BT's 2008/09 NHL Season Preview: The Montreal Canadiens

As far as defense goes, the Habs are the precise picture of last season.

Andrei Markov is back as the leader on the back end. With 32 powerplay points and 59 points overall last season, he looks like the premier offensive threat from Montreal's defense. Markov's skating has really propelled him towards the upper-echelon of NHL rearguards, and if he can really lock it down in his own end this season, Markov is set.

One of the signings from last season that received a bit of a stranger reception was the Roman Hamrlik signing. No one thought that he would reproduce his 38-points in Calgary from 2006/07, and people wondered why. But now that Mark Streit is gone, Hamrlik will be given a bit of an expanded role, and the experience he brings is invaluable. Granted Hamrlik is a little older and may be inching towards losing a few steps, but I certainly wouldn't be against him this season.

Mike Komisarek has really started to evolve into a solid defense option on the back-end for Montreal. Although he can chip in with timely offense (19 and 17 points the past two seasons), Komisarek's defensive proficiency and his size make him one the better defensive defensemen that nobody seems to know about. Granted, not many people know many defensive defensemen.

Francis Bouillon has turned into a solid contributor over the past few years for the Habs, and if he can combined his improvements on defense from last season (+9) to some of his offensive showings from season past, the Canadiens could have a solid 20-point player with some steady showings in his own end.

Both Mathieu Dandenault and Patrice Brisebois offer up some solid depth and experience for the Habs. Brisebois is just 53 games away from 1000 for his career, while Dandenault has three cup rings to his credit from his time in Detroit and has spent some time on the right wing. Rounding out the depth, Josh Gorges and Ryan O'Byrne will offer some solid options at the bottom of the rotation.

So what does it all mean?

Although Carey Price may suffer a bit of a sophomore slump, there isn't much else to doubt when it comes to the Canadiens.

The surprising squad who decided to take on all comers in their ascension of the Northeast division returns fully intact, ready for their defense, and prepared to bring the Canadiens their 25th cup in 100 years.

If it happens, that's once every four years for those who like the laws of averages.

And the Leafs haven't even made the finals since '67....makes me think the Penguins from Madagascar had it easier when they showed up in Antarctica.

"Well this sucks..."

1st in Northeast

And now, with a bit of a different perspective, Miah D. and her Community Leader View from the Pressbox:

Along with the article, here are a few things that might interest you about the Canadiens:

-After shedding some excess weight as requested by the organization, Carey Price is moving better in the crease and feels better after the games.

-Alex Tanguay IS expected to suit up alongside Saku Koivu

-Andrei Kostitsyn, Kovalev, and Plekanec should be expected to be back together. The coach said it wasn't necessary yet to break the winning line at the star of the season,
but the other possibility is to have Lang and Kovalev on the same line. They played together in Pittsburgh in 2001, and they both had their career highs playing with each other.

-Mathieu Dandenault played as a right wing most part of last season due to the traffic on the blue line; the problem for him now is that there is also traffic on the forwards sitation! The Habs said they were not going to trade him...yet...

-Both Kovalev and Koivu will be coming to the end of their contracts this year. That may create some sparkle in their performance.

Tomorrow...whoever's going to be second in the Northeast!

Bryan Thiel is a Senior Writer and an NHL Community Leader for Bleacher Report. You can get in contact with Bryan through his profile, and you can also read all of his previous work in his archives.

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