Canadiens doomed by struggles of top players, defensive problems

The Montreal Canadiens (26-36-12, 64 points) were eliminated from contention for the Stanley Cup Playoffs after a 5-3 loss at the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday.
The Canadiens, who have won one playoff series since reaching the Eastern Conference Final in 2014, will miss the playoffs for the second time in three seasons. Depending on the NHL Draft Lottery results, Montreal might have a top five selection in the first round of the 2018 NHL Draft on June 22 in Dallas.

Here is a look at what happened in 2017-18 for the Canadiens and why things could be better in 2018-19:

The skinny

Potential UFAs: Antti Niemi, G; Ales Hemsky, RW.
Potential RFAs; Phillip Danault, C; Jacob de la Rose, C; Logan Shaw, C;
Michael McCarron
, C; Daniel Carr, LW; Rinat Valiev, D.
Potential 2018 Draft picks: 10

What went wrong

Stars struggled:Goaltender Carey Price, defenseman Shea Weber and forward Max Pacioretty each had subpar seasons and were plagued by injuries. Weber tore a ligament in his left foot in the season opener and was limited to 26 games before having surgery. Price, who returned from a concussion Wednesday, allowed at least four goals seven times going 3-6-1 in his first 11 starts before missing 10 games because of a lower-body injury. Pacioretty, a five-time 30-goal scorer, had 37 points (17 goals, 20 assists) and was minus-16 in 64 games before he sustained a knee injury.

Hole in the middle: Unable to develop or acquire a bona fide No. 1 center, Jonathan Drouin was moved there from the wing and is serving his NHL apprenticeship at that crucial position against the top talent in the League. The Canadiens are 29th in goals scored per game (2.47), have scored one goal or fewer in 26 games (excluding shootout goals), and have been shut out 12 times, the most in the NHL.
Indefensible: A remade left side of the defense, including free agent signing Karl Alzner and 19-year-old rookie Victor Mete, failed to overcome the departures of Andrei Markov, Alexei Emelin and Nathan Beaulieu. The Canadiens rank last in penalty killing (74.7 percent) and 24th in goals allowed per game (3.12).

Reasons for optimism

Money to spend: Even with Price's eight-year, $84 million contract extension kicking in next season, the Canadiens will have room under the NHL salary cap after they did not retain Markov and Alexander Radulov last offseason. The resulting surplus in Montreal's payroll budget went untapped this season, so they'll be in a good position to be aggressive in the free agent market.

Baptism by fire: Several of Montreal's key prospects got NHL playing time. Mete looked good in 49 games before a season-ending hand injury, and forward Nikita Scherbak and defensemen Noah Juulsen and Brett Lernout got ice time late in the season because of injuries.
Stockpile of draft picks: In addition to having a high pick in the first round of the 2018 draft, Montreal has four second-round picks. Forwards Jacob de la Rose (No. 34) and Artturi Lehkonen (No. 55) were among Montreal's three second-round choices in the 2013 NHL Draft.