Montreal Canadiens: 3 Keys to Success in 2017-18

The Montreal Canadiens finished first place in the Atlantic Division last season before exiting the playoffs in the first round. These are the three keys to their success in 2017-18.

The Montreal Canadiens took their division by five points last season. They did so on the backs of Max Pacioretty who tied a career best in points. Carey Price who simply continues to be Carey Price. The departed Alexander Radulov Alex Galchenyuk, Paul Byron, and Philip Danault also hit the 40 point mark. On the blue line, Shea Weber lead the way with the also departed Andrei Markov did most of the offensive work from the points.

Montreal enters the 2017-18 season with a talented roster, but one with a few questions. Let’s take a look at what their keys to success are this season.

Plekanec Must Bounce Back

Tomas Plekanec, 34, had an underwhelming season. Although he did miss four games his 28 points were his lowest since his rookie season. It was also a significant drop from the 54 points the year prior. Plekanec’s best days of a player may be behind him but he is still a very good hockey player. Entering a contract year it is in the best interest for him and the team to have a bounce back season.

Plekanec will likely center the third line with Paul Byron and Andrew Shaw which is a pretty solid line. He will also still draw regular special teams time. A bounce back season should be something that Canadiens fans should count on.

Defense Needs to Adjust to Life After Markov

With Andrei Markov and the Canadiens moving on from each other 17 years the blue line has never looked more different. The Canadiens have added Karl Alzner and David Schlemko this offseason. This raises questions about how much the Canadiens transition game may suffer.

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The Canadiens have plenty of power from the point with Shea Weber, the issue is entering the offensive zone to set up. Andrei Markov was very good on the transition being able to carry the puck from the defensive zone to the offensive. Alzner does not really address that need. Schlemko has a decent transition game but cannot log the minutes that Markov did. If the Canadiens are going to have continued success they are going to need to adjust to this loss or be forced to play a lot of dump-and-chase hockey.

The Drouin Effect

When Radulov left for greener pastures in Dallas the Canadiens responded by making a trade for Jonathan Drouin. The Canadiens paid a hefty price to acquire the former third overall pick in 2013 giving up Mikhail Sergachev.

Drouin has all the tools to replace the offense that Radulov produced but has yet to do so in the NHL. He will get plenty of opportunities though, shifting to center and playing in likely every scenario. Drouin isn’t the same type of player as Radulov though, he does not have the same physical toolset.

Next: Canadiens Season Preview

He is not a player who is going to power his way through a defenseman and definitely does not address the Habs continued size issues. The other issue facing Drouin is not all players thrive when they return to play near home. Still, Drouin is a player with a ton of talent who will need to make a big impact this season.