BROSSARD – Following a memorable run to the Eastern Conference Final, the Canadiens gathered at the CN Sports Complex in Brossard on Monday for the organization’s annual locker cleanout day, marking the official end of the 2025-26 campaign.
The most emotional moment of the day belonged to Brendan Gallagher, who was visibly overcome with emotion as he reflected on his journey in Montreal.
“First and foremost, I’m so thankful and so fortunate to have spent as much time as I have here,” he said. “The fans, right from day one, it’s been truly a privilege to play in front of them. It’s an opportunity that not a lot of players get in this league. I’ve gotten to do it for 14 years now, and it’s not lost on me how special it was to call the Bell Centre home. From the very first time I stepped foot in this organization, the management, coaches and teammates I’ve had along the years—there have been ups and downs—but I don’t have a single regret.”
Much of the rest of the conversation in Brossard centered on the Habs’ playoff run and what comes next for a Canadiens team that took another significant step forward this year, as President of Hockey Operations, Jeff Gorton, and General Manager, Kent Hughes, addressed the media before the players spoke to reporters to close the book on what was a successful season for the Habs, but also one that’s left them wanting more.
Hughes concluded his 40-minute press conference by expressing his gratitude for the unwavering support of Canadiens fans throughout the season, and especially during the playoffs, which resonated not only across the NHL, but also with media outlets and public figures beyond the hockey world.
Here are some highlights from Monday’s media availabilities.
Please note questions and answers have been modified for clarity and conciseness.
Gorton on what he is most proud of from the Canadiens’ 2025-26 season:
I think in the National Hockey League, it’s very hard to get better every year and not have some kind of regression. I think our players were able to do that and take the next step forward, kind of making the leap from just getting into the playoffs. I think that’s very impressive.
On a side note, maybe not so related to the individual team, but just the buzz in the city that the players were able to create, I think that’s very impressive. Our fans have to be the best hockey fans there are. They showed that. I think this run was an opportunity for our fans to show the rest of the league, and the players in the league, how impressive a place this is to play. If you’re a National Hockey League player and you’re looking around, this would be a place, I would think, that’s at the top of your list based on what we just showed them.
Hughes on Ivan Demidov’s contract situation:
There’s no doubt we consider Ivan as a core player for this team. I’ll speak with his agent, likely in the next couple of weeks. I believe Ivan loves Montreal, and he loves playing for the Canadiens. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. We’re going to find a way to agree on a contract. […] Ideally, we’ll sign him long term as opposed to short term.
Gorton on how he and Hughes plan on approaching this summer:
Every summer has opportunities, but it’s hard to say unless we know the opportunity. Last summer, we went in hoping to add to our core group, find somebody at the right age to fit in there. We did that, we felt, with Noah [Dobson] and with Zack [Bolduc]. This summer, we’ll go in with the same approach. We’re going to try to keep going, but we don’t know what’s next until it comes along. It’s early on—we just got eliminated—so it’s hard to say what might be available to us. But certainly, Kent and I, since we’ve been here, have been pretty aggressive trying to go forward, so I don’t see how that changes anything.
Nick Suzuki on his main takeaways from the 2025-26 season:
Every time you lose, there's always those bad feelings and the feeling like you could have done more or you could of done something different. You don't want to have regrets but it's tough when you look back on things and sometimes you wish you had plays back but it just doesn't happen. Overall, I think we look at it on a positive note with how young we are how and how bright our future is, but you never know how many opportunities you're going to get to be in an Eastern Conference Final, so it obviously sucks to be on the losing side of that.
Jakub Dobes on how goalie coach Marco Marciano helped turn around his season:
He’s unbelievable. I have a lot of things to say, but Marco is great. He’s done a lot. He had my back and I can’t thank him enough. He’s my guy. We’ve been together for a little while, so we know each other. Everything was smooth from the day he arrived. We knew right away what to do.
He would always remind me how good I can be. If ever I had a bad game, bad period, bad whatever, he would make sure to reset me and the next period, next game I would be good again. I feel like he knows me better than I know myself, so that helps a lot. I’m excited to work with him for years to come.
Noah Dobson on how close he feels Montreal is to reaching the ultimate goal of winning a Stanley Cup:
You never know. I feel like we were a team that was capable of going to a Cup final this year. So, what you can do is take those experiences and learn from things you did well and things that you can be better at. As a group, you stay hungry and get to work because just because you have a great season and get to this point, it's only going to get harder from here. As a group there's lots of positives and we feel like if we put in the work we can be right back there next year.
Juraj Slafkovsky on what he feels he learned from the way his game fits in a playoff environment:
I think everyone in here got better during this year’s playoffs. There’s so much good experience to take from it, how to take care of the body because we play every other day. Especially when you go for seven games the first two series, it's hard but like I said, it made me better 100% and now I know for next year how to how to prepare myself better and how to be better and more efficient every game.
Cole Caufield on his bond with his head coach Martin St-Louis:
That’s our guy. That’s our leader. Ever since he's came in, he’s given guys opportunity and confidence. It hasn't been easy but without him, I don't know where our team’s at, so it’s very special to have a guy like that lead the way. He's hungry, he keeps the group very hungry for what's next and i think that's kind of what drives us the most.
Kaiden Guhle on being in his element in the playoffs:
I’ve always, obviously, enjoyed the playoffs. You're trying to do something that you've been working for your whole life, especially a Stanley Cup. It's a dream as a kid. You don’t know how many chances you get, so you just try to take advantage of every game every time you're on the ice. Felt like playoffs was good. Felt like my game was in a good spot and that's something that I want to hold on to for the summer and carry that into next season.
Josh Anderson on whether he’s surprised how quickly the rebuild has produced results:
Not really, to be honest. I mean, you saw all the young players that came in, and you knew they were going to be special players for this organization for a long time. And then, obviously, to see what Jeff and Kent did in signing those guys long term, and for them to agree to be here for eight years, you know we have something special in this locker room. We’re going to be able to do this for a long time. We have a great group of guys that’s going to lead this team and ultimately win here.
Lane Hutson on how the Canadiens can improve defensively:
I think part of it is mentality and everyone killing more plays. Playing with the puck more. The more we play with it, we don't have to defend. It's all kind of simple stuff but it's cumulative of doing everything really well all the time.
Ivan Demidov was the final player to speak to media on Monday. He confirmed he’ll be spending the summer in Montreal once more, to train and prepare for next season. The 20-year-old also mentioned his priority is to sign a long-term contract with the Canadidens sooner rather than later.
