This rebuild has been more interesting than rebuilds usually are, mostly because of who came out of it. Cole Caufield is a legitimate top-six NHL winger who fills the net and makes the Habs dangerous in ways they haven't been in years. Lane Hutson's emergence on the blue line has been the real revelation - the skating, the poise, the willingness to quarterback the power play as a rookie, it's been genuinely exciting to watch and has given Montreal something to build around defensively for a very long time.

Nick Suzuki is the center this team needed to anchor things, and when he's right the Canadiens can beat teams that are further along in their construction. The goaltending has been a conversation all year - Sam Montembeault has been good enough to keep games close but the Habs probably need more than that as they move toward contention.

Bell Centre still sells out. The fanbase is still there. Tickets to a Habs home game are worth grabbing now because watching Hutson and Caufield figure out how to be great at this level is the kind of early chapter story you want to have been present for. Montreal doesn't have to be a playoff team right now to be worth watching. The players developing in front of you right now are going to be the reason this city is loud again in a couple years. You can see it coming if you're paying attention.