NHL Preview: Montreal Canadiens' Questions Answered and More Questions Asked

It looks to be about that time.

It seems that the questions that were asked about the Montreal Canadiens in the summer and preseason have been answered.

They wouldn't be the Habs if they didn't leave us with more questions.

General manager Pierre Gauthier addressed the need of a power forward by signing Erik Cole to a four-year deal. Surprisingly, after jelling with Tomas Plekanec and Michael Cammalleri on the Habs' top line, Cole was taken off in favour of Andrei Kostitsyn.

How long is that going to last?

I'd give it a few shifts.

There were a bunch of questions regarding the Habs defense. Fans wanted to know if the team was going to sign Andrei Markov or James Wisniewski. Markov was, of course, the answer.

Though that was settled, the fact that the Habs went out and signed Chris Campoli due to a "minor" setback in Markov's knee rehab during training camp is a tad unsettling.

How serious is Markov's injury and how long will the talented defenseman be sidelined for?

I can only hope he'll be ready to play in the next couple of weeks.

Gauthier had an opportunity to sign two European defensemen, Alexei Yemelin and Raphael Diaz. Little was know about the Swiss Diaz, but everyone had high hopes for Yemelin and his physical style of play on defense—an area that the Habs haven't really excelled in since the departure of Mike Komisarek.

Yemelin was a disappointment in training camp; Diaz was just the opposite. Diaz will start the season paired with Jaroslav Spacek and Yemelin will be relegated to the press box.

How long before the Russian D-man will suit up and play his first NHL regular season game?

While we're on the topic of defense, Yannick Weber was probably the most disappointing player of all in the Canadiens' training camp. He had expressed his want to only play defense and not be used as a forward. Unfortunately, it looked as if he thought he had already earned a spot on the defensive corps before camp was underway. Weber will be skating as a fourth-line player.

How is that experiment going to work? Will Weber grow disgruntled and ask to be traded? 

I have a feeling that he will.

Gauthier answered the "fourth-line centre" question that we have been asking since July yesterday. I'm not going to ask any questions about Blair Betts because I believe that he's exactly what the Habs needed. Wear and tear or not, he's a perfect fit.

The biggest question heading into the season was obviously regarding Scott Gomez.

Will he have a rebound year?

If preseason is any indication, he will. Gomez looked great in training camp. He had a hunger that we haven't really seen from him.

I think the effort he put in during preseason is a testament to Gomez' desire to bounce back. He's said that he was embarrassed and I'm sure that he'll do anything he can to drastically improve his play from last season.

That said, I haven't seen him play a regular season game yet. I suppose time will tell.

The Canadiens face off against the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight. The game should be intense and a great deal of fun to watch—as Habs-Leafs matchups usually are.

It's the moment you've all been waiting for.

Perhaps some of the questions that I've asked will be answered, but I'm sure more will arise.

Jason is on Twitter: Follow @jhytel