Three Reasons Montreal Canadiens Season Is Huge Success

Atlantic Division Isn't The Powerhouse We Thought

The Canadiens sit near the bottom of the Atlantic Division, but it shouldn't remain that way for long. At the beginning of this season, the division was shaping up to be an absolute powerhouse for the foreseeable future that would have been difficult to ever crack the top three.

Now? Not so much. The Boston Bruins and Florida Panthers are having great seasons, but the Panthers are going to have to find a way to keep Sam Reinhart, Gustav Forsling and Brandon Montour if they are going to remain this good as all three are pending unrestricted free agents and they all play huge roles.

The Bruins have somehow survived the retirement of Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci as well as trading away Taylor Hall but both the Bruins and Panthers have dealt a boatload of draft picks recently and the cupboards appear bare for the future.

Meanwhile, the Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning have taken steps back this season. Both teams would have been put right up there with the Bruins and Panthers at the start of the season, but the Leafs have had more ups and downs than the Scotiabank Center elevators, and the Lightning are starting to show their age.

Both teams have dealt many top draft picks over the past few years as well, and the Lightning are on pace for a 95 point season. The end of the Bolts dynasty is in sight for the first time in about a decade.

Also, the Ottawa Senators, Detroit Red Wings and Buffalo Sabres were all supposed to take huge steps forward this season, but only the Red Wings have moved in the right direction. They are still outside the playoffs, but the Sabres and Senators are no further ahead than the Canadiens right now, even though many picked them to battle for a playoff spot this season.

The once fierce Atlantic Division is showing signs of being more meek than we thought it could be. This opens the door for the Canadiens to take a big step forward in the next couple years.