Injuries completely derailed the Montreal Canadiens’ 2015-16 season with no player’s absence being felt over Carey Price’s. The Habs netminder was coming off the best season of his career — winning the Vezina, Hart and Ted Lindsay at the 2014-15 year — and appeared excellent to initiate the year before a knee injury sidelined him.
Cost looked great during the World Cup of Hockey and should be back to full strength for the Canadiens. The company realized that accidents were not the sole issue and made several shrewd moves that could help bolster a power-play unit which ranked 25th last season.
The team traded away beloved PK Subban to get Shea Weber in hopes that his booming shot will raise the special teams. The Canadiens also attracted Andrew Shaw’s crease presence aboard as well as KHL standout — and after highly touted NHL potential — Alexander Radulov to increase production on the power play.
All importantly, there hasn’t been a huge quantity of roster change to the 2014-15 Canadiens lineup which won the Atlantic Division and a playoff series. Hopes are high for the Bleu, Blanc et Rouge entering this season and the fans will be quick to call for heads to roll if the team starts to struggle.
Stanley Cup +2500
After launching last year with nine consecutive wins, the injury bug hit the Canadiens. The group slowly fell apart and younger players were thrust to the lineup before they were necessarily prepared. Ultimately, that the Habs missed the playoffs and it was not even close.
Despite the negativity surrounding last season, there have been several positives to remove. Youngsters Sven Andrighetto, Jacob De La Rose and Daniel Carr all looked to be ready to perform with the big club, which should help provide some energy to the bottom-six forwards. If those younger gamers reveal growth and high scorers such as Max Pacioretty and Alex Galchenyuk continue to play with their ability, then the Canadiens could be prepped for a deep playoff run.
Plus — — a healthful Price means the entire world.
Eastern Conference +1200
Montreal has been the bride at the Eastern Conference. The Canadiens have found themselves losing in the conference finals in two of the previous six seasons — although being discharged in relatively simple fashion on both occasions.
The East has several powerful teams on top, as the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals are always Cup contenders while the Florida Panthers, New York Rangers and Tampa Bay Lightning are three of the toughest outs in the league.
From a casual perspective, it is difficult to lay +1200 on a team that missed the playoffs by such a wide margin last season, but this team could compete with the best in the conference. The Canadiens deserve to have similar odds to teams such as the Detroit Red Wings and New York Islanders — both of which made the playoffs last year.
Atlantic Division +700
The Atlantic Division may be a crapshoot, to be honest. The Lightning are rightfully the hefty faves to win the branch, but you may easily see the Panthers, Bruins or even Canadiens claiming the crown.
Since the formation of the Atlantic three seasons ago, the Habs have finished third, first and sixth, respectively. Expect to find the team closer to the first two seasons than the latter. The Habs could be competitive against the best teams in the division, but they will need to distinguish themselves from the bottom. The Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators consistently play the Canadiens demanding, but Montreal must take advantage of playing those teams so often.
Season Factors OVER/UNDER 95.5
Montreal easily surpassed this number in the two 2013-14 and 2014-15 by posting 100 and 110 points, respectively. This year’s club should play much similar to this than the group that has a measly 82 points last season.
It might take the team some time to jell again with various bits so attaining the 100-point plateau may be difficult, but they should have the ability to transcend the 95.5 markers as long as they remain healthy.

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