{allcanada} 3 questions facing Montreal Canadiens

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1. Can they avoid a fourth straight last-place finish in the Atlantic Division?

High expectations are a given in Montreal, but this is a unique period in the storied franchise's history, a painful short-term result of a rebuild.

The Canadiens had 76 points last season, up from 68 in 2022-23 and 55 in 2021-22. They must find a way to move up the standings with no clear-cut opponent to overtake in a highly competitive division.

"I believe in this group so much," defenseman Kaiden Guhle said. "I think we'll be able to make a big splash here in the next year or two and really start to make a push for it."

2. Which defensemen will begin the season in Montreal?

Barring injury or an unforeseen transaction, Guhle, who signed a six-year, $33.3 million contract ($5.55 million average annual value) July 31 to begin in the 2025-26 season, Mike Matheson and David Savard have three spots secured. Nothing else is set in stone after that.

The battle for the remaining spots will be intense. Arber Xhekaj, Justin Barron and Jordan Harris have been staking their claims the past few seasons, and Jayden Struble entered the competition last season. Prospects Lane Hutson (two assists in two games) and Logan Mailloux (one assist in one game) will be given legitimate shots in training camp after impressing in the final games of last season.

David Reinbacher, the No. 5 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, will almost certainly continue his progression in the American Hockey League. He had five points (two goals, three assists) in 11 games for Laval in his North American debut last season after coming over from Switzerland.

"We have a ton of young guys and the future certainly looks bright," Barron said. "I think it's just going to be healthy competition. I know all of them now, they're all great guys. I'm looking forward to getting into camp and competing against them. With that being said, I feel confident in my game and my ability, and I'm trying to come out of that camp with a spot on the roster."

3. Which goalie will lead the way forward?

Sam Montembeault and Cayden Primeau were part of an unwieldy three-man rotation until Jake Allen was traded to New Jersey on March 8. Now, they have a great opportunity to compete for the crease.

Montembeault, 27, is the projected starter. He went 16-15-9 with a 3.14 goals-against-average and .903 save percentage in 41 games (40 starts) last season. Primeau, who turned 25 on Aug. 11, was 8-9-4 with a 2.99 GAA, .910 save percentage and two shutouts in 23 games, making nine of his 21 starts after Allen was traded.

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