There various tiers of teams in each given NHL season. There are the elite teams who can’t wait for the regular season to end as soon as it begins and the teams who are good enough to compete for a playoff spot. Teams who are on the bubble where their year could go either way make things interesting while the bottom feeders consult with draft reports as soon as puck drops for the season opener. Whether they like it or not, the Montreal Canadiens are in a mix of the two categories.
The team has yet to make the playoffs since the 2016-17 season after finishing first in the Atlantic Division.