This could be the summer Montreal has long been waiting for

2017-18 was a season of hardship for the Montreal Canadiens. But, after a rather tame offseason in which the Habs needed a lot to stay competitive, a collapse like this may have been foreseeable.

Nevertheless, a long summer gives general manager Marc Bergevin the chance to have a hard think about the way that the team is heading, and if they should embrace the spiral, or fight against it.

Injuries weren't Montreal's only problem

Injuries were, once again, a major problem. Both Carey Price and Shea Weber - by far the best players on the team - spent extended spells on the sidelines. But, a weak blueline, a lack of strength up the middle, and an overall failure to score goals were the crux of Montreal's miseries.

By the end of the season, the Habs had one of the highest goals against tallies along with one of the very worst goals for totals - barely breaching 200. Last season, with only 226 goals, Montreal was among the lowest scoring playoff teams, with Price's and Montoya's efforts in net boosting the team greatly. Not adding a recognized scoring threat hurt the Canadiens this year, especially because Price's performances suffered.

Montreal's latest slumping seasons - this season and 2015-16 - coincide with the injury-stricken campaigns of Carey Price. With only 11 starts two years ago and 47 starts this season from their number one goalie - Montreal finished sixth in the Atlantic Division in both seasons. When Price is on form, his play masks the imperfections of the rest of the team - but this year was too much even for Canada's number one goalie.

The defense was very poor. There are no two ways about it - especially with Weber out for so long. Karl Alzner, signed on a big deal to solve some defensive issues, posted career-lows in almost every category and, above all, looked rather clumsy in a Habs jersey. Alongside this, Weber only played 26 games due to a foot injury, which took away a major offensive and defensive player. Without Weber, Price wasn't given much protection.

Every team needs a strong center on their top line; one who can win faceoffs, make plays for the wings and track back to defend. Montreal greatly lacks a high ranking center to play in many situations for around 20 minutes per game. The fact that the very talented young left wing Jonathan Drouin took - and lost - the most faceoffs for Montreal this season says it all. Phillip Danault is proving to be a good center, but not one that could eventually headline the Habs.

Injuries, a lapse defensive corps, being unable to score and going without a strong center combined for a very poor season from the Canadiens. So, can the Habs pick themselves up, dust themselves off, and return to being a contender again next season?

The increasingly strong Atlantic Division

For many years, the Metropolitan Division has been seen as the strongest in the NHL. Now, the Atlantic Division is giving it a run for its money.

Under Bruce Cassidy, the Boston Bruins have re-emerged as legitimate Stanley Cup contenders after appearing to be on the downturn. With a fully fit roster of stars, the Tampa Bay Lightning are favored to go all the way this season. The Toronto Maple Leafs improve year-on-year but are already major threats in the postseason.

While they were down this year, the Ottawa Senators have a strong enough team to bounce back next season, and the Florida Panthers' young and talented team will soon be battling for a playoff place once again. You can see how strong the Atlantic Division has become by the fact that so many fans have backed an Atlantic team with their free bets from Oddschecker to win the Stanley Cup. Based on their showing this year, the Canadiens have a lot to do to step into this crowd and become a Stanley Cup hopeful once again.

If Carey Price puts in the elite-level season that we all know he can, and Shea Weber stays healthy as well, the Habs could challenge for a playoff spot. But, to become sure-fire contenders who can do battle with the Bruins, Bolts, Maple Leafs, and Panthers, some new faces are certainly required.

A big free agency on the horizon

If Marc Bergevin wants to return to postseason relevance next season, he has the perfect free agency to do just that. Montreal's biggest needs are in defense and up the middle. Thanks to shifting most of the weighty salary of Tomas Plekanec, Montreal will have a nice amount of cap space to fill. The center position is headlined by a huge name, with some other strong options also set to be available, while there is an ocean of worthy defenseman set to be swimming around the free agency.

After missing the playoffs for the sixth time in his nine-year career, John Tavares could be seeking pastures new in the summer. He has been tight-lipped about his expiring contract and will be receiving some huge offers if the New York Islanders can't persuade him to stay. He is exactly what the Canadiens need, but as a franchise player, he won't come cheap. Plus, the Habs are already overpaying on a fair few contracts. Paul Stastny is another very strong - but probably quite expensive - option while the likes of Henrik Sedin and Joe Thornton could work wonders in the short term as the go-to centers.

If Montreal don't come out of the summer with one or two decent defensemen signed up, it should be seen as a huge missed opportunity. These are just a few of the great defenseman who could be free agents this summer and could vastly improve Montreal's blueline: Mike Green, Thomas Hickey, Ian Cole, Luca Sbisa, Calvin de Haan, Roman Polak, Jack Johnson, and Luke Schenn. Then, of course, the elite-level John Carlson could be available as well.

The free agency isn't short of natural goal scorers either. Evander Kane, James van Riemsdyk, Michael Grabner, James Neal, Thomas Vanek, Rick Nash, and David Perron could all be ready to negotiate.

The Montreal Canadien could make a splash this summer with the free agency filled to brim with the players that they need. This way, the Habs could get back to contending for a playoff spot while simply waiting for their class of '18 to develop.

Habs looking to bolster their prospect pool

Montreal's prospect pool is rather weak right now - most likely in the bottom five in the NHL. Teenage center Ryan Poehling is progressing well, and Nikita Scherbak has bettered his work ethic to become a top prospect in the organization. Noah Juulsen isn't far from stepping up to the big leagues either. But, there isn't a particularly exciting prospect in the pool that can also help to fill a team need right now.

Luckily, the Habs have their first-round pick, a mighty four in the second round - two of which will be quite high - their third-round pick, and three in the fourth round. Given their final standing, the Montreal picks could hold immense value. Given Buffalo's tragic luck in the draft lottery, the Habs must favor their chances of landing a top-five selection.

Defenseman Rasmus Dahlin is the ultimate prize of the 2018 NHL Draft and has been hailed as a potential franchise player. Fellow Swedish defenseman Adam Boqvist also comes in as an exciting blueline prospect slated to go in the top-five. As for some scoring and playmaking flair, the likes of Andrei Svechnikov, Filip Zadina, and Oliver Wahlstrom have all proven to know exactly how to light the lamp.

In this draft, the Montreal Canadiens could pick up an exciting player who could improve the team within the next two years. Then, who they select in the second, third and fourth rounds, could garner a steady line of decent players over the years to come. If selected well, this draft could take the Montreal prospect pool from ranking in the bottom five to standing firm in the top ten.

It may have been a sub-par season for the Habs, but even without playoff hockey, this summer is set to be a very exciting one. With so many picks in the draft and a free agency that looks to be tailor-made to suit Montreal's needs, Marc Bergevin could greatly improve the team all the way through before embarking on a potentially hope-filled 2018-19 campaign.

Then again, it's been a while since the Canadiens went big in the free agency.

 

This could be the summer Montreal has long been waiting for to History of Hockey