Entering The Playoff Race
The Canadiens have missed the playoffs each of the past two seasons and it really wasn't even close. Both years we kind of knew by Christmas that the team was going to be a bottom feeder and would miss the playoffs by a wide margin.
This had fans cheering for losses instead of wins for most of the season which is a sort of cannibalistic scenario teams can not find themselves in for too long or they risk becoming the next Buffalo Sabres or Ottawa Senators.
Take last season for example. Getting Connor Bedard would have been fantastic, but the only way to get him would have been to have a roster that was even worse than the Chicago Blackhawks had. Would you want a completely abysmal lineup plus Bedard, or a young team that is closer to being ready to compete and adding David Reinbacher.
The Senators have been adding that "next top prospect" that is supposed to turn the franchise around for a decade yet it hasn't worked out.
The Canadiens would be better off sticking around the playoff race as long as possible this season. They already have an impressive group of young defensemen to build around. Getting them a taste of playoff-type hockey, and maybe even a little playoff action would be great for their development.
Losing 8-1 to the Florida Panthers in February and March was not great for their development. We did that for two years and that is enough. Hopefully this season, the Canadiens get the gift of a playoff race which is something we have sorely missed in Montreal for the past few years.