Coach: Claude Julien (second stint, since 2017). 6.5/10
2018-19 record: 44-30-8, 96 points (4th in Atlantic Division, 9th in Eastern Conference).
Playoffs: Did not qualify
Departures: Andrew Shaw (RW), Jordie Benn (D), Antti Niemi (G) Nicolas Deslauriers (LW).
Arrivals: Ben Chiarot (D), Nick Cousins (C), Keith Kincaid (G).
Top forwards: Brendan Gallagher (60-65 points), Jonathan Drouin (55-65 points), Max Domi (55-65 points), Phillip Danault (50-55 points), Tomas Tatar (50-55 points), Artturi Lehkonen (25-35 points), Paul Byron (35-45 points), Jesperi Kotkaniemi (25-40 points), Joel Armia (20-30 points).
Must-improve forwards: Drouin tied a career-high with 53 points, a mark that is made even more astonishing considering he registered only a handful of points in the final 20 games of the season. I say "astonishing" because that seems like current market value at $5.5M on the cap, but also because a lot more was expected of the third-overall pick in 2013, the player many thought was the one feeding teammate Nathan MacKinnon the quality passes he needed to score. At this point, Drouin should have been a 60-65-point player. He's not that far off, and he was certainly on pace to achieve that last year for two-thirds of the season, but his creativity is not something head coach Julien promotes, so unless he actually does get his name on the score sheet every game, he'd better be "good without the puck" and ready to grind it out on a fourth line, because his career is in stasis unless he gets a fresh start.
Top defensemen: Shea Weber (30 points), Jeff Petry (30-35 points), Mike Reilly (30 points), Brett Kulak (10-15 points), Ben Chiarot (20 points), Victor Mete (15-25 points).
Goalies: Carey Price (84/100), Charlie Lindgren (79), Antti Niemi (75/100).
Top rookies: Noah Juulsen (22 years old, D, 2015 first-round draft pick, concussion issues), Cayden Primeau (20, G), Cale Fleury (20, D), Nick Suzuki (20, C, first-round pick in 2017), Ryan Poehling (20, C, first-round pick in 2017), Joël Teasdale (20, C), Jake Evans (23, C).
Analysis:
We touched upon the Drouin situation earlier. Other players on tight leashes include depth defenseman Xavier Ouellet, would-be middle-six winger Charles Hudon, and grizzled veteran Alex Belzile. All three are francophones, so expect them to play for the AHL's Laval Rocket for most of the season.
Also, we're entering Year 13 of the "The Cup Comes Through Price Or Not At All" era, and - you guessed it - it won't be for this year either. Mr. "14% of the team's cap hit" is clearly on a down slope after his lone excellent post-heavy season from 2014-15, and Primeau will take over his job in the next three years.
Will it be as close as last year, missing the playoffs by just a coupel of points? Probably. But it's a "no" all the same.
Prediction: 5th in the Atlantic Division, 18th in the NHL.
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