In other news… Worry, Kotkaniemi's lack of secondary points

So far through the entirety of the 2023-24 season, the Montreal Canadiens have been stuck on the less-than-ideal .500 bubble. The Habs, who find themselves 21-21-8 as we wrap up the NHL All-Star break, are feeling pretty good after Tuesday's impressive 5-2 win over the upstart Washington Capitals.

Two points ahead of the Buffalo Sabers for second-to-last place in the Atlantic Division, and somehow 8 points ahead of the Ottawa Senators for last place (seriously, how can Ottawa win both games against Montreal, but still, be 8 points behind them), the Canadiens Not in an ideal position in terms of their odds in the 2025 NHL draft.

With the team's performance expected to suffer after the recent departure of key players such as Sean Monahan, head coach Martin St. Louis has shown that his teams will find ways to win regardless of the talent they have.

The Canadiens' biggest flaw this season has been their offense, with an Eastern Conference-worst -36 goal differential (the Sharks lead the league at -92, yes, -92), lacking any real consistent offensive support outside of them. the franchise forward duo of Cole Caulfield and Nick Suzuki. Heading into the upcoming offseason, Montreal will be looking for another high draft pick in this year's draft lottery, hoping to find another promising top scorer after selecting two-way defenseman David Reinbacher 5th overall in last year's draft, higher than the projected 2nd. overall choice Matvei Michkov.

While the future looks bright with the continued improvement of Caufield, Suzuki and former first overall pick Juraj Slafkowski, things are still up for grabs for the Habs. Here's a look at what's going on in other news for the Montreal Canadiens, featuring Canadians past and present across the NHL and a number of events in this professional hockey landscape.