The Montreal Canadiens took a dramatic step forward in 2013, finishing with the second-best record in the Eastern Conference one year after finishing with the worst record in the conference, and that success raises expectations for the future. Off-Season Game Plan looks at a Canadiens team that has been re-energized by young talent and should have a lot of continuity going into next season. One of the most remarkable facets of Montreals success last season is that they finished with such a strong record despite subpar goaltending. ranking 18th in team save percentage. Its not that a team cant win without good goaltending, but Montreal has been built, to some degree, on the premise that Carey Price would provide above-average puck stopping and thats not what made the difference. Rather, it was dramatically improved puck possession (from 27th to sixth in Fenwick Close) that indicated the Canadiens were driving play in the right direction and, as such, their improvement shouldnt be dismissed as the result of luck or good fortune in the land of shooting and save percentages. Canadiens owner Geoff Molson is understandably positive about the turn in the Canadiens results, telling the Montreal Gazette, "We went a long way toward building for the future. Were headed in the right direction." Molson also praised GM Marc Bergevin, giving him full credit for the Canadiens improvement. There is definitely a different feeling with the Canadiens under Bergevins regime. That may be due to a successful team, but there appears to be progress and now the Canadiens get to deal with the challenge any successful enterprise and that is meeting raised expectations in the future. The TSN.ca Rating is an efficiency rating based on per-game statistics including goals and assists -- weighted for strength (ie. power play, even, shorthanded) -- plus-minus, hits, blocked shots, giveaways, takeaways, penalty differential and faceoffs. (Stats are listed in this format: G-A-PTS, +/-, PIM, GP). Generally, a replacement-level player is around a 60, a top six forward and top four defenceman will be 70-plus, stars will be over 80 and MVP candidates could go over 90. Sidney Crosby finished at the top of the 2013 regular season ratings with a 93.65. Salary cap information all comes from the indispensable www.capgeek.com. GM/COACHMarc Bergevin/Michel Therrien Returning Forwards Player Rating GP G A PTS +/- Cap Hit Max Pacioretty 78.08 44 15 24 39 +8 $4.5M Brendan Gallagher 72.44 44 15 13 28 +10 $870K Tomas Plekanec 70.59 47 14 19 33 +3 $5.0M Lars Eller 69.63 46 8 22 30 +8 $1.325M Brian Gionta 68.06 48 14 12 26 +3 $5.0M Rene Bourque 68.04 27 7 6 13 -1 $3.333M Alex Galchenyuk 67.65 48 9 18 27 +14 $3.225M David Desharnais 65.67 48 10 18 28 -2 $3.5M Brandon Prust 63.15 38 5 9 14 +11 $2.5M Travis Moen 54.01 45 2 4 6 -4 $1.85M Free Agent Forwards Player Rating GP G A PTS +/- Class 12-13 Cap Hit Michael Ryder 71.35 46 16 19 35 +2 UFA $3.5M Ryan White 55.74 26 1 0 1 +1 RFA $688K Colby Armstrong 55.23 37 2 3 5 +1 UFA $1.0M Jeff Halpern 54.20 46 1 2 3 -8 UFA $700K Petteri Nokelainen UFA $575K Canadiens Forwards Usage Chart from somekindofninja.com He may not be known widely as a star, but Max Pacioretty has been playing at that level over the past two seasons. Hes eighth in shots on goal (449) and shots per game (3.65), while hes tied for 16th with 48 goals. Additonally, Pacioretty has sensational puck possession stats over the last three seasons, so hes not arriving at these scoring results by accident. Hes a big body who can skate and takes the puck to the net, making him a vital part of Montreals attack. Starting the season as a healthy scratch when he wasnt on the fourth line, Brendan Gallagher quickly ascended in the lineup, forcing his way into a more prominent role by scoring goals (he ultimately tied Pacioretty for the team lead with 15). Though hes only 5-foot-8, Gallagher is sturdy, goes to the hard areas necessary to score and had strong possession numbers as a rookie. Hes a fifth-round steal already, but can he build on his strong rookie campaign? Over the last four seasons, Tomas Plekanec ranks fifth among all centres in ice time, playing in all situations, with a decidedly defensive focus, based on zone starts and matchups, compared to some of the other big-minute centres in the league. At the same time, over the last four years, his 212 points ranks 18th among centres, so hes a very effective two-way performer. 