NHL Power Rankings: Lightning strikes, Flames burn out
27. Montreal Canadiens (-1)
The Montreal Canadiens are set for a busy offseason. If Montreal wants to capitalize on Carey Price and Shea Weber while they are still playing at a decent level, the Canadiens need to keep building on their core. It has long been rumored that Alex Galchenyuk and Max Pacioretty are available for trade. However, the Canadiens should be looking to build around them instead of selling pieces off. Nikita Scherbak will be an important piece for Montreal next season. He split time in the AHL and NHL this season and played well at both levels. If he can make the full jump next season, Montreal will be a better team
The Canadiens’ week was pretty much status quo for their season so far. They were able to win two games and drop three. They opened with a shutout loss to the Florida Panthers and followed that up with a loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Canadiens then traveled to Buffalo, where they were able to shutout the Sabres before returning to lose to the Washington Capitals. The Canadiens closed out the week with a 4-2 win against the Detroit Red Wings. Montreal’s up and down season has them sitting in 26th place in the standings. The Canadiens will use this offseason to hopefully get healthy and add a few pieces to turn them back into contenders. With five games left, the Canadiens will likely give some of their younger players some games to make a good impression with management to earn a job next season.