The Canadian wants to “be in the mix”. He wants to be in the playoff race and play meaningful games after the trade deadline.

Is this wishful thinking or an achievable goal? At first glance, yes. But the injury that will prevent Patrik Laine from making his official debut with the Habs before the holiday season could make the task a little more difficult. We said that his arrival and the return of Kirby Dach, who was injured in the second game of the season, would allow the team to finally count on two real attacking trios. This is less true now.

However, the team that will begin the season on Oct. 9 against the Maple Leafs is better off than the team that took the ice on a similar date at Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena last year.

As the season progressed, Nick Suzuki established himself as a true number one center, Juraj Slafkovsky stepped up a gear after the holidays, and Cole Caufield became “a hockey player,” to use Martin’s phrase. On the blue line, Lane Hutson will bring a dimension that the Canadian lacked.

Score more points than your opponent

Despite everything, it is anything but safe. The Canadian finished last season with a total of 76 points. The Red Wings are the last team to miss the cut with 91 points.

To be “in the mix,” the Habs need at least 88 points. To improve his chances, he needs to halve his number of defeats by one goal. Last year it happened 27 times. A highlight in the NHL.

If Martin St-Louis’ team can deploy a more understandable defensive system and a more effective massive attack, that should help. This last criterion was far from being met in the preparatory calendar.

But be careful, being in the running doesn’t necessarily mean qualifying for the playoffs. The Habs aren’t the only team making progress in their pursuit of fortune in the Atlantic Division. This also applies to the other seven formations.

Here’s a profile of the Habs’ seven division rivals. In the metro area, the healthy Rangers, Hurricanes and Devils are safe bets.

Boston

The Bruins could be left empty-handed by the strongest goaltending duo. They traded Linus Ullmark to the Senators and are in a contract dispute with Jeremy Swayman. If they have to start the season with Joonas Korpisalo, they are not out of the woods yet. At least they should still be solid defensively. They are also nearing the end of a cycle. David Pastrnak should still be dangerous, but is Elias Lindholm the right center for him? And what does this mean for Brad Marchand, 36? Jim Montgomery’s defensive system has proven successful. This will allow the Bruins to stay afloat.

buffalo

The Sabers experienced a slight decline from the previous season. We brought Lindy Ruff, the last head coach who led them to the spring tournament in 2011, back behind the bench. We are talking about a young team in development. With Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power and Henri Jokiharju, the Sabers have a good defensive base. JJ Peterka has a bright future on offense. If Dylan Cozens, Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch find their touch for 2022-23, they’ll be in the running until the end. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen performed so well in net that he was given a five-year contract.

Detroit

The Red Wings are in a rebuilding phase. They missed the game by just one point. However, they seem to be stalling. Vladimir Tarasenko, who was taken over in the summer, and Patrick Kane no longer have what it takes from the good old days. The same goes for Cam Talbot, whose star fades with each passing season. If you have the right Ben Chiarot in the first pair of defenders, you’re in trouble. Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider are the jewels of the Wings, but at 22 and 23 years old, they are still young to take this team on their shoulders. The winter could be long in the automobile city.

Florida

As Stanley Cup champions and finalists in the spring of 2023, the Panthers are far from in a downward trend. The key core members who contribute to the team’s success are back. Brandon Montour is the only really big guy going. Aleksander Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Bennett, Carter Verhaeghe and Sam Reinhart will once again be constant threats. Gustav Forsling is increasingly establishing himself on the blue line. The only thing that could hurt the Panthers is the workload placed on teams that make it deep into the playoffs.

Ottawa

The Senators got their hands on a true number one goalie for the first time since Craig Anderson’s heyday. Linus Ullmark comes from Boston, where he won the Jennings and Vezina Trophies in 2023. But this new chapter will certainly be different. He will get the majority of starts and will be stationed behind a team that is less strong defensively. The Senators should do well on offense. Brady Tkachuk could reach the 40-goal mark. The youngsters Tim Stützle, Jake Sanderson, Drake Batherson and Josh Norris are gaining more and more experience. And we have veterans surrounding them in Claude Giroux and David Perron.

Tampa

The loss of Steven Stamkos will be felt. Not just on the ice. His rise above the group was significant. I’m not sure Jake Guentzel will be able to follow in the Ontario native’s footsteps. Still, he should be an excellent complement to Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point in Florida’s always-dangerous offense. This will be their bread and butter. The Lightning also lost the services of Mikhail Sergachev, which could upset the balance of their defensive brigade. At least Andrei Vasilevskiy will start the season at the same time as his teammates and in excellent shape.

Toronto

A new era is dawning in the Queen City, one in which Auston Matthews will walk with the captain’s C on his jersey. While Mitch Marner’s contract negotiations may be a distraction, he is still part of this team’s quartet of productive leaders alongside Matthews, William Nylander and John Tavares. In front of goal, Joseph Woll will be Craig Berube’s right-hand man. If he’s as effective as he was in the small sample of last playoffs, the Leafs will be in the car. The Leafs’ qualification for the playoffs appears to be beyond doubt. A first round win? That’s another story.