2013 was a breakout season for Lars Eller, who scored a career-high 30 points, in only 46 games, though it ended with a bang when he was knocked out by Senators defenceman Eric Gryba in the playoffs. Presuming that hes recovered and fully healthy for next season, Eller is a valuable piece to have, a big body with enough skill to provide secondary scoring down the middle. In Brian Giontas first season with the Habs, 2009-2010, he had 46 points in 61 games (0.75 ppg), scoring at a rate similar to his previous four years in New Jersey (0.80 ppg). Since then, Gionta has 87 points in 161 games (0.54 ppg) and, now that hes 34, its looking less likely that he will reverse that trend. The drop in scoring rate comes primarily in assists, however, as Gionta does have a team-leading 79 goals over the course of four seasons with the Canadiens. Since he was acquired from Calgary, in exchange for Michael Cammalleri, Rene Bourque has managed 21 points in 65 games for the Canadiens, calling into question the wisdom of committing to paying him for three more seasons. With unlimited compiance buyouts, Bourque might be a candidate to be cut loose, but Montreal has already used one on Scott Gomez and figures to use another on Tomas Kaberle and that will take care of the two that teams have at their disposal. So, if Bourque is going to stick around, he needs to provide some offence go along with his big body. Over the last five seasons, Bourque has scored 100 goals, so something like his 20-goal average over that span would be most helpful. The NHL lockout probably worked in favour of last summers third overall pick, Alex Galchenyuk. After his 2011-2012 season was limited to just two regular season and six playoff games, Galchenyuk returned to Sarnia of the Ontario Hockey League and shredded the league, scoring 61 points in 33 games, before the NHL lockout ended, at which point Galchenyuk was in fine form and he earned a spot on the team a month before his 19th birthday. Montreal kept Galchenyuk under wraps, for the most part, playing a modest 12:19 per game, but he was put in position to have success in those minutes and he showed both puck skills and a shot that indicate he will be a first-line scorer before long. Following his breakthrough 2011-2012 season, David Desharnais saw his production and ice time dip last season. The challenge going forward will be finding enough ice time down the middle for Plekanec, Eller, Galchenyuk and Desharnais. At the moment, time on the wing for some is about the only workable way to go about it. Brought in to add toughness to the Canadiens lineup, Brandon Prust came as advertised. Hes had 89 fights over the last five seasons, answering the bell against the leagues toughest customers, but hes also capable of playing a regular shift. In the last four seasons, Prust has 74 points, is plus-21 and has accrued 589 penalty minutes, making Prust one of five players to have 70 points and 500 penalty minutes over the last four seasons. Montreal invested in Travis Moen for another four years (at $1.85-million per) prior to last sason and then he ended up playing his fewest minutes per game (11:39) since 2005-2006. Since the price tag isnt changing, Moen needs to re-establish his physical game to provide better bang for the buck. An agitator with 182 penalty minutes in 89 career games, Ryan White crosses the line on occasion and gets time in the press box to smarten up, but hes 25-years-old and should be able to provide fourth-line energy without going overboard. The Canadiens dont have a lot of holes up front, and they can fill out depth spots with restricted free agents like Ryan White and Gabriel Dumont if they choose not to dip into the unrestricted free agent market for that need, but there is enough room to spend on a high-quality scoring forward, effectively to replace Michael Ryder. Patrik Elias and Jaromir Jagr are nearing the end, but both have remained productive in recent seasons, so might fit alongside Tomas Plekanec. Otherwise, power forwards like Ryane Clowe or Nathan Horton could also be appealing options for a Canadiens team that could always use more size up front. Returning Defence Player Rating GP G A PTS +/- Cap Hit P.K. Subban 83.59 42 11 27 38 +12 $2.875M Raphael Diaz 72.24 23 1 13 14 +4 $1.225M Tomas Kaberle 68.71 10 0 3 3 +4 $4.25M Alexei Emelin 67.54 38 3 9 12 +2 $2.0M Davis Drewiske 65.37 9 1 2 3 0 $638K Josh Gorges 65.45 48 2 7 9 +4 $3.9M Andrei Markov 64.13 48 10 20 30 -9 $5.75M Francis Bouillon 63.10 48 1 8 9 +4 $1.5M Free Agent Defence Player Rating GP G A PTS +/- Class 12-13 Cap Hit Yannick Weber 63.45 6 0 2 2 -1 RFA $850K Canadiens Defence Usage Chart from somekindofninja.com Montreal took a hard line in their negotiations with P.K. Subban, eventually agreeing to a new contract after the season had