There will be growing pains for the Habs in 2018-19 but there is cause for some optimism given some recent additions both on and off the ice.

In the days leading up to the regular season in past years, the Habs have been active making minor moves and this season is no exception. Montreal has acquired defenceman Brett Kulak from Calgary in exchange for blueliners Rinat Valiev and Matt Taormina.

The Habs will have a new captain entering the 2018-19 season as the team announced that Shea Weber will replace Max Pacioretty in that capacity.

The Habs made a trio of roster cuts on Sunday as they work their way towards finalizing their season-opening roster. Charlie Lindgren was assigned to Laval while Michael Chaput and Kenny Agostino are on waivers.

Saturday night’s last preseason game was a hard 3-0 loss to the Sens which had to be a reality check for many. After such a strong camp, many players were fighting their jobs on this night but they collectively laid an egg.

Paul Byron’s extension over the weekend caught many by surprise. Instead of being potential trade bait, he’s now a part of Montreal’s long-term core. Our writers weigh in on the four-year, $13.6M contract.

Brendan Gallagher was one of the few bright spots offensively for the Habs last season. With some of their top scoring threats now gone, how will he fare with more pressure on his shoulders?

Despite the 5-3 losing outcome to Toronto on Wednesday night, there were many positive signs for the Habs who now just have one game before having to finalize their roster.

Some cuts were expected on Tuesday and the Habs have indeed made some, removing four players from their training camp roster and placing five on waivers, all of whom cleared on Wednesday.

As the Habs had their way with a very young Leafs squad, the 5-1 win allowed for players such as Kotkaniemi, Ouellet, and Chaput to show again that they belong with the big boys in Montreal.