’s been an emphasis on high-ceiling talent. That’s something the Flames seem to have done recently, too, with picks like Zayne Parekh, Matvei Gridin, Cole Reschny and Cullen Potter all carrying high upsides.
Calgary Flames defenceman Zayne Parekh, second from right, celebrates his first goal of the season with, from left, Yegor Sharangovich, Matvei Gridin and Matt Coronato, during a game against the Los Angeles Kings at Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary on March 24, 2026.
2. Trades
This dates back well before 2022, but the Canadiens have made some really smart trades over the past decade, with the most obvious move being acquiring Nick Suzuki from the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for Max Pacioretty.
That was a sensational deal, but the Habs have also acquired the likes of Josh Anderson, Mike Matheson, Noah Dobson, Alex Newhook and others through trades. Combined with their drafting, it’s been those moves, not free agency, that have propelled them to where they are today.
There were other smart trades, too, including taking on Sean Monahan and a first-round pick in 2022. That pick was a key part of the package that netted them Dobson from the New York Islanders last year.
The Flames have been quiet in free agency over the last couple of years and that’s expected to continue this summer. Whether the new arena, set to open in 2027, makes Calgary a more attractive destination for free agents or not, using the considerable draft capital they’ve acquired in trades would seem like the better path forward when it comes to acquiring NHL-ready talent.
Iron workers continued the installation of the steel frame of the new Scotia Place project in Calgary on Wednesday, April 22, 2026.
3. Stick with it
Habs head coach Martin St. Louis has had a way he’s wanted the team to play and as my colleague in Montreal, Stu Cowan, wrote last week, he’s been patient as his young players have figured that out.
The Canadiens are the youngest team in the playoffs right now and the roster has a balance of young players in their early 20s, guys who are entering their mid-20s primes and then a few older veterans filling things out.
Montréal Canadiens head coach Martin St-Louis calls a timeout in the final minutes during third period action in Round 2, Game 4 of the NHL playoffs against the Buffalo Sabres in Montreal, on Tuesday, May 12, 2026.
There’s been patience required, but the Habs understood it would take a little time and are benefiting from the development work they put in. Now, they’re suddenly ahead of schedule and their roster looks like it should continue improving for the foreseeable future.
Don’t rush it. It’s a lesson the Flames seem to have taken to heart over the past couple of seasons and they’ll do well to remember it as their current group of youngsters — and the guys they pick in the next couple of drafts — begin emerging as full-time NHLers.