The Montreal Canadiens are in a spot of bother as they are currently 1-3 behind in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Carolina Hurricanes. Due to their poor showing, some of the fans are not happy and made several harsh remarks about the team’s performance in the EC finals series. 

One of the fans, named Francis Daniels, shared an X update on May 27, where he notably mentioned that the current Montreal Canadiens lineup playing in the Eastern Conference Final is the most low-caliber team to qualify for the stage in a decade.

He mentioned, “Don’t think the people want to hear this, but the 2026 Montreal Canadiens look like the worst team to make the conference finals this decade. Young core is gonna to be great, but it's nuts they haven't looked like the better team once this playoffs.”

The Montreal Canadiens are struggling with turnovers, poor execution, and weak offensive pressure. They also lose focus in close games and make mistakes under pressure. The Carolina Hurricanes use strong structure, forecheck, and goaltending to control the series.

The Canadiens depend too much on Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, and A. Newhook. They need more impact from players like Evans, Zachary Bolduc, Dach, and Alex Texier to reduce pressure on the top line. Because if they lose now, they will be out of the league. But that is for later.

Meanwhile, other Montreal Canadiens fans reacted strongly to the comments made by Frank Daniels on his X account. Let’s take a look.

Montreal Canadiens Fans Fire Back as Debate Explodes Online

One fan strongly disagreed with the claim that Montreal“never looked better. They said the Montreal Canadiens looked much better in earlier rounds, especially against Tampa Bay and Buffalo, so calling them the worst team is unfair.

"Not once this playoffs? They dominated 5 of 7 vs Tampa. At least 2 of the 3 they lost they were the better team. They dominated 4 of 7 vs Buffalo. They dominated game 1 vs Carolina. Have you even watched any games outside of this series?"

Another user also said Montreal has played very well in many stretches.

"They looked like the better team multiple times in these playoffs. I think before game 7, they were the better team against TBL easily."

A third fan completely rejected the idea of dominance.

"Buddy getting outshot and winning in OT isn't dominating a team."

Meanwhile, another commenter looked at the situation from a historical angle.

"buddy who was worse? 2021 habs?"

A more balanced view pointed to fatigue and the tough schedule as key reasons.

"Yeah, we are getting outplayed, but that's a bad statement. Could also be the difference between a rested team and a team that has played 2 game 7s and started the last round later also."

Most of the reactions were against Francis Daniels. The debate shows how quickly playoff opinions can change.

While the Carolina Hurricanes have clearly controlled this series, the Montreal Canadiens’ earlier playoff success still makes the worst team label a highly debated topic among fans.

Would you like to agree with Daniels' "worst team" rating for the Canadiens? Let us know what you think in the comments.

Read more at the NHL Fan Central

Written by

Kapil Manghnani

Edited by

Souvik Roy