Three questions facing Montreal Canadiens

NHL.com is providing in-depth analysis for each of its 32 teams from Aug. 8-Sept. 8. Today, three important questions facing the Montreal Canadiens.

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1. How will Martin St. Louis fare in his first full season as coach?
The Hall of Fame forward gets full credit for breathing fresh life into one of the most dreadful seasons in Canadiens history.
Hiring St. Louis was an outside-the-box decision, but his lack of professional coaching experience did not prove to be an obstacle in getting positive results after he took over from Dominique Ducharme last season.
St. Louis starts this season with a three-year contract and must continue to rely on the experience of his staff to help him instill his vision.
Vincent Lecavalier, a special adviser to hockey operations who won the Stanley Cup with St. Louis with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2004, believes his former teammate brings a fresh and exciting approach to coaching.
"Marty just thinks the game a little differently than anybody," Lecavalier said. "I know he doesn't have the experience of a coach of 20 years in the league, but his knowledge is probably the best I've seen."
2. Will the Canadiens choose a captain?
Whoever succeeds
Shea Weber
as Canadiens captain will have a tough act to follow, but Montreal has several good candidates if a successor is chosen.
Brendan Gallagher has been viewed for years by many as the captain-in-waiting and the veteran forward's style of play and compete level scream leadership by example.
Defenseman Joel Edmundson has a Stanley Cup ring (St. Louis Blues, 2019) and is a commanding presence in the dressing room, and forward Nick Suzuki is a young leader.

3. How will they weather another season without Carey Price?
Price is not expected to play this season due to a stalled recovery from July 2021 surgery on his right knee. The Canadiens' all-time leader in wins (361) and games played by a goalie (712) returned late last season but continued to experience swelling in his knee while losing four of five starts.
As a result, Jake Allen will begin his second straight season as Montreal's No. 1 goalie. He went 9-20-4 with a 3.30 goals-against average, a .905 save percentage and two shutouts in 35 games last season.
Allen will likely be backed up by Sam Montembeault, who signed a two-year contract after going 8-18-6 with a 3.77 GAA, .891 save percentage and one shutout in 38 games (30 starts), while prospect Cayden Primeau continues to develop with Laval of the American Hockey League.
"I'm just focusing on preparing myself to come to training camp with the mindset of making the team," Montembeault said. "Nothing changes with respect to my preparation. I just want to work hard this summer to come to training camp ready."