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Montreal Canadiens: Breaking Down and Ranking Atlantic Division Teams

By Ken MacMillan

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 04: Montreal Canadiens defenseman Shea Weber (6), center Phillip Danault (24), and right wing Joel Armia (40) celebrate after a goal at the end of the first period during the Montreal Canadiens vs. Washington Capitals NHL hockey game April 4, 2019 at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.. (Photo by Randy Litzinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 04: Montreal Canadiens defenseman Shea Weber (6), center Phillip Danault (24), and right wing Joel Armia (40) celebrate after a goal at the end of the first period during the Montreal Canadiens vs. Washington Capitals NHL hockey game April 4, 2019 at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.. (Photo by Randy Litzinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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The Montreal Canadiens just missed the playoffs last season. Making the postseason will not be any easier next year, but the Canadiens have not done enough to keep up in their tough division.

The Montreal Canadiens had a good season in 2018-19. They were expected to miss the playoffs and they did, but by the narrowest of margins. Their 96 points were one of the best seasons ever by a team that did not qualify for the playoffs. In fact, it was only three points less than the St. Louis Blues who won the Stanley Cup.

That’s all well and good and moral victories are neat. However, fans of the Montreal Canadiens aren’t that into moral victories. They are more used to victories on the ice that lead to playoffs and deep postseason runs and Stanley Cup titles.

So the team needs to be better next season. Finishing just outside the playoffs won’t be as tolerated in 2020 as it was in 2019. That would be three straight seasons without a playoff game at the Bell Centre and that is not an option if general manager Marc Bergevin would like to keep his job.

But thus far in the offseason, Bergevin hasn’t really done enough to make the team better. The Atlantic Division was one of, if not the best divisions in hockey last season and it should be just as good next season.

The Canadiens added Ben Chiarot, a second or third pairing defenseman and added some depth pieces like Nick Cousins. However, he dealt Andrew Shaw for a few draft picks and while it was a decent return, it takes away some of the depth at the forward position and weakens the team.

The Canadiens do have a young team, especially at forward. That is a reason to believe that the team could be better just because a lot of their players will take a step forward. Jesperi Kotkaniemi just turned 19, Max Domi and Jonathan Drouin are 24, Victor Mete is 21. All of these players play key roles already and should be better players next year.

But is that enough? Just hoping for internal growth may be a bit risky in the Atlantic Division. Having Carey Price in net can be a huge boost, but it didn’t result in a playoff berth last season. Will it next season?

Let’s break down some of their competition and see if they’ve taken a step back or will they be even better next season.

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