Roundup: What Marc Bergevin has to do to transition the Montreal Canadiens

Ken MacMillan: In a normal year, the 24th ranked team would have no business in a postseason and normally wouldn’t be considered much of a threat to beat anyone. I don’t get that feeling with the Habs, though. After a long break, a fully healthy team, led by a rested Carey Price, and Shea Weber would scare some teams that are much higher in the standings.

The Habs were able to beat some great teams early in the year when everyone was healthy. I wouldn’t go so far as to call them a contender, but I think a healthy, rested Habs roster with added depth in Alexander Romanov on defence would be able to make a little noise in the playoffs.

Omar White: The Stanley Cup Playoffs is where crazy comes to have a party, and this year is going to kick that factor to the nth degree. An extra eight teams in the fold who were on their way to a playoff-less season now have fuel to cause some chaos, and right now, any team can run with it. By no means are the Montreal Canadiens a favourite heading into this. In fact, each of the three seeding scenarios has them taking on some serious competition.

How far they go depends on Carey Price. The team hasn’t done enough yet this season to prove they can win a game without a number of critical saves from the 32-year-old. They’ve gone through several styles of play that have had a lot more downs than ups, and stellar goaltending is the only way they can stand a chance.