Teams like the Pens are extremely top heavy, where the Hawks are top heavy but they have more stars that are a notch or two below guys like Sid or Geno. I agree that we need a gamebreaking player(s), but we shouldn't sacrifice depth. Secondary scoring and team defence are the things that win you cups. That's the difference between a team with a star and a star team.
Our Gamebreakers are:
Price (Top Goalie, can steal games)
Subban (Can play tons of minutes, plays every situation, has tons of intangibles and able to make strong individual plays)
Markov(on the bubble IMO, Isn't quite where he was but can really take a game over PP wise and in transition)
Potential Gamebreakers:
Galchenyuk
Beaulieu (Ceiling only)
Collberg (Ceiling only)
As for our other young players and prospects (Max, Eller, DD, Gally, Tinordi, etc) They are what you need to take that extra step and I believe we are in a huge transition phase for the Habs. It's funny that MT took a two year deal despite most coaches being signed for at least three years. Unless he is God behind the bench, MT will be gone, as he is a caretaker coach. Good for the young guys, makes us competitive, preps them for the contending coach. There has been some rumours about Quennville coming to Montreal, but like any Habs rumour, I'll believe it when I see it.
My Point is that we are little bit away from really knowing our team makeup going forward. Markov isn't getting younger, and while he could still contribute, we need to temper expectations in seasons to come, he will be a complementary player. If management sees the team as a Chicago-like team, then I'm sure they're going for a balanced approach. They'll look for 3 scoring lines, and with our D depth, hopefully that means our Dcore won't be a huge chunk of the salary cap since we can assume Tinordi, Beaulieu, etc will make the jump sooner than later.
I hope, although they will take BPA, that the Habs draft some promising forwards, hopefully with size. If we can find our equivalent to Bolland, Buff, Ladd, etc, we could have a great contending team. We have #1 G, D, and C figured out (I'm assuming Galch will become a 75-80ish Point player with intangibles) We have a good amount of youth to help our chances of timing a good contention window, all that remains is filling out the depth. If Galchenyuk can usurp Pleks for the #1C job, IMO Plekanec becomes even more valuable, because he can thrive in a role he's suited for. Add in Eller, DD, Bournival, White, Leblanc (?), etc we have a good chance of having a solid #3 and 4C.
We have Prust for a while and guys like Diaz and Emelin will be good pieces for specific roles. I think once the young guys take a step in their responsibility on the ice, guys like Cole, Gionta, etc can be trimmed and we'll be looking at a bigger, younger, more competitive team. Throw in our draft picks this year and we could steal another gem or two thanks to timmins.
I hope we do go for the balanced approach, because if you have enough star power (IMO we have just enough, with more to come) it will fulfill the same role as a superstar. If you have a guy like Toews, a guy like crosby is just icing on the cake. Better, but not necessary.