New coach Jacques Martin and sniper Mike Cammalleri, centre, are just two of the fresh arrivals on a revamped Canadiens team. (Peter McCabe/Canadian Press)

The Montreal Canadiens plummeted after a great start left the city awash in great expectations last year, a season that would be marked by a surprise coaching change, rumours of hard-partying players, and a short and pitiable playoff performance.

Will the hangover from the bad season linger? With a solid systems coach now in place and a host of new players not tainted by last season, things can't get any worse, right?

What to like

Change is good. At least for a team whose centennial celebration turned into a funeral. Montreal GM Bob Gainey responded to the disastrous season by letting mercurial forward Alex Kovalev, declining captain Saku Koivu and offensively limited blue-liner Mike Komisarek leave via free agency. To replace them, Gainey imported gifted forwards Scott Gomez, Mike Cammalleri and Brian Gionta, who could eventually give the Habs a brand new top line. The new faces will be guided by veteran coach Jacques Martin, who has coached both high-flying and more defensive-minded squads in Ottawa and Florida.

"We're definitely a team that's going to be a puck-possession team," assistant coach Kirk Muller told CBCSports.ca. "We've got forwards that are going to be skilled and quick and fast, and we're going to use that to our advantage. We've got D that are going to be able to move the puck."

Integrating young players like Max Pacioretty and Matt D'Agostini into the cast of talented offensive acquisitions will be key. Former first-round pick Pacioretty, 20, skated on the top line with Gomez and Gionta in the pre-season. If he can develop a rapport with the old New Jersey teammates, Pacioretty should rack up a lot more points than the 11 he posted in 34 games as a rookie.

What to sweat

Change isn't cheap. To get the 29-year-old Gomez, Gainey had to take on the remaining five years and more than $33 million US left on his bloated contract, plus send the rights to promising forward Christopher Higgins to the Rangers. Cammalleri and Gionta cost $30 million and $25 million, respectively, over the next five years. That's big money for little guys: while Gomez weighs in at a sturdy 201 pounds, Cammalleri and Gionta average under 180.

"There are some big boys that don't play a big man's game, and there are some little guys that play bigger than their size," Muller says. "These aren't easy guys to play against. Plus we've got a good solid group supporting them, which makes for a stronger team than people think we are."

Under pressure: Carey Price

Anointed the successor to the Vezina/Plante/Dryden/Roy goaltending dynasty upon his arrival in Montreal two years ago, Price followed a nightmarish 2008 playoffs with a disappointing regular season in which he got worse in every major statistical category. Perhaps more troubling, rumours swirled that Price was enjoying his off-ice time a little too much. Before Habs fans write him off, though, remember: he's 22 years old with a career save percentage of .912.

"You've got to earn your stripes and mature and learn from your experiences," Muller says. "He came in [to training camp] focused and he's ready to go. I think he's going to bounce back and have a good solid year."

Fresh face: Jaroslav Spacek

The Habs' fall from top seed in the East in 2007-08 to first-round fodder last spring was the result of a declining power play. After leading the NHL with a gaudy 24.1 per cent success rate two years ago, Montreal fell to the middle of the pack at 19.2 per cent. The unit seemed to improve with the mid-season arrival of Mathieu Schneider and his heavy point shot, but Schneider is gone and Spacek (22 power-play points in 2008-09 with Buffalo) is being paid $11.5 million over the next three years to fill the void.

"[Schneider] really showed the effectiveness of having a shooting defenceman," says Muller. "Spacek has shown in the past that he can be a shooter."

Olympic impact

Montreal is a textbook case in how a team's NHL expectations don't necessarily dovetail with their Olympic commitments. The Canadiens may be in a battle just to make the playoffs, but they'll be sending anywhere from six to eight players to the Vancouver Games, putting them among the most in the league. Moreoever, the likes of Gomez, Markov and the Kostitsyns are expected to integral leaders for their countries, not merely passengers.

Outlook

"It's hard not to like the Habs as a Stanley Cup contender," we said a year ago, citing projected improvements by youngsters Tomas Plekanec, Andrei Kostitsyn, Higgins and Price. We'll curb our enthusiasm this year for the likes of Pacioretty and speedster Matt D'Agostini, but we just can't help ourselves when it comes to seeing great things ahead for Price.

Those big contracts could cause a salary-cap disaster down the road, but in the short term the Habs should be better. Northeast champion Boston looks like it will take a step back, so the division title could be up for grabs. But for Montreal, opening the playoffs on the road seems a more realistic scenario.