Of the four Original Six teams that didn't make the playoffs last season -- Chicago, Boston and the Rangers being the other three -- the Canadiens had the least wins (28) and points (70). Because Molson, Inc., entered the season trying to sell the arena and the team, very little money was spent to upgrade talent. The thin roster wasn't helped by continuing trouble with man-games lost to injury -- most notably team captain Saku Koivu (missed 28 games) and Martin Rucinsky (25 games).

	2000-01 by the numbers
	Record: 28-40-8-6, 70 points (24th overall, 11th East, 5th Northeast) Man-games lost to injury: 531 (1st) Goals for: 206/2.51 (22nd) Goals against: 232/2.83 (18th) Differential: -26 (20th overall) 20-goal scorers: Brian Savage (21) 50-point scorers: None

After a 5-13-2 start, coach Alain Vigneault and general manager Rejean Houle were fired on Nov. 20. The front office promoted Quebec Citadelles coach Michel Therrien to take over behind the bench, while Andre Savard assumed GM duties. Although not a single player appeared in all 82 games, and the team's leading point-getters (Oleg Petrov and Koivu) had just 47 points, the Habs went 23-27-6-6 under the new regime. And by season's end, the team had been sold to U.S. businessman George Gillett.

Looking at next season
Since the sale, the Canadiens have been one of the league's most active teams. Savard -- with Gillett's approval -- has instituted a plan to make the team more competitive, and should reap rewards right away. That's not to say the Canadiens will be a playoff team next season, however, barring another rash of injuries they should be significantly better.

The Habs re-signed a large contingent of players, including defensemen Patrice Brisebois, Patrick Traverse and Stephane Robidas, and forwards Gino Odjick, Craig Darby, and Petrov. Then, Savard acquired Quebec native Joe Juneau from Phoenix and promptly signed him to a three-year deal. Right wing Andreas Dackell was acquired from Ottawa for a seventh-round draft pick, and finally, Yanic Perrault signed as a free agent. Throw in the deadline trade that added center Jan Bulis and right wing Richard Zednik from Washington in exchange for Trevor Linden and Danius Zubrus, and training camp is guaranteed to be extremely competitive.

Up front, the Canadiens are at least four deep at every position with players who've spent a decent chunk of time in the NHL. Incorporate the potential contributions of 21-year-old center Mike Ribeiro (26-40-66 in 74 AHL games), and there's plenty of potential to improve on offense.

Koivu, a restricted free agent, is the X-factor at center. There could be some disparity between his agent and the team regarding his value. The 26-year-old Finn is immensely talented. However, he also is injury prone, having played in just 78 of 164 games the past two seasons. Montreal needs Koivu, who is also the team's captain, healthy and in training camp.

There is even more competition at defense than forward. Eight Habs defensemen played at least 20 games in the NHL last season. Add Stephane Quintal and the number grows to nine. Interestingly enough, it's Quintal who will be important if the Habs defense is to be a positive. Quintal, who was reacquired from Chicago for a draft pick, experienced his best professional seasons with Montreal from 1995-99. A healthy Sheldon Souray should help on the back line, too.

The Canadiens could have an above-average goaltending tandem Jose Theodore and Jeff Hackett, provided Hackett isn't traded or injured. With Hackett limited to just 17 starts by an injured right hand, Theodore (2.57 GAA, .909 save percentage) finally began to play consistently at the NHL level after seeing part-time duty over the previous five seasons. Theodore could be ready for the No. 1 job, paving the way for Montreal to unload Hackett and his $3.3 million salary. If Hackett stays, the Habs possess two goalies with the ability to steal a game, which might come in handy with the fragility of a team that's lost so many games in recent years.

Brian A. Shactman covers the NHL for ESPN.com.