After going a few years between seeing games live, here are some comments on the Habs based on in-person viewings from their games in Tampa Bay and Florida.

The grades have been tallied from the first quarter and we present our first quarter report cards for the forwards, with Montreal’s top young duo leading the way.

More than in any other season I can remember, this year’s version of the Montreal Canadiens has more questions and more uncertainty than ever before.

Former Habs GM Marc Bergevin made quite a few moves after Montreal’s run to the Stanley Cup Final. One year later, it’s safe to say he’d want a do-over on a few of those decisions.

Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton did a good job at the trade deadline but that was the easy part. The time to pass judgment on how they’re doing will come when the heavy lifting gets done in the offseason and beyond.

An extended rebuild has been speculated lately with the Canadiens struggling mightily this season. But what if Jeff Gorton and his eventual new management team go a different direction and try to upgrade the roster instead?

With the Habs reading the one-quarter mark of the season, there have been plenty of surprises and disappointments with at least a handful of small positives along the way.

At some point, the Habs will need to name a captain. But with no one really being ready to step into that role just yet, the team is right to go without one for the time being.

There are plenty of wildcards heading into the 2021-22 season. One of those will certainly be head coach Dominique Ducharme as he runs training camp for the first time and looks to learn from some choices that didn’t work out as well as he had hoped in the playoffs.