started, under the premise that if he played well, his next contract would provide the opportunity for a big long-term deal. Having just wrapped up a Norris-Trophy-winning season, its safe to say that Subban is doing his part, playing at a very high level, to earn the accolades and pay cheque that come with being a star. One expectation, going forward, for Subban is that he handle tougher assignments, because he was protected in the manner in which he was used last season. Nevertheless, that usage also allowed Subban to dominate. Since 2000, there have been 10 seasons (two for Nicklas Lidstrom, two for Mike Green, single seasons for Al MacInnis, Chris Pronger, Sergei Zubov and Erik Karlsson) in which a defenceman scored 0.90 points per game or more and finished plus-10 or better, a list that added Subban and Pittsburghs Kris Letang in 2013. A concussion robbed Raphael Diaz of half the season and he struggled after coming back late in the season (and into the playoff) but, with 30 points in 82 career games, the 27-year-old is making his mark as a puck-moving defenceman. Hell need to improve his puck possession stats if hes going to have long-term viability playing 22 minutes a night like he did from the beginning of February through the playoffs last season. Since he was traded out of Toronto, Tomas Kaberles career descent has been rapid, reaching the point last season when he essentially wasnt trusted in the lineup. He played 13:33 per game in 10 of 48 games. While Kaberle had good shot differentials in those 10 games, his usage depicted a player that the team wouldnt trust with anything but easy matchups starting in the offensive zone. For that reason, its hard to imagine any resolution but using a compliance buyout on the final year of Kaberles deal in order to free up additional salary cap room. A much-needed physical presence on the Canadiens blueline, Alexei Emelin made nice progress in his second NHL season, handling more difficult matchups and playing an extra couple minutes per game more than in his rookie season. However, Emelins season ended when he tore his ACL trying to hit Bruins winger Milan Lucic, so now its going to be a matter of when Emelin is ready to return to game action. The initial prognosis was a six-month recovery time, which would peg Emelins return next season sometime around late November. Picked up from Los Angeles, Davis Drewiske inked a two-year contract extension, which will suit him in a role as a seventh defenceman. Hes a no-frills defensive defenceman who is limited, but safe. Andrei Markov finally stayed healthy, playing more than 24 minutes in all 48 games last season, and his 30 points tied for fourth among defencemen, but thats not the whole picture of Markovs game. 23 of those 30 points came on the power play, so hes still stellar with the man advantage, but seven even-strength points in 48 games matched the production of such luminaries as Anton Stralman, Chris Butler and Keith Aulie. At 34-years-old and coming off a series of injuries, Markov has lost a step, but that doesnt mean he cant be a quality part of the Montreal defence; it could be judicious to manage his minutes to allow him to be more effective at even strength. A fire hydrant on skates, Francis Bouillon returned to Montreal and provided reliable third-unit work on the blueline at a reasonable price. Knee injuries and a deep blueline depth chart limited Yannick Weber to six games last season. The 24-year-old has played 115 NHL games in his career, and while hes skilled and mobile, he has yet to establish himself as a regular in the top six on the Montreal a blueline, a job that only gets harder to achieve as younger options become available. In Montreals case, they have both a shutdown defenceman, Jarred Tinordi, and puck-mover, Nathan Beaulieu, on the verge of making the club. Returning Goaltenders Player Rating GP W L OTL GAA SV% Cap Hit Carey Price 66.12 39 21 13 4 2.59 .905 $6.5M Peter Budaj 63.88 30 17 9 4 2.11 .927 $1.4M Through the end of February, Carey Price was playing to a typical high level, with a .925 save percentage in 16 games, before the roof caved in on his season, starting with allowing seven goals against Pittsburgh on March 2. From that point on, Price had an .891 save percentage and then was up and down in the playoffs against Ottawa. While he has the pedigree to be an elite puck-stopper, 25-year-old Price still has to put it together. Since he arrived in the league, in 2007, Price has a .915 save percentage, which isnt bad, but it ranks 15th among goalies with at least 200 games played. Used sparingly in a backup role seems to