I think like that, the team would fight against Ottawa and Buffalo for 5th in the division

Yet your powerful offensive team couldn't beat us once this season with almost that exact lineup!

I don't think Hudon gets more then 900k and Juulsen probably gets about the same on a 2 year prove it type of deal. As for the lines, barring any trades or signings I think it would be more like

Tatar-Suzuki-Gallagher
Drouin-Kotkaniemi-Domi
Lehkonen-Danault-Armia
Byron-Evans-Weal
Unless Poehling or another forward pushes for a roster spot out of camp.

Chiarot-Weber
Mete-Petry
Romanov-Juulsen
Kulak
Are the most likely D pairings again unless someone like Norlinder or Fleury push for a spot

Obviously Price is the starter but I can see Demchenko as the backup as both Lindgren and McNiven have shown they are not capable.

Any team with Danault as a first line center is terrible.

Danault is a 55 point, two-way center that can get a couple Selke votes, eat minutes, play special teams and be a leader in the room. He isn’t the ideal 1C, but he is an amazing 2C and having him as a 1C until our young guys step in isn’t that bad. Kotkaniemi or Suzuki will eventually take his spot.

Your reasoning is what makes Habs a non playoff team. Can you imagine the offensive output Gallagher and Tatar would have playing with a real 1st line center? Use picks, prospects, Domi and our cap to improve Habs now.

Did Toronto finish the season third and the Habs 5th, or am I wrong? I don't think they are better than Toronto and Florida, leave alone Boston or Tampa. Buffalo was finishing with 3 points less but also two games left and Ottawa is a young team.

So why should it be wrong to say that they are going to compete for 5th place?

Does TO not have one of the best top 6 forward groups in the league or am I wrong? Did Montreal not beat TO 3 out of 3 times this season or am I wrong? Did Montreal not have one of the top 10 teams in goals for at 5 on 5 for the second year in a row or am I wrong? Also Montreal's average player age is 28.2 while Ottawa's is 28.5 so the Habs are the younger team there.

When everyone was healthy at the beginning of this season Montreal was actually fighting with Boston, Tampa and Toronto for top of the East for like 2 months then injuries happened and 2 8 game losing streaks and Montreal was still fighting with Toronto for 3rd at the all star break. There is no reason to think that Montreal couldn't be in the top 3 again next year barring any injuries!

Do points only count when Montreal and Montreal are facing each other or do wins against all teams count? Am I wrong that under that assumption Toronto ended up with 81 points, while Montreal ended up with 71 (6 against the Leafs included). The season before the Leafs ended up with 100 points, while the Habs ended up with 96 and the season before the Leafs ended up with 105 and Montreal with 71.

Ottawa is going to add 3 young players in the first round this season, two of them will be top 5 picks. Also, they have 4 picks in the second round that offers them a lot of options. The main players in Ottawa are all 25 or younger.

Well, players get hurt, that happens to all teams (but yes, you have two injury prone veterans in Price and Weber). Not saying Toronto had a good season this seaons, as they even changed their coach. Boston and Tampa are at the moment also out of reach for Toronto.

Well yes of course. Miracles happen. Denmark did not qualify for the football european cup, then there was war in Yugoslavia, Denmark replaced them and won the european cup.