A Winning Habit
Fansided

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) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 9
Next
TORONTO, ON – APRIL 21: Boston Bruins (Photo by Julian Avram/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON – APRIL 21: Boston Bruins (Photo by Julian Avram/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Boston Bruins

2018-19 record: 49-24-9

Additions:

None, really. Brett Ritchie signed a one-year deal at $1 million and could play a depth role. Par Lindholm also signed with the Bruins but is likely to be their fifth center. They didn’t bring in any new defenders and will be going with the same tandem of Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak in net.

Subtractions:

Marcus Johnansson came over at the trade deadline and played well for the Bruins in the postseason on the third line and power play. He left to sign a two-year contract with the Buffalo Sabres. Noel Acciari was a good piece for the fourth line and he left town to play for division rival Florida Panthers.

Projected Lines:

Marchand – Bergeron – Pastrnak

Debrusk – Krejci – Heinen

Nordstrom – Coyle – Kuhlman

Wagner – Kuraly – Backes

Chara – McAvoy

Krug – Carlo

Moore – Grzelcyk

Rask

Overview:

This team will be almost the exact same on paper as the team that made it to the Stanley Cup Final this year. That’s usually a good thing, but the Bruins core pieces are getting older. Bergeron and Krejci are 33, Marchand is 31, Chara is 42 and Rask is 32.

They were able to sustain their endurance all the way to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, so I can’t imagine they will disappear next season, but their could be a bit of a hangover for some of their older, important pieces.

However, almost the entire team remains intact so they will still be a solid team in the regular season. Maybe a few less wins and a few less points than the 107 they had this season but they should be comfortably in the postseason once again in 2020.

It will be difficult for the Canadiens to make up the 11 point difference between themselves and the Bruins from last season’s standings. Chances are very high that the Bruins finish above the Habs once again based on their strong roster.

Home/Editorials