from Jack Todd at the Montreal Gazette,

Immediately after the trade, someone said Drouin will be the most charismatic skater the Canadiens have had since Stéphane Richer. I would go all the way back to Guy Lafleur. Richer was a pure sniper for the brief time his talent flourished and he could light up the net and the Forum, but Drouin’s skills and charisma are more comparable to Lafleur’s.

That’s not saying he will be another Lafleur. The kid has enough pressure on him here without that. But he will bring them out of their seats at the Bell Centre on a regular basis. With Drouin, Phillip Danault, French-speaking Paul Byron and possibly Charles Hudon in the lineup, the Canadiens will have a renewed claim to the old Flying Frenchmen moniker.

But will they win? Even venturing a guess as to how this team will fare would be foolhardy. Bergevin, the GM who has often been damned as too cautious, has now pulled off two blockbusters in as many off-seasons and he is surely not done yet.

The projected blue line is a little thin without Sergachev and Beaulieu.

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