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Poll: Will the Canadiens win the Atlantic Division next season?

Montreal Canadiens v New Jersey Devils

NEWARK, NJ - FEBRUARY 27: (L-R) Shea Weber #6;Max Pacioretty #67 and Alex Galchenyuk #27 of the Montreal Canadiens celebrate Pacioretty’s game tying goal at 19:07 of the third period at the Prudential Center on February 27, 2017 in Newark, New Jersey. The Canadiens defeated the Devils 4-3 in overtime. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

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This post is part of Canadiens Day on PHT...

The Montreal Canadiens had plenty of ups and downs last season, but when it was all said and done, they managed to walk away with the Atlantic Division crown.

Unfortunately for them, that didn’t translate into playoff success, as they were bounced in the opening round by the New York Rangers.

GM Marc Bergevin has made plenty of changes to his roster this summer. To address his team’s lack of scoring, he sent top prospect Mikhail Sergachev to the Lightning for Jonathan Drouin. Although that move leaves them a little thin in the prospect department, adding a local talent like Drouin is huge for Montreal.

The team also acquired David Schlemko from Vegas and they signed Karl Alzner, Mark Streit, Joe Morrow and Ales Hemsky in free agency.

As much as they’ve added some good pieces, they also lost some really good players too. Alex Radulov signed a big free-agent deal with the Dallas Stars, while Andrei Markov and the club couldn’t agree on a new deal which led to the veteran rearguard signing in the KHL.

They also traded Nathan Beaulieu to Buffalo and lost Alexei Emelin in the expansion draft.

We all know about Montreal’s hole down the middle. Alex Galchenyuk spent some time at center last year, but he played as a fourth line left winger in the playoffs. With Tomas Plekanec, Phillip Danault, Torrey Mitchell and Michael McCarron at center, they probably won’t go very far. But if Claude Julien gives Galchenyuk an opportunity to stick there for good, that could pay dividends for the Habs long-term.

Also, the left side of their defense is a bit of a question mark, too. They have Shea Weber and Jeff Petry as their top two options on the right, but a one-two punch of Alzner and Schlemko leaves them a little light at that position.

So, is that roster good enough?

Well, obviously, they still have Carey Price which means anything is possible. But coming away with the division isn’t going to be easy.

Lets size up the competition:

--If the Tampa Bay Lightning can be healthier than they were a year ago (that shouldn’t be too difficult), they’ll be a threat. Having Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov together could lead to a huge jump in the standings for the Bolts.

--The Toronto Maple Leafs’ trio of youngsters (Auston Matthews, William Nylander and Mitch Marner) are all a year older, and that should translate into some form of on-ice success for the team.

--The Ottawa Senators were one goal away from making it to the Stanley Cup Final. Will they take a step back? Maybe, but I’m not counting them out just yet.

--After two years of missing the playoffs, the Bruins played some meaningful games in the spring last year. They’ve got youngsters like Brandon Carlo and Charlie McAvoy that are just about ready to become impact players on their blue line. Add Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak and Tuukka Rask, and you quickly realize the Bruins will not be an easy out.

--Like Tampa, the Florida Panthers had a ton of injuries last season. If Aleksander Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau and company can stay healthy, they’ll also make a run at a playoff spot.

--The Buffalo Sabres might not be ready to challenge for the division just yet, but they’ve added Phil Housley as coach and Jason Botterill as GM. They just need to get some good production behind Jack Eichel.

--The Red Wings saw their 26-year playoff streak come to an end last season, and a trip to the postseason appears to be unlikely in 2017-18. Detroit has some interesting young pieces like Tomas Tatar and Anthony Mantha, but they also have some overpriced veterans.

Alright, it’s your turn to vote. Feel free to leave your opinion in the comments section.

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