from Stu Cowan of the Montreal Gazette,

The Canadiens are heading into the second full season of their rebuild and there is real reason for optimism. More than half the team will be age 25 or younger this season and there will be several solid prospects playing for the AHL’s Laval Rocket. The Canadiens also hold 21 picks at the next two NHL Drafts, including two first-rounders in 2025.

But how long will Canadiens fans remain patient?

Before teeing it up at the team’s golf tournament Monday, executive vice-president of hockey operations Jeff Gorton was asked what would make this season a success.

“That’s a good question,” he said. “Listen, I know that everybody would like us to say the ‘P’ word (playoffs). … For us internally, I’ve said this since I got here: We’re going to try to get better every day and I know it’s a cliché and I’m sorry for that. But that’s how we’re going forward.”

When asked about goals for the coming season, general manager Kent Hughes said: “At the end of the day, this is a game of wins and losses and we want that. But it has to come from within, from the group of players and the expectation. We don’t want to burden them with it’s a zero-sum game where you either accomplish this or it’s a failure. Games are played for a reason and we’ll see where it takes us.”

When asked what his mission statement would be for this season, head coach Martin St. Louis said: “Win every day. That’s it. Just win every day.”

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