Translated and reposted from Le Magazine All Habs. You can find the original article (in French) at our sister site: Une saison estivale aux couleurs de la Coupe Stanley

par Pierrick Cusson, Chroniqueur, Le Magazine All Habs

MONTREAL, QC. — The Montreal Canadiens season has ended, and again its patient fans will wait for a championship, despite an incredible season of 50 wins, 110 points in the standings, and participation in two playoff rounds. The bleu-blanc-rouge campaign for 2014-’15 is now history, and Marc Bergevin’s mandate will be to raise the talent of his team to among the elite clubs of the NHL.

The Canadiens, led by Michel Therrien, counted on a trio of NHL elite players this past season. Carey Price, P.K. Subban and Max Pacioretty form the nucleus for the organization. Few teams in the NHL can boast of having in their ranks: the best goalie in the league, a solid candidate for the Norris Trophy and a potential 40-goal scorer. And this on a team with no first-line center.

A young Brendan Gallagher, Alex Galchenyuk, Nathan Beaulieu, and Lars Eller already add nice depth to the current team. The challenge of Marc Bergevin will be to graft elements,  internally or externally, to continue to advance the organization and routing it to the highest peaks.

It begins in goal with the search for a strong backup for Carey Price. Dustin Tokarski was a revelation in the Spring of 2013-’14 only to disappoint this past season.  It’s safe to say that Tokarski’s job is not guaranteed next fall. Mike Condon of the Hamilton Bulldogs (now St. John’s IceCaps) will likely challenge him next season for the alternate position. Otherwise Bergevin could try to turn to an experienced goalkeeper to ease the task for Price.

Defensively P.K. Subban, Nathan Beaulieu, Andrei Markov, Alexei Emelin and Tom Gilbert are still under contract for next season. The challenge of Bergevin will be to sign unrestricted free agent Jeff Petry at a cap-friendly wage.  Beaulieu and former first round pick Jarred Tinordi should be re-signed. The Habs have good depth at this level and have already confirmed that Mike Weaver, and Sergei Gonchar will not be back for another season.

Young Greg Pateryn has shown encouraging signs, and he can clearly claim the position of 6th or 7th defenceman. Darren Dietz, could be a surprise coming our of training camp.

As GM Bergevin puts together the pieces of the organizational puzzle, a key to the increase in offensive production is the permanent transition of Alex Galchenyuk to the center position as he is clearly the most offensively talented player on the team. Although Bergevin has declared that the young phenom will perhaps never be a leading center in the National League, the fact remains that no.27 has all the tools to make prove his general-manager wrong. I would not rule out trading Galchenyuk since, as a restricted free agent, he will have to be re-signed. In 13 games at center position this season, Galchenyuk tallied 10 points.

The Canadiens should therefore find buyers for players like Tomas Plekanec, David Desharnais and search for a 70-point center. Lars Eller has proven in the last quarter of the season that he can play very well on the third trio, and can lead the second line occasionally. Charles Hudon, who had an excellent first season as a pro with the Hamilton Bulldogs could be a nice callup at times next season, but must continue his learning and progression in the AHL (which will be located in St. John’s.) Torrey Mitchell and Jacob De LaRose are capable of manning the fourth line center position. For De La Rose, he may also evolve as a winger on the 3rd or 4th line.

The first line left wing position belongs to Max Pacioretty and on the right flank it will be Brendan Gallagher.  The problem is the talent gap on the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th line at either wing position. P.A. Parenteau has proven in the past that he can fill in on the second trio on the right side at times.  Consistency and work ethic have always been the weak links in his game.  Devante Smith-Pelly could evolve into a regular third-liner. Dale Weise is an excellent choice for the fourth line and we have seen that he can provide valuable service for brief periods  during a game or as an injury fill-in during the season.

Michael Bournival and Brandon Prust will compete for the positions of 3rd and 4th line left winger in training camp. Fans routinely as the question: ‘Will the organization’s young players be able to earn a spot with the big club next season?’ Nikita Sherbak, Sven Andrighetto and Charles Hudon will compete for these openings.

Will the Canadiens look outside the organization to add some scoring help? An unrestricted free agent like Justin Williams of the Los Angeles Kings might be an interesting option towards  improving the team. Williams could provide leadership and has been able to raise his game during the playoffs. He could fill a gap on the wing while waiting for the progress of the prospects.

In short, the Habs are a few pieces away from being ready to hoist the Stanley Cup.  Marc Bergevin must make every effort to bring his team into the podium next season, and challenge for the Cup for the next two to three seasons. Marc Bergevin has delivered fans a minimum of two playoff rounds over the past two seasons, and now must focus on making the Canadiens a serious contender for the Stanley Cup.

The transition is over!