The upcoming odds the Montreal Canadiens face this season

The Montreal Canadiens are in a tight division against the remaining Canadian teams, but the odds are in their favour ahead of the season opener.

Being one of seven teams in the North Division, the Montreal Canadiens have a 14% chance of winning it all and moving on to the Stanley Cup semi-finals. That said, it’s going to be a grind of the sprint variety. With having the fewest teams in a division, the Habs will be facing their opponents more times than other teams in other divisions. But the odds are still in their favour.

According to MoneyPuck, the Montreal Canadiens are among the most likely teams in the North Division of making the playoffs.

Behind the Toronto Maple Leafs, who have a 69.8% chance, the Habs have a 65.7% chance of making the playoffs. The remaining two teams to qualify based on the odds are the Calgary Flames at 64% and the Edmonton Oilers at 61.1%. There’s a decent drop after the Flames, with the Winnipeg Jets sporting a 51.9% chance while the Vancouver Canucks (47.1%) and Ottawa Senators (40%) are on the wrong end of 50.

Another positive angle for Montreal to take is they are one of 13 teams that also have a likelihood of winning the Stanley Cup. At 4.3%, they’re behind the Leafs again (4.7%), but they have the fourth-highest odds amongst all other teams included.

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As much as it falls under the narrative of the Montreal Canadiens being the most improved team in terms of playoff-readiness, it also comes down to overall depth and reassurances in net. The acquisition of Jake Allen will be talked about all season as it still appears to be Marc Bergevin‘s most important move this offseason. Guaranteeing rest and healthy minutes from Carey Price via Allen brings extraordinary value. The team needs to ensure they can provide him with the appropriate scoring support to win hockey games.

These MoneyPuck odds are great to look at; however, that doesn’t guarantee anything. The Jets’ can do some damage, and if they make it, someone else is going to be pushed aside. Winnipeg was meant to have a down year with all the talent they lost, but goaltender Connor Hellebuyck kept them in it, which led to him winning the Vezina trophy. That can’t be forgotten.

The Canucks are also being written off with the losses of Jacob Markstrom, Chris Tanev, and Troy Stecher. Not much is being made of the addition of Nate Schmidt, and if Thatcher Demko is more than a strong playoff appearance, there’s no reason why they can’t stay afloat this season.

That’s the danger of odds and probabilities. They provide confidence or reassurance but can be lethal if the work isn’t put into the cause.

It’s great that the Montreal Canadiens are and continue to be regarded as a top team in the North Division. However, that won’t mean anything if the puck drops and they can’t get it together. And even though the second half is more important than the first in a shortened season, starting off too far behind gives those other teams with lower odds an opportunity to push ahead.