The Montreal Canadiens wrapped up their exhibition schedule with Saturday night's 4-2 setback to rivals Ottawa Senators, finishing with just two wins in the six tune-up games they played.
They enter the 2024-25 regular season with hopes that their postseason drought, which dates back to their surprise run to the 2021 Stanley Cup Final, will come to a close next spring.
But what are the three biggest issues facing the Habs before the new season begins?
Montreal Canadiens' preseason takeaways: 3 glaring issues to address before start of 2024-25 regular season
#1. How will they supplement the loss of Patrik Laine?
The Canadiens acquired Patrik Laine, the former No. 2 overall selection in the 2016 NHL Draft in a major deal during the summer with the Columbus Blue Jackets, and he was expected to play a key role in their offense.
Unfortunately, he'll be missing at least the first few months of the season after he was injured thanks to a knee-on-knee collision with Toronto Maple Leafs forward Cedric Pare in late September.
Already dealing with a notable absence in the lineup, will Montreal's other forwards be able to elevate their game to compensate for the void left by Laine?
#2. Will the power play improve?
Montreal's power play hasn't been a formidable threat to their opposition in recent memory, finishing 30th overall in 2022-23 and improving only slightly to 27th overall in 2023-24.
While Laine was supposed to aid that statistic, they'll have to wait for him to make his official debut thanks to his aforementioned injury. If Montreal can't improve in this valuable special teams statistic, their postseason hopes will be significantly weakened.
#3. What goaltender will earn the bulk of the starts?
The Canadiens parted ways with former starter Jake Allen, who was dealt to the New Jersey Devils at last season's NHL Trade Deadline. The management has seemingly seen fit to enter the upcoming season with the tandem of Cayden Primeau and Sam Montembeault.
Neither goaltender posted particularly outstanding statistics last season. Montembeault went 16-15-9 with a 3.14 goals-against average while Primeau amassed a record of 8-9-4 with a 2.94 goals-against average.
They both have also never been tasked with the responsibility of being the full-fledged starter at the beginning of a campaign. Right now, it appears they'll be going with the hot hand of whoever performs better out of the gate and hope he'll be able to sustain it.
The Canadiens open the season on Wednesday night against the Maple Leafs at Bell Centre. The opening puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 PM EST.