Though it hasn't exactly been a summer of excitement for the Montreal Canadiens, their team is relatively set at all positions. Eventually, Carey Price will come to terms on a new deal, and the team will take moderate cap space into the season. Sure, there could be a small signing between now and training camp, but in all likelihood we've reached the point where everyone can begin to formulate their line combinations, and make their prediction for where they think the Habs might fall in the Eastern Conference.

I'm not particularly fond of speculating how the lineup may look, considering line combinations depend on injury status and the general hotness or coldness of a player, but here's my take on how the Canadiens may start their season:

Gionta-Gomez-Cammalleri
Eller-Plekanec-Kostitsyn
Pyatt-Lapierre-Pouliot
Moen-Boyd-Darche
*White

Gorges-Gill
Hamrlik-Subban
Spacek-O'Byrne
*Weber

I'm somewhat convinced that Pierre Gauthier would like to give Lars Eller a chance to succeed right off the bat, and whether that affects Jacques Martin's decision to place the rookie in a top six position is questionable at best. But Eller will be keen to prove his worth immediately out of camp, and as I've mentioned before, the Canadiens are under a lot of pressure to prove they got a good return on Halak. Benoit Pouliot is the biggest threat to Eller's opportunity to play in Montreal's top six.

I'm well aware that Lars Eller is a centerman, but the Habs will use him in any capacity that's best for the team. If he outshines Pouliot, and perhaps even Kostitsyn out of training camp, that'll force Martin's hand.

As for the top line, Gomez, Gionta and Cammalleri are great together. The Habs will need their scoring punch, especially with Markov on the sidelines to start the season. If this team is able to hunt for a playoff spot, their best players will need to be exactly that on a daily basis. Putting the three players, who should be the offensive leaders of the team, on the same line affords them each the best opportunity to be successful. If the Habs can't find balance with Plekanec on the second line, centering Pouliot, Kostitsyn or Eller they'll struggle to make the post-season.

I like the idea of playing Pouliot with Lapierre and Pyatt. The speed quotient is there, and it may very well motivate Pouliot to get things straight right from the start of the season. Let him play his way into the top six, and into powerplay time. I believe Pyatt's game is only going to grow, and as the rookie hands start to tremble a little less I think he'll bury a lot more pucks than he did last season. As for Lapierre, I believe him when he says he'll be the player we saw in the playoffs. If he is that player, the Canadiens will have a strong 3rd line.

Moen-Boyd-Darche is a line that combines size and speed, capable of playing behind the opposition's net. I think the composition there amounts to a good grind line, and gives the Canadiens a balance where Jacques Martin can afford to roll four lines more often than he did last season. Ryan White could also be an interesting alternate for third or fourth line duty.

Roman Hamrlik did an admirable job next to P.K. Subban in the playoffs, and P.K. Subban made Roman Hamrlik look good. If that continues, the Canadiens don't really have a better partner for Subban until Markov returns.

I pray that Ryan O'Byrne can make an impact in camp the way he did last year, before suffering an injury in the second game of the season that set him back dramatically. He's a guy you just want to see do well because he has the ability, and just hasn't had the luck. I think there's a strong chance he beats Yannick Weber or Mathieu Carle to a spot next to Spacek, but this decision will depend on how the Canadiens powerplay fares without Andrei Markov. Weber presents an offensive option if Jacques Martin continues to refuse to play a forward on the point of the powerplay.

Gorges and Gill...Not much else to say about that.


I'll get to some Eastern Conference predictions a little later in the summer, as teams continue to shore up their rosters leading into training camp.

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