What the hell is gloomy about what I wrote? A lot of things went right last year. The team was healthy for the most part and was still fighting for a playoff spot up until they got Vanek. Vanek's production will need to be replaced. Or do you think Bourque will take his place? You call it gloomy (I don't even understand how that's gloomy)...I call it realistic.
Are the Rangers a contender? I don't think so. A lot of things will have to go right. There are only 2 legit contenders in the East and that's Boston and Pittsburgh. Then there are the rest.... Philly, Columbus, Montreal, Tampa, etc...
You need a reality check.
Ironic to say I need a reality check when you're the one ignoring reality. "A struggle to make the playoffs"? Based on what? Injuries that haven't happened? Our entire roster spontaneously under-performing? Guess what - Habs had their fair share of injuries and plenty of our skaters under-performed. Our PP disappeared, our 5-on-5 sucked for most of the season. Vanek was great, but he only played 18 games.
This is a developing team with plenty of room for improvement, yet it ended up with 100 pts. There's your reality-check - the one based on reality. We're a top-tier team in the EC, just as we were the season before. Difference is our players now have an impressive playoff run under their belts. That's a huge piece of the development curve.
Does it make Montreal a Cup-contender? As I said - not yet. But it makes them a solid bet for the playoffs. It also makes them worthy of more respect than true bubble teams. Our mission is battling against Pittsburgh and Tampa for the EC title, not Washington and Columbus for a playoff spot.
The only significant loss this season will be Vanek. But every team loses players; the good ones replace them well. Bergevin is proving himself to be a good horse-trader. He'll add some important pieces, if not in the next week through UFA, then during the season. On the plus side, we're on the cusp of having a much better defence, as Beaulieu and possibly Tinordi start replacing the older, slower Bouillon and Murray.
What's 'gloomy' is the inability to recognize that Montreal is trending up.