Canadiens’ Josh Anderson on team’s future: ‘We’re ready to win’
One of the leaders in the Montreal Canadiens dressing room recognizes the team is heading in the right direction.
During the team’s locker-clean-out day on Friday, Canadiens forward Josh Anderson stated the team is ready to start competing with the NHL’s top teams.
“The pain that we’ve gone through over the last couple years, and seeing the growth of everybody in our locker room… we have come a long way,” Anderson said in a media scrum. “I think that we’re in good hands right now with everybody here and how things lining up. The fanbase has a lot to be excited for in the next couple years and I think we’re just getting started. We’re going to be a team that’s on the map. Then we got to repeat it again next year and go from there.”
Anderson has been with the Canadiens since he was traded by the Columbus Blue Jackets for Max Domi in October 2020. He was on the team that went on a magical run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2021 but saw some lean years where Montreal finished near the bottom of the Atlantic Division while the team was building for the future.
This season, the Habs exceeded expectations, using consistent performances from the likes of Cole Caufield, Cole Caufield and Calder Trophy favorite Lane Hutson to snag the last Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference, punching their ticket to the postseason for the first time in four years.
However, their stay in the playoffs was short-lived. Despite some exciting action and valiant efforts by unheralded names, the Canadiens were knocked out by the top-seeded Washington Capitals in five games.
Anderson confirmed this season might have raised eyebrows to some, but the players believe they’re on the right path to bigger and better things.
“I think we’ve shown that we’re kind of a little bit over (rebuilding) right now. We’ve been through some growing pains over the last couple years. But I think that we’ve built something that we’re ready to win with.”
Anderson played a supporting role as the team trekked to the playoffs, scoring 15 goals and 12 assists for 27 points in 81 regular-season games. He registered one assist in the five contests against the Capitals.