Some fans and media, including this site, wanted the Montreal Canadiens to make some moves in the offseason to accelerate the rebuild and become a contender this season. Patrik Laine's acquisition was a small step in the right direction, but Montreal didn't make moves for Martin Necas or Trevor Zegras, as many speculated. The Habs' front office felt that they should stay the course and wait another year for the rebuild to play out.
The Predators were the envy of many fanbases this past offseason. Barry Trotz decided not to wait for his young players to develop and, instead, signed Steven Stamkos, Johnathan Marchessault, and Brady Skjei to bolster their lineup. It wasn't the same situation as the Canadiens, as the Predators did make the playoffs last season. However, Trotz didn't help the future of his club when he traded Yaroslav Askarov, Philip Tomasino, and Cody Glass.
Trotz is regretting that decision after the season's first two months. The Predators are second-last in the league through 27 games, with the Chicago Blackhawks sitting two points behind them with a game in hand. The Predators are 7-14-6, which gives them the most losses in the league but puts them ahead of the Blackhawks by the loser points. He's now stuck with aging former stars and no path to contention.
Canadiens fans may have been jealous of the Predators' acquisitions this summer, but who looks to be in a better position now? The Canadiens have plenty of prospects coming in the pipeline, while the Predators only got older this offseason and don't have one of the better prospect pools in the league. The Canadiens could've easily acquired some players to accelerate the rebuild this season, but who's to say they wouldn't be in the same position as the Predators?
A small sample size shows that the Canadiens are already in a better position than the Predators. Nashville entered Montreal with plenty of reasons to get back on track against the Canadiens on Thursday night, but Sam Montembeault shut down the retooled offense with a 29-save shutout. The Canadiens defeated the Predators 3-0, with Patrick Laine, Jake Evans, and Joel Armia chipping in goals.