fit with Peter Budaj, who has been decent when his playing time is limited. In two years with the Canadiens, he has a .912 save percentage in 30 games. Yet, in any single season in which hes played more than 30 games, his best save percentage has been .905. Essentially, it appears that less is more when it comes to Budaj, limiting his exposure. Top Prospects Player Pos. Team/League Stats Nathan Beaulieu D Hamilton (AHL) 7-24-31, -8, 67 GP Jarred Tinordi D Hamilton (AHL) 2-11-13, -14, 67 GP Sebastian Collberg RW Frolunda (SEL) 6-3-9, even, 35 GP Danny Kristo RW North Dakota (WCHA) 26-26-52, +17, 40 GP Charles Hudon LW Chicoutimi (QMJHL) 30-41-71, +15, 56 GP Michael Bournival LW Hamilton (AHL) 10-20-30, -3, 69 GP Darren Dietz D Saskatoon (WHL) 24-34-58, +9, 72 GP Magnus Nygren D Farjestads (SEL) 13-19-32, +11, 51 GP Gabriel Dumont C Hamilton (AHL) 16-15-31, -2, 55 GP Tim Bozon LW Kamloops (WHL) 36-55-91, +37, 69 GP The 17th overall pick in 2011, Nathan Beaulieu finished well in his first pro season, with 15 points and a plus-6 rating in his last 16 games and its his offensive potential that will give him a chance to be an impact player in the NHL. Beaulieu got into six games with the Canadiens last season and didnt look out of place, so he could be ready for a longer look next season. 6-foot-6 Jarred Tinordi may be closer to the NHL than Beaulieu, having played eight regular season and five playoff games last season, and generally playing well in limited ice time. His physical game is what will, in time, make him a shutdown presence. Drafted in the second round last summer, 19-year-old Sebastian Collberg is a skilled forward who could use more ice time than hes been getting in the Swedish Elite League and joined Hamilton for a couple of games late in the season. A smallish but very productive winger, Danny Kristo scored 97 points in 82 games over his last two seasons at North Dakota. Hell likely need some time in the American Hockey League (where he had three assists in nine games at the end of the season), but if his speed and playmaking translate to the pro game, hell be a scoring option. Taken in the fifth-round in the 2012 draft, Charles Hudon is a talented but undersized player who has elevated his production in each of his junior seasons, and got a taste of AHL action (three points, minus-5 in nine games) at seasons end. A solid two-way forward, Michael Bournival has speed, blue-collar approach and, perhaps offensive limitations, to be a checker at the next level. Nothing wrong with a reliable top-nine forward. Not only does right-shooting Darren Dietz make a good first pass and offer a big shot from the blueline, but he plays an aggressive physical game. The Habs blueline isnt in urgent need right now, so the 2011 fifth-rounder should have a few years to develop further. 23-year-old Magnus Nygren is coming off a strong season in the Swedish Elite League that helped the offensive rearguard earn a free agent contract. Again, Montreals defence isnt desperate for a puck-moving addition, but Nygren does add depth and could force a decision if he has a smooth transition to North American next season. A small and scrappy forward, Gabriel Dumont was useful in his 10 games played with the Canadiens last season, getting into three more in the playoffs. If he could use his speed to create at least a little offensively, he could add value on the lower half of the forward depth chart. Tim Bozon is a skilled forward who has 72 goals in his first two WHL seasons. The 2012 third-round pick plays a well-rounded game and, with time, may be a candidate for a place on a scoring line. Montreal has several other AHL prospects to keep on the radar, including forwards Patrick Holland, Louis LeBlanc and Joonas Nattinen as well as goalie Dustin Tokarski, who finished the year impressively (.927 SV% in 15 GP) for Hamilton. DRAFT25th - Frederik Gauthier, Nicolas Petan, Kerby Rychel. FREE AGENCYAccording to www.capgeek.com, the Canadiens have approximately $60.7M committed to the 2013-2014 salary cap for 21 players. Check out my possible Canadiens lineup for next season on Cap Geek here. Needs: One top nine forward, depth forwards.What I said the Canadiens needed last year: One top six forward, one top nine forward, one top four defenceman.They added: Brendan Gallagher, Alex Galchenyuk, Brandon Prust, Colby Armstrong, Francis Bouillon. TRADE MARKETRene Bourque, David Desharnais, Travis Moen, Ryan White, Yannick Weber. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. Terrell Owens Jersey . 