The Habs have moved to a new phase in their rebuild but it’s not the end stage just yet. Instead, the Canadiens find themselves in a spot where they’re going to play really well some nights and really struggle in others.

Laval played their final two games before the holiday break last week. Despite struggling over the past few weeks, they were better on home ice, picking up victories in both of them to move back into first in the division.

The Habs battled back on Monday night in Columbus, coming back from a two-goal deficit to take the lead in the third. However, they weren’t able to hold on as Kirill Marchenko scored the winner with just over two minutes to go to give the Blue Jackets the 5-4 win.

Montreal made their first trade of note this season when they sent Justin Barron to Nashville for Alexandre Carrier. Having had some time to ponder the swap, our writers offer up their thoughts.

The Habs had a chance to gain some ground against some struggling division rivals this past week and they did just that, taking all three games including two in blowout fashion.

After Friday’s game in Detroit was a close one, Saturday’s rematch wasn’t as tightly contested. The Habs scored five times in the first two periods and were in control from there, beating the Red Wings 5-1.

The Habs found themselves down one in the third period on Friday night but their depth players continued to produce, eventually setting the stage for a late Patrik Laine power play goal to give them the 4-3 win over Detroit.

Topics in our latest podcast include a deep analysis of the Justin Barron for Alexandre Carrier trade, a discussion of the December 17th win against Buffalo, should the Habs look for a replacement for backup Cayden Primeau, and much more.

The Canadiens 9-2 dismantling by the Penguins last week may very well be the low-point of their rebuild. It should only get better from here and early indications from the team suggest that it will.