Canadiens’ Likeliest Unlikely Heroes Ahead of 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs – The Hockey Writers – Montreal Canadiens

Around these parts, ex-NHLer Rene Bourque is something of a folk hero, based on how he came on to score eight goals in 17 games during the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs to help lead the Montreal Canadiens to the third round, rarely to be heard from again. For context, he scored just nine goals in 63 games the previous regular season, while scoring just six the next.

A three-time 20-goal scorer with the Calgary Flames earlier in his career, Bourque came over to the Canadiens in the ill-fated Michael Cammalleri trade in 2012. Needless to say, based on how Bourque only eclipsed 10 once more in the six regular seasons in his career that followed, the Flames ended up winning the deal.

However, in leading the Canadiens in goals that 2014 postseason, the then-Habs forward emerged as the ultimate unlikely hero. The “Rene Bourque Index” acknowledges his clutch scoring prowess (that one spring) and ranks the likeliest candidates to follow in his footsteps (hopefully to not completely disappear like him). Here are the top five for 2026 as the team faces the Tampa Bay Lightning in Round 1 of the 2026 postseason:

5. Joe Veleno

Joe Veleno may not even play this posteason. He was a regular healthy scratch down the stretch, but not necessarily through any fault of his own. The Canadiens are simply deep, especially up front. However, if for any reason head coach Martin St. Louis plays him in any capacity, it will represent the 26-year-old’s first taste of NHL playoff action (having only played for the cursed Detroit Red Wings and still-rebuilding Chicago Blackhawks before this season).

So, out of the gate, Veleno is at a disadvantage. His mere two goals (five points) in 61 games this season, while admittedly coming in a bottom-six role, further reinforce how unlikely it would be for him to find the scoresheet (or net, all due respect to him) were he suddenly to be thrusted into the lineup. That makes him an unlikely, unlikely hero, but technically the fifth-likeliest one overall, because there is at least a chance his dormant clutch gene has just never had a chance to manifest up to now.

4. Alex Newhook

That last sentence doesn’t apply to Alex Newhook, who was drafted by and initially came up with the Colorado Avalanche, who won the Stanley Cup in his rookie 2021-22 season (when they coincidentally defeated the Lightning in the Final). In 12 games that spring, Newhook didn’t light the lamp. In 32 career playoff games, he’s scored just twice with nine assists, with one goal and one helper coming with the Canadiens in their five-game first-round defeat last year.

The hope is obviously that some of Newhook’s early-season success playing with Ivan Demidov, when he scored six goals and 12 points in his first 15 games, translates to the postseason. A few games later he got shelved with an injury, only to return in February, when he started off strongly with four points in his first three games before fading down the stretch. Overall, he’s scored 13 goals and 25 points in 42 games this season, which are decent-enough numbers, but there’s definitely room for the guy to grow offensively. The Canadiens are probably looking for him to embrace this as the perfect opportunity, seemingly upon being given a chance to continue to play with the rookie sensation.

Some early line combos/pairings:
Caufield-Veleno(will be Suzuki)-Slafkovsky
Texier-Newhook-Demidov
Bolduc-Kapanen-Dach
Evans-Danault-Anderson
Matheson-Engstrom (will be Guhle)
Hutson-Carrier
Struble-Xhekaj
Reinbacher

— Eric Engels (@EricEngels) April 16, 2026

3. Josh Anderson

To hear some Canadiens fans describe Josh Anderson, he should have no business being on this list, because he typically takes his game up a notch in the postseason. The numbers don’t really reflect that sentiment, though. He tallied a single assist last spring, and during the Canadiens’ run to the 2021 Stanley Cup Final (which they of course lost to these same Lightning), he scored a modest six points.

To his credit, one of those points represented the team’s only game-winning goal in a Final since 1993, as the Canadiens took Game 4 that series to cut the deficit to 3-1 and temporarily stave off elimination. However, it came in overtime. And, on top of that, it was his second overtime winner that spring. He also added one again in Game 3 against the Vegas Golden Knights a series earlier, setting the stage with a late game-tying goal in that one as well, no less.

So, there is a definite precedent for Anderson to emerge as a hero… just not to the degree many are suggesting. It just goes to show, sometimes one’s legend grows to unmatchable heights on the back of one or two big moments. Could there be another coming in the next few weeks (maybe longer)?

2. Jake Evans

Like Anderson, Jake Evans scored just a single assist in five games against the Washington Capitals in Round 1 last year. Unlike Anderson, he probably deserves more credit for his contributions.

A year after scoring a career-high 36 points with a career-high-tying 13 goals (which led to a four-year, $11.4 million extension), Evans maintained a similar pace with 12 markers in 68 games. His stats were impressive enough that they probably warranted significant consideration for the Jacques Beauchamp-Molson Trophy, which is awarded to the team’s top unsung hero during the regular season. Instead Mike Matheson won it this year (for some reason). Despite Evans hitting his career highs last season, Anderson won it for 2024-25.

Now, Evans only has a single playoff goal in his career. It infamously came against the Winnipeg Jets in the second round in 2021, when he scored into an empty net only to be met by an onrushing Mark Scheifele, who took him out for a large chunk of the team’s run to the Final. His overall playoff numbers may suggest he’s unlikely to rise to the occasion, but, as someone St. Louis has played up and down the lineup, he could find himself in prime position to put up critical points. At least during the regular season, he’s at least proven himself capable.

1. Zachary Bolduc

Considering how last season ended and this one began, 2025-26 was a disappointing campaign for Zachary Bolduc. In his last 28 games with the St. Louis Blues, he scored 14 goals and 21 points. After getting traded to the Canadiens last summer for defenseman Logan Mailloux, he scored three (nearly four) goals and one assist in his first three games. That he ended with just 30 points (12 goals) speaks to the degree to which he fell out of favour with St. Louis (the head coach), after having initially been perceived as a top-six option.

While Bolduc became a bottom-six fixture instead, he’s still just 23 and a former first-round pick with undeniable offensive skill. He’s still got time to break out on a more consistent basis and this could be the time to do it. With opponents paying closer attention to given teams’ top stars, Bolduc is one candidate to fly under the radar, play physically, and thrive in playoff conditions.

When Bourque broke out like he did in the postseason, he was in effect 10 years older than Bolduc is now. He would never get to play another playoff game the rest of his career. So, for Bolduc and the rest of the young Canadiens core, looking at the big picture circumstances are remarkably different, and for the better as the team’s window to contention is just opening.

Even so, circumstances are similar in one way. The Canadiens may be underdogs against the Lightning now, but that was technically true in the first round in 2014 too, when they trailed by one point in the standings and still swept them (albeit benefitting from goalie Ben Bishop being unable to play), before defeating the Boston Bruins in Round 2 and eventually succumbing to Chris Kreider and the New York Rangers in Round 3. Needless to say, there’s plenty of inspiration from which to draw for the Habs, if it’s 2021, 2014 overall or Rene Bourque specifically. If Bourque can pull it together over the course of a single postseason run, any of these Habs can.