10 VCU 85-67 on Thursday night at the Puerto Rico Tip-Off. The Seminoles (4-0) have scored at least 80 points in each of their games. Tim Rattay Jersey . Marincin has played in two NHL games so far this season with two penalty minutes. The 21-year-old has three goals, four assists and a plus-5 rating in 24 games with the American Hockey Leagues Oklahoma City Barons this season. http://www.custompatriotsjersey.com/ . Darren Helm scored on Detroits sixth attempt in the shootout and then Jonas Gustavsson stopped Andrew Shaws shot, lifting the Detroit Red Wings to a 5-4 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday night. Larry Allen Jersey . Scott won the Australian PGA last week in his first event in Australia since winning the U.S. Masters in April. American Matt Kuchar, ahead by two strokes with four to play and even with Scott with one to go, double-bogeyed the 18th after taking two shots to get out of a bunker. Ronnie Lott Jersey . Wilson hit Schenn from behind during Tuesday nights game in Philadelphia, earning a five-minute major for charging and a game misconduct. He has a phone hearing with the department of player safety, which limits any potential suspension to five or fewer games. WASHINGTON -- Rain is in the forecast on Thursday afternoon as the Washington Nationals are slated to host the Arizona Diamondbacks in the finale of the four-game series.If the game is not played there is always a chance Arizona would have to return to Washington and play Monday if the game has a bearing on who gets the homefield edge in the playoffs between the Nationals and Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS that begins October 7.Washington, which lost 3-0 on Wednesday in a game called due to rain in the sixth, was two games ahead of the Dodgers going into play Wednesday. The Dodgers hold the edge in the tiebreaker since they went 5-1 against Washington in regular-season play.Arizona is slated to end regular-season play at home this weekend against the San Diego Padres.It would be interesting, Arizona manager Chip Hale said of a possible return trip to Washington. We would all have to come back. Thats right. Even Phil Nevin our Triple-A managers already said it wasnt in his contract. So he has to come back too. It would be really interesting.A pair of young pitchers drafted by the Nationals are slated to start Thursday.Washington right-hander Joe Ross (7-5, 3.48) will face off against Arizona lefty Robbie Ray (8-14, 4.77), a former minor leaguer with Washington.Ray was a 12th-round pick by the Nationals in 2010 out of a high school in Tennessee. He was part of the package that Washington traded to Detroit before the 2014 season as the Nationals acquired veteran right-hander Doug Fister. Ray made his MLB debut with the Tigers in 2014.In his last start on Saturday in Baltimore he was charged with the loss as he went just 3 2/3 innings and gave up six hits and four runs with four walks and five strikeouts.Ray started at home against Washington on August 2 and was charged with the loss as he gave up eight hits and six runs (five earned) in six innings.ddddddddddddChris Heisey of the Nationals has the most at-bats against Ray of any Washington hitter and is 2-for-8 against him with a homer. Daniel Murphy is 2-for-5 against Ray and Wimer Difo is 2-for-3.Ross went on the disabled list July 3 with right shoulder inflammation and did not pitch in the series at Arizona in early August. Ross has never faced Arizona.He pitched on July 2 against the Cincinnati Reds and then did not pitch again until Sept. 18 at Atlanta, when he went just three innings.In his last start, on Saturday in Pittsburgh, he lasted just 2 2/3 innings as he gave up five hits and one run with one walk and four strikeouts. But the Nationals got a strong outing from Reynaldo Lopez in that game and with a win clinched the National League East title.Ross could be in line to make a postseason start against the Dodgers, perhaps Game 4.Gio Gonzalez, the loser on Wednesday, could face the Dodgers in game 3 since they have so many lefty hitters. But Gonzalez did not get out of the fourth Wednesday and has not gone more than five innings in his last three starts.Game 3 is on Oct. 10. Can a long layoff help Gonzalez, whose friend Jose Fernandez died on Sunday?It can, said manager Dusty Baker. Just depends on, not only can it reset him, but after things have subsided some... they say time heals all wounds, but some wounds take longer to heal. Probably wont really set in until after the season when hes back in Miami and around and Joses not around. Hopefully, he can have a couple good pens and get it back together because were certainly going to need him come playoff time. ' ' '