Here’s a small sample of the ESPN review of the Montreal Canadiens by writer E.J. Hradek:
OFFENSE
Quick, the second-most prolific offense in the NHL last season? Probably not too many people would pick Montreal. But the team’s 257 goals were second only to Ottawa’s 258. And that was despite the fact that the Habs didn’t have a skater among the top 10 NHL scorers. But a balanced offense and the NHL’s No. 1-ranked power play (for the second straight season) proved to be a lethal combination.
Still, a second-round playoff loss to the Philadelphia Flyers exposed some holes in that offensive group. Gainey reacted by adding a trio of names: star winger Alex Tanguay, veteran center Robert Lang and, the NHL’s premier tough guy, Georges Laraque. All of which cost nothing in return in terms of roster players. Tanguay and Lang join a talented top-nine forward group that also has Saku Koivu, Guillaume Latendresse, Alexei Kovalev, Tomas Plekanec, Christopher Higgins and the brother act of Andrei and Sergei Kostitsyn. In other words, deep up front.