As the Montreal Canadiens gear up for the new NHL season under the leadership of coach Martin St-Louis, one lingering issue threatens to overshadow their promising progress: discipline.

Last year, the Tricolore found themselves among the league’s most penalized teams, racking up hundreds of minutes in the penalty box and sparking concern among fans and analysts alike.

While their penalty-killing unit proved to be a surprising strength, consistently bailing out the team at crucial moments, experts warn that relying on this safety net is a risky strategy that cannot be sustained if Montreal hopes to climb the standings.

With a roster built on intensity and physical play, finding the right balance between aggression and control is shaping up to be one of the biggest challenges facing the Canadiens this season.

Will Martin St-Louis and his squad be able to curb their undisciplined tendencies, or will their inability to stay out of the box continue to hold them back?

The answer could determine whether Montreal enjoys a breakthrough year or remains stuck in transition.

What changes must the Canadiens make to finally turn the corner? And how can they leverage their strengths without falling into old habits?

The full story reveals the critical steps Montreal must take to transform potential into results.

Canadiens coach Martin St-Louis

Photo credit: NHL

Discipline remains a major issue for the Montreal Canadiens as the upcoming season approaches.

Last year, Martin St-Louis’ squad found itself among the most undisciplined teams in the Bettman circuit, finishing seventh with a total of 760 penalty minutes. A statistic that speaks volumes about the club’s struggle to keep emotions and sticks under control.

If the Tricolore sometimes paid the price for this lack of discipline, it was nevertheless able to rely on a formidable weapon: its penalty kill.

With an efficiency rate of 80.9%, the Canadiens ranked ninth in the NHL in this crucial aspect of the game. This impressive performance allowed the team to limit the damage, despite spending far too much time in the penalty box.

However, as analyst Brian Wilde reminded during the most recent episode of the Sick Podcast, this is not a viable long-term strategy. The Habs cannot continuously rely on their penalty-killing unit to make up for repeated discipline errors.

To take the next step and aim for better results, Montreal will absolutely need to reduce the number of unnecessary penalties.

The task won’t be easy, especially for a group that relies on intensity and physical play to compete with the best teams

However, finding the balance between competitiveness and control could make the difference between another transition year and a true breakthrough to the next level.

By staying more disciplined, the Canadiens would also give more minutes to their offensive lines while avoiding unnecessarily exhausting their overused defensemen on the penalty kill. Less time spent in the penalty box means more opportunities to develop a stable and threatening offensive identity.

“Last year, Montreal finished among the most undisciplined teams.”

In short, if the Tricolore wants to build on the promising foundations laid last season, it will need to learn how to combine intensity with discipline. The message is clear: staying out of the penalty box will be an essential priority for the Habs to take a significant step forward.