With the emergence of Jose Theodore, the inspirational saga of Saku Koivu and Montreal's return to the playoffs for the first time since 1998, the Canadiens were one of the best stories of the year in the NHL.

But now the Canadiens must build on what they accomplished.

ESPN.com wondered what our users thought of the Canadiens' chances for next season. Here is a sampling of your responses:

The feel-good story of 2002 will turn into the do-good performance of 2003. The Habs now have a healthy and fit Saku Koivu for a full year, and along with a playoff-tested goalie in Theodore, they have the necessary elements to compete with the Eastern Conference's elite.

Chris Haddad
Greenwich, Conn.

The ghosts had a hard time moving out of the old Forum, but with the emergence of Theodore, we saw them in full force when the Habs squared off against Boston in round one. At the beginning of last year, all the critics were questioning Theodore's ability to be the No. 1 man, (but) I think he's answered that resoundingly. The focus on next year will be the team's health. The Habs, if they can stay healthy, can compete with any team for the Eastern Conference. With a star goalie, they should score enough with their roster to win. So yes, it'll be up to Theodore and the ghosts, but they'll have to stay healthy, too.

Robert Gelinas
South Orange, N.J.

The Habs (have) a committed owner, a lucid president, a savvy GM, an exceptional and talented young goaltender, an inspirational captain, a passioned old-timer (Gilmour), a couple of snipers (namely Perreault, Audette, Zednik and Petrov has his days, too). Add to that new acquisitions Czerkawski and McKay, and Montreal gets a more exciting team to fight for a place in the playoffs. As a fan, I like the team more and more.

Ugo Marsolais
Montreal

Jose Theodore emerged from virtually nowhere to become a Vezina-winning goaltender. The obvious concern for Montreal is whether he was a one-year wonder, like Jim Carey a few years ago. He's no longer an unknown quantity, and players on opposing teams will likely be studying him more carefully this coming year.

Andrew Zahnd
Hastings-on-Hudson, N.Y.

The Habs' return to prominence will prove not to be a fluke in this upcoming season. Though they will not have the emotional spark which Saku Koivu provided this past April, they will gain from having Koivu available for the start of (and hopefully throughout) the season. Andre Savard ... has done a masterful job in overhauling the mess of a team which was left by his predecessor, Rejean Houle. There is finally decent depth throughout the roster, enough to even overcome the annual rash of incomprehensible injuries that seem to plague the Canadiens, as evidenced in 2001-02.

Don Sonck
San Diego

Montreal still is lacking physical presence on offense and defense. Besides Sheldon Souray and Stephane Quintal, the Habs are not strong in limiting opponents' chances around Jose Theodore. Andre Savard must address this, (but) thus far the Habs have not improved on defense.

Marc MacRae
Waterdown, Ontario

This is a very scary and solid team right now. They have the perfect blend of youth and leadership that makes them a championship-type team. They can compare to a Colorado or a Detroit in terms of depth. This may be the most stable team in the East with Theodore, Koivu, McKay, Audette, and many others. Oh, they also have something that other East teams don't: chemistry.

Sean Leary
Worcester, Mass.

While the Habs had a great season last year, it was very clear in the playoffs that they lacked leadership and experience. ... They want to build on last season, but also need to forget last season. They need to have higher expectations of themselves. They cannot be satisfied with just making the playoffs. ... A lot of people believe they can do it. The question is: Do the players believe?

Lonnie Bottke
Tower, Minn.

(The Canadiens) will have a bit of pressure on them to equal and surpass what they accomplished this past season. There is no emotional situations such as the Koivu ordeal. Now they must play hard day in, day out. ... I do think they are getting better all the time, little by little.

Mario Ouellette
San Diego

The Habs are finally headed in the right direction for one very simple reason: Andre Savard understands the importance of depth. ... In a league where most teams can throw out one or two good offensive lines, it's the quality of your third and fourth lines that wins games. And in guys like Juneau, Dackell, Perreault, McKay, Bulis, etc the Habs can go toe-to-toe with other strong third lines.

Mike Gabe
Montreal

Montreal Canadians with Jose Theodore: Legitimate playoff contender, needing size and strength. Montreal Canadians without Jose Theodore: Team jockeying with Florida, Columbus, and Atlanta for the magical No. 1 pick.

Jeremy Ruckel
Austin, Texas