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Montreal Canadiens: Early Standing Projections For Next Season

By Omar L

MONTREAL, QC - APRIL 14: The Montreal Canadiens thank the fans after winning in overtime against the New York Rangers in Game Two of the Eastern Conference First Round during the 2017 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Bell Centre on April 14, 2017 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Montreal Canadiens defeated the New York Rangers 4-3 in overtime. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
MONTREAL, QC - APRIL 14: The Montreal Canadiens thank the fans after winning in overtime against the New York Rangers in Game Two of the Eastern Conference First Round during the 2017 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Bell Centre on April 14, 2017 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Montreal Canadiens defeated the New York Rangers 4-3 in overtime. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /
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We’re slowly getting to that point where standing projections are starting to be made, and if the numbers are right, the Montreal Canadiens will be in a different position.

What do Montreal Canadiens fans want for the team next season points wise? Well last season went very well in the regular season. The Canadiens finished at the top of the Atlantic Division with 103 points. Unfortunately the team’s playoff run didn’t last too long.

The ideal 2017-2018 season would be a similar regular season in combination with a deeper post-season. It never hurts to get home ice advantage in the playoffs, and the deeper you play into the summer, the closer you get to the Stanley Cup.

We still have time until all that gets started considering it’s still August (the blogger sadly types). However, that hasn’t stopped individuals from creating early standing projections for the NHL. In particular Sean Tierney from The Athletic and Hockey-Graphs.com.

Tierney tweeted out his standing projections created based on the average scores of the players on the team.

The projections had the Montreal Canadiens finish the season with 93 points. That would place them 4th in the Atlantic Division, 10th in the Eastern Conference, and 16th in the league. If this actually happens, the Canadiens would miss the playoffs.

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Breaking Down the Information

To begin, Tierney acknowledged the fact that these are very early projections. Additionally, it’s all based on the numbers.

Falling from 1st in the Atlantic Division one year to out of the playoffs another is a significant drop off. Sure losing Alexander Radulov and Andrei Markov is significant, but not so much that it’ll effect the season expectations. Jonathan Drouin should be able to exceed what Radulov did on the Canadiens.

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As for Markov, he won’t be as easy to replace. Optimistically, it would be best if Jakub Jerabek could have a solid rookie season and fill those shoes.

Additionally, Carey Price should have a much better season than last. The Canadiens did a good job in adding defencemen who are committed to taking care of their end. Hopefully they’ll be able to limit the dangerous scoring chances given up by the Habs at times. Al Montoya will also be given more time in net next season as Montreal wants to keep Price as fresh as possible for the playoffs.

Alex Galchenyuk and Brendan Gallagher should have no problem bouncing back from their offensively disappointing seasons if their health remains intact. There’s also no reason why Artturi Lehkonen wont improve as a player this year.

The Montreal Canadiens did lose some names, but they also brought some in as well. They may not be the most skilled (save for Drouin), but as a unit they should be able to get it done.

Next: Top 10 Goals of the 2016-2017 Season

Do you agree with the early standing projections? Where do you have the Montreal Canadiens finishing? Let us know what you think down below!

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