Montreal Canadiens: 3 storylines to watch
theScore's NHL editors take a look at three storylines to watch for each NHL team heading into the regular season.
The Montreal Canadiens' inspiring run to the Eastern Conference final ended with a harsh reality - the roster was set to undergo a massive upheaval.
With expiring contracts up and down the roster, general manager Marc Bergevin was faced with plenty of difficult decisions and only time will tell if his recourse has set the Habs up for another extended playoff push.
Here are three storylines to watch following a high-traffic offseason.
The $72-million man
So what does $72 million buy you in the NHL these days? Well, eight seasons of a polarizing 25-year-old blueliner who conceals shortcomings in his own end with absolute mastery in the offensive zone.
P.K. Subban must live up to his contract this season and beyond after commanding 13 percent of Montreal's total salary allotment this summer.
His presence is felt beyond what can be measured through both advanced statistics and those that have been tracked for decades. He's a big-game player, capable of elevating his play beyond his peers, but needs to round into a complete defenseman to merit that whopping salary.
Subban managed just four goals and 22 points at even strength last season (16th among defensemen); generated less than half the shot attempts of his closest comparison, Erik Karlsson; turned the puck over more than once per contest; and was entrusted with the fewest defensive-zone draws among Montreal blueliners last season.
These figures must begin trending in the right direction - pay grade aside.
Price-less
Subban might make all the money in Montreal, but Carey Price remains of chief importance in Bergevin's rank and file.
The all-world netminder is expected to be fit for preseason action, but the injury suffered in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final remains a mystery - much like the rationale behind Chris Kreider trucking into Price's right pad in the first place.
Price began his offseason training two weeks later than usual, and, while he probably deserved some extra rest following the Olympic season, it has only invited more speculation.
Dustin Tokarski filled in admirably and Peter Budaj is capable of a few spot starts, but mismanagement of Price's injury - which includes returning too soon - would result in severe consequences for the Canadiens and their chances in the Atlantic Division.
Captain by committee
In addition to the losses of Thomas Vanek and Danny Briere, two-thirds of Montreal's leadership core last season will now wear the navy and gold of the Buffalo Sabres.
Brian Gionta, Montreal's former captain, and Josh Gorges, the team's media liaison, were casualties of Subban's massive contract Montreal's free-agent bottleneck.
The Canadiens have since taken on a new, captain-less leadership identity, surrounding returning assistant Andrei Markov with three other "A"s in 39-goal man Max Pacioretty, veteran Tomas Plekanec and, of course, Subban.
In most cases, the captain's role in overblown. But in the traditional market that is Montreal, where bilingualism was once compulsory and the "C" is still revered, the team's internal governing will be a talking point all season.
And for a bonus, we'll all get extra excited about the next fiery exchange between Subban and Pacioretty (which, by the way, was overblown too).