Have the Canadiens done enough?

[yave1964]

 Have the Montreal Canadiens done enough to enter the conversation when one brings up the favorites in the East?

 

  Let us start by assuming that Carey Price is going to return healthy enough. Their is nothing to talk about if the combo of Budaj and Devan Dubnyk are in net.

  They went out and:

 

Added Thomas Vanek without giving up a roster player.

 

Galchenyuk is returned healthy and looking sharp.

 

Mike Weaver, a bottom pair penalty killing d-man came aboard for depth.

 

   Vanek makes the top six better, Galchenyuk should fit nicely on the third line and may push Gionta. The lines as I see them:

 

Pacioretty       Plekanec     Vanek

 

Gallagher       Desharnais  Gionta

 

Brierre            Eller             Galchenyuk

 

So three lines that can score, with Price in net and solid Markov, Emelin  Subban and Gorges making the top four on defense do they have enough to enter the favorites in the East alongside Pittsburgh and Boston?

 

  I think they might have. Brendan Gallagher is one of my favorite players, a hard driving kid who never gives an inch, can back check like a ten year pro and knows his way around the net with good speed. If they run Pacioretty and Plekanec with Vanek that is a very solid top line.

  Yes, in my opinion barring a long term loss of Carey Price this club is among the top three in the East,

 

 

[flyercanuck]

I still think they're too small up front to do a lot of damage in the playoffs. They'll go as far as Price can carry them. I think they'll be lucky to win a round.

[AJgoal]

As it stands right now, they play Toronto in the first round, though Tampa could easily leapfrog TO into the third spot, one point back with two games in hand. I think Toronto is the tougher out for Montreal, I really thought that they might have ended up being the team to acquire Kesler.

 

I don't know how Tampa is going to do without MSL. Stamkos will score, but I never saw him as the playmaker that would make the guys around him better. And when he still has the team's 5th best goal total after missing 30ish games (well, 4th now that MSL is gone), I just don't see where they're going to put up enough points to make noise this year.

 

I think they win a round if they play Tampa, not if they play TO. After that, they'll get run over by the Bruins.

[flyercanuck]

@AJgoal

 

 St. Louis wanted out, there's not much Tampa could do. I guess they could have waited until this season is over, but to me the Rangers blew them away with an offer.

 

 Next year Drouin will step in. He may not be Marty, but he's about as close as you can get for a prospect.

[AJgoal]

FC, I understand all of that - was just considering what it meant in the context of Montreal's ability to advance in the playoffs this year.

 

Interestingly enough, if they somehow miss the playoffs? They get their second round pick back from the NYI.

[flyercanuck]

@AJgoal

 

 The Leafs are a big? IMO. They're sitting about the same as Philly, but they started with about a 20 point lead on us. And they get outplayed almost every single game. Bernier or Reimer keep them in games, and Kessel/JVR/Bozak score timely goals. But they aren't a very good 'team".

[jammer2]

  Man oh man, would a 1st round Montreal vs Toronto series ever be great for the